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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
In the Mediterranean region, fires have been an ecosystem modeling force for centuries. Low-mobile or small
sized fauna such as arthropods are strongly affected by these periodic disturbances. Arthropods represent a
hyperdiverse group and are present in all the ecosystems occupying the totality of available niches. In
agroecosystems, shifts on arthropod communities are of especial relevance when the natural enemies of pests
are significantly affected. The aim of this work was to assess the short-term effect on the canopy arthropod
community of an unintentional fire occurred in an olive grove in Cedães-Mirandela (Portugal). Samples of
arboreal entomofauna were collected in the burnt olive grove by shaking olive branches as well as in an
adjacent grove (used as control area). In each olive grove, samples were collected in two areas (one adjacent
and one distant) relatively to the nearest shrubland. Total arthropod abundance and the most abundant groups
were compared between burnt and non-burnt groves. The effect of sample position (adjacent to shrubland vs.
central area) was assessed. A total of 1318 arthropods were captured. Both the total and each dominant group
abundances were significantly higher in the non-burnt grove. The fire drastically reduced the abundance of
arthropods in the olive tree canopy; however, the dominant groups were almost the same is the two groves.
The abundance pattern was, in general, the opposite when considering the sample position, relatively to the
shrubland areas. We suggest that the colonization ability of different groups of arboreal arthropods through
flight can be involved in the restoration of the community after disturbance instead the presence of seminatural
surrounding areas.
Description
Keywords
Arthropods Shrubland Colonization Trás-os-Montes Wind
Citation
Barreales, D., Santos, S.A.P., Capelo, M., Pereira, J.A.& Benhadi-Marín, J.(2017). Short-term response of the canopy arthropod community to fire in a Portuguese olive grove. Proceedings of the IX Congresso Ibérico de Agroengenharia, pp. 1266-1270.