CONSERVATION OF FORESTS

Author: SANTOS PINTO CHAMBEL MARIA REGINA.
Year: 0000.
University: POLITÉCNICA DE MADRID [www.upm.es].
Place of defense: ESCUELA TECNICA SUPERIOR DE INGENIEROS DE MONTES.
Place of preparation: ESCUELA TÉCNICA SUPERIOR DE INGENIEROS DE MONTES.

Summary: The phenotypic plasticity is the ability of some genotypes of altering their expression in response to environmental stimuli. In this thesis we studied plasticity in the distribution of biomass compared to water stress in young plants of 4 species of Mediterranean pine trees with different levels of drought tolerance (Pinus pinaster, P.halepensis, P.canariensis and P.pinea) . To do so, plants were grown from four sources for each species under controlled conditions for 22 weeks, assessed the growth in height and diameter, producing biomada leaves, roots and stems and used a categorical scale to characterize the development ontogénico. The four species studied had very different answers, P.pinaster and P.halepensis with high variability intra for plasticity, including sources not plastic backgrounds who had only a slowdown in growth and with other alterations in the distribution of biomass. The four sources of P.pinea presented marked alterations in the distribution of biomass and almost no reduction of growth, whereas those of P.canariensis no plasticity front of the treatment used. It also studied the variation of intra phenotypic plasticity in field conditions, using plants in adult trials backgrounds multi-localidad of P.pinaster, P.sylvestris and P.halepensis. This adjusted models additive main effects and multiplicative interaction, using variable as a combination study of the growth and survival, which is an approximation to the adaptability of each source versus multivariate environmental conditions. Both P.pinaster as P.sylvestris were observed clearly defined groups of backgrounds, with common patterns of response on the contrary, the sources of P.halepensis showed a pattern of continuous response. In all three cases, significant correlations were found between these patterns and the environmental characteristics of backgrounds and test sites. In P.pinaster and P.halepensis were also significant correlations with the values of neutral genetic diversity.

Author: JOVELLAR LACAMBRA LUIS CARLOS.
Year: 2004.
University: POLITÉCNICA DE MADRID [www.upm.es].
Place of defense: E.T.S.I. MONTES.
Place of preparation: E.T.S.I. MONTES.

Summary: We have characterized the masses of quercus suber in the provinces of Salamanca and Zamora terms edafico and climate. As a further measure has been characterized its aspects floristicos and selvicolas and the masses have been classified according to various criteria. We have established the potential areas for edafoclimáticas weather and the species have been identified and relations between different aspects selvicolas and ecological parameters developed.

Author: LUCAS PIMIENTA ANA BELÉN.
Year: 2004.
University: EXTREMADURA [www.unex.es].
Place of defense: FACULTAD DE FILOSOFIA Y LETRAS.
Place of preparation: FACULTAD DE FILOSOFÍA Y LETRAS.

Summary: The main aim of the thesis is to study the implementation of the program of afforestation of agricultural land in Extremadura, promoted by Decree 2080/92, and its impact on soil and vegetation. Initially, characterized the total forestaciones, creating a geographic information system (GIS), which allows you to manage environmental information, administrative and technical derived from the location of the proceedings. Subsequently, selecting a number of areas that share common characteristics to all the forestaciones, which valued the conditions on the ground and vegetation. The methodology consists of the analysis of soil and vegetation established floral inventories and the seed bank in forest land and adjacent areas that use identical to preserve the forested before his speech. The results show the uniformity of forestaciones made both technical features, such as environmental, as well as land use spoken, --- strictly agricultural. The selected areas are described as heavily exploited by the values of certain variables soil and the diversity and richness of the seed bank. There has been a decrease in the content of organic matter and nitrogen. The difference in vegetation show increased presence of herbaceous annual colonists.

Author: RODRÍGUEZ FREIRE MÓNICA.
Year: 2005.
University: SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA [www.usc.es].
Place of defense: ESCUELA POLITÉCNICA SUPERIOR.
Place of preparation: ESCUELA POLITÉCNICA SUPERIOR.

Summary: In this research methodology is designed to integrate connectivity landscape in the process of planning and land use planning. This has been evaluated in the first instance the current state of fragmentation of deciduous hardwood formations in Galicia. The observation of the high degree of fragmentation coupled with the limited protection of the formations of deciduous hardwood has made clear the need for mapping that allows viewing patterns connectivity associated stocks to a greater or lesser extent these formations, necessary for its display integration in the planning process, but  how can visualize the connectivity?,  what areas are important with regard to connectivity and which do not?. These questions are answered by conducting a literature review on existing methods for modeling connectivity landscape. This review allowed to identify a total of four methods, whose suitability was assessed using a SWOT analysis. Once known the answer, and chose to develop the model, known as surfaces cost has been applied to modeling of connectivity associated with the formation of a kind considering hardwood forest interior habitat requirements with high and low dispersion capacity , Sitta Europe. Connectivity has been evaluated at multiple levels with different input data, in Galicia and the SAC Ancares-Courel, and at different stages of protection. The results show a gradient of connectivity which stretches from the interior to the coastal areas, however, where only takes into account the cost of formations protected movement is doubled, indicating the important role that the formations are not protected deciduous hardwood in maintaining connectivity. In this situation it would be advisable for these spots were part of the regional network of corridors identified that interlink spaces Natura, or populations identified, which led Natura really acting as a network. The change of scale and associated data caused significant changes in connectivity, instead certain patterns remained constant. Viewing routes lowest cost possible to propose a new definition of the space SAC Ancares-Courel more functional and logic. Once known connectivity for this species at various scales, and knowing that connectivity depends on the species arises the inevitable question  what if considerásemos other species, also associated with this habitat requirements but with completely different?. The answer comes when considering a generalist species with a high capacity for dispersal, Canis lupus. For this species has been modeled connectivity anisotrópica anthropic and the effects on their patterns of movement. This has been taken into account factors coverage, and topographic anthropic, whose relative importance in the final outcome was quantified using a sensitivity analysis. The results show that the barrier effect could isolate two cores because of the highways, identifying critical areas in which to focus future conservation efforts. Instead the rest of the highways do not seem to have a strong impact on the patterns of movement of the wolf. The methodology developed have seen through the eyes of other species rural areas who seek order, thus once obtained maps and corridors that define the different gradients concavity, it is possible their integration into the process management applications soil.

