Patterning ecological restoration after weeds

Young, Stephen L.; Hamerlynck, Erik P.

doi:10.1111/rec.13841

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 11 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Dominant and common species are typically important to maintain ecosystem function, but supporting native species diversity, including rare and dispersal-limited species, is also an important goal of many restoration efforts (Baur, 2014;Maina & Howe, 2000). Thus, our findings also highlight the need for investing in continuous monitoring and active management beyond one-time seed addition for restoration plans that strive to establish rare species (Svejcar et al, 2023;Young & Hamerlynck, 2023). Overall, our results add support to the importance of long-term postrestoration management to achieve multiple goals for grassland restoration in the United States.…”

Section: Implications For Restoration Science and Practicementioning

confidence: 73%

Testing the hierarchy of predictability in grassland restoration across a gradient of environmental severity

Bertuol‐Garcia,

Ladouceur,

Brudvig

et al. 2023

Ecological Applications

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ecological restoration is critical for recovering degraded ecosystems but is challenged by variable success and low predictability. Understanding which outcomes are more predictable and less variable following restoration can improve restoration effectiveness. Recent theory asserts that the predictability of outcomes would follow an order from most to least predictable from coarse to fine community properties (physical structure > taxonomic diversity > functional composition > taxonomic composition) and that predictability would increase with more severe environmental conditions constraining species establishment. We tested this “hierarchy of predictability” hypothesis by synthesizing outcomes along an aridity gradient with 11 grassland restoration projects across the United States. We used 1829 vegetation monitoring plots from 227 restoration treatments, spread across 52 sites. We fit generalized linear mixed‐effects models to predict six indicators of restoration outcomes as a function of restoration characteristics (i.e., seed mixes, disturbance, management actions, time since restoration) and used variance explained by models and model residuals as proxies for restoration predictability. We did not find consistent support for our hypotheses. Physical structure was among the most predictable outcomes when the response variable was relative abundance of grasses, but unpredictable for total canopy cover. Similarly, one dimension of taxonomic composition related to species identities was unpredictable, but another dimension of taxonomic composition indicating whether exotic or native species dominated the community was highly predictable. Taxonomic diversity (i.e., species richness) and functional composition (i.e., mean trait values) were intermittently predictable. Predictability also did not increase consistently with aridity. The dimension of taxonomic composition related to the identity of species in restored communities was more predictable (i.e., smaller residuals) in more arid sites, but functional composition was less predictable (i.e., larger residuals), and other outcomes showed no significant trend. Restoration outcomes were most predictable when they related to variation in dominant species, while those responding to rare species were harder to predict, indicating a potential role of scale in restoration predictability. Overall, our results highlight additional factors that might influence restoration predictability and add support to the importance of continuous monitoring and active management beyond one‐time seed addition for successful grassland restoration in the United States.

show abstract

Section: Implications For Restoration Science and Practicementioning

confidence: 73%

Testing the hierarchy of predictability in grassland restoration across a gradient of environmental severity

Bertuol‐Garcia,

Ladouceur,

Brudvig

et al. 2023

Ecological Applications

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This will help to prevent the re‐establishment of the species or other invasive plants from establishing at the control site. For example, methods that may assist in the prevention of re‐establishment include (i) introducing native plants at a large‐scale to suppress emerging weeds, (ii) improving soil conditions and limit disturbed or bare soil and (iii) ensuring follow up treatments are conducted at each site to eliminate large infestations from redeveloping (Young & Hamerlynck, 2022). For greater confidence in using native species to suppress Z. mauritiana , more localised investigations will be required to find suitable species for specific regions.…”

Section: Management Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of the biology, distribution, and management challenges posed by the invasive weed Ziziphus mauritianaL., with special reference to its invasion in Australia

Roberts,

Dhileepan,

Florentine

2024

Weed Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ziziphus mauritiana is an economically detrimental and environmentally destructive plant in non‐native areas where it has escaped cultivation. It forms dense, impenetrable thickets that restrict the movement of livestock across the landscape and has the capacity to alter various ecological functions at the site of invasion, all of which contribute towards land degradation and the reduction of economic profitability. Although there are several management strategies implemented to control Z. mauritiana, it is clear that no single‐method approach will effectively control the species in the long‐term. Whilst chemical and mechanical methods appear to show promising results, they tend to be restricted to areas that are easily accessible and, even so, can be challenging and laborious to treat evenly across dense thicket areas. Several prospective biological control agents have been identified for Z. mauritiana, although further investigations are required to ascertain the host specificity, and to explore and identify their climatic and environmental suitability of host specific agents for release in non‐native regions. Ecological burning alone is not effective in controlling Z. mauritiana and will likely increase its emergence. As such, it could be adopted as part of an integrated management approach to assist other methods for long‐term control, but again the development of such an approach requires further investigation. To contribute towards the control of Z. mauritiana, this review explores its biology, distribution and management challenges whilst identifying areas of research that will assist in the long‐term and confident control of the species, with an emphasis on its invasion in Australia.

show abstract

“…Many authors highlighted new approaches that could help improve the practice of restoration. Planting natives with weedy life history characteristics was suggested as one way to beat invasive plants at their own game (Young & Hamerlynck, 2023), while others suggested using invasive plant-based biochar could facilitate C sequestration in reclaimed mine soils (Ghosh & Maiti, 2023). Ecological replacement of extinct species was highlighted for its restoration potential on islands in the Galapagos (Tapia et al, 2022) and Mauritius (Moorhouse-Gann et al, 2022).…”

Section: Emerg Ing Re S Tor Ati On Pr Ac Tice Smentioning

confidence: 99%

We asked and #GenerationRestoration delivered: The joint special feature between the British Ecological Society and the Society for Ecological Restoration

Jones,

Murphy

2023

Ecol Sol and Evidence

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

When we set out to launch a first-of-its-kind joint-society special feature highlighting restoration research for the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, we were full of the same hope that underpins restoration itself, even if we were in the throes of a global pandemic. We knew academics and managers had the potential to share research and perspectives to set the stage for the UN Decade on Restoration. And the greater than 170 papers that were published in that special feature truly did deliver in helping to set the stage and accomplish the lofty goals for the Decade on Restoration.The studies published spanned all continents save Antarctica, and included diverse topics such as how to ensure restoration is inclusive and equitable, emerging cutting edge technologies, how to ensure restoration is enshrined in international law, and how to prioritize restoration efforts to maximize gains. While we cannot cover each paper, below are some highlights of themes that emerged from this Special Feature.

show abstract

Patterning ecological restoration after weeds

Cited by 7 publications

References 11 publications

Testing the hierarchy of predictability in grassland restoration across a gradient of environmental severity

Testing the hierarchy of predictability in grassland restoration across a gradient of environmental severity

A review of the biology, distribution, and management challenges posed by the invasive weed Ziziphus mauritianaL., with special reference to its invasion in Australia

We asked and #GenerationRestoration delivered: The joint special feature between the British Ecological Society and the Society for Ecological Restoration

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About