A Global Synthesis Reveals Gaps in Coastal Habitat Restoration Research

Zhang, Y. Stacy; Cioffi, William R.; Cope, Rebecca; Daleo, Pedro; Heywood, Eleanor I.; Hoyt, C. A.; Smith, Charles S.; Silliman, Brian R.

doi:10.3390/su10041040

Cited by 55 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Restoration of seagrasses that includes the simultaneous planting of both primary and secondary foundation species such as seagrasses and bivalves is likely to yield greater biodiversity. Greater emphasis should be placed on the enhancement of habitat cascade units (secondary foundation species/ecosystem engineers) and whole ecosystems, not just primary foundation species, that promote positive interactions and ecosystem functioning [74]. We suggest that future ecological studies and conservation actions further incorporate facilitation cascades, as they are likely key but underappreciated drivers of spatial and temporal variation of biodiversity and function in seagrass beds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

A Facilitation Cascade Enhances Local Biodiversity in Seagrass Beds

Zhang

Silliman

2019

Diversity

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Invertebrate diversity can be a key driver of ecosystem functioning, yet understanding what factors influence local biodiversity remains uncertain. In many marine and terrestrial systems, facilitation cascades where primary foundation and/or autogenic ecosystem engineering species promote the settlement and survival of a secondary foundation/engineering species have been shown to enhance local biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. We experimentally tested if a facilitation cascade occurs among eelgrass (Zostera marina), pen clams (Atrina rigida), and community diversity in temperate seagrass beds in North Carolina, U.S.A., and if this sequence of direct positive interactions created feedbacks that affected various metrics of seagrass ecosystem function and structure. Using a combination of surveys and transplant experiments, we found that pen clam density and survivorship was significantly greater in seagrass beds, indicating that eelgrass facilitates pen clams. Pen clams in turn enhanced local diversity and increased both the abundance and species richness of organisms (specifically, macroalgae and fouling invertebrate fauna)—the effect of which scaled with increasing clam density. However, we failed to detect an impact of pen clams on other seagrass functions and hypothesize that functioning may more likely be enhanced in scenarios where secondary foundation species specifically increase the diversity of key functional groups such as epiphyte grazers and/or when bivalves are infaunal rather than epifaunal. Our findings add to the growing amount of literature that demonstrates that secondary foundation species are important drivers of local biodiversity in marine ecosystems. Further experimentation is needed that directly examines (i) the role of functional versus overall diversity on seagrass functions and (ii) the relative importance of life-history strategy in determining when and where engineering bivalves increase biodiversity and/or functioning of seagrass beds.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

A Facilitation Cascade Enhances Local Biodiversity in Seagrass Beds

Zhang

Silliman

2019

Diversity

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“…If restoration is going to be a primary mechanism for wetland recovery, as conservation organizations have proposed, we need to improve restoration efficiency (e.g., the cost to amount of restored habitat ratio) and implement restoration designs that support the rapid creation of natural, highfunctioning wetlands. Although restoration ecology often draws from ecological theory and understanding (Palmer et al, 1997;Young et al, 2005), marine managers often do not integrate important ecological concepts (e.g., positive species interactions) into restoration projects, which may mean coastal wetland restoration is underperforming (e.g., Shaver and Silliman, 2017;Zhang et al, 2018).…”

Section: The Role Of Restoration In the Future Of Coastal Wetlandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Harnessing Positive Species Interactions to Enhance Coastal Wetland Restoration

2019

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Coastal wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world. They generate critical services for humans including shoreline protection, carbon storage, pollution mitigation, and fisheries production. Restoration of coastal wetlands has historically been viewed as a secondary conservation strategy, but recently-given the continued loss of wetlands worldwide-many non-governmental and governmental organizations have elevated habitat restoration to be a primary method for wetland conservation. The long-held paradigm in coastal wetland restoration has been to restore target habitats by reducing physical stressors and avoiding competition among outplants, such as mangrove saplings or Spartina plugs. Recent ecological research, however, reveals that positive species interactions, such as facilitation, are critical to wetland recovery after disturbance. Here, we review the scientific evidence for the importance of positive species interactions in the recovery of salt-marsh and mangrove ecosystems and assess the extent to which they have been integrated into restoration studies. We found that only a small proportion of studies of marsh and mangrove restoration examined the effects of positive species interactions, despite the important role they play in the regrowth of coastal wetlands. We outline how positive species interactions can be systematically incorporated into future restoration work and discuss how this incorporation can help the reestablishment of coastal wetland biota through: (1) trophic facilitation, (2) stress reduction, and (3) associational defenses. The absence of positive interactions in restoration designs may partially explain the significant disparities between the functioning of natural and restored coastal plant ecosystems.

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“…Recent studies have shown that promoting positive interactions between individuals of the same species can increase restoration success (de Paoli et al, 2017; Silliman et al, 2015; van der Heide et al, 2007), highlighting the importance of facilitative interactions in restoring ecosystem‐engineering species (Maxwell et al, 2017). Facilitative interactions between ecosystem engineers may be equally important for promoting resilience and recovery (Angelini et al, 2016; Derksen‐Hoojiberg et al, 2018; Renzi, He, & Silliman, 2019; van de Koppel et al, 2015), but <3% of restoration projects have integrated interspecific interactions (Zhang et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facilitating foundation species: The potential for plant–bivalve interactions to improve habitat restoration success

Gagnon

Rinde

Bengil³

et al. 2020

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Vegetated marine and freshwater habitats are being increasingly lost around the world. Habitat restoration is a critical step for conserving these valuable habitats, but new approaches are needed to increase restoration success and ensure their survival. We investigated interactions between plants and bivalves through a review and analysis of 491 studies, determined the effects, mechanisms and key environmental variables involved in and driving positive and negative interactions, and produced guidelines for integrating positive interactions into restoration efforts in different habitats. Fifty per cent of all interactions (both correlative and experimental studies) were positive. These were predominant between epifaunal bivalves and plants in all habitats, and between infaunal bivalves and plants in subtidal habitats. Plants primarily promoted bivalve survival and abundance by providing substrate and shelter, while bivalves promoted plant growth and survival by stabilizing and fertilizing the sediment, and reducing water turbidity. The prevalence of positive interactions increased with water temperature in subtidal habitats, but decreased with water temperature in intertidal habitats. The subset of studies conducted in a restoration context also showed mostly positive interactions. Twenty‐five per cent of all interactions were negative, and these were predominant between plants and infaunal bivalves in intertidal habitats, except sulphide‐metabolizing bivalves, which facilitated plant survival. Interactions involving non‐native species were also mostly negative. Synthesis and applications. Promoting facilitative interactions through plant–bivalve co‐restoration can increase restoration success. The prevalence of positive interactions depends on habitat and environmental conditions such as temperature, and was especially important in subtidal habitats (involving both infaunal and epifaunal bivalves) and in intertidal habitats (involving only epifaunal bivalves). Thus sites and species for co‐restoration must be carefully chosen to maximize the chances of success. If done properly, co‐restoration could increase initial survival, persistence and resilience of foundation species, and promote the recovery of associated biodiversity and ecosystem services.

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A Global Synthesis Reveals Gaps in Coastal Habitat Restoration Research

Cited by 55 publications

References 77 publications

A Facilitation Cascade Enhances Local Biodiversity in Seagrass Beds

A Facilitation Cascade Enhances Local Biodiversity in Seagrass Beds

Harnessing Positive Species Interactions to Enhance Coastal Wetland Restoration

Facilitating foundation species: The potential for plant–bivalve interactions to improve habitat restoration success

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