Author: GALLARDO CANO ANTONIO.
Year: 2005.
University: SEVILLA [www.us.es].
Place of defense: FACULTAD DE BIOLOGÍA.
Place of preparation: FACULTAD DE BIOLOGÍA.

Summary: The wild vine is a plant genetic resources threatened throughout Europe. We have characterized the populations of these subspecies plant in Andalusia and various factors such as micropropagation, conservation and abiotic stress factors such as salinity and limestone active substrate.

Author: ARROYO MENDEZ LARA ANOIA.
Year: 2006.
University: POLITÉCNICA DE MADRID [www.upm.es].
Place of defense: E.T.S. DE INGENIEROS DE MONTES.
Place of preparation: ESCUELA TÉCNICA SUPERIOR DE INGENIEROS DE MONTES.

Summary: Although forest fires are natural in many ecosystems, including the Mediterranean, also bring with them negative effects, because of the risk they pose to people and their property, as well as the physical environment, especially as it affects soil degradation . Given that the terms of fuel represent the first component of risk factor of fire, know precisely the spatial distribution patterns of fuel is critical for the management of forest fires. In this sense, remote sensing is a valuable tool. To date, most of the work done in this field has been based on sensors medium spatial resolution, as SPOT-HVR and TM Landsat MSS or with pixel sizes between 20 and 80 mm. Thanks to the high spatial resolution offered by sensors QuickBird or IKONOS, may arise in applications management systems at the local level, particularly interesting scale towards reducing the risk of human lives and property in areas of interface urbano-forestal. For this study were used QuickBird images, which provide a band panchromatic and four multispectral, with 0.61 and 2.44 meters spatial resolution, respectively. Its high spatial resolution translates into an increase in spectral variability internal collection (as opposed to the integrating effect of the sensors above). Thus, a limitation of the statistical analysis by pixel is its inability to prosecute the spectral variability additional generating too many classes, or incorrectly defined. Accordingly, it has been necessary to apply to new analytical techniques to process the images correctly high spatial resolution. In this case, we used a classification system object oriented. The particularity of object-oriented analysis is that the classification is based on groups of pixels, known as objects. Beyond the spectral information, it is possible to evaluate variables related to the shape of the object, its texture, or context, it is also called the analysis of context. Each object is classified not only by their spectral values, but also because of its internal variability, size, shape, or as their relationship with neighboring objects. Furthermore, the classification is done on different levels of objects related to hierarchically, so that every object known "sub-objetos" which it is composed and how "Super-objeto" part. By combining the pixel-oriented analysis and context, it has carried out a proper identification and classification of forest fuels locally. This analysis has been used Prometheus system, a system of classification of fuels suited to the ecological characteristics of the Mediterranean environment. The incorporation of parameters allowed recognize context heterogeneous classes spectrally and spatially complex, as are those fuels forest. The mapping shows generated a level of accuracy higher than 80% in the prediction of six models of fuel. The introduction of analysis techniques context is effective, despite being still evolving. Its main limitations today are time-consuming processing and the high number of analytical parameters, barely contrasting in previous research. In any case, these findings suggest the potential for classification of images of very high spatial resolution to create maps of fuels in the Mediterranean environment. Hopefully, the methods developed and evaluated in this study are of interest for future activities related to the identification of forest fuels locally in the Mediterranean environment, as well as in other regions.

Author: Irastorza Vaca Pedro.
Year: 2006.
University: POLITÉCNICA DE MADRID [www.upm.es].
Place of defense: E.T.S. DE INGENIEROS DE MONTES.
Place of preparation: E.T.S. DE INGENIEROS DE MONTES.

Summary: The Landscape Ecology is a discipline that has been directed primarily to the study of the characteristics and interactions of ecological landscapes, and the past 40 years presents a large body of knowledge that has hardly been used in the planning area. The thesis deals, in a first stage, the analysis of the spatial heterogeneity of a territory (Comunidad de Madrid), divided into subregions, from vegetation map of Madrid (1997), through various indices of landscape ecology . In a second stage, an index of naturalness, which along with Shannon diversity index, a measure of heterogeneity of the landscape, are incorporated into the model Grades Protection Territory PRET (Regional Plan of Territorial Strategy Madrid). The index of naturalness not an varación map of degrees of protection, but the index Shannon, which increases the protected area.