Victor Rolo

• PhD
• Professor (Assistant) at University of Extremadura

Questions Can trends derived from chronosequences (space) be compared with those derived from repeated surveys (time) to validate the use of space-for-time substitution? Can this approach provide insight into the dynamics of vegetation in rehabilitating forests? Location Rehabilitating coastal dune forest in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Methods...

Agricultural intensification is one of the main causes of biodiversity loss world‐wide. The inclusion of semi‐natural features in agricultural landscapes is suggested as a means of enhancing farm biodiversity, but this practice may have potential negative effects on yield production. Moreover, little evidence exists for effects of semi‐natural feat...

A low tree stand density has been showed as necessary to thrive with summer drought in semiarid Mediterranean open woodlands. Shrub encroachment of these open woodlands is currently recommended to guarantee the persistence of the system, due to the nursery effect of shrubs on tree seedling. However, the increase in abundance and cover of a shrub un...

Question Regeneration failure and gradual tree dieback are major threats for the persistence of savanna‐like grazed oak woodlands. Current research has argued that the scarcity of ‘safe sites’, in particular shrubs, is the main cause of the lack of effective tree recruitment. But can different shrub species be considered as safe sites generally? Do...

In Central-Western Spain, forests and woodlands composed of Quercus sp. support outstanding levels of biodiversity, but there is increasing concern about their long-term persistence due to a lack of regeneration. We hypothesize that this regenerative lack is operating on a large geographic scale; that there are differences in the abundance of regen...

Semi-arid ecosystems dominate variability and trend of the terrestrial carbon sink. They are sensitive to environmental changes following anthropogenic influence, such as an altered ratio of nitrogen (N) to phosphorus (P) due to increasing N deposition. Semi-arid savannas with different vegetation compositions have complex carbon dynamics, and thei...

Increases in the abundance of woody species have been reported to affect the provisioning of ecosystem services in drylands worldwide. However, it is virtually unknown how multiple biotic and abiotic drivers, such as climate, grazing, and fire, interact to determine woody dominance across global drylands. We conducted a standardized field survey in...

All ecosystems contain both sources and sinks for atmospheric carbon (C). A change in their balance of net and gross ecosystem carbon uptake, ecosystem‐scale carbon use efficiency (CUE ECO ), is a change in their ability to buffer climate change. However, anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition is increasing N availability, potentially shifting terre...

Earth harbours an extraordinary plant phenotypic diversity¹ that is at risk from ongoing global changes2,3. However, it remains unknown how increasing aridity and livestock grazing pressure—two major drivers of global change4–6—shape the trait covariation that underlies plant phenotypic diversity1,7. Here we assessed how covariation among 20 chemic...

Perennial plants create productive and biodiverse hotspots, known as fertile islands, beneath their canopies. These hotspots largely determine the structure and functioning of drylands worldwide. Despite their ubiquity, the factors controlling fertile islands under conditions of contrasting grazing by livestock, the most prevalent land use in dryla...

Ecosystem manipulative experiments are a powerful tool to understand terrestrial ecosystem responses to global change because they measure real responses in real ecosystems and yield insights into causal relationships. However, their scope is limited in space and time due to cost and labour intensity. This makes generalising results from such exper...

Understanding the chemical composition of our planet's crust was one of the biggest questions of the 20th century. More than 100 years later, we are still far from understanding the global patterns in the bioavailability and spatial coupling of elements in topsoils worldwide, despite their importance for the productivity and functioning of terrestr...

Agricultural systems face several challenges that threaten their capacity to feed the world while maintaining a healthy and functional environment. Climate change, together with soil degradation, biodiversity loss, resource scarcity and invasive species, is a major threat to agricultural systems worldwide. In this context, new practices have been p...

The oversowing of legume-rich mixtures is a management practice gaining importance in Mediterranean silvopastoral farms due to enhanced forage production, quality, and ecosystem service provision. However, the oversowing of legume species can be expensive in silvopastoral farms due to the high cost of legume seeds and seeding operations and low per...

ContextIberian wood-pastures (dehesas) constitute important habitats for flower-visiting insects, thus supporting the delivery of essential ecosystem services. However, dehesas have been experiencing increasing degradation either by farming intensification or abandonment.Objectives We assess if alternative management strategies linked to ecological...

