José M Rey Benayas

University of Alcalá | UAH · Department of Life Sciences

El arrendajo (Garrulus glandarius) es un córvido clave en la dispersión de quercíneas al crear múltiples almacenes dispersos de bellotas en el suelo. El lugar donde almacena la bellota depende de su comportamiento, un aspecto poco conocido y que puede determinar la probabilidad de reclutamiento de los nuevos árboles. Este estudio analiza los hábita...

Los remanentes forestales son clave para la recolonización de los árboles en paisajes fragmentados. Este estudio analiza la influencia de la abundancia y la distribución espacial de los remanentes forestales de dos quercíneas mediterráneas (Quercus ilex y Q. faginea) en la colonización de un pinar de repoblación de Pinus pinaster de 50-60 años. Se...

Oak (Quercus spp.) colonization is a slow process especially in Mediterranean environments, with apparent important differences among species. We do not know the magnitude of differences in colonization of oak species in the Iberian Peninsula and how these differences are driven by interacting abiotic (e.g., drought) and biotic (e.g., seed dispersa...

Conservation and restoration of hedgerows promote biodiversity and multi-functionality in agricultural landscapes. However, in Mediterranean environments, natural regeneration of hedgerows is often poor, and factors hindering the establishment and growth of hedgerow woody species remain unclear. This study aimed to address this gap by (1) quantifyi...

Several bird species may cause serious damage to grape production. The ability of raptors as biological control agents of grape-eating birds is poorly understood and under-used. We installed artificial nests and perches to encourage the presence and activity of raptors in vineyards located in central Spain and explored their effectiveness to reduce...

Edaphic fauna is a major determinant of agricultural soil quality, but few studies have investigated soil fauna in different agroforestry systems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of agroforestry plantations of Ilex paraguariensis on the abundance and composition of ants, earthworms, and nematodes in two agronomic systems, con...

Lack of silvicultural management in afforested agricultural land in Spain has led to low diversity stands that are vulnerable to environmental risks. We evaluated the establishment of young plantations (28 years old) with Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) and holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) in an old agricultural land in Central Mediterranean Spain a...

Considerable amounts of farmland in Mediterranean European landscapes have been abandoned and undergone natural regeneration or planted with trees in the last few decades, resulting in mixed forest and farmland mosaics. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of forest restoration on the composition and relative abundance of a carnivore community...

Climate change can have a negative impact on agricultural production and food security. Vice versa, agricultural practices themselves contribute to climate change because of land, water, and energy use and anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gasses and waste. The European Green Deal focusses on “transition to a sustainable food system that has a...

Background: Birds have been demonstrated to reduce pest effects on various ecosystem types. This study aimed to synthesize the effect of birds on pest abundance, damage on product and yields in agricultural and forest systems in different environments. Our hypothesis is that birds are effective pest regulators that contribute to reduction of pest...

The establishment of planted trees and the natural regeneration of trees in agroecosystems is challenging. This study evaluated the establishment and natural regeneration of the following six native tree species in two agricultural systems in the Atlantic Forest in Paraguay: Cedrela fissilis Vell., Cordia trichotoma (Vell) Arráb. ex Steud., Handroa...

Seed dispersal by scatter‐hoarder corvids is key for the establishment of important tree species from the Holarctic region such as the walnut ( Juglans regia ). However, the factors that drive animal decisions to cache seeds in specific locations and the consequences of these decisions on seed fate are poorly understood. We experimentally created f...

Riparian forests nestled in agricultural landscapes represent a small proportion in crop-intensive areas, while contributing remarkably to their biodiversity. This biodiversity supports several ecological processes crucially involved in the supply of ecosystem services (ES) complementary to that provided by agricultural lands and also relevant for...

Sustainable agriculture is essential to address global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss. Hedgerows enhance aboveground biodiversity and provide ecosystem services, but little is known about their impact on soil biota. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are one of the key components of belowground biodiversity. We compared the...

The abundance and spatial arrangement of seed sources in strongly fragmented forest landscapes may affect forest colonization. These seed sources, often occur as small patches and isolated trees, and are remnants of previous forests degraded by human activity. This study evaluates the effect of forest remnants characteristics on the colonization of...

