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Overstory–Understory Relationships

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Mediterranean Oak Woodland Working Landscapes

Part of the book series: Landscape Series ((LAEC,volume 16))

Abstract

A key issue for sustainable management of oak woodlands is understanding the complex overstory-understory relationships that influence ecosystem productivity and stability. Oak removal is traditionally practiced in Californian ranches and Spanish oak dehesas to increase forage for grazing, but the response of the understory, and subsequently of the trees, is not fully understood. Existing knowledge of the effects of trees on understory forage production and the effects of the understory on tree production and recruitment is reviewed to synthesize from what is known and to identify knowledge gaps. Emphasizing the few published manipulative experiments to clarify the importance of facilitation and competition, plant to plant interactions are analyzed to examine three aspects of the relationship between trees and the understory: understory production, tree growth and production, and tree regeneration. First, we find that understory production is related to canopy-caused gradients of aboveground and belowground resources such as light, nutrients, and water. Second, the consequences of tree density and understory structure on oaks are analyzed, including competitive use of belowground resources. Third, the importance of the understory for oak seedling survival is discussed for its effect on the stability and sustainability of Spanish and Californian oak woodlands. While dehesa shrub encroachment is certainly favorable for oak seedling regeneration, it does not maintain longer-term stand functions and profitability from livestock, wildlife, and cork production. We conclude by proposing a future research agenda for the study of plant-to-plant relationships.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grupo de Investigación Forestal, Universidad de Extremadura, Plasencia, 10600, Spain

    Gerardo Moreno

  2. Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    James W. Bartolome

  3. Forest Research Centre, National Institute for Agriculture and Food Research and Technology, Ctra A Coruña km 7.5, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Guillermo Gea-Izquierdo & Isabel Cañellas

Authors
  1. Gerardo Moreno
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  2. James W. Bartolome
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  3. Guillermo Gea-Izquierdo
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  4. Isabel Cañellas
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gerardo Moreno .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Institute of Public Goods and Policies, Spanish National Research Council, Albasanz 26-28, Madrid, 28037, Madrid, Spain

    Pablo Campos

  2. , Dept. Environ. Sci. Policy Manage., University of California at Berkeley, 130 Mulford Hall MC 3114, Berkeley, 94720, California, USA

    Lynn Huntsinger

  3. , Institute of Public Goods and Policies, Spanish National Research Council, Albasanz 26-28, Madrid, 28037, Madrid, Spain

    Jose Luis Oviedo Pro

  4. , Department of Geography, University of Nevada at Reno, MacKay Science Mail Stop, Reno, 89557, Nevada, USA

    Paul F Starrs

  5. , Biogeography and Global Change, Spanish National Research Council, Serrano 115 bis, Madrid, 28006, Madrid, Spain

    Mario Diaz

  6. , Dept of Environ Sci Policy and Manage, University of California at Berkeley, 130 Mulford Hall MC 3114, Berkeley, 94720, California, USA

    Richard B Standiford

  7. , Centro de Investigación Forestal, Inst Nacl Invest Tecnol Agrar Aliment, Ctra. de La Coruña, km 7.5, Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Gregorio Montero

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Moreno, G., Bartolome, J.W., Gea-Izquierdo, G., Cañellas, I. (2013). Overstory–Understory Relationships. In: Campos, P., et al. Mediterranean Oak Woodland Working Landscapes. Landscape Series, vol 16. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6707-2_6

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