Table Of ContentEcological Studies, Vol. 136
Analysis and Synthesis
Edited by
M.M. Caldwell, Logan, USA
G.Heldmaier, Marburg, Germany
0.1. Lange, Wiirzburg, Germany
H.A. Mooney, Stanford, USA
E.-D. Schulze, lena, Germany
U. Sommer, Kiel, Germany
Ecological Studies
Volumes published since 1992are listed at the end of this book.
Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg GmbH
P.W. Rundel G. Montenegro F.M.[aksic (Eds.)
Landscape Disturbance
and Biodiversity
in Mediterranean-Type
Ecosystems
With 86 Figures,3 in Color, and 57Tables
Springer
Prof.Dr. Philip W.Rundei
Department ofBiology
University ofCalifornia (UCLA)
900 Veteran Avenue
Los Angeles CA 90095, USA
Prof. Dr. Gloria Montenegro
Prof.Dr. Fabian M.[aksic
Departamento de Ecologia
Pontificia Universidad Catölica de Chile
Casilla 114-D
Santiago, Chile
ISSN0070-8356
ISBN 978-3-642-08416-4 ISBN 978-3-662-03543-6 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-03543-6
LibrarayofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData.
Landscapedisturbance and biodiversityin Mediterranean-typeecosystemsI P.W.Rundel),G.Montenegro, F.M.
[aksic(eds.),
p. cm.- (EcologicalstudiesIAnalysisandsynthesis.ISSN0070-8356;v.136)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex,
I. Mediterranean-type ecosystems. 2. Nature-Effect of human beings on. 3. Landscape ecology. I. Rundei,
PhilipW.(PhilipWilson) 11. MontenegroRizzardini,Gloria. BI. [aksic,F.M.(FabianM.),1952-. IV. Series:
Eeologicalstudies;v,136.
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Preface
Mediterranean-type ecosystems have long provided classic casesfor stud
ies of comparative ecological function because of the opportunities that
they presentfor investigationsofevolutionaryconvergenceand divergence
amongthe fiveregions ofthe world thatsharethisunusualclimatic regime.
It is not surprising, therefore, that there has been an active history of
comparative ecological studies involving researchers from throughout
these mediterranean-climate regions. Past syntheses have examined com
parative aspects ofbroad ecological function (diCastri and Mooney 1973;
di Castri et al. 1981),fire ecology (Mooney and Conrad 1977;Moreno and
Oechel 1994), nutrients (Kruger et al. 1983), resilience (Dell et al. 1986),
plant stress response (Tenhunen et al. 1987),database syntheses (Specht
1988),plant-animalinteractions (Arianoutsouand Groves 1994),biogeog
raphy(Arroyoet al. 1994),waterrelations (Royetal. 1995),the function of
biodiversity(Davis and Richardson 1995),and globalchange (Moreno and
Oechel 1995).Despite the significant effectsthat human populations have
had, and are continuing to have, throughout these regions of the world,
there has not previously been an examination of the impact of human
landscape disturbance on biodiversity within mediterranean-climate
ecosystems.
Landscapes within the fivemediterranean-climate regions of the world
have experiencedvery differenthistoriesand intensitiesofhumanimpacts.
Although South Africa has likely had the longest history of human pres
ence, it is the Mediterranean Basin itself where human urbanization and
agricultural expansion first had abroadand dramatic effect.Thousandsof
years ofsuch activities have had profound impacts through land degrada
tion, altered fire frequencies, erosion, and loss ofbiodiversity.
Impacts by European cultures on natural landscapes in the other
mediterranean-climateregions haveamuchshorterhistoryofafewcentu
ries. However, these impacts have accelerated in recent years in all five
regions as populations have expanded and economic development has
grown. These factors presentserious environmentalproblems ofplanning
and resource management at both the ecological and the political level.
VI Preface
Urbanization, agriculturalexpansion, tree plantations,grazing, exotic spe
cies invasions, and mining are all among the issues of varying relative
significance within these regions.
There ismuchthat canbelearnedby a comparative approach to under
standing the effects of landscape degradation on broad issues of
biodiversity in mediterranean-climate regions. California with its rapid
rate ofurbanization and South Africawith its change in political structure
each facestrongpressures on the sustainabilityofnatural ecosystem func
tion and biodiversity. Theincreasingurbanization and industrialization in
Chiletoday parallels in many respects those changes that occurred in the
Mediterranean Basin of Europe following World War II. Marginal farm
andgrazinglands arebeing abandonedasaformerlyruralsocietybecomes
rapidlyurbanized,leadingto dramaticchangesinvegetationcover andfire
frequencies.Agricultural development in all ofthe mediterranean-climate
regions has led to increasing fragmentation of natural habitats, and inva
sions of exotic species have become a growing concern.
Although the concept for this book grew out ofideas presented at the
MEDECOS VIConference in Refiaca, Vifia del Mar, Chile, in October 1994,
this isnot asymposiumvolume. Authorswho have contributedchaptersto
this volumerepresentbothindividualspresentat this conferenceaswellas
others who were not there but share an interest and experience in this
theme of landscape disturbance and biodiversity in mediterranean-type
ecosystems.Multiple authors from each ofthe fivemediterranean-climate
regions are represented.