Sustainable agriculture is essential to address global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss. Hedgerows enhance aboveground biodiversity and provide ecosystem services, but little is known about their impact on soil biota. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are one of the key components of belowground biodiversity. In this study, w...

Conservation and restoration of hedgerows increase biodiversity and multifunctionality in agricultural landscapes. However, natural regeneration is often low in Mediterranean environments due to various limiting factors of plant establishment. The present study aimed (1) to estimate the natural regeneration (by germination and resprouting) of plant...

Periodic flooding limits livestock farming on cattle ranches in floodable areas. In order to propose recommendations for sustainable management of these ranches, we examined the relationships between surface water hydrological processes (infiltration and evaporation) and vegetation cover in the Paraguayan Humid Chaco. A total of 24 evaporation and...

Sustainable agriculture is essential to address global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss. Hedgerows enhance aboveground biodiversity and provide ecosystem services, but little is known about their impact on soil biota. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are one of the key components of belowground biodiversity. We compared the...

Planted woodland islets can provide seeds for restoring forest ecosystems in Mediterranean old fields lacking seed sources, but other factors than seed arrival can also hinder the establishment of woody species. We experimentally examined factors affecting the emergence, survival, growth, and recruitment of holm oak (Quercus ilex) seedlings juvenil...

Hedgerows are linear landscape features of woody vegetation usually located around agricultural fields. An increasing number of studies have addressed the effects of hedgerows on biodiversity and ecosystem services. This study is aimed to synthesize these effects and compare the levels of biodiversity and ecosystem services in farmland with hedgero...

El comportamiento de los animales cuando almacenan semillas determina el patrón espacial de la dispersión de muchas especies de plantas. Este trabajo evalúa el efecto de la territorialidad, la distancia recorrida desde la fuente de semillas y las preferencias espaciales a distintas escalas en el patrón espacial de dispersión de semillas y de plántu...

The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 aims to convert 10% of farmland into high-rich biodiversity elements, including woodland islets and hedgerows. These elements provide a wide range of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes, particularly habitat and propagule dispersion. We have been investigating natural regeneration of abandoned fields...

Hedgerows are linear landscape elements of woody vegetation usually located around agricultural fields. An increasing number of studies have addressed the effects of hedgerows on biodiversity and ecosystem services. This study aims to synthetize these effects at a global level. We hypothesized that (1) fields with hedgerows enhance contributions of...

1. Forestry plantations have been established globally to meet timber demands, often leading to the conversion of natural to artificial forests. Forestry plantations may support natural elements of forest biodiversity, but understanding their role in the maintenance of biodiversity is a crucial question. 2. We performed a meta-analysis of 48 studie...

Ecological restoration (ER) of terrestrial ecosystems has become widespread in past decades. However, assessing its success is complex mainly due to the diversity of objectives pursued, actions undertaken but also statistical methods for treating data. We demonstrate here that, due to the heterogeneity of collected data, the success of restoration...

For plants with seeds dispersed by scatter‐hoarders, decision‐making by animals when caching determines the spatial pattern of seed dispersal and lays the initial template for recruitment, driving the regeneration of many plant species. However, the mechanism by which animal behaviour shapes seed distributions in spatially complex landscapes is not...

Forest restoration is a strategy to reverse forest loss and degradation. We overviewed deforestation in the period 1975–2018 in the Brazilian Amazon and the projects, techniques, and scientific publications conducted to recover forest in the area by 2019. We used GIS to assess forest loss and a systematic data collection gathered from 12 universiti...

Expanding conservation efforts to private land is paramount to halt biodiversity loss and achieve global conservation targets. Individual landowners can play disproportionately important roles by establishing private parks and managing them with biodiversity‐focused objectives. However, several constraints hinder the expansion of such initiatives,...

Mensajes principales • En condiciones apropiadas, las tierras que fueron sometidas al uso agrícola o pastoril pueden revertir a bosques mediante el proceso de regeneración natural ya sea de forma asistida o sin asistencia. Estos nuevos bosques conservan biodiversidad, brindan un amplio espectro de bienes y servicios ecosistémicos, y apoyan econom...

