Editorial: Enhancing Natural Regeneration to Restore Landscapes

Lohbeck, Madelon; Rother, Débora Cristina; Jakovac, Ana Catarina Conte

doi:10.3389/ffgc.2021.735457

Cited by 10 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 9 publications

(8 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The results from our synthesis indicate that soil translocation is not always necessary for successful restoration. In fact, there are many scenarios when less far‐reaching techniques are an effective approach to ecological restoration (Lohbeck et al, 2021), that is, when the abiotic conditions are appropriate and source populations of the target vegetation are found close to the restoration site. The added value of soil translocation clearly is case‐dependent.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synthesis on the effectiveness of soil translocation for plant community restoration

Gerrits

Waenink

Aradóttir

et al. 2023

Journal of Applied Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Many degraded ecosystems need active restoration to conserve biodiversity and re‐establish ecosystem function, both highlighted targets of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the proposed EU Nature restoration law. Soil translocation, where both plant propagules and their associated soil biota are co‐introduced, has increasingly been proposed as a powerful restoration technique for terrestrial ecosystems. However, a synthesis of the effectiveness of this method across ecosystems is lacking. To address how soil translocation affects restoration success, we performed a meta‐analysis synthesizing data from 46 field experiments and their respective reference ecosystems in 17 countries across four continents. In each experiment, vegetation composition was recorded in response to soil translocation treatments and the resultant vegetational changes (diversity and composition) were quantified. We found that soil translocation leads to plant community development further away from the control and more towards the reference plant communities compared with treatments where only plant propagules were introduced. However, the variability of effect sizes among experiments was large, suggesting strong dependence of restoration success on restoration context. We found that restoration success was more likely on loamy soils and when translocation treatments were implemented over larger spatial areas (>180 m2). Furthermore, we found that restoration success either consistently increased or decreased over time depending on the experiment. Not only is this congruent with positive feedbacks between plant and soil communities driving plant community development, but it also suggests that the composition of the translocated plant and soil communities, and initial starting conditions, are critical for long‐term restoration success. Synthesis and applications. Our analysis highlights soil translocation can be a successful restoration method across a broad range of ecosystems. However, its implementation needs to depend on a thorough evaluation of local conditions and the potential added value. Further refinement of soil translocation techniques is needed to increase success rates.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synthesis on the effectiveness of soil translocation for plant community restoration

Gerrits

Waenink

Aradóttir

et al. 2023

Journal of Applied Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Limitations : it may result in a rather anthropocentric and utilitarian view on succession. To date, people's management practices during the successional process have been little studied (but see Lohbeck, Rother & Jakovac, 2021), while management practices, such as enrichment planting and assisted natural regeneration, may change the speed and direction of succession, increase the value of secondary forests for local people and have the potential to reduce trade‐offs and land‐use conflicts.…”

Section: Review Of Successional Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Successional theories

