Rowan Watt‐Pringle, David J. Smith, Rohani Ambo‐Rappe, Muslimin Kaimuddin, Jamaluddin Jompa
Compact bushy and expansive branching Acropora survival rates were compared in an experimental restoration setting. Coral fragments were sourced as corals of opportunity (CoPs) or refragmented from CoPs reared on a floating mid‐water rope nursery. Fragments were attached in single‐species and mixed‐species aggregations to modular substrate stabilization structures (reef stars) on degraded, unconsolidated dead coral rubble slopes in Wakatobi Marine National Park, central Indonesia. In total, 1440 Acropora fragments were outplanted to 96 reef stars across five experimental restoration blocks at 14 m depth. Fragment survival was recorded 40–44 months post‐attachment. Survival had a significant relationship with fragment morphology (p < 0.001) and aggregation type (p < 0.01). Sourcing fragments as CoPs or from the nursery did not have a significant relationship with survival. No significant relationships were found with fragment survival for any interactions between morphology, outplanted aggregation, and source. Survival rates for bushy Acropora were 3.44 times and 5.25 times higher than for expansive species for direct CoP outplants and nursery‐reared corals, respectively. The results demonstrate the potential efficacy of returning complex bushy branching Acropora morphologies to mid‐depth reef slopes previously dominated by the genus, using single‐species aggregations interspersed with mixed‐species aggregations. The study also supports using mid‐water nurseries to create a closed or semi‐closed nursery cycle to scale up restoration, and proposes introducing the term “biomass production system” to distinguish this as a process distinct from other coral nursery approaches.
{"title":"Survival rates of branching Acropora morphologies on coral rubble stabilization structures","authors":"Rowan Watt‐Pringle, David J. Smith, Rohani Ambo‐Rappe, Muslimin Kaimuddin, Jamaluddin Jompa","doi":"10.1111/rec.14249","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.14249","url":null,"abstract":"Compact bushy and expansive branching <jats:italic>Acropora</jats:italic> survival rates were compared in an experimental restoration setting. Coral fragments were sourced as corals of opportunity (CoPs) or refragmented from CoPs reared on a floating mid‐water rope nursery. Fragments were attached in single‐species and mixed‐species aggregations to modular substrate stabilization structures (reef stars) on degraded, unconsolidated dead coral rubble slopes in Wakatobi Marine National Park, central Indonesia. In total, 1440 <jats:italic>Acropora</jats:italic> fragments were outplanted to 96 reef stars across five experimental restoration blocks at 14 m depth. Fragment survival was recorded 40–44 months post‐attachment. Survival had a significant relationship with fragment morphology (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> < 0.001) and aggregation type (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> < 0.01). Sourcing fragments as CoPs or from the nursery did not have a significant relationship with survival. No significant relationships were found with fragment survival for any interactions between morphology, outplanted aggregation, and source. Survival rates for bushy <jats:italic>Acropora</jats:italic> were 3.44 times and 5.25 times higher than for expansive species for direct CoP outplants and nursery‐reared corals, respectively. The results demonstrate the potential efficacy of returning complex bushy branching <jats:italic>Acropora</jats:italic> morphologies to mid‐depth reef slopes previously dominated by the genus, using single‐species aggregations interspersed with mixed‐species aggregations. The study also supports using mid‐water nurseries to create a closed or semi‐closed nursery cycle to scale up restoration, and proposes introducing the term “biomass production system” to distinguish this as a process distinct from other coral nursery approaches.","PeriodicalId":54487,"journal":{"name":"Restoration Ecology","volume":"106 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142203084","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Charlotte Dale, Athina Antoine, Giovanni Strona, Michael Bell, Nirmal Shah, Luca Saponari
Coral restoration plays a pivotal role in mitigating the decline of coral reefs, increasing the need for implementing effective techniques and methodologies. This study investigates the efficacy of stocking Acropora muricata and Pocillopora grandis using fishing line versus rope in mid‐water floating nurseries, offering valuable insights for coral restoration practitioners. Over 1 year, survival, tissue cover, growth, cleaning time, cost, preparation, and stocking timing for both methods were evaluated. Fishing line reduced contact with fouling organisms, contributing to enhanced coral tissue cover and growth rates for P. grandis compared to rope, but no significant effect was detected for A. muricata. Survival differed among species, with higher rates for P. grandis compared to A. muricata, indicating no impact due to stocking methods but species‐specific differences. Challenges like nursery collapses and amphipod outbreaks may have impacted survival, emphasizing the importance of consistent maintenance and accessibility of project sites. Furthermore, the fishing line method reduced cleaning effort. However, cost considerations and preparation complexities for fishing line warrant careful evaluation, particularly with regards to project budgets. The study underscores the necessity for further research, incorporating diverse genotypes, species, and initial fragment sizes to refine restoration strategies. In summary, this study provides important guidance for coral restoration practitioners, aiding informed decisions on stocking methods for different projects and species while considering the balance between coral health benefits and operational feasibility.