Forest loss and degradation in the Brazilian Amazon due to mining activities has been intense for many years. To reverse this situation, a range of restoration programs for deforested and degraded areas have been created and implemented. The aim of this study was to analyze the tree composition, successional stage, dispersal and pollination syndrom...

Recovery of Mediterranean forests after field abandonment is a slow process, even without propagule limitations. This is mainly due to stressful conditions for seedling establishment. In this context, shrubs play a critical role in facilitating tree recruitment, but how this process unfolds after field abandonment is not entirely known. We evaluate...

Under suitable conditions, deforested land used for agricultural crops or pastures can revert to forest through the assisted or unassisted process of natural regeneration. These naturally regenerating forests conserve biodiversity, provide a wide array of ecosystem goods and services, and support rural economies and livelihoods. Based on studies in...

Logging after natural disturbances like fires, insect attack and windstorms (termed salvage logging [SL]) is employed to recover some of a forest’s natural and/or economic capital. However, trade-offs between management objectives and lack of consensus on the ecological consequences of SL impair science-based decision-making. We conducted a global...

Oak regeneration and the expansion of forested sites in Eurasia rely on acorn dispersal by animals, especially the Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius). However, in open agroforestry systems where jays are absent, such as old-fields far from acorn sources, oak recruitment still occurs. We hypothesize that the Eurasian magpie (Pica pica), an abundant...

Forest and landscape restoration (FLR) could benefit from the land sharing/sparing approaches to support decisions. We discuss four questions potentially shaping FLR outcomes in agricultural landscapes in the context of land sharing/sparing decisions: (1) Which are the main focuses of restorative interventions?; (2) Which kind of restored forests s...

We welcome the opportunity to further discuss our analysis and conclusions [1] that Larkin et al.'s [2] (hereafter LEA) comment provides. In this response, we first discuss mischaracterizations and criticisms of our analyses, then highlight how the main conclusions from both LEA's and our analyses are similar, and end with further discussion of wha...

Facilitating “wildness” Humans have encroached upon a majority of Earth's lands. The current extinction crisis is a testament to human impacts on wilderness. If there is any hope of retaining a biodiverse planetary system, we must begin to learn how to coexist with, and leave space for, other species. The practice of “rewilding” has emerged as a me...

Guidance for large-scale restoration of natural or semi-natural linear vegetation elements that takes into account the need to maintain human livelihoods such as farming is often lacking. Focusing on a Chilean biodiversity hotspot, we assessed the landscape in terms of existing woody vegetation elements and proposed a buffer strip and hedgerow netw...

Forest area is increasing in temperate biomes through active and passive restoration of old fields. Despite the large extension of restored forests, the success of contrasting restoration strategies (active – planted forests ‐ vs. passive – secondary forests ‐) over time has never been evaluated in Mediterranean forests. We studied how restoration...

The data includes the maximum height, wood density, leaf mass per area and seed mass of 60 vegetal species. The data is associated with the Journal of Applied Ecology publication "Long-term recovery of multifunctionality in Mediterranean forests depends on restoration strategy and forest type"

Rewilding is emerging as a promising restoration strategy to enhance the conservation status of biodiversity and promote self-regulating ecosystems while re-engaging people with nature. Overcoming the challenges in monitoring and reporting rewilding projects would improve its practical implementation and maximize its conservation and restoration ou...

COL-TREE es una red de investigadores colombianos interesados en estudiar la ecología a largo plazo del bosque tropical en contexto del cambio climático. Desde hace 15 años trabajamos estableciendo parcelas permanentes de vegetación siguiendo métodos estandarizados a nivel mundial y colaboramos con esfuerzos globales de monitoreo del bosque. Actual...

In order to obtain necessary information to promote ecosystem-based management strategies, ecosystem services were assessed in a cattle rangeland in the Paraguayan Humid Chaco. Carbon sequestration in forest biomass, carbon sequestration in wetlands soil, water quality in wetlands, functional connectivity of forest islets, economic valuation of a s...

Wildfires, insect outbreaks, and windstorms are increasingly common forest disturbances. Post-disturbance management often involves salvage logging, i.e. the felling and removal of the affected trees. However, this practice may represent an additional disturbance with effects on ecosystem processes and services. We developed a systematic map to pro...

