Plant species richness increases resistance to invasion by non‐resident plant species during grassland restoration

Oakley, Clinton A.; Knox, John S.

doi:10.1111/j.1654-109x.2012.01202.x

Cited by 35 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…), which increases resilience to perturbation (Walker , Dodd et al. , Oakley and Knox ), thereby minimizing the need for further restoration intervention. Isolation of urban forest patches may have hindered seed dispersal of some native plant species (Overdyck and Clarkson , Taylor and Burns ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exotic weeds and fluctuating microclimate can constrain native plant regeneration in urban forest restoration

Wallace

Laughlin

Clarkson

2017

Ecological Applications

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Restoring forest structure and composition is an important component of urban land management, but we lack clear understanding of the mechanisms driving restoration success. Here we studied two indicators of restoration success in temperate rainforests: native tree regeneration and epiphyte colonization. We hypothesized that ecosystem properties such as forest canopy openness, abundance of exotic herbaceous weeds, and the microclimate directly affect the density and diversity of native tree seedlings and epiphytes. Relationships between environmental conditions and the plant community were investigated in 27 restored urban forests spanning 3-70 years in age and in unrestored and remnant urban forests. We used structural equation modelling to determine the direct and indirect drivers of native tree regeneration and epiphyte colonization in the restored forests. Compared to remnant forest, unrestored forest had fewer native canopy tree species, significantly more light reaching the forest floor annually, and higher exotic weed cover. Additionally, epiphyte density was lower and native tree regeneration density was marginally lower in the unrestored forests. In restored forests, light availability was reduced to levels found in remnant forests within 20 years of restoration planting, followed shortly thereafter by declines in herbaceous exotic weeds and reduced fluctuation of relative humidity and soil temperatures. Contrary to expectations, canopy openness was only an indirect driver of tree regeneration and epiphyte colonization, but it directly regulated weed cover and microclimatic fluctuations, both of which directly drove the density and richness of regeneration and epiphyte colonization. Epiphyte density and diversity were also positively related to forest basal area, as large trees provide physical habitat for colonization. These results imply that ecosystem properties change predictably after initial restoration plantings, and that reaching critical thresholds in some ecosystem properties makes conditions suitable for the regeneration of late successional species, which is vital for restoration success and long-term ecosystem sustainability. Abiotic and biotic conditions that promote tree regeneration and epiphyte colonization will likely be present in forests with a basal area ≥27 m /ha. We recommend that urban forest restoration plantings be designed to promote rapid canopy closure to reduce light availability, suppress herbaceous weeds, and stabilize the microclimate.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exotic weeds and fluctuating microclimate can constrain native plant regeneration in urban forest restoration

Wallace

Laughlin

Clarkson

2017

Ecological Applications

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“…In addition, a reduction in plant species richness has been found to increase ecosystem vulnerability to invasions (Bouchard et al . ; Oakley & Knox ), alter herbivore communities (Beizhou et al . ) and enhance the spread of fungal plant diseases (Knops et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree diversity and the role of non‐host neighbour tree species in reducing fungal pathogen infestation

et al. 2014

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The degree to which plant pathogen infestation occurs in a host plant is expected to be strongly influenced by the level of species diversity among neighbouring host and non-host plant species. Since pathogen infestation can negatively affect host plant performance, it can mediate the effects of local biodiversity on ecosystem functioning.We tested the effects of tree diversity and the proportion of neighbouring host and non-host species with respect to the foliar fungal pathogens of Tilia cordata and Quercus petraea in the Kreinitz tree diversity experiment in Germany. We hypothesized that fungal pathogen richness increases while infestation decreases with increasing local tree diversity. In addition, we tested whether fungal pathogen richness and infestation are dependent on the proportion of host plant species present or on the proportion of particular non-host neighbouring tree species.Leaves of the two target species were sampled across three consecutive years with visible foliar fungal pathogens on the leaf surface being identified macro- and microscopically. Effects of diversity among neighbouring trees were analysed: (i) for total fungal species richness and fungal infestation on host trees and (ii) for infestation by individual fungal species.We detected four and five fungal species on T. cordata and Q. petraea, respectively. High local tree diversity reduced (i) total fungal species richness and infestation of T. cordata and fungal infestation of Q. petraea and (ii) infestation by three host-specialized fungal pathogen species. These effects were brought about by local tree diversity and were independent of host species proportion. In general, host species proportion had almost no effect on fungal species richness and infestation. Strong effects associated with the proportion of particular non-host neighbouring tree species on fungal species richness and infestation were, however, recorded.Synthesis. For the first time, we experimentally demonstrated that for two common forestry tree species, foliar fungal pathogen richness and infestation depend on local biodiversity. Thus, local tree diversity can have positive impacts on ecosystem functioning in managed forests by decreasing the level of fungal pathogen infestation.

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“…Aside from the naivety status, another aspect known to affect invasion success of a species is the successional stage of the host community (Connell and Slatyer 1977;Fabian et al 2012;Oakley and Knox 2013). The organization of early-succession communities is difficult to predict due to idiosyncratic immigration events, but they are typically composed of small-bodied species with high dispersal and reproduction abilities (e.g., Odum 1969;del Moral and Wood 1993;Foster and Tilman 2000;Catford et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Top predators affect the composition of naive protist communities, but only in their early-successional stage

et al. 2015

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from two non-naive and two naive sites, which are climatically similar. We then conducted a common-garden experiment, with and without the presence of the top predator, in which we recorded changes in community composition, body size spectra, bacterial density, and respiration. We found that the top predator had no statistical effect on global measures of community structure and functioning. However, it significantly altered protist composition, but only in naive, early-succession communities, highlighting that the state of community development is important for understanding the impact of invasion.

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Plant species richness increases resistance to invasion by non‐resident plant species during grassland restoration

Cited by 35 publications

References 26 publications

Exotic weeds and fluctuating microclimate can constrain native plant regeneration in urban forest restoration

Exotic weeds and fluctuating microclimate can constrain native plant regeneration in urban forest restoration

Tree diversity and the role of non‐host neighbour tree species in reducing fungal pathogen infestation

Top predators affect the composition of naive protist communities, but only in their early-successional stage

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