Positive effects of tree diversity on tropical forest restoration in a field-scale experiment

Veryard, Ryan; Wu, Jinhui; O’Brien, Michael J.; Anthony, Rosila; Both, Sabine; Burslem, David F. R. P.; Chen, Bin; Cagigal, Elena Fernandez-Miranda; Godfray, H. C. J.; Godoong, Elia; Liang, Shunlin; Saner, Philippe; Schmid, Bernhard; Wai, Yap Sau; Xie, Jining; Reynolds, Glen; Héctor, Andy

doi:10.1101/2022.09.09.507141

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Lower genetic diversity among seedlings is also likely to reduce adaptive capacity of populations by reducing functional trait diversity (Jump et al., 2009). Shifts in restoration practices towards planting with more diverse mixtures within and between species could enhance adaptive capacity and help overcome high mortality rates and accelerate the recovery of logged ecosystems (Veryard et al., 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Shifts in restoration practices towards planting with more diverse mixtures within and between species could enhance adaptive capacity and help overcome high mortality rates and accelerate the recovery of logged ecosystems (Veryard et al, 2023). Umaña et al, 2020Umaña et al, , 2021Waring & Powers, 2017;Wurzburger & Wright, 2015).…”

Section: Seedling Demography In Logged Forestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bornean tropical forests recovering from logging at risk of regeneration failure

Bartholomew,

Hayward,

Burslem

et al. 2024

Global Change Biology

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Active restoration through silvicultural treatments (enrichment planting, cutting climbers and liberation thinning) is considered an important intervention in logged forests. However, its ability to enhance regeneration is key for long‐term recovery of logged forests, which remains poorly understood, particularly for the production and survival of seedlings in subsequent generations. To understand the long‐term impacts of logging and restoration we tracked the diversity, survival and traits of seedlings that germinated immediately after a mast fruiting in North Borneo in unlogged and logged forests 30–35 years after logging. We monitored 5119 seedlings from germination for ~1.5 years across a mixed landscape of unlogged forests (ULs), naturally regenerating logged forests (NR) and actively restored logged forests via rehabilitative silvicultural treatments (AR), 15–27 years after restoration. We measured 14 leaf, root and biomass allocation traits on 399 seedlings from 15 species. Soon after fruiting, UL and AR forests had higher seedling densities than NR forest, but survival was the lowest in AR forests in the first 6 months. Community composition differed among forest types; AR and NR forests had lower species richness and lower evenness than UL forests by 5–6 months post‐mast but did not differ between them. Differences in community composition altered community‐weighted mean trait values across forest types, with higher root biomass allocation in NR relative to UL forest. Traits influenced mortality ~3 months post‐mast, with more acquisitive traits and relative aboveground investment favoured in AR forests relative to UL forests. Our findings of reduced seedling survival and diversity suggest long time lags in post‐logging recruitment, particularly for some taxa. Active restoration of logged forests recovers initial seedling production, but elevated mortality in AR forests lowers the efficacy of active restoration to enhance recruitment or diversity of seedling communities. This suggests current active restoration practices may fail to overcome barriers to regeneration in logged forests, which may drive long‐term changes in future forest plant communities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Seedling Demography In Logged Forestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bornean tropical forests recovering from logging at risk of regeneration failure

Bartholomew,

Hayward,

Burslem

et al. 2024

Global Change Biology

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“…This indicates a progressive increase in the capture of atmospheric CO 2 over time by more species‐rich plant communities. The underlying mechanism for this phenomenon may lie in the higher community leaf area index observed in plant mixtures (Ibanez et al., 2021), enhancing light interception (Manevski et al., 2017) and photosynthetic rates (Dong et al., 2004), ultimately facilitating plant C concentration and storage (Veryard et al., 2023). The complementarity of resource use among species has been proposed as a key driver of increased productivity in species‐rich, decade‐old grassland ecosystems (Van Ruijven & Berendse, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant diversity decreases greenhouse gas emissions by increasing soil and plant carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems

Dang,

Zhang,

Chen

et al. 2024

Ecology Letters

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The decline in global plant diversity has raised concerns about its implications for carbon fixation and global greenhouse gas emissions (GGE), including carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4). Therefore, we conducted a comprehensive meta‐analysis of 2103 paired observations, examining GGE, soil organic carbon (SOC) and plant carbon in plant mixtures and monocultures. Our findings indicate that plant mixtures decrease soil N2O emissions by 21.4% compared to monocultures. No significant differences occurred between mixtures and monocultures for soil CO2 emissions, CH4 emissions or CH4 uptake. Plant mixtures exhibit higher SOC and plant carbon storage than monocultures. After 10 years of vegetation development, a 40% reduction in species richness decreases SOC content and plant carbon storage by 12.3% and 58.7% respectively. These findings offer insights into the intricate connections between plant diversity, soil and plant carbon storage and GGE—a critical but previously unexamined aspect of biodiversity–ecosystem functioning.

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“…Climate change and biodiversity loss are listed as major global change drivers of ecosystem functioning 45,46 . Re- and afforestation are identified as nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change by counteracting the rising atmospheric CO2 concentration and safeguarding ecosystem functioning 1,2,47 , being especially effective when considering tree species-rich plantations 5,47 . However, the diversification of existing and newly planted forests may be challenging for current management practices, requiring different options for optimal solutions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving forest ecosystem functions by optimizing tree species spatial arrangement

Beugnon,

Albert,

Hähn

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Reforestation and afforestation programs are promoted as strategies to mitigate rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations and enhance ecosystem services. Planting diverse forests is supposed to foster such benefits, but optimal tree planting techniques, especially regarding species spatial arrangement, are underexplored. Here, using field measurements from the subtropical BEF-China experiment, we simulated leaf litterfall and decomposition, as a function of various spatial arrangements of tree species, from clusters of species to random distributions. We show that increasing tree species spatial heterogeneity in forests composed of nine tree species led to more evenly distributed litterfall, increased litter decomposition and associated nitrogen cycling by 45%. These effects were amplified with increasing plot species richness, while species functional trait identity and diversity modulated these relationships. The spatial arrangement of tree species is a critical component determining biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships, and considering such spatial aspects is crucial for operationalizing biodiversity-ecosystem functioning theory in realistic re-/afforestation projects.

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Positive effects of tree diversity on tropical forest restoration in a field-scale experiment

Cited by 4 publications

References 47 publications

Bornean tropical forests recovering from logging at risk of regeneration failure

Bornean tropical forests recovering from logging at risk of regeneration failure

Plant diversity decreases greenhouse gas emissions by increasing soil and plant carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems

Improving forest ecosystem functions by optimizing tree species spatial arrangement

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