{"title":"Enhancing coral restoration practices in Seychelles: benefits and limitations of fishing lines and rope as coral stocking methods","authors":"Charlotte Dale, Athina Antoine, Giovanni Strona, Michael Bell, Nirmal Shah, Luca Saponari","doi":"10.1111/rec.14252","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.14252","url":null,"abstract":"Coral restoration plays a pivotal role in mitigating the decline of coral reefs, increasing the need for implementing effective techniques and methodologies. This study investigates the efficacy of stocking <jats:italic>Acropora muricata</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Pocillopora grandis</jats:italic> using fishing line versus rope in mid‐water floating nurseries, offering valuable insights for coral restoration practitioners. Over 1 year, survival, tissue cover, growth, cleaning time, cost, preparation, and stocking timing for both methods were evaluated. Fishing line reduced contact with fouling organisms, contributing to enhanced coral tissue cover and growth rates for <jats:italic>P. grandis</jats:italic> compared to rope, but no significant effect was detected for <jats:italic>A. muricata</jats:italic>. Survival differed among species, with higher rates for <jats:italic>P. grandis</jats:italic> compared to <jats:italic>A. muricata</jats:italic>, indicating no impact due to stocking methods but species‐specific differences. Challenges like nursery collapses and amphipod outbreaks may have impacted survival, emphasizing the importance of consistent maintenance and accessibility of project sites. Furthermore, the fishing line method reduced cleaning effort. However, cost considerations and preparation complexities for fishing line warrant careful evaluation, particularly with regards to project budgets. The study underscores the necessity for further research, incorporating diverse genotypes, species, and initial fragment sizes to refine restoration strategies. In summary, this study provides important guidance for coral restoration practitioners, aiding informed decisions on stocking methods for different projects and species while considering the balance between coral health benefits and operational feasibility.","PeriodicalId":54487,"journal":{"name":"Restoration Ecology","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142203138","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Uta Müller, Bethanne Bruninga‐Socolar, Julia Brokaw, Julia Schreiber, Daniel P. Cariveau, Neal M. Williams
Pollinator habitat restorations and enhancements are an important approach to mitigate pollinator declines due to habitat loss and other stressors. Foraging resources can be provided by wildflower plantings grown from seed mixes composed of pollinator‐friendly plant species. Despite clear evidence on the benefits of such plantings for bees and other pollinators, there is limited knowledge on how variation in multiple seed mix design parameters affects floral resources over time. Such information is crucial to improve the effectiveness of different habitat applications and to potentially lower seed costs, which remain an impediment to adoption. We conducted an incomplete factorial field experiment to test the impacts of density, diversity, and forb:grass ratio of seed mixes on floral resource availability and phenological coverage of the resulting plantings. We quantified floral area and phenological coverage over the whole blooming season for three consecutive years in replicated plots of wildflower mixes in two regions of the U.S.A, Northern California's Central Valley and Midwestern Tallgrass Prairie. When different seed densities were fully replicated (e.g. within high forb:grass seed ratios in Minnesota, or forb‐only seedings in California), seeding density had no further impact on floral area and floral phenological coverage.
