Silvopastoral Systems and Costa Rica's Low Carbon Livestock Strategy: An Informed Opinion

The objective of this opinion is to reflect the role of silvopastoral systems (SPS) in Costa Rica's Low Carbon Livestock Strategy (EGBC, for its acronym in Spanish), and how these sustainable and extensive integrated livestock production function as a model, and how the woody component is integrated in the system, contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gases favoring the mitigation of climate change. Applying relevance to the purpose, this revision refers to the integration of forestry activity in livestock production, as a viable alternative of its production system. Based on SPS criteria from which a tree component (natural or established) is associated with an herbaceous community (natural or improved pastures) and a farming component (livestock) in the same site, where biological interactions exist among components, and land use is maximized. This essay also clarifies how SPS are grouped striving to be fair-minded in evaluating the economic, productive, social, and environmental points of view, and the effects of the interaction among its components. Therefore, this analysis applies significance to the interpretation of the SPS relation among biology, society, and culture, and its role in Costa Rica's Low Carbon Livestock Strategy. El objetivo de este dictamen es reflejar el papel de los sistemas silvopastoriles (SPS) en la Estrategia de Ganadería Baja en Carbono (EGBC) de Costa Rica, y cómo funcionan como modelo estas producciones ganaderas integradas, sostenibles y extensivas, y cómo se integra el componente leñoso en el sistema, contribuyendo a la reducción de gases de efecto invernadero favoreciendo la mitigación del cambio climático. Aplicando la relevancia al propósito, esta revisión se refiere a la integración de la actividad forestal en la producción ganadera, como una alternativa viable de su sistema de producción. Con base en los criterios de SPS a partir de los cuales se asocia un componente arbóreo (natural o establecido) con una comunidad herbácea (pastos naturales o mejorados) y un componente agrícola (ganadería) en un mismo sitio, donde existen interacciones biológicas entre los componentes, y se maximiza el uso de la tierra. Este ensayo también aclara cómo se agrupan los SPS tratando de ser justos en la evaluación de los puntos de vista económico, productivo, social y ambiental, y los efectos de la interacción entre sus componentes. Por lo tanto, este análisis aplica la importancia de la interpretación de la relación de los SPS entre la biología, la sociedad y la cultura, y su papel en la Estrategia de Ganadería Baja en Carbono de Costa Rica.

Silvopastoral Systems and Costa Rica's Low Carbon Livestock Strategy: An Informed Opinion

The objective of this opinion is to reflect the role of silvopastoral systems (SPS) in Costa Rica's Low Carbon Livestock Strategy (EGBC, for its acronym in Spanish), and how these sustainable and extensive integrated livestock production models, in which the woody component is integrated in the system, contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases favoring the mitigation of climate change. For such purpose, this revision refers to the integration of the forestry activity in livestock production, as a viable alternative of production system (Guerrero et al., 2019). Based on the criterion that SPS are agroecosystems in which a tree component (natural or established) is associated with a herbaceous community (natural or improved pastures) and a farming component (livestock) in the same site, where biological interactions exist among components, and land use is maximized. This essay also describes how SPS are grouped; their opportunities from the economic, productive, social, and environmental points of view; and the effects of the interaction among its components. This analysis allows to state that SPSs are a product of the relation among biology, society, and culture, and in them there is a large diversity; likewise, they allow the reconversion of the very little productive extensive livestock production into more productive and sustainable systems, as well as the rehabilitation of the areas degraded by this type of livestock production, deforestation, and soil depletion (Ibrahim & Peso, 2012; Iglesias et al, 2011, ). El objetivo de este dictamen es reflejar el papel de los sistemas silvopastoriles (SPS) en la Estrategia Ganadera Baja en Carbono (EGBC) de Costa Rica, y cómo estos modelos de producción ganadera integrada, sostenible y extensiva, en los que el componente leñoso está integrado en el sistema, contribuyen a la reducción de gases de efecto invernadero favoreciendo la mitigación del cambio climático. Para ello, esta revisión se refiere a la integración de la actividad forestal en la producción ganadera, como una alternativa viable de sistema de producción (Guerrero et al., 2019). Con base en el criterio de que los SPS son agroecosistemas en los que se asocia un componente arbóreo (natural o establecido) con una comunidad herbácea (pastos naturales o mejorados) y un componente agrícola (ganadero) en un mismo sitio, donde existen interacciones biológicas entre los componentes, y se maximiza el uso del suelo. Este ensayo también describe cómo se agrupan los SPS; sus oportunidades desde el punto de vista económico, productivo, social y ambiental; y los efectos de la interacción entre sus componentes. Este análisis permite afirmar que los SPS son producto de la relación entre la biología, la sociedad y la cultura, y en ellos existe una gran diversidad; asimismo, permiten la reconversión de la muy poco productiva ganadería extensiva en sistemas más productivos y sostenibles, así como la rehabilitación de las áreas degradadas por este tipo de ganadería, la deforestación y el agotamiento del suelo (Ibrahim & Peso, 2012; Iglesias et al, 2011, ).

