Ecologically Appropriate Plant Materials for Restoration Applications

Jones, Thomas A.

doi:10.1525/bio.2013.63.3.9

Cited by 55 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Deeper-rooted woody perennials will improve the mechanical reinforcement of soil at depth. Ecologically appropriate plant materials are those that exhibit ecological fitness for their intended site, display compatibility with other members of the plant community, mediate succession and demonstrate no invasive tendencies (Jones 2013). Guidelines can then be devised for the choice of suitable plant species based on such ecological and biogeographical features (Evette et al 2012).…”

Section: Criteria and Challenges In The Selection Of Alternative Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological mitigation of hillslope instability: ten key issues facing researchers and practitioners

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Plants alter their environment in a number of ways. With correct management, plant communities can positively impact soil degradation processes such as surface erosion and shallow landslides. However, there are major gaps in our understanding of physical and ecological processes on hillslopes, and the application of research to restoration and engineering projects.Scope To identify the key issues of concern to researchers and practitioners involved in designing and implementing projects to mitigate hillslope instability, we organized a discussion during the From this discussion, ten key issues were identified, considered as the kernel of future studies concerning the impact of vegetation on slope stability and erosion processes. Each issue is described and a discussion at the end of this paper addresses how we can augment the use of ecological engineering techniques for mitigating slope instability. Conclusions We show that through fundamental and applied research in related fields (e.g., soil formation and biogeochemistry, hydrology and microbial ecology), reliable data can be obtained for use by practitioners seeking adapted solutions for a given site. Through fieldwork, accessible databases, modelling and collaborative projects, awareness and acceptance of the use of plant material in slope restoration projects should increase significantly, particularly in the civil and geotechnical communities.

show abstract

Section: Criteria and Challenges In The Selection Of Alternative Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological mitigation of hillslope instability: ten key issues facing researchers and practitioners

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…There is ongoing debate about whether ''local'' sources are best for reconstructing plant communities that will persist under current and future environmental conditions (Hufford and Mazer 2003, McKay et al 2005, Broadhurst et al 2008, Jones 2013. Studying plant responses in their home (or local) and different environments is required to decide whether more ecotypic variation should be included in restorations to mitigate the effects of climate change on ecosystems (Harris et al 2006).…”

Section: Implications and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Knowledge of local adaptation among plant populations is needed to predict how species will cope with climate change (Aitken and Whitlock 2013, Liancourt et al 2013, De Frenne et al 2014) and make informed decisions about where to source plant material for ecological restoration under current and future conditions (Jones 2013). The persistence of plant populations in a location experiencing rapid environmental change will depend on immigration of adaptive genes, in-situ adaptation, or phenotypic plasticity (Aitken et al 2008, Nicotra et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of ecotypic variation and the environment on biomass and nitrogen in a dominant prairie grass

Mendola

Baer

Johnson

et al. 2015

Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Knowledge of the relative strength of evolution and the environment on a phenotype is required to predict species responses to environmental change and decide where to source plant material for ecological restoration. This information is critically needed for dominant species that largely determine the productivity of the central U.S. grassland. We established a reciprocal common garden experiment across a longitudinal gradient to test whether ecotypic variation interacts with the environment to affect growth and nitrogen (N) storage in a dominant grass. We predicted plant growth would increase from west to east, corresponding with increasing precipitation, but differentially among ecotypes due to local adaptation in all ecotypes and a greater range of growth response in ecotypes originating from west to east. We quantified aboveground biomass, root biomass, belowground net primary production (BNPP), root C:N ratio, and N storage in roots of three ecotypes of Andropogon gerardii collected from and reciprocally planted in central Kansas, eastern Kansas, and southern Illinois. Only the ecotype from the most mesic region (southern Illinois) exhibited more growth from west to east. There was evidence for local adaptation in the southern Illinois ecotype by means of the local vs. foreign contrast within a site and the home vs. away contrast when growth in southern Illinois was compared to the most distant site in central Kansas. Root biomass of the eastern Kansas ecotype was higher at home than at either away site. The ecotype from the driest region, central Kansas, exhibited the least response across the environmental gradient, resulting in a positive relationship between the range of biomass response and precipitation in ecotype region of origin. Across all sites, ecotypes varied in root C:N ratio (highest in the driest-origin ecotype) and N storage in roots (highest in the most mesic-origin ecotype). The low and limited range of biomass, higher C:N ratio of roots, and lower N storage in the central Kansas ecotype relative to the southern Illinois ecotype suggests that introducing ecotypes of A. gerardii from much drier regions into highly mesic prairie would reduce productivity and alter belowground ecosystem processes under a wide range of conditions.

show abstract

“…Allegiance to the "local is best" (terms in italics are defined in the Appendix A) paradigm, the consequent delineation of seed transfer zones, and the subsequent development of "genetically appropriate" plant materials based on naturally occurring patterns of genetic variation, have been regarded as "dogma" in some quarters ( Johnson et al, 2010a). However, this model may not be optimal for the many degraded rangeland systems in need of restoration ( Jones, 2013a) because they have often become modified to the point of becoming "novel ecosystems" (Hobbs et al 2013). In such situations, "local is best" may be better viewed as a testable hypothesis than as dogma ( Jones, 2013b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If genetically appropriate plant materials are unable to achieve restoration goals in a particular circumstance, we have suggested "ecologically appropriate" plant materials in their place ( Jones, 2013a). Such materials exhibit ecological fitness on the targeted restoration site, display compatibility with other members of the plant community, and refrain from promiscuous spread ( Jones, 2013a), i.e., what Callicott (2002 calls "well-behaved citizens."…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The potential of novel native plant materials for the restoration of novel ecosystems

Jones

Monaco

Rigby

2015

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Extensive ecological change has been sustained by many dryland ecosystems throughout the world, resulting in conversion to so-called novel ecosystems. It is within such ecological contexts that native plant materials destined for ecological applications must be able to function. In the Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ssp. wyomingensis [Beetle & A.M. Young] S.L. Welsh) ecosystems of the Intermountain West, for example, novel ecosystem structure and functioning are pervasive. Invasive species, particularly annual grasses, fuel repeated wildfires that drive previously stable ecosystem states across thresholds to less desirable states that are highly recalcitrant to restoration efforts. Structural changes include reductions of native flora, damage to biological soil crusts, and alterations to soil microbiota. Functional changes include altered hydrologic and nutrient cycling, leading to permanent losses of soil organic matter and nitrogen that favor the invaders. We argue that there is an important place in restoration for plant materials that are novel and/or non-local that have been developed to be more effective in the novel ecosystems for which they are intended, thus qualifying them as "ecologically appropriate." Such plant materials may be considered as an alternative to natural/local "genetically appropriate" plant materials, which are sometimes deemed best adapted due to vetting by historical evolutionary processes.

show abstract

Ecologically Appropriate Plant Materials for Restoration Applications

Cited by 55 publications

References 39 publications

Ecological mitigation of hillslope instability: ten key issues facing researchers and practitioners

Ecological mitigation of hillslope instability: ten key issues facing researchers and practitioners

The role of ecotypic variation and the environment on biomass and nitrogen in a dominant prairie grass

The potential of novel native plant materials for the restoration of novel ecosystems

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About