Abstract
In the Spanish Mediterranean environment, scrub vegetation occupies a greater area than does forest. The impact of wildfire on the scrub vegetation and recovery afterward affects a number of other processes, including water erosion. While recovered vegetation considerably influences soil protection and erosion control, this function has scarcely been studied. This study discusses the behavior and architecture of recovering (or regenerating) typical Mediterranean shrub vegetation and the subsequent impact on soil protection. The study compared two protective forage species (Medicago arborea L. and Psoralea bituminosa L.). The research was performed in field conditions on a set of four experimental plots. A control plot was maintained with no vegetation cover. Runoff and soil loss by water erosion between 1989 and 1992 were studied on each of these plots. The natural vegetation was found to have a more significant protective effect (69.2% decrease in soil loss) than the other species tested. Soil loss on the Medicago plot decreased by 41.7%, and soil loss on the Psoralea plot decreased by 29.3%. That the Psoralea was only recently planted must be considered in evaluating its protective effects.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Al'Benskii, A.V. and P.D. Nikitin. 1967. Handbook of afforestation and soil amelioration, Israel Program for Scientific Translation, pp. 187–276.
Andreu, V., R. Cerní and J.L. Rubio. 1991. The Porta-Coeli experimental sites, in M. Sala and J.L. Rubio (Eds.), Excursion guide book (ESSC Workshop, Valencia-Barcelona 1991), Universidad Internacional Menendez y Pelayo, Valencia, pp. 2–14.
Andreu, V., J.L. Rubio, J. Forteza, and R. Cerní. 1994. Long term effects of forest fires on soil erosion and nutrient losses, in M. Sala and J.L. Rubio (Eds.), Soil erosion as a consequence of forest fires, Geoforma Ediciones, Logroño, pp. 79–90.
Aschmann, H. 1973. Distribution and peculiarity of Mediterranean ecosystems, in F. di Castri and H.A. Mooney (Eds.), Mediterranean type ecosystems, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, pp. 11–20.
Bailey, H.P. 1979. Semi-arid climates: Their definition and distribution, in A.E. Hall, G.H. Cannell and H.W. Lawton (Eds.), Agriculture in semi-arid environments, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 73–96.
Brandt, G.H., E.S. Conyers, M.P. Ettinger, F.J. Lowes, J.W. Mighton, and J.W. Pollack. 1972. An economic analysis of erosion and sediment control methods for watersheds undergoing urbanization, The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Texas.
Bridge, B.J., J.J. Mott, and R.C. Hartigan. 1983. The formation of degraded areas in the dry savanna woodlands of northern Australia. Australian Journal of Soil Research 21: 91–104.
Chartres, C.J. and H.J. Mücher. 1989. The effects of fire on the surface properties and seed germination in two shallow monoliths from a rangeland soil subjected to simulated raindrop impact and water erosion. Earth Surface Processes 14: 407–417.
FAO-Unesco. 1988. Soil map of the World 1:5.000.000. Revised legend. FAO, Roma.
König, D. 1992. The potential of agroforestry methods for erosion control in Rwanda. Soil Technology 5: 167–176.
Lal, R. 1988. Soil erosion research methods, Soil and Water Conservation Society-International Society of Soil Science, Ankeny, Iowa.
Naveh, Z. 1975. The evolutionary significance of fire in the Mediterranean region. Vegetatio 29(3): 199–208.
Naveh, Z. 1990. The role of fire and its management in the conservation of the mediterranean ecosystems and landscapes, in UIMP (Eds.), El papel del fuego en los ecosistemas mediterráneos, Universidad Internacional Menendez y Pelayo, Valencia, pp. 37–52.
Rubio, J.L., V. Andreu, and R. Cerní. 1990. Degradación del suelo por erosión hídrica: Diseño experimental y resultados preliminares, in J. Albaladejo, M.A. Stocking and E. Díaz (Eds.), Degradación y regeneración del suelo en condiciones ambientales mediterráneas, Instituto de Agroquimica y Technologia de Alimentos, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Madrid, pp. 215–235.
Sanroque, P. and J.L. Rubio. 1982. El suelo y los incendios forestales, Diputación de Valencia, Valencia, pp. 57–63.
Stübing, G. 1985. Estudio fitosociológico de los matorrales termófilos valencianos, University of Valencia, Valencia, pp. 127–144.
Thornthwaite, C. W. 1948. An approach towards a rational classification of climate. Geography Revue 30: 55–94.
Tomaselli, R. 1977. Degradation of the Mediterranean maquis, in Unesco (Eds.), Mediterranean forest and maquis: Ecology, conservation and management, Unesco, Paris, pp. 33–72.
Vogel, R.J. 1980. The ecological factors that produce perturbation dependent ecosystems, in J. Cairns (Eds.), The recovery process in damaged ecosystems, Ann Arbor Science Publishers, Ann Arbor, Michigan, pp. 63–94.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Andreu, V., Rubio, J.L. & Cerní, R. Effect of Mediterranean shrub on water erosion control. Environ Monit Assess 37, 5–15 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00546877
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00546877