Determining Indicators of Terrestrial Biodiversity in Olive Grove and Natural Mediterranean Ecosystems

International Journal of Trend in Research and Development, Volume 3(1), ISSN: 2394-9333 www.ijtrd.com Determining Indicators of Terrestrial Biodiversity in Olive grove and Natural Mediterranean Ecosystems 1Alexandra D. Solomou and 2Athanassios I. Sfougaris, 1Hellenic Agricultural Organization "DEMETER", Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Terma Alkmanos, Ilisia, 11528, Athens, Greece. 2Laboratory of Ecosystem and Biodiversity Management, Department of Agriculture, Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, Fytokou str., N. Ionia, 38446, Volos, Greece. Abstract: Mediterranean ecosystems support high and the most spectacular feature of its agricultural biodiversity and are considered to be biological landscape [4]. Olives along with vine and cereals ―hotspot‖. The olive grove is one of the most important represent the most traditional agricultural crops in the crops grown in the Mediterranean region, both in terms Mediterranean region. The importance of Greek olive of total surface area and its socioeconomic and grove ecosystems on maintenance of local and regional environmental impact. Biodiversity constitutes the most biodiversity has been considerably recognized, despite important working component of a natural and agro the fact that olive tree has been an important cultivation ecosystems. It helps maintain ecological processes, in this region for a long time, only in recent decades. recycles nutrients, has a moderating effect on the Herbaceous and woody plants, carabids, climate, degrades waste, controls diseases and above tenebrionids and birds have been used as indicators of all, provides an index of health of an ecosystem. In ecosystem functioning [5]. Although there is a order to advise farmers and their associates about taxa generally recognized threats inflicted by agricultural monitoring quickly and inexpensively biodiversity in intensification, the role of the different management olive groves we compared and contrasted organic, factors on different biological group remains unclear. conventional and abandoned olive groves and a typical Currently, research programs are focusing on Mediterranean maquis, in central Greece. Species evaluation of the relative importance of the richness of different taxa were estimated in the chosen management factors on more than one biological group plots by line point method (herbaceous plants), plots of simultaneously, especially in cereal farming systems. 100 m2 (woody plants), point count method (breeding For example, Guerrero et al. (2010) [6] studied the birds) and pitfall traps (carabids and tenebrionids). influence of agricultural factors on weed, carabid and Indicator value of each group was investigated by bird species richness in a low intensity cereal cropping examining the degree of congruence of its species- system of Spain. Flohre et al. (2011) [7] studied the richness pattern with that of the other groups and the effects of agricultural intensification on species efficiency of its complementary network in conserving richness in vascular plants, carabids and birds. the other groups and biodiversity. It is concluded that It is known that the use of biodiversity indicators overall taxa comparison specified carabids and birds as consists one of the fundamental tools of the best candidates for monitoring biodiversity at olive conservationists for quick action against biodiversity groves whose employment could facilitate loss [8]. Conservation researchers attempt to recognize conservation-related decisions in the entire taxa that are well known, easily surveyed, and have the Mediterranean. propensity to be used as indicators of the biodiversity distribution patterns at different spatial scales [9]. Keywords: Landscape, Sustainability, Taxa, Species Recently, test of the Value of six taxonomic groups Richness, Biomonitoring, Reserve. (woody plants, aquatic and terrestrial herpetofauna, small terrestrial birds, orchids, and Orthoptera) as I. INTRODUCTION biodiversity indicators in the Dadia Reserve in northern The Mediterranean has a long history of human use Greece was accomplished [10]. and landscape modification, creating a mosaic of Hence, research data on the efficiency of five different habitat types [1,2]. The olive grove is one of groups of taxa as indicators for the species richness of the most important crops in the Mediterranean basin, other groups, in an economically important agro- both for the large surface area covered and for its great ecosystem of the Mediterranean regions such as olive environmental impact. Olive grove and natural groves (organic, conventional and abandoned ecosystems favor biodiversity, creating ideal habitats management system) and maquis is limited so far. for flora and