Embracing Variability in the Application of Plant–Soil Interactions to the Restoration of Communities and Ecosystems

Abstract

Plant-soil interactions are the foundation of effective and sustained restoration of terrestrial communities and ecosystems. Recent advances in ecological science have greatly contributed to our understanding of the effects of soil conditions on plant community dynamics and our understanding of plant composition impacts on almost every aspect of soil structure and function. Although these theories provide important guidelines for the practice of restoration, they often fall short of providing the level of information required to make effective site-specific management decisions. This is largely because of ecology's search for simple unifying theories and the resulting tendency to generalize from studies at one or only a few sites. An average effect or broad-scale simple relationship tends to provide a ''onesize-fits-all'' (or none) prescription for managers. Plant-soil interactions can vary greatly depending on their context (e.g., environmental conditions, management practices, time, neighboring community, interaction with other organisms). The ability to predict these context-dependent interactions between plants and soils can be developed by building upon existing general frameworks for understanding plant-soil interactions. Collaborations between researchers and managers can develop conceptual tools that allow us to understand and manage the variability and complexity of plant-soil interactions, simultaneously advancing theory and applicability.

Comparisons of Ectomycorrhizal Colonization of Transgenic American Chestnut with Those of the Wild Type, a Conventionally Bred Hybrid, and Related Fagaceae Species

“…These differences, and the variation in percent colonization within and between all of the tree species and soil sites, reflect the variation that naturally exists in ecosystems. Prior studies examining the differences in microbial communities, including mycorrhizal fungi, between treatments have shown that natural variation in systems tends to be greater than the variation that occurs as a result of the treatment (47,(55)(56)(57). In this study, any difference found between the transgenic and wild-type chestnut was minimal compared to the variation that was found between soil sites or related tree species.…”

Influence of Floor Management Technique on Grapevine Growth, Disease Pressure, and Juice and Wine Composition: A Review

“…For example, for deep soils with presumably adequate available soil moisture, the recommended mix included more aggressive grass species, whereas for shallow soils receiving limited rainfall and for hillside vineyards, the recommended mix contained a variety of fescues (Festuca spp.). Soil N mineralization and nitrification rates associated with decomposition of single species grown alone are not necessarily additive when grown in a mixture (e.g., annual grasses and perennial grasses) (Eviner and Hawkes 2008), revealing a need for more research on implications of such phenomena on vine growth and N storage.…”

Advances in restoration ecology: rising to the challenges of the coming decades

“…These endeavors may be further aided by developing globally distributed experiments (Borer et al 2014), along gradients of management action and environmental factors, and through support of developing cyberinfrastructure (Michener et al 2012). Ultimately, embracing complexity and context dependency in restoration activities may lead to more successful restoration as ecological principles are adopted, tested and adapted (Eviner and Hawkes 2008).…”