{"title":"Successful pollinator seed mixes include low grass density and high forb richness across a range of total seeding densities","authors":"Uta Müller, Bethanne Bruninga‐Socolar, Julia Brokaw, Julia Schreiber, Daniel P. Cariveau, Neal M. Williams","doi":"10.1111/rec.14262","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.14262","url":null,"abstract":"Pollinator habitat restorations and enhancements are an important approach to mitigate pollinator declines due to habitat loss and other stressors. Foraging resources can be provided by wildflower plantings grown from seed mixes composed of pollinator‐friendly plant species. Despite clear evidence on the benefits of such plantings for bees and other pollinators, there is limited knowledge on how variation in multiple seed mix design parameters affects floral resources over time. Such information is crucial to improve the effectiveness of different habitat applications and to potentially lower seed costs, which remain an impediment to adoption. We conducted an incomplete factorial field experiment to test the impacts of density, diversity, and forb:grass ratio of seed mixes on floral resource availability and phenological coverage of the resulting plantings. We quantified floral area and phenological coverage over the whole blooming season for three consecutive years in replicated plots of wildflower mixes in two regions of the U.S.A, Northern California's Central Valley and Midwestern Tallgrass Prairie. When different seed densities were fully replicated (e.g. within high forb:grass seed ratios in Minnesota, or forb‐only seedings in California), seeding density had no further impact on floral area and floral phenological coverage.","PeriodicalId":54487,"journal":{"name":"Restoration Ecology","volume":"63 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142227683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The influence of fragmentation per se on biodiversity is hotly debated, with evidence of negative, neutral, or even positive effects after controlling for habitat amount. Principles from this debate are often used to inform biodiversity conservation in remnant habitat fragments but are rarely considered in a restoration context. Habitat restoration is essential to work alongside conservation and reverse biodiversity declines. Although restored habitats vary along a similar fragmentation gradient to remnant patches, the importance of different processes likely varies. Communities in remnant patches are largely determined by existing populations, while communities in restored patches are shaped by colonization from nearby populations. We illustrate how fragmentation per se can have variable outcomes for biodiversity depending on whether habitat is conserved or restored. The fragmentation debate, in its current form, has limited application for restoration ecology, and we emphasize the need for ecologists and conservationists to consider the directionality of the fragmentation process.
{"title":"Fragmentation impacts may be mixed for conservation but generally bad for restoration","authors":"Kevin Watts, Samuel Hughes","doi":"10.1111/rec.14260","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.14260","url":null,"abstract":"The influence of fragmentation per se on biodiversity is hotly debated, with evidence of negative, neutral, or even positive effects after controlling for habitat amount. Principles from this debate are often used to inform biodiversity conservation in remnant habitat fragments but are rarely considered in a restoration context. Habitat restoration is essential to work alongside conservation and reverse biodiversity declines. Although restored habitats vary along a similar fragmentation gradient to remnant patches, the importance of different processes likely varies. Communities in remnant patches are largely determined by existing populations, while communities in restored patches are shaped by colonization from nearby populations. We illustrate how fragmentation per se can have variable outcomes for biodiversity depending on whether habitat is conserved or restored. The fragmentation debate, in its current form, has limited application for restoration ecology, and we emphasize the need for ecologists and conservationists to consider the directionality of the fragmentation process.","PeriodicalId":54487,"journal":{"name":"Restoration Ecology","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142203088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Emanuelle B. Cardoso, Paulo P. Júnior, Tomás G. R. Veloso, Thuany C. Jordão, Karl Kemmelmeier, Marliane de Cássia S. da Silva, Eduardo G. Pereira, Maria Catarina Megumi Kasuya
Although overlooked in post‐mining rehabilitation, soil mycobiota constitute an important fraction of biodiversity, playing pivotal functions in soil that contribute to the revegetation process and soil stability in post‐mining environments. Evaluating the rehabilitation progress requires comparing it, when possible, with a reference site, preferably identical or similar to pre‐mining characteristics. Here, we investigated the mycobiota from a reference site, comparable to pre‐mining characteristics, and a post‐mining revegetated site 10 years after decommissioning and revegetation, during rainy and dry seasons. We combined the metabarcoding approach with functional traits from fungal operational taxonomic units and complemented our results with traditional techniques for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) surveys using spore morphology and mycorrhizal colonization. Our findings demonstrated that the composition of the fungal community exhibited more differences between the two sites studied than the intra‐annual periods assessed, even though the sites were under the same climatic conditions, spatially nearby, and without barriers between them. The mycobiota composition displayed differences between sites from phylum to genus levels. However, the predictive trophic modes (pathotrophs, saprotrophs, and symbionts) were equivalent in the two sites. All roots of plants assessed had AMF colonization, and AMF spore densities were similar. While many fungal taxa were present at both sites, the spatial connectivity between both sites was insufficient for equivalence of fungal community structure and composition. Differences in chemical and physical soil characteristics may have shaped the fungal communities. This study highlights the need to comprehend the fungal community from mining environments, considering concepts of landscape connectivity.
