Table 1 Characteristics of the areas studied which include identifying letters for each farm, location, soil classification, topography of sampling area, annual rainfall (mm) and mean annual temperature (°C) of the nearest weather station (Red RIA, IFAPA), understory type according with land use (grazed areas/abandoned areas) and shrub composition (Cistus shrub/mixed shrub), shrub cover (%) and tree density (tree per hectare)

A

38° 7′ N, 4° 31′ W (Córdoba)

Regosol, Lithosol

Level

575

17

Grazed area: pasture (annual herbaceous species)

–

30

Abandoned area: Cistus shrub (Cistus ladanifer, C. albidus, C. crispus)

85

37

B

37° 42′ N, 7° 11′ W (Huelva)

Cambisol, Eutric Regosol

Level

380

16

Grazed area: pasture (annual herbaceous species)

–

26

Abandoned area: Cistus shrub (Cistus ladanifer, C. monspeliensis)

65

30

C

37° 57′ N, 6° 31′ W (Huelva)

Regosol, Lithosol

Undulating

420

16

Grazed area: pasture (annual herbaceous species)

–

21

Abandoned area: Cistus shrub (Cistus ladanifer)

75

25

D

37° 52′ N, 5° 12′ W (Córdoba)

Cambisol, Eutric Regosol

Undulating

468

18

Grazed area: pasture (annual herbaceous species)

–

44

Abandoned area: mixed shrub (Pistacia lentiscus L., Phillyrea angustifolia L., Quercus coccifera L., Cistus spp., Rosmarinus officinalis L.)

65

45

E

37° 57′ N, 5° 32′ W (Sevilla)

Cambisol, Eutric Regosol

Undulating

610

17

Grazed area: pasture (annual herbaceous species)

–

31

Abandoned area: mixed shrub (Quercus coccifera L., Pistacia lentiscus L., Lavandula stoechas, Rosmarinus officinalis L., Cistus spp.)

65

33

F

37° 59′ N, 5° 43′ W (Sevilla)

Cambisol, Eutric Regosol

Undulating

646

17

Grazed area: pasture (annual herbaceous species)

–

28

Abandoned area: mixed shrub (Cistus spp., Quercus coccifera L., Pistacia lentiscus L., Lavandula stoechas L)

85

29

G

(12 plots)

38° 15′–38° 25′ N,

4° 18′–4° 41′ W (Córdoba)

Eutric Cambisol

Level

756

15

Grazed area: pasture (annual herbaceous species)

–

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