Given that few ecosystems on the Earth have been unaffected by humans, restoring them holds great promise for stemming the biodiversity crisis and ensuring ecosystem services are provided to humanity. Nonetheless, few studies have documented the recovery of ecosystems globally or the rates at which ecosystems recover. Even fewer have addressed the...

Soil food webs, which are responsible for relevant ecological functions in agroecosystems such as nutrient cycling and pest and disease suppression, represent a crucial aspect of agricultural sustainability. We studied soil properties and microfaunal food web diversity and functioning in six paired organic and conventional fields located in Central...

Scientific bases for the elaboration of the Spanish National Strategy of Green Infraestructure

Introduction. The magpie is the most common corvid in Eurasia, which distribution overlaps with the distribution of many Quercus species. We assessed acorn dispersal of the magpie in a woodland and farmland mosaic. Methods. The study was conducted in Central Spain in a Q.ilex plantation surrounded by old-fields dominated by annual herbs. We used bi...

Regulation of agricultural pests managing their natural enemies represents an alternative to chemical pesticides. We assessed the potential of insectivorous birds as pest regulators in woody crops located in central Spain. A total of 417 nest boxes installed in five field study sites (one vineyard, two fruit orchards, and two olive groves) were mon...

Model-averaged estimates, standard errors (Std. Error) and relative importance (wi) of selected variables in the best models of bird breeding at the Abadía Retuerta vineyard and the Concejiles and Chaparrito fruit tree orchards. The intercept summarizes the level in 2013. Estimated variance and standard deviation (Std. Dev) are shown for random eff...

Model-averaged estimates and standard errors (Std. Error) of the best models of predation of sentinel caterpillar samples (%) at the Abadía Retuerta vineyard and the Concejiles and Chaparrito fruit tree orchards. The intercept summarizes the levels close to active nest boxes and distant areas without nest boxes. Estimated variance and standard devi...

Disaggregated estimates of food consumption (grams) by insectivorous birds during the breeding season, based on published consumption rates for breeding Great tit (Parus major), weight of the other breeding insectivorous bird species relative to the weight of Great tit, number of breeding pairs and number of chicks per breeding pair in the studied...

Mean temperature and precipitation at the studied vineyard and fruit orchards between February and June in 2012–2016. Except for a preliminary trial at the vineyard, all field work was carried out from 2013 to 2016, and nest box exploration, occupancy and breeding by insectivorous birds occurred between February and July each year. Data are not rep...

Predation of sentinel samples of Greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) caterpillars close to, or farther away from, active nest boxes and of paired sentinel samples in distant areas without nest boxes. Values shown are percentage means ± standard deviations. (DOC)

Use of nest boxes at each field site and year. Category 6 refers mostly to rodents, particularly Garden dormouse. (DOC)

Scatter-hoarding animals such as corvids play a crucial role in the dispersal of nut-producing tree species. This interaction is well known for some corvids, but remains elusive for other species such as the magpie (Pica pica), an abundant corvid in agroecosystems and open landscapes of the Palearctic region. In addition, the establishment of the i...

Los bosques ribereños albergan una biodiversidad importante y en ellos se desarrollan funciones ecológicas esenciales que repercuten en la provisión de servicios ecosistémicos relevantes para la sociedad. Las perturbaciones de origen antrópico frecuentemente exceden la resiliencia natural de estos ecosistemas y, en consecuencia, desencadenan proces...

Understanding and predicting the likely response of ecosystems to climate change are crucial challenges for ecology and for conservation biology. Nowhere is this challenge greater than in the tropics as these forests store more than half the total atmospheric carbon stock in their biomass. Biomass is determined by the balance between biomass inputs...

Biomass data used in the study. (XLSX)

Relationship between measured biomass with the Chave et al. (2005) and Alvarez et al. (2012) models, for 156 plots of Colombia. The lines represent the adjusted generalized linear model: ln (AGB B1) = a + b * ln (AGB B2) + C. Where B1 = measured biomass in this study with Alvarez et al. (2012), B2 = measured biomass with the Chave et al. (2005), an...