Ecosystem manipulative experiments are one of the most powerful tools to understand terrestrial ecosystem responses to global change because they measure real responses in real ecosystems. However, their scope is limited in space and time due to cost and labour intensity. This makes generalising results from such experiments difficult, which create...

Climate change will pose a major threat to food supply worldwide. Agroforestry has been proposed as an effective approach to minimize its effects on crops. However, to design sustainable and productive agroforestry systems, net responses of crops to trees need to be clarified, particularly in regions where competitive interactions will outweigh fac...

Grazing represents the most extensive use of land worldwide. Yet its impacts on ecosystem services remain uncertain because pervasive interactions between grazing pressure, climate, soil properties, and biodiversity may occur but have never been addressed simultaneously. Using a standardized survey at 98 sites across six continents, we show that in...

Grazing represents the most extensive use of land worldwide. Yet its impacts on ecosystem services remain uncertain because pervasive interactions between grazing pressure, climate, soil properties, and biodiversity may occur but have never been addressed simultaneously. Using a standardized survey at 98 sites across six continents, we show that in...

Automating dynamic fine root data collection in the field is a longstanding challenge with multiple applications for co-interpretation and synthesis for ecosystem understanding. High frequency root data are only achievable with paired automated sampling and processing. However, automatic minirhizotron (root camera) instruments are still rare and da...

Agricultural production is considered to be among the largest drivers of global environmental degradation [...]

Context Iberian wood-pastures (dehesas) constitute important habitats for flower-visiting insects, thus supporting the delivery of essential ecosystem services. However, dehesas have been experiencing increasing degradation either by farming intensification or abandonment. Objectives We assess if alternative management strategies linked to ecologi...

The aim of this paper is the estimation of functional diversity (FD) of the herbaceous stratum in a ‘dehesa’ ecosystem using hyperspectral data obtained with an ASD FieldSpec® 3 (Analytical Spectral Devices Inc., Boulder, CO, EE. UU.) spectroradiometer. Optical data were correlated with biophysical variables (specific leaf area (SLA), above-ground...

Rural Europe encompasses a variety of landscapes with differing levels of forest, agriculture, and agroforestry that can deliver multiple ecosystem services (ES). Whilst provisioning and regulating ES associated with individual land covers are comparatively well studied, less is known about the associated cultural ES. Only seldom are provisioning,...

AimsAgroforestry systems and legume sowing have been reported as efficient in terms of soil function, gaining momentum as environmentally sustainable agricultural practices. This paper examines how the soil microbial community of Mediterranean pastures responds to legume-enrichment.Methods We used phospholipid fatty acids profiling (PLFA) to measur...

Nutrient availability, especially of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), is of major importance for every organism and at a larger scale for ecosystem functioning and productivity. Changes in nutrient availability and potential stoichiometric imbalance due to anthropogenic nitrogen deposition might lead to nutrient deficiency or alter ecosystem functi...

Nut production by the European sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) in grafted orchards is under threat of increased drought stress associated with current global warming. To explore whether drought tolerance in C. sativa could be improved using drought tolerant scions and rootstocks, trees from humid (H) and xeric (X) populations in Spain were u...

Agroforestry systems are reported as climate-resilient productive systems, but it is yet unclear how tree shade affects crops performance. The aim of this work was to assess how the phenology, plant traits and grain yield of wheat and barley were affected by shade. In an open greenhouse experiment, we cultivated in pots nine cultivars differing in...

Agricultural intensification continues to threaten habitat and biological diversity in farmland. In Europe, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has established several measures to support biodiversity-fostering elements such as landscape features, semi-natural habitats and extensive land uses, together referred to as Green and Blue Infrastructure...

The management of high-quality timber plantations prioritizes obtaining high productions with short rotation cycles, which results in high economic and environmental costs, similar to intensive agricultural systems. The suppression of the herbaceous understorey by ploughing, and the use of fertilizers to boost tree growth potentially pose high envi...

Traditional forms of agroforestry are often recognized as exemplar systems that successfully integrate food production, biodiversity conservation and high cultural values. However many traditional agroforestry systems in Europe are in decline or are threatened and the perspectives of local stakeholders on the production, management, socio-economic,...

Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research sp...

Agricultural intensification continues being a major threat for biodiversity worldwide. Despite the incorporation of diverse conservation tools in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) since the 1990s, European agriculture continues intensifying. The last CAP reform introduced compulsory greening, including measures to support semi-natural habitats...

Wood pastures grazed extensively are acknowledged as high biodiverse agroecosystems. The economic sustainability of these so-called high nature value farms has been questioned because of the low quality and productivity of their pastures. Farmers frequently improve the productivity of native pastures by sowing legume-rich mixtures. However, the con...

Major cereal yields are expected to decline significantly in coming years due to the effects of climate change temperature rise. Agroforestry systems have been recognized as a useful land management strategy that could mitigate these effects through the shelter provided by trees, but it is unclear how shade affects cereal production. Most cereal sp...

BIOGEA is an European project aims to examine how Green and Blue Infrastructures (GBI) can be better managed through Common Agriculture Policy measures and provide the greatest benefits for biodiversity and ecosystem services. Within the framework of this project, it is outlined the need to model the impact of the GBI on biodiversity. For this, the...

Pastures and wood-pastures, livestock grazing systems where scattered trees and shrubs co-occur, are essential for global food supply. The grazing value of these systems, which is closely related to soil moisture, is increasingly threatened by changes in climate variability and vegetation structure, mainly by shrub encroachment. However, it remains...

Agroforestry, relative to conventional agriculture, contributes significantly to carbon sequestration, increases a range of regulating ecosystem services, and enhances biodiversity. Using a transdisciplinary approach, we combined scientific and technical knowledge to evaluate nine environmental pressures in terms of ecosystem services in European f...

Abstract: Agricultural intensification has driven the elimination of seminatural habitats and landscape elements, such as stream and field margins, hedgerows, grasslands or woodlands, which are now called green and blue infrastructure (GBI). GBI is crucial for ensuring ecological connectivity and biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes...

The phenotype of a plant can be shaped by the biotic and abiotic conditions to which their parents are subjected. This phenotypic plasticity known as maternal environmental effect occurs regardless of the changes in the DNA sequences. Whereas the effect of the maternal environment on plant phenotype has been studied, its specific influence on plant...

Forest ecosystems characterised by higher tree species diversity have been linked to a reduced susceptibility to pathogens. Conversely, endemic pathogens contribute to forest ecosystem dynamics and process. In the face of global change, however, negative impacts arising from more frequent and severe forest disturbances are increasingly observed. An...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173694.].

Questions What drives canopy gap formation in regenerating coastal dune forest? Does canopy gap size‐frequency distribution differ between new‐ and old‐growth forests? Can canopy gaps divert regenerating trajectories?. Location Rehabilitating coastal dune forest in KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa. Methods We mapped canopy gaps in regenerating dune fo...

Changes in structure and functioning of tree communities in response to forest fragmentation may alter tropical forest’s capacity to store carbon and regulate climate. However, evidence for indirect effects of forest fragmentation on above – and belowground carbon pools through changes in forest biodiversity is scarce. Here we focus on understandin...

The peninsula effect predicts that the number of species should decline from the base of a peninsula to the tip. However, evidence for the peninsula effect is ambiguous, as different analytical methods, study taxa, and variations in local habitat or regional climatic conditions influence conclusions on its presence. We address this uncertainty by u...

This file contains the data from the article “Pattern or process? Evaluating the peninsula effect as a determinant of species richness in coastal dune forests” by Pieter I. Olivier, Victor Rolo, and Rudi J. van Aarde. (CSV)

Functional diversity indicators are increasingly used to monitor forest function recovery because they connect biodiversity to ecosystem functions. However, identifying which functions deviate from a reference forest has not received much attention, despite its potential to inform restoration interventions. In this study, we used functional groups...

The planting or seeding of pioneer species to promote restoration apparently contributes little to the establishment of late-successional species, despite the common assumption that they facilitate forest regeneration. We evaluate the consequences of planting pioneers for coastal dune restoration by measuring plant traits (specific leaf area, wood...