{"title":"Mycobiota of revegetated post‐mining and adjacent unmined sites 10 years after mining decommissioning","authors":"Emanuelle B. Cardoso, Paulo P. Júnior, Tomás G. R. Veloso, Thuany C. Jordão, Karl Kemmelmeier, Marliane de Cássia S. da Silva, Eduardo G. Pereira, Maria Catarina Megumi Kasuya","doi":"10.1111/rec.14253","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.14253","url":null,"abstract":"Although overlooked in post‐mining rehabilitation, soil mycobiota constitute an important fraction of biodiversity, playing pivotal functions in soil that contribute to the revegetation process and soil stability in post‐mining environments. Evaluating the rehabilitation progress requires comparing it, when possible, with a reference site, preferably identical or similar to pre‐mining characteristics. Here, we investigated the mycobiota from a reference site, comparable to pre‐mining characteristics, and a post‐mining revegetated site 10 years after decommissioning and revegetation, during rainy and dry seasons. We combined the metabarcoding approach with functional traits from fungal operational taxonomic units and complemented our results with traditional techniques for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) surveys using spore morphology and mycorrhizal colonization. Our findings demonstrated that the composition of the fungal community exhibited more differences between the two sites studied than the intra‐annual periods assessed, even though the sites were under the same climatic conditions, spatially nearby, and without barriers between them. The mycobiota composition displayed differences between sites from phylum to genus levels. However, the predictive trophic modes (pathotrophs, saprotrophs, and symbionts) were equivalent in the two sites. All roots of plants assessed had AMF colonization, and AMF spore densities were similar. While many fungal taxa were present at both sites, the spatial connectivity between both sites was insufficient for equivalence of fungal community structure and composition. Differences in chemical and physical soil characteristics may have shaped the fungal communities. This study highlights the need to comprehend the fungal community from mining environments, considering concepts of landscape connectivity.","PeriodicalId":54487,"journal":{"name":"Restoration Ecology","volume":"30 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142227684","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jennifer L. Funk, Valerie T. Eviner, Magda Garbowski, Justin M. Valliere
Trait‐based restoration strategies are gaining significant attention in the scientific community. A recent article in Restoration Ecology by Merchant et al. outlined four reasons why traits are underused in restoration practice. In their response to the paper, Gornish et al. highlighted examples of how practitioners do, in fact, use traits in restoration and made recommendations for researchers to better engage with practitioners to leverage existing knowledge. Here, we clarify a preeminent challenge for either perspective: that we continue to lack the empirical data needed to develop and apply the effective trait‐based tools envisioned by many researchers. Long‐term, spatially replicated studies designed to address context‐dependency are needed to address critical knowledge gaps. Co‐developing projects with practitioners not only fosters more realistic and relatable study designs but also increases the likelihood of adopting new methods, enabling long‐term research that advances theory while improving local outcomes through more accurate trait‐based predictions.
