Impacts de différents régimes de perturbations et niveaux de ressource hydrique pour contrôler une espèce proliférante dans un écosystème pseudo-steppique: le cas de Rubus ulmifolius Schott. dans la plaine de la Crau (Bouches-du-Rhône, France)

Abstract

Abstract The plain of la Crau, located in South Eastern France, is a unique pseudo-steppe ecosystem, characterized by the presence of a Mediterranean climate, stony soil and limestone conglomerate at 40cm depth, and a traditional sheep grazing dating back to 6,000 years. Nevertheless, for many decades, this ecosystem has been subjected to numerous exogenous disturbance regimes. Indeed, during the 16th century, the construction of channels led to the transformation of the dry grasslands into hay meadows. Moreover, during the last century, agriculture intensification and the industrial development of military activities have significantly altered the steppe. Now, the plain of la Crau is a fragmented landscape where steppe habitats are connected directly with irrigated orchards or hay meadows. The effects on plant communities have been a decrease of species richness, a trivialization of plant composition and also the colonization of disturbed areas by pioneer invasive species such as Rubus ulmifolius Schoot, the elm leaf bramble. Absent from the original plant composition, this species can colonize areas formerly cultivated and/or subjected to water infiltrations coming from the mismanagement of the irrigation of hay meadows nearby. The increase of bramble cover is a threat to the Crau, because it causes the reduction of herbaceous community available for traditional sheep grazing, which is responsible for the organization and the structure of the steppe plant communities. To better understand this phenomenon and to discriminate the factors responsible for this colonization, an experimentation in situ based on the implementation of different disturbance regimes (shrub clearing and/or grazing) crossed with two levels of water resources has been carried out during three years (between November 2010 to September 2013). During this period, we have performed a monitoring of the vegetation each spring and measured the photosynthetically active radiation at different times to a year (at the moment of clearing, before and after grazing, and after the summer drought). Our results evidence significant changes in the composition and a drastic increase of species richness between plots that were cleared and grazed each year and those that were not. These differences can be explained by a significant reduction in the area occupied by the bramble (increase of photosynthetically active radiation). However, the action of a single clearing or grazing alone did not succeed in maintaining an open environment. No significant action of the drying plots could be detected on the plant community and on the dynamics of brambles. In order to perform a potential ecological restoration, an annual clearing coupled with a return of sheep grazing is recommended. In addition, the restoration of the irrigation system is considered in the discussion to limit the presence of Brachypodium phoenicoides (L.) Roem. & Schult that develops probably at the expense of typical steppe species.