Presence of a dominant native shrub is associated with minor shifts in the function and composition of grassland communities in a northern savannah

Ecosystems are spatially heterogenous in plant community composition and function. Shrub occurrence in grasslands is a visually striking example of this, and much research has been conducted to understand the functional implications of this pattern. Within savannah ecosystems the presence of tree and shrub overstories can have significant impacts on the understory herbaceous community. The exact outcomes however are likely a function of the spatial arrangement and traits of the overstory species. Here we test whether there are functional linkages between the spatial patterning of a native shrub and the standing biomass, community composition, and overall nutrient cycling of a neighbouring grassland understory communities within the Aspen Parkland of central Alberta, Canada. In a paired grassland-shrub stand study, we found the native shrub, Elaeagnus commutata, has relatively few stand-level impacts on the composition and standing biomass of the ecosystem. One factor contributing to these limited effects may be the overdispersion of shrub stems at fine spatial scales, preventing areas of deep shade. When we looked across a shrub density gradient and incorporated shrub architecture into our analyses, we found these shrub traits had significant associations with species abundance and root biomass in the understory community. These results suggest that stem dispersion patterns, as well as local stand architecture, are influential in determining how shrubs may affect their herbaceous plant understory. Thus, it is important to incorporate shrub spatial and architectural traits when assessing shrub-understory interactions.

Influence of environmental conditions on the formation of generative organs Ferula tadshikorum M. Pimen

Influence of environmental conditions on the formation of mass flowering of the ferula of Tajik was presented. Ferula of Tajik is one of the edificators in the herbaceous community in the type of half-savanna and shiblyak vegetation of South Tajikistan.

Contrasting effects of nutrients and consumers on tree colonization and growth during secondary succession

For succession to proceed from herbaceous to woody dominance, trees must colonize herbaceous communities and grow. Success across these two phases of succession might result from different interactions with the herbaceous community. First, colonizing trees must compete against larger, established herbs, while subsequent growth occurs among similarly sized or smaller herbs. This shift from colonization to growth may cause three drivers of secondary succession— nutrients, consumers, and herbaceous diversity—to differentially affect tree colonization and growth. Initially, these drivers should favor larger, established herbs, reducing colonization. Later, when established trees can better compete with herbs, these drivers should benefit trees and increase their growth. In a four-year study, we added nutrients to, excluded aboveground consumers from, and manipulated initial richness of, the herbaceous community, then allowed trees to naturally colonize these communities (from intact seedbanks or as seed-rain) and grow. Nutrients and consumers had opposing effects on tree colonization and growth: adding nutrients and excluding consumers reduced tree colonization, but later increased established tree growth (height, basal diameter). Together, this shows stage-specific impacts of nutrients and consumers that may improve predictions of the rate and trajectory of succession: factors that initially limited tree colonization later helped established trees to grow.