et al. 2023

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Succession is a fundamental concept in ecology because it indicates how species populations, communities, and ecosystems change over time on new substrate or after a disturbance. A mechanistic understanding of succession is needed to predict how ecosystems will respond to land‐use change and to design effective ecosystem restoration strategies. Yet, despite a century of conceptual advances a comprehensive successional theory is lacking. Here we provide an overview of 19 successional theories (‘models’) and their key points, group them based on conceptual similarity, explain conceptual development in successional ideas and provide suggestions how to move forward.Four groups of models can be recognised. The first group (patch & plants) focuses on plants at the patch level and consists of three subgroups that originated in the early 20th century. One subgroup focuses on the processes (dispersal, establishment, and performance) that operate sequentially during succession. Another subgroup emphasises individualistic species responses during succession, and how this is driven by species traits. A last subgroup focuses on how vegetation structure and underlying demographic processes change during succession. A second group of models (ecosystems) provides a more holistic view of succession by considering the ecosystem, its biota, interactions, diversity, and ecosystem structure and processes. The third group (landscape) considers a larger spatial scale and includes the effect of the surrounding landscape matrix on succession as the distance to neighbouring vegetation patches determines the potential for seed dispersal, and the quality of the neighbouring patches determines the abundance and composition of seed sources and biotic dispersal vectors. A fourth group (socio‐ecological systems) includes the human component by focusing on socio‐ecological systems where management practices have long‐lasting legacies on successional pathways and where regrowing vegetations deliver a range of ecosystem services to local and global stakeholders.The four groups of models differ in spatial scale (patch, landscape) or organisational level (plant species, ecosystem, socio‐ecological system), increase in scale and scope, and reflect the increasingly broader perspective on succession over time. They coincide approximately with four periods that reflect the prevailing view of succession of that time, although all views still coexist. The four successional views are: succession of plants (from 1910 onwards) where succession was seen through the lens of species replacement; succession of communities and ecosystems (from 1965 onwards) when there was a more holistic view of succession; succession in landscapes (from 2000 onwards) when it was realised that the structure and composition of landscapes strongly impact successional pathways, and increased remote‐sensing technology allowed for a better quantification of the landscape context; and succession with people (from 2015 onwards) when it was realised that people and societal drivers have strong effects on successional pathways, that ecosystem processes and services are important for human well‐being, and that restoration is most successful when it is done by and for local people.Our review suggests that the hierarchical successional framework of Pickett is the best starting point to move forward as this framework already includes several factors, and because it is flexible, enabling application to different systems. The framework focuses mainly on species replacement and could be improved by focusing on succession occurring at different hierarchical scales (population, community, ecosystem, socio‐ecological system), and by integrating it with more recent developments and other successional models: by considering different spatial scales (landscape, region), temporal scales (ecosystem processes occurring over centuries, and evolution), and by taking the effects of the surrounding landscape (landscape integrity and composition, the disperser community) and societal factors (previous and current land‐use intensity) into account. Such a new, comprehensive framework could be tested using a combination of empirical research, experiments, process‐based modelling and novel tools. Applying the framework to seres across broadscale environmental and disturbance gradients allows a better insight into what successional processes matter and under what conditions.

show abstract

“…Natural regeneration is generally preferred because it is less costly and less disruptive to the ecosystem. In addition, it allows the conservation of genetic diversity and ensures that the trees are well adapted to local conditions (Lohbeck et al 2021). However, it is characterized by great uncertainty because it is highly dependent on the fruiting of stands before harvesting.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Tree Shelters and Regeneration Method on Survival and Growth of Cork Oak Plantations in the Maamora Forest, Morocco

El Alami,

El Aboudi,

El Antry

et al. 2023

J. Ecol. Eng.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Forests are under intense human pressure, hindering their restoration. A potential solution to regeneration problems is the adoption of tree shelters, which have demonstrated protective benefits in the early establishment of forest plantations. A 9-year study was conducted in the Maamora forest (Morocco) to evaluate the effects of tube shelters and regeneration methods (direct seeding and seedling) on the growth and survival of cork oak (Quercus suber) plantations. A split-plot design was developed with three replicates of 36 plants for each of the four shelter treatments, including T0 (control), T1 (Tubex 1.20 m), T2 (Tubex 1.50 m), and T3 (Tubex 1.80 m) for a total of 964 plants, where periodic inventories were conducted to assess plant survival and growth. Our results show regeneration methods and shelters significantly influenced the survival of cork oak. Direct-seeded plants were more successful than those from seedlings, presenting survival rates of up to 97%. Despite a minimal shelter effect at the beginning, their positive influence was strong later on. Only plants installed with the 1.20 m shelter had an overall success rate of over 50%. Regeneration method had a strong influence on height and diameter growth, with seedling units showing taller plants initially, which shifted to direct-seeded plants in subsequent years. Conversely, the effect of shelters on growth parameters was generally non-significant. Nonetheless, sheltered trees exhibited greater height and diameter than unsheltered trees, particularly in the latter years. Sheltered plants showed an overall faster rate of vertical growth, while unsheltered plants showed faster radial growth.

show abstract

Editorial: Enhancing Natural Regeneration to Restore Landscapes

Cited by 10 publications

References 9 publications

Synthesis on the effectiveness of soil translocation for plant community restoration

Synthesis on the effectiveness of soil translocation for plant community restoration

Successional theories

Effect of Tree Shelters and Regeneration Method on Survival and Growth of Cork Oak Plantations in the Maamora Forest, Morocco

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About