{"title":"Empirical tests of trait–function relationships are crucial for advancing trait‐based restoration: a response to Merchant et al. (2023)","authors":"Jennifer L. Funk, Valerie T. Eviner, Magda Garbowski, Justin M. Valliere","doi":"10.1111/rec.14254","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.14254","url":null,"abstract":"Trait‐based restoration strategies are gaining significant attention in the scientific community. A recent article in <jats:italic>Restoration Ecology</jats:italic> by Merchant et al. outlined four reasons why traits are underused in restoration practice. In their response to the paper, Gornish et al. highlighted examples of how practitioners do, in fact, use traits in restoration and made recommendations for researchers to better engage with practitioners to leverage existing knowledge. Here, we clarify a preeminent challenge for either perspective: that we continue to lack the empirical data needed to develop and apply the effective trait‐based tools envisioned by many researchers. Long‐term, spatially replicated studies designed to address context‐dependency are needed to address critical knowledge gaps. Co‐developing projects with practitioners not only fosters more realistic and relatable study designs but also increases the likelihood of adopting new methods, enabling long‐term research that advances theory while improving local outcomes through more accurate trait‐based predictions.","PeriodicalId":54487,"journal":{"name":"Restoration Ecology","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142203086","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anna Corli, Andrea Mondoni, Francesco Porro, Graziano Rossi, Valentina Vaglia, Micol Orengo, Simone Pedrini, Simone Orsenigo
Seed coating is commonly applied in agricultural seed industry to alleviate biotic and edaphic barriers and improve seed germination, seedling emergence and establishment. Recently, this seed enhancement technology has been tested and applied to seeds of native species for ecological restoration and conservation. This work presents a novel application of seed coating for the reintroduction of species with dust‐like seeds that render direct seeding and cultivation unfeasible. Here we have used seed coating on Lindernia procumbens (Krocker) Philcox (Linderniaceae), a threatened annual species of paddy fields. Lindernia procumbens seeds were encrusted to the surface of rice seeds that acted as carrier to spread the species along rice sowing. We first tested how two selected concentrations of binder affected L. procumbens germination, then we investigated sowing depth (i.e. surface level—light, and buried—darkness) effect. Rice encrusting is a feasible and valuable tool for preserving threatened species with tiny seeds, since binder did not limit L. procumbens germination. Light increased L. procumbens seedlings emergence compared to buried conditions. Although L. procumbens emergence was limited in a paddy field trial, we promoted the formation of a soil seed bank for the species. As such, this should not discourage the possibility to reintroduce rare species with tiny seeds in agroecosystems. This pioneering technique can be extended to ecological restoration, where there is an urgent need for new seed‐based approaches and seed‐coating technologies to improve seedling establishment and restoration efficacy.
{"title":"Rice encrusting with small‐seeded native species for reintroduction in agroecosystems: a case study in Lindernia procumbens","authors":"Anna Corli, Andrea Mondoni, Francesco Porro, Graziano Rossi, Valentina Vaglia, Micol Orengo, Simone Pedrini, Simone Orsenigo","doi":"10.1111/rec.14257","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.14257","url":null,"abstract":"Seed coating is commonly applied in agricultural seed industry to alleviate biotic and edaphic barriers and improve seed germination, seedling emergence and establishment. Recently, this seed enhancement technology has been tested and applied to seeds of native species for ecological restoration and conservation. This work presents a novel application of seed coating for the reintroduction of species with dust‐like seeds that render direct seeding and cultivation unfeasible. Here we have used seed coating on <jats:italic>Lindernia procumbens</jats:italic> (Krocker) Philcox (Linderniaceae), a threatened annual species of paddy fields. <jats:italic>Lindernia procumbens</jats:italic> seeds were encrusted to the surface of rice seeds that acted as carrier to spread the species along rice sowing. We first tested how two selected concentrations of binder affected <jats:italic>L. procumbens</jats:italic> germination, then we investigated sowing depth (i.e. surface level—light, and buried—darkness) effect. Rice encrusting is a feasible and valuable tool for preserving threatened species with tiny seeds, since binder did not limit <jats:italic>L. procumbens</jats:italic> germination. Light increased <jats:italic>L. procumbens</jats:italic> seedlings emergence compared to buried conditions. Although <jats:italic>L. procumbens</jats:italic> emergence was limited in a paddy field trial, we promoted the formation of a soil seed bank for the species. As such, this should not discourage the possibility to reintroduce rare species with tiny seeds in agroecosystems. This pioneering technique can be extended to ecological restoration, where there is an urgent need for new seed‐based approaches and seed‐coating technologies to improve seedling establishment and restoration efficacy.","PeriodicalId":54487,"journal":{"name":"Restoration Ecology","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142203112","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Élise Deschênes, Kierann R. Santala, Jonathan Lavigne, Isabelle Aubin
