Quantitatively Evaluating Restoration Experiments: Research Design, Statistical Analysis, and Data Management Considerations

Abstract

Conceptual and logistical challenges associated with the design and analysis of ecological restoration experiments are often viewed as being insurmountable, thereby limiting the potential value of restoration experiments as tests of ecological theory. Such research constraints are, however, not unique within the environmental sciences. Numerous natural and anthropogenic disturbances represent unplanned, uncontrollable events that cannot be replicated or studied using traditional experimental approaches and statistical analyses. A broad mix of appropriate research approaches (e.g., long‐term studies, large‐scale comparative studies, space‐for‐time substitution, modeling, and focused experimentation) and analytical tools (e.g., observational, spatial, and temporal statistics) are available and required to advance restoration ecology as a scientific discipline. In this article, research design and analytical options are described and assessed in relation to their applicability to restoration ecology. Significant research benefits may be derived from explicitly defining conceptual models and presuppositions, developing multiple working hypotheses, and developing and archiving high‐quality data and metadata. Flexibility in research approaches and statistical analyses, high‐quality databases, and new sampling approaches that support research at broader spatial and temporal scales are critical for enhancing ecological understanding and supporting further development of restoration ecology as a scientific discipline.

A systematic review of the use of statistics in studies of restoration ecology of arid areas

“…The experimental design of a study and its use of statistical analysis influence each other greatly, guided by the questions asked by the study (Michener et al 1997, Lortie 2014. Since restoration studies can differ in design from more traditional study ecologies, the statistical test chosen to examine the data may differ as well (Michener et al 1997).…”

A systematic review of the use of statistics in studies of restoration ecology of arid areas

“…Replication may also be difficult. These difference mean that the experiment design may also differ from non-restoration studies (Michener et al 1997).…”

“…Since restoration studies can differ in design from more traditional study ecologies, the statistical test chosen to examine the data may differ as well (Michener et al 1997). This can lead to less common statistics being used in these types of studies or to the use of more common statistical tests in different ways (Michener et al 1997). Restoration studies may also occasionally be purely observational.…”

La restauración ecológica clásica y los retos de la actualidad: La migración asistida como estrategia de adaptación al cambio climático

“…Durante la trayectoria de recuperación puede ocurrir que los procesos ecosistémicos no sigan un desarrollo ordenado hasta un único punto final, ya que por un lado los ecosistemas son dinámicos aunque sigan tendencias sucesionales y también pueden pasar por rápidas transiciones entre diferentes estados estables hacia múltiples puntos terminales (Choi, 2004;Choi, 2007;Ehrenfeld & Toth, 1997;Harris et al, 2006;Hobbs & Norton, 1996;McLane & Aitken, 2012;Michener, 1997;Palmer, Ambrose & Poff, 1997;White & Walker, 1997). De esto se derivaron otros conceptos relacionados con la recuperación de ecosistemas, tales como rehabilitación y reclamación o reemplazo (Figura 1).…”