fauna as indicators of environmental conditions. The specific objective of the study were to select Olive trees have a remarkable international the taxa most suitable as biodiversity indicators that importance, both from a social and economic point of would over time provide an inexpensive, reliable, and view [3]. It is a typical tree of the Mediterranean region IJTRD | Jan-Feb 2016 Available [email protected] 292 International Journal of Trend in Research and Development, Volume 3(1), ISSN: 2394-9333 www.ijtrd.com rabid biodiversity assessment in all study area and 10 natural ecosystems (maquis) (M1-M10) was within each olive grove management system. randomly selected. The characteristics and management practices applied to the selected farms are presented in II. STUDY AREA Table 1. 2 Table 1: General Characteristics and Applied The study was conducted in a 312 km area of Management Practices to the olive Grove Farms western Magnesia Prefecture in central Greece Surveyed (39º03'12.05"N, 22º57'11.84"E) (Fig. 1). The study area is included in the Quercetalia ilicis vegetation zone, Conve and Quercion ilicis and Oleo-Ceratonion subzones. The Abandon Organic ntional main rock substrate of the study area is metamorphic ed Maqu olive olive schist [11]. The typical Mediterranean climate is olive is groves groves characterized by relatively cold and wet winters and hot groves and dry summers. The mean annual temperature in the Average studied region is 16.8 °C, with the warm maxima in field size (ha) July and with the cold minima in January and February. 13.83 15.5 11.3 38.5 Average The mean annual rainfall reaches at 490 mm (Fig. 2) number of 200 200 200 (National Meteorological Service of Greece). olive trees per hectare Age of olive ~150- ~150- ~150-170 groves 170 170 Variety of Amfiss Amfissa Amfissa olive groves a Years of 1997 enrolment Manure (kg 50 per tree) Inorganic fertilizer N 1.5-2 (kg per tree) Inorganic fertilizer K 1.5-2 Figure 1: Study area (western Magnesia, central (kg per tree) Greece) Organic 2-3 fertilizer K (kg per tree) Weed Grass Herbici control cutting de Irrigation No No B. Sampling Procedures 1. Herbaceous and Woody Plants, Carabids, Tenebionids and Birds Censuses We evaluated groups of taxa that exhibit different taxonomic, functional, and spatial aspects of local and regional biodiversity [12]. Based on criteria, such as Figure 2: Ombrothermic diagram of the study area for wide range of species, sufficient distinction as to their the period 1956-2010. size, mobility and ecological requirements we chose to test suitability to estimate species richness herbaceous III. MATERIAL AND METHODS and woody plants, carabids, tenebrionids and birds. They are known to be good indicators of environmental A. Sampling sites change and they have well-known life histories so that Field work was conducted in spring 2009 and 2010. changes in their diversity can be related to observed A set of 30 olive grove farms [10 organic (O1-O10), 10 changes in the environment [13]. Species richness was conventional (C1-C10), 10 abandoned (A1-A10)] and selected as an expression of biodiversity due to it common use to evaluate and monitor the health of IJTRD | Jan-Feb 2016 Available [email protected] 293 International Journal of Trend in Research and Development, Volume 3(1), ISSN: 2394-9333 www.ijtrd.com ecosystems and as a tool for conservation planning (we selected this methods due to variables follow [14]. Also, species richness was chosen because of its normal distribution). simplicity and sensitivity to processes acting at different spatial scales on species differing in size and IV. RESULTS mobility. Herbaceous plant species were surveyed in May Herbaceous and woody plants, carabids, 2009 and 2010. Sampling of herbaceous species was tenebrionids and birds were widespread in the study carried out by the Line Point Method [15]. Woody area. A total number of 78 and 18, 20, 22 and 31 vegetation was inventoried during the same period as species of herbaceous and woody plant, carabids, herbaceous vegetation in randomly selected sampling tenebrionids and bird species were recorded in organic plots of 100 m2 (10 m x 10 m) [16]. olive groves respectively. In the conventional olive Pitfall trapping was carried out in a field of olive groves the recorded herbaceous and woody plant, groves (conventional, organic and abandoned) and carabid, tenebrionid and bird assemblages included 47 maquis to determine the species richness of carabids and 17, 6, 10 and 21 species respectively. Also, diverse and tenebrionids. The traps (diameter 9 cm, height 13 herbaceous and woody plants, carabids, tenebrionids cm) were half-filled with 250 ml water plus 0.25% and birds assemblages were recorded, including 62 and surfactant as a preserving solution [17]. The minimal

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