ABSTRACT

The Opuntia ficus-indica offers a range of ecosystem services. Its provisioning services include food for humans, feed for livestock, and medicines, as well as fuelwood and feedstock for bioenergy. As for supporting ecosystem services, this cactus benefits biodiversity by providing wildlife with food, pollen, habitat, and shelter. Also, it can be used for phytoremediation of contaminated soil and water. In terms of regulating services, it can be used to control soil erosion, it provides raw material for mulching and composting, it has fire breaking properties, and it sequesters carbon. It also provides cultural services; it is used as an ornamental plant, acts as a live fence, and can be used to delineate boundaries between adjacent plots. Also, in certain occasions, the species’ durability has made it a symbol of hope for refugees wishing to return to their expropriated lands. These ecosystem services can be fulfilled as long as the prickly pear is cultivated in home-gardens or in sustainable agroforestry and silvopasture systems. However, establishment of commercial monoculture plantations may accelerate environmental degradation. Further, the species invasiveness may lead to land infestation. The potential risks to natural ecosystems necessitate careful planting of prickly pears in the future, to ensure environmental sustainability.

摘要

仙人掌_提供一系列生态系统服务。其供应服务包括人类食品、牲畜饲料和药品，以及薪材和生物能源原料。至于支持生态系统服务，这种仙人掌通过为野生动物提供食物、花粉、栖息地和庇护所而有益于生物多样性。此外，它还可用于受污染的土壤和水的植物修复。在调节服务方面，可用于控制水土流失，为覆盖和堆肥提供原料，具有防火性能，并固碳。它还提供文化服务；它用作观赏植物，用作活栅栏，并可用于划定相邻地块之间的边界。此外，在某些场合，该物种的持久性使其成为希望返回被征用土地的难民的希望象征。只要在家庭花园或可持续农林业和林草系统中种植仙人掌，这些生态系统服务就可以实现。然而，商业单一种植园的建立可能会加速环境退化。此外，物种入侵可能导致土地侵扰。自然生态系统的潜在风险需要在未来仔细种植仙人掌，以确保环境的可持续性。物种入侵可能导致土地侵染。自然生态系统的潜在风险需要在未来仔细种植仙人掌，以确保环境的可持续性。物种入侵可能导致土地侵染。自然生态系统的潜在风险需要在未来仔细种植仙人掌，以确保环境的可持续性。