The increase in shrub cover and density is a widespread phenomenon in drylands worldwide. Its causes and consequences are complex and strongly idiosyncratic. Detailed knowledge of the rate of shrub colonization, and its abiotic and biotic drivers is crucial to fully understand and manage these areas. We used a set of aerial photographs (1956, 1978,...

Key messageCombined effects of litterfall and root turnover significantly increase topsoil carbon stocks in Norway spruce and European beech mixed forests, indicating local complementarity effects mediated by tree species mixtures. ContextThe establishment of mixed stands by intermingling individuals of European beech and Norway spruce is an ongoin...

Key message Enhanced levels of CO 2 affected both the nutrition and morphology of both species. The effect of interspecific competition was dependent on the species identity but not on the CO 2 level. Abstract The interest in adaptive forest strategies to overcome predicted scenarios of climate change is increasing worldwide. An example of these st...

Management of existing forests has been identified as the main strategy to enhance carbon sequestration and to mitigate the impact of climate change on forest ecosystems. In this direction, the conversion of Norway spruce monospecific stands into mixed stands by intermingling individuals of European beech is an ongoing trend in adap-tive forest man...

The Iberian dehesa, a grazed Mediterranean open woodland, is an outstanding example of a silvopastoral system. Shrub encroachment has been proposed as an effective method to facilitate natural tree regeneration and ensure the sustainability of silvopastoral systems. At the same time, shrubs can affect both pasture understory and tree overstory prod...

The presence of a woody canopy in open oak woodlands affects not only the nutrition but also the species composition of the herbaceous community. Yet, the contribution of both effects (changes in nutrient concentrations and species composition) to total resources that are captured by the herbaceous community is not well understood. We assessed the...

Aim of study: We examined the impact of sustained partial throughfall exclusion on the functional performance of Buxus sempervirens L. in the understory of a Mediterranean evergreen forest. We further considered whether any impacts of throughfall exclusion were affected by light availability. Area of study: The study was conducted in the south of...

It is recognized that the extent of woody encroachment is increasing worldwide, but less is known concerning the likely altered below-ground structure of co-occurring plants. The aim of this study was to analyze the root system plasticity of three layers of vegetation growing together (trees, shrubs and pasture) and identify potential mechanisms of...

Increases of woody plant cover in former savannas and managed savanna-like systems are currently considered one of the major components of global environmental change. Besides, shrub encroachment is frequently recommended as a practical tool to ensure tree regeneration. However, there is little evidence that this process affects neighboring plants—...

Physiological and morphological plasticity are essential for growth and reproduction in contrasting light environments. In dry forest ecosystems, light generalists must also cope with the trade-offs involved in synchronous acclimation to light availability and drought. To understand how the broadleaf evergreen tree-shrub Buxus sempervirens L. (comm...

Managing multilayered silvopastoral systems such as Mediterranean dehesas requires the study of nutrient resource partitioning among coexisting species and determination to what extent soil nutrients are limiting plant growth. We determined the effects of NPK fertilisation maintained over two consecutive years on dry matter production and nutrition...

Silvopastoral systems are threatened worldwide by progressive loss of either tree cover or herbaceous cover due to lack of tree regeneration and shrub encroachment, respectively. Grazed Mediterranean open woodlands, as Iberian dehesa, are an outstanding example of silvopastoral system where shrub encroachment has been proposed as an effective means...

New sustainable agriculture techniques are arising in response to the environmental problems caused by intensive agriculture, such as nitrate leaching and surface water eutrophication. Organic fertilization (e.g., with sewage sludge) and agroforestry could be used to reduce nutrient leaching. We assessed the efficiency of establishing trees and pas...

Iberian dehesa is usually defined as two-layered silvopastoral system, where native grasses cohabit with a scattered widely-space tree layer. In the last two decades, an intense debate has been developed on the sustainability of this simplified type of dehesa. While some authors argue that that the forest cycle has been disrupted in most dehesas, w...

Assessing plant-to-plant relationship is a key issue in agroforestry systems. Due to the sessile feature of plants most of these interactions take place within a restricted space, so characterizing the zone where the plant alters its environment is important to find overlapping areas where the facilitation or competition could occur. Main part of p...