Utilizing ecosystems' natural recovery potential is crucial for enhancing the scale and efficacy of restoration efforts. However, this potential is currently underutilized in restoration ecology, and barriers to natural species recruitment remain poorly understood. In this study, we develop an analytical framework that combines trait‐based and dark diversity approaches to evaluate understory plant community recovery in smelter‐impacted forests and identify factors limiting recovery for absent species. A community completeness index (CCI) was calculated in 18 naturally recovering smelter‐impacted forests and three reference forests in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The CCI was used to identify sites that deviate the most from their target communities and was compared to traditionally used indicators of plant recovery. Community weighted means (CWM) of traits for observed and dark diversity species were compared, and principal components analysis was used to identify relationships between traits of observed and missing species among study sites. Species unable to recover passively (i.e. with high dark diversity probabilities) were generally tall and/or large seeded. Understory plant community recovery was structured along two functional gradients, plant economics and size, which both coincided with distance to the smelter. Dark diversity and trait analyses were useful for identifying barriers to natural recovery and, therefore, providing guidance on targeted restoration actions. We conclude by discussing the limitations and opportunities of the dark diversity approach in a restoration context, highlighting the importance of carefully defining habitat‐specific species pools and critically assessing the ecological significance of dark diversity probabilities.
{"title":"Using a trait‐based dark diversity approach to evaluate natural recovery potential in forests","authors":"Élise Deschênes, Kierann R. Santala, Jonathan Lavigne, Isabelle Aubin","doi":"10.1111/rec.14251","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.14251","url":null,"abstract":"Utilizing ecosystems' natural recovery potential is crucial for enhancing the scale and efficacy of restoration efforts. However, this potential is currently underutilized in restoration ecology, and barriers to natural species recruitment remain poorly understood. In this study, we develop an analytical framework that combines trait‐based and dark diversity approaches to evaluate understory plant community recovery in smelter‐impacted forests and identify factors limiting recovery for absent species. A community completeness index (CCI) was calculated in 18 naturally recovering smelter‐impacted forests and three reference forests in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The CCI was used to identify sites that deviate the most from their target communities and was compared to traditionally used indicators of plant recovery. Community weighted means (CWM) of traits for observed and dark diversity species were compared, and principal components analysis was used to identify relationships between traits of observed and missing species among study sites. Species unable to recover passively (i.e. with high dark diversity probabilities) were generally tall and/or large seeded. Understory plant community recovery was structured along two functional gradients, plant economics and size, which both coincided with distance to the smelter. Dark diversity and trait analyses were useful for identifying barriers to natural recovery and, therefore, providing guidance on targeted restoration actions. We conclude by discussing the limitations and opportunities of the dark diversity approach in a restoration context, highlighting the importance of carefully defining habitat‐specific species pools and critically assessing the ecological significance of dark diversity probabilities.","PeriodicalId":54487,"journal":{"name":"Restoration Ecology","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142203087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Most oak savannas in the Midwestern United States have been lost to agriculture and habitat degradation. Because of their rarity and high plant and animal diversity, savannas are often a target for restoration, which frequently relies on the direct planting of oak seedlings to establish the necessary canopy. Returning fire to the system is critical to the herbaceous component, but with planted seedlings, managers risk damaging or killing trees if burning is introduced too soon. We studied the growth and physiological responses of three oak species (Quercus alba, Quercus macrocarpa, and Quercus velutina) to prescribed fire to determine impacts on planted trees. This study utilized two restored oak savanna units that were planted in 1995 and 1998, each with burned and unburned areas. We tracked trees ranging from 0.9 to 29.8 cm in diameter at breast height (DBH) to determine the size threshold above which top kill is unlikely and documented differences in leaf structure and extension growth between the burned and unburned areas. There was no mortality observed. Moreover, no trees larger than 4 cm DBH were top killed by the fire. Fire responses in leaf mass per unit area and chlorophyll content were small and inconsistent across species. However, all oak species grew more in burned areas than trees in adjacent unburned areas. Therefore, the addition of low‐intensity prescribed fire to an oak savanna planting may increase the growth rate of planted trees with minimal risk of mortality once trees have reached sufficient size.
