The Garrigue of Mediterranean Europe

Introduction

Garrigue is a low soft-leaved scrubland found on limestone soils around the Mediterranean Basin, generally near the seacoast. Result of human actions by the clearing of land for livestock.

The Mediterranean consists of dry summers, usually along with strong dry winds.

Frequent recurrent forest fires are usually common in the summer time.

Fires have now occurred more so during the recent decades, firefighters have struggled to fight off the fires now that they are so common.

Garrigue Stands

Forest fires in these parts usually occur in Quercus coccigera garrigues; also know as evergreen stands.

Soils are often deficient in organic matter due to winds and violent precipitation (also very common).

Stands are partially responsible for maintaining the low-resource level of the sites they colonize.

Promotes gradual litter fall and slow rates of decomposition.

Slow decomposition can create problems for other species, and low in nutrients.

Climate and Weather

The Mediterranean yearly has dry summers with strong dry winds due to the ocean.

Summers become very hot as well, more prompted to start fires in the Mediterranean.

Violent rainstorms happen very commonly causing mudslides and massive erosion else where.

Biotic & Abiotic Factors

Biotic factors: lavender, sage, rosemary, wild thyme, kermes oak, humans, livestock.

Abiotic factors: lime, allelopathy, periodic brush fires, intense solar radiation, arid

Communities Present

Farms and holiday resort areas make most of the Mediterranean communities, covering large acres of land.

The Garrigue stands also make much of the plant communities along with various shrubs like, Globularia alypum, and Brachypodium retusum that which covers approximately 60% of the ground

Lime tolerant shrubs are also found in the garrigue such as: lavender, sage, rosemary, and wild thyme.

Fire Impacting the Ecosystem

When fires come through, nutrients are usually found in the ash, prone to leeching and erosion.

Soils become deficient in organic matter because of slow decomposition

Salts and metals are less likely to be leeched because they are burned.

Does cause some plant species seeds to germinate faster then some others, but this could also be caused by the trigger of a rainstorm.

Fire Management

In some areas of the Mediterranean prescribed fires are not to be used because of high risk of accidents

Farms, resorts and private properties are already affected by seasonal fires and prescribed fires are future accidents in waiting.

Prescribed fires are also in risk of erosion and the limited ability of many plant communities to regenerate under high fire frequencies.

Fires reoccur even more often as years past, practices of fire management are under pressure and already have limited knowledge of proper fire managements.

Fire Regime

This particular are is know to be much warmer and drier

Changes in fuel conditions, abandoned lands stimulate more natural fires.

Fires can become very intense and strong due to the climate and winds

Fire shapes the landscape along with winds and rain afterwards.

Dormancy, maturation, and establishments of plants depend on these fires and how intense and long they are.

Spread through out the Mediterranean area, hard to manage.

3 Species Survival Mechanisms

Kermes oak: preserves its own branches, acorn like seeds have extra coating for protection

Juniper: At 3-6ft they are fire resistant because of their bark

Holm Oak: has a powerful root system that regenerates after a fire.

Human Impact

Deforestation since the Late Bronze Age

Cultivation of olives, vines and grain

Introduction of sheep and goats

Charcoal making for heat and iron

Results in erosion of the topsoil

Extra

Used for cultivating olives, vines and grains.

Introduction of goats and sheep has resulted in topsoil erosion.

Used in growing grapes for wines.

Literature Cited

Ecology. George P. Malanson and Louis Trabaud. Vol. 68, No. 3 June 1987. pp. 463-472.

Response of Plant Functional Types to Changes in the Fire Regime in Mediterranean Ecosystems: A Simulation Approach. Juli G. Pausas. 1999. http://www.jstor.org/pss/3237086.