Functional trait similarity predicts survival in rare plant reintroductions

Abstract

Rare species reintroductions are an increasingly common conservation strategy, but often result in poor survival of reintroduced individuals. Reintroduction sites are chosen primarily based on historical occupancy and/or abiotic properties of the site, with much less consideration given to properties of the larger biotic community. However, ecological niche theory suggests that the ability to coexist with other species is determined in part by the degree of functional similarity between species. The degree to which functional similarity affects the survival of reintroduced plants is poorly understood, but has important implications for the allocation of limited conservation resources. We collected a suite of abiotic, biotic, and functional trait variables centered on outplanted individuals from four reintroduced rare plant species and used logistic regression and model selection to assess their influence on individual survival. We show that higher functional similarity between reintroduced individuals and the local community, measured by differences between their multivariate functional traits and the community-weighted mean traits of their immediate neighbors, increases survival and is a stronger predictor of survival than local variation in abiotic factors, suggesting that the functional composition of the biotic community should be incorporated into site selection to improve reintroduction success.

Restoration of plant diversity in permanent grassland by seeding: Assessing the limiting factors along land‐use gradients

“…Our results confirm the finding that this adaption to nutrient surplus in productive sites does not represent an advantage under conditions with less competition for light (Zirbel & Brudvig, 2020), where, for instance, water availability limits plant growth. We propose that sown species in grasslands are environmentally filtered by productivity and successful establishers possibly reflect the traits of the resident plant community (Ames et al., 2020; Breitschwerdt et al., 2015). Variation in establishment success along environmental gradients and trait–environment interactions are rarely studied, but insights on these relationships provide valuable information to prioritize restoration sites and compile site‐specific seed mixtures to maximize success and ecosystem functions during restoration (Balazs et al., 2020; Laughlin, 2014).…”

Long-term, large-scale experiment reveals the effects of seed limitation, climate, and anthropogenic disturbance on restoration of plant communities in a biodiversity hotspot

“…Trait-based approaches are increasingly used to predict ecological responses to global change ( 50 ) and also highlight how biotic and abiotic factors affect restoration success ( 51 ). Our study evaluated several plant traits that are commonly thought to be important predictors of plant population responses to environmental conditions ( SI Appendix , Table S3 ) ( 50 , 52 ).…”

Searching for Optimal Substitute Habitats for Plants by Biological Experiments—A Case Study of the Endangered Species Aldrovanda vesiculosa L. (Droseraceae)

“…Whenever attempts are made to translocate plants, it is also necessary to recognize the specific habitat conditions for selected locations. An extremely important stage is the selection of habitats, which must refer not only to the physical–chemical and biocenotic factors shaping the habitat conditions, but also to changes that occur in the environment, as they may directly or indirectly affect the success of species reintroduction [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ].…”