{"title":"Effects of prescribed fire on planted oak growth and survival in restored savannas","authors":"Allison G. Earl, J. Brian Towey, Scott J. Meiners","doi":"10.1111/rec.14258","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.14258","url":null,"abstract":"Most oak savannas in the Midwestern United States have been lost to agriculture and habitat degradation. Because of their rarity and high plant and animal diversity, savannas are often a target for restoration, which frequently relies on the direct planting of oak seedlings to establish the necessary canopy. Returning fire to the system is critical to the herbaceous component, but with planted seedlings, managers risk damaging or killing trees if burning is introduced too soon. We studied the growth and physiological responses of three oak species (<jats:italic>Quercus alba</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>Quercus macrocarpa</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>Quercus velutina</jats:italic>) to prescribed fire to determine impacts on planted trees. This study utilized two restored oak savanna units that were planted in 1995 and 1998, each with burned and unburned areas. We tracked trees ranging from 0.9 to 29.8 cm in diameter at breast height (DBH) to determine the size threshold above which top kill is unlikely and documented differences in leaf structure and extension growth between the burned and unburned areas. There was no mortality observed. Moreover, no trees larger than 4 cm DBH were top killed by the fire. Fire responses in leaf mass per unit area and chlorophyll content were small and inconsistent across species. However, all oak species grew more in burned areas than trees in adjacent unburned areas. Therefore, the addition of low‐intensity prescribed fire to an oak savanna planting may increase the growth rate of planted trees with minimal risk of mortality once trees have reached sufficient size.","PeriodicalId":54487,"journal":{"name":"Restoration Ecology","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142226065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Phillipa C. McCormack, Afshin Akhtar‐Khavari, Benjamin J. Richardson
The native forestry industry is being reconsidered, or actively phased out, across most parts of Australia. This kind of transition has happened elsewhere in the world but, in Australia, there is no clarity from governments about what those forestry areas will become, from an ecological or legal perspective. In this research, we investigate the ecological, climatic, and governance contexts for this transition away from native forestry, placing our results in the context of the Global Biodiversity Framework's push to restore 30% of the Earth's land, coasts and oceans. We demonstrate important gaps in government planning for the future of former native forestry coupes, arguing that “after forestry” many of these places will need active intervention to recover these ecosystems and address historic land degradation. This case study combines legal analysis with a review of the restoration literature to illustrate the importance of the governance framework within which restoration science is evolving. We demonstrate the complexity of governing restoration at large scales as the climate changes, as well as potential opportunities to reconcile fragmented governance arrangements, to ensure that this transition results in resilient forest ecosystems in currently degraded areas.
{"title":"Transformation in the forest: the role for restoration in the transition away from native forestry in Australia","authors":"Phillipa C. McCormack, Afshin Akhtar‐Khavari, Benjamin J. Richardson","doi":"10.1111/rec.14240","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.14240","url":null,"abstract":"The native forestry industry is being reconsidered, or actively phased out, across most parts of Australia. This kind of transition has happened elsewhere in the world but, in Australia, there is no clarity from governments about what those forestry areas will become, from an ecological or legal perspective. In this research, we investigate the ecological, climatic, and governance contexts for this transition away from native forestry, placing our results in the context of the Global Biodiversity Framework's push to restore 30% of the Earth's land, coasts and oceans. We demonstrate important gaps in government planning for the future of former native forestry coupes, arguing that “after forestry” many of these places will need active intervention to recover these ecosystems and address historic land degradation. This case study combines legal analysis with a review of the restoration literature to illustrate the importance of the governance framework within which restoration science is evolving. We demonstrate the complexity of governing restoration at large scales as the climate changes, as well as potential opportunities to reconcile fragmented governance arrangements, to ensure that this transition results in resilient forest ecosystems in currently degraded areas.","PeriodicalId":54487,"journal":{"name":"Restoration Ecology","volume":"76 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141930461","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：