Ecosystem structure, function, and restoration success: Are they related?

Cortina, Jordi; Maestre, Fernando T.; Vallejo, V. Ramón; Baeza, M. Jaime; Valdecantos, Alejandro; Pérez-Devesa, Marian

doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2006.04.004

Cited by 85 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Few authors have used them to describe the dynamics of Iberian cork oak ecosystems Cortina et al 2006;Huntsinger and Bartolome 1992) but seldom have they identified the underlying ecological and social mechanisms that explain the barriers for vegetation change (Acácio et al , 2010. Figure 1 transitions between them.…”

Section: A State and Transition Model To Describe Landscape Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathways for resilience in Mediterranean cork oak land use systems

Acácio¹,

Holmgren²

2012

Annals of Forest Science

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Context Loss of woodlands and degradation of vegetation and soil have been described for all Mediterranean-type ecosystems worldwide. In the Western Iberian Peninsula, overexploitation of evergreen cork oak land use systems has led to soil erosion, failures in oak recruitment, and loss of forests. Degraded and dry sites are quickly colonised by pioneer heathland rockrose (Cistus spp.) shrubs forming highly persistent patches. Aims Although traditionally shrublands have been considered as a transient successional state, we present evidence that they can represent persistent alternative states to former cork oak forests. Review trends and conclusions We first describe how Mediterranean vegetation evolved in the Iberian Peninsula and the role of fire and long-term human management as main disturbances. We then discuss alternative pathways through state-and-transition models indicating the ecological and land use variables that halt cork oak regeneration and recruitment and drive vegetation transitions towards persistent shrublands. Unless concerted management actions and restoration programmes are undertaken, the cork oak land use systems will not be sustainable.

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Section: A State and Transition Model To Describe Landscape Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathways for resilience in Mediterranean cork oak land use systems

Acácio¹,

Holmgren²

2012

Annals of Forest Science

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“…Compositional metrics can be difficult to interpret given their multidimensional nature (Legendre and Legendre 1998;McCune and Grace 2002) and are rarely considered in the context of ecological restoration, in part because long-term data are necessary to detect compositional trends (Lindborg and Eriksson 2004). However, we suggest that composition should be explicitly considered because having restored ecosystem structure and functioning does not necessarily mean that composition has also been restored (Lockwood and Pimm 1999), and often there is not a direct relationship between species diversity, composition, and ecosystem functioning (Schwartz et al 2000;Cortina et al 2006). For example, an area with the desired plant cover and standing crop could be dominated by nonnative species, and therefore, be a failure with respect to plant community composition (e.g., Christian and Wilson 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Restoring plant species diversity and community composition in a ponderosa pine-bunchgrass ecosystem

et al. 2007

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“…Further research is needed to link system structure to process (Cortina et al, 2006) and then process to ecological and social benefits to understand regional complexity. This is fundamental to evaluating the efficiency of restoration by including all costs and benefits (Loomis, 2006).…”

Section: Conclusion and Perspctivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

From the myth of a lost paradise to targeted river restoration: forget natural references and focus on human benefits

Dufour¹,

Piégay

2009

River Research & Apps

436

248

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International audienceIn the last two decades river restoration has become increasingly a field of research asking a series of complex questions related
not just to science but also to society. Why should we restore ecosystems? Is restoration always beneficial? When is it beneficial?
What should be the target reference states? What is success and when can it be evaluated? Our objective is to chronicle and
discuss the fundamental concepts of reference versus objective, state versus process-based actions, nature versus culture and
ecosystem integrity versus ecosystem benefits driven restoration.
We discuss the dynamic and yet unresolved definition of a reference state. Although the desire to re-create the past is tempting,
science has shown that river systems follow complex trajectories frequently making it impossible to return to a previous state.
Therefore, restoration goals are moving away from explicitly defining a reference state because of the difficulty of attaining that
reference state. We argue that the reference-based strategy should be progressively replaced by an objective-based strategy that
reflects the practical limitations of developing sustainable landscapes and the emerging importance of accounting for human
services of the target ecosystem. After a decade during which natural processes have been the focus of restoration, it appears that
particular processes are not equally valuable everywhere and that regional complexity must be better understood to adjust
restoration actions

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Ecosystem structure, function, and restoration success: Are they related?

Cited by 85 publications

References 42 publications

Pathways for resilience in Mediterranean cork oak land use systems

Pathways for resilience in Mediterranean cork oak land use systems

Restoring plant species diversity and community composition in a ponderosa pine-bunchgrass ecosystem

From the myth of a lost paradise to targeted river restoration: forget natural references and focus on human benefits

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