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Long-term bio-cultural heritage: exploring the intermediate disturbance hypothesis in agro-ecological landscapes (Mallorca, c. 1850-2012).
- Source :
- Biodiversity & Conservation; Dec2015, Vol. 24 Issue 13, p3217-3251, 35p
- Publication Year :
- 2015
-
Abstract
- We applied an intermediate disturbance-complexity approach to the land-use change of cultural landscapes in the island of Mallorca from c. 1850 to the present, which accounts for the joint behaviour of human appropriation of photosynthetic capacity used as a measure of disturbance, and a selection of land metrics at different spatial scales that account for ecological functionality as a proxy of biodiversity. We also delved deeper into local land-use changes in order to identify the main socioeconomic drivers and ruling agencies at stake. A second degree polynomial regression was obtained linking socio-metabolic disturbance and landscape ecological functioning (jointly assessing landscape patterns and processes). The results confirm our intermediate disturbance-complexity hypothesis by showing a hump-shaped relationship where the highest level of landscape complexity (heterogeneity connectivity) is attained when disturbance peaks at 50-60 %. The study proves the usefulness of transferring the concept of intermediate disturbance to Mediterranean cultural landscapes, and suggests that the conservation of heterogeneous and well connected land-use mosaics with a positive interplay between intermediate level of farming disturbances and land-cover complexity endowed with a rich bio-cultural heritage will preserve a wildlife-friendly agro-ecological matrix that is likely to house high biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 09603115
- Volume :
- 24
- Issue :
- 13
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Biodiversity & Conservation
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 110547004
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-015-0955-z