Wehave divided this volume into sixgroupsofchapters.The first group
includesthreeintroductorychaptersthatbroadlyreviewthe issues ofland
scape degradation. Part IIpresents sixchapters that describe regionalland
use conflicts in each of the mediterranean-climate regions. Next, Part III
providesfour chapters onlandscapedisturbanceandplantdiversity,while
PartIVcomprisesfour chapters dealing withdemographyand ecophysiol
ogy in vegetation succession following disturbance. The theme of land
scape disturbance and animal diversity is the subject of five chapters in
PartV.Thevolume closeswith aconsiderationofthe future in PartVIwith
a chapter addressing issues of politics and the environment in
mediterranean-climate regions.
References
Arianoutsou M,GrovesRH(eds) (1994)Plant-animalinteractions in mediterranean-type
ecosystems. Kluwer,Dordrecht
Preface VII
Arroyo MTK,Zedler PH,FoxMD(eds) (1994)Ecologyandbiogeographyofmediterranean
ecosystems in Chile,California,and Australia.Springer, Berlin Heidelberg NewYork
Davis GW,Richardson DM (eds) (1995)Mediterranean-type ecosystems: the function of
biodiversity.Springer,Berlin Heidelberg NewYork
DellB,HopkinsAJM,LamontBB(eds) (1986)Resilienceinmediterranean-typeecosystems.
DrWJunk, Dordrecht
diCastriF,Goodall DW,Specht RL(eds) (1981)Mediterranean-typeshrublands.Elsevier,
Amsterdam
diCastri F,MooneyHA(eds) (1973)Mediterranean-typeecosystems:origin and structure.
Springer, Berlin HeidelbergNewYork
Groves RH,di Castri F(eds) (1991)Biogeographyofmediterraneaninvasions. Cambridge
UniversityPress, Cambridge
Kruger FJ,Mitchell DT,JarvisJUM(eds)(1983)Mediterranean-typeecosystems:theroleof
nutrients.Springer,Berlin HeidelbergNewYork
Mooney HA, Conrad CE(tech co-ords) (1977)Symposium on the environmental conse
quencesoffireand fuelmanagementinmediterraneanecosystems. USDAForServGen
Tech RepWO-3
Moreno JM,Oechel WC (eds) (1994)The role of fire in mediterranean-type ecosystems.
Springer, Berlin HeidelbergNewYork
Moreno JM,Oechel WC (eds) (1995)Globalchange and mediterranean-type ecosystems.
Springer, Berlin HeidelbergNewYork
RoyJ,AronsonJ,diCastriF(1995)Timescalesofbiologicalresponsetowaterconstraints:
the caseofmediterraneanbiota. SPBAcademic Publ,Amsterdam
Specht RL (ed) (1988) Mediterranean-type ecosystems: a data source book. Kluwer,
Dordrecht
Tenhunen JD,Catarino FM,Lange OL,OechelWC(eds) (1987)Plant response to stress:
functional analysis in mediterranean ecosystems. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New
York
Philip W. Rundel,
Los Angeles
Gloria Montenegro
Summer 1998 and Fabian ]aksic,Santiago
Contents
Part I: Introduction
1 Landscape Disturbancein Mediterranean-Type
Ecosystems: An Overview
P.W. Rundel . 3
1.1 Mediterranean-Climate Regions 3
1.2 Natural Disturbance Regimes 7
1.3 Anthropogenic Disturbance Regimes .............. 8
104 Regional Disturbance Regimes 9
104.1 Mediterranean Basin 9
1.4.2 California ......................................... 11
1.4.3 Central Chile 12
1.404 Cape Region of South Africa. ......................... 14
1.4.5 Southwestern Australia 15
1.5 Resiliency of Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems
to Disturbance ...................................... 16
References 18
2 From Biodiversityto Ecodiversity - Holistic Conservation
ofthe Biologicaland CulturalDiversityofMediterranean
Landscapes
Z.Naveh . 23
2.1 Introduction . 23
2.2 The Neo-Technological Impoverishment
ofthe Open Mediterranean Landscape . 23
2.2.1 Current Trends . 23
2.2.2 Impacts ofGlobal Change . 29
x
Contents
2.3 New Hopes for Mediterranean Landscapes 30
2.4 Biodiversityand Ecodiversity in the Mediterranean
Basin. ............................................. 31
2.5 Mediterranean Landscapes as Perturbation-Dependent
Non-Equilibrium Systems 33
2.6 Ecodiversity and Landscape Ecology 40
2.7 Discussion and Conclusions 47
References ................................ ................ 50
3 Ecological Indicators ofLandscape Degradation
R.H. Groves ........................................ 55
3.1 Introduction. ...................................... 55
3.2 Ecological Indicators of Degradation 56
3.2.1 Soil Particle Movement 56
3.2.2 Changed Phenology (Perennial Towards Annual) 57
3.2.3 Changed Hydrology ................................. 59
3.2.4 Increased Fragmentation of Landscape 59
3.3 Concluding Discussion 60
References ................................................ 61
Part II: Land UseConflicts in Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems
4 Land UseConflicts in the Western Cape Region
ofSouthAfrica
G.Davis and R.Wynberg . 65
4.1 The Gap Between Ecologyand Environmental
Policy-Making . 65
4.2 Characteristics of South Africa's MTEs . 66
4.3 Historical Land Use Patterns in MTEs of South Africa . 67
4.4 The Special Case ofSouth Africa in the 1990s- MTEs
and the Reconstruction and Development Programme . 68
4.5 Areas of Land Use Conflict in the Fynbos Region . 70
4.5.1 Conservation: Sustainable Land Use and Perceived Future
Options . 70
