RestoreNet: An emerging restoration network reveals controls on seeding success across dryland ecosystems

Havrilla, Caroline A.; Munson, Seth M.; McCormick, Molly; Laushman, Katherine M.; Balazs, Kathleen R.; Butterfield, Bradley J.

doi:10.1111/1365-2664.13715

Cited by 34 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The field experiment was conducted at eight restoration sites located on the Colorado Plateau (Figure ; Table 2) that are a part of a broader RestoreNet study (Havrilla et al., 2020). RestoreNet systematically tests multiple restoration techniques using standardized protocols across drylands of the southwestern United States and is coordinated by the Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest (https://usgs.gov/sbsc/ramps).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, we conducted a dryland restoration experiment replicated across a climatic gradient (‘RestoreNet’; Havrilla et al., 2020) to identify the outcomes of abiotic filtering on community assembly, with an experimentally controlled dispersal filter and minimal biotic filter. In contrast to most observational studies of environmental filtering that compare species and traits along an abiotic gradient such as elevation (Alexander et al., 2011; Read et al., 2014), aridity (Dwyer & Laughlin, 2017; Nunes et al., 2017), light (Lusk & Laughlin, 2017) or multiple gradients (de Bello et al., 2013b; Le Bagousse‐Pinguet et al., 2017; Menezes et al., 2020), to a regional species pool, our study compares traits of surviving species to those that were planted in an early stage of restoration with minimal biotic interaction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Directional selection shifts trait distributions of planted species in dryland restoration

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The match between species trait values and local abiotic filters can restrict community membership. An often‐implicit assumption of this relationship is that abiotic filters select for a single locally optimal strategy, though difficulty in isolating effects of the abiotic environment from those of dispersal limitation and biotic interactions has resulted in few empirical tests of this assumption. Similar constraints have made it difficult to assess whether the type and intensity of abiotic filters shift along gradients of environmental harshness, as predicted by the stress‐dominance hypothesis. We planted 9,216 plants of 29 perennial grass and forb species that had a range of functional trait values and were assigned to a warm, intermediate or cool temperature tolerance pool across eight sites on the Colorado Plateau. We compared the distributions of traits of surviving individuals to null distributions to evaluate whether there were shifts in trait means and variation. Borrowing from phenotypic selection concepts in evolutionary biology, we assessed support for stabilizing, directional and disruptive abiotic filtering of trait distributions and whether these types of filtering varied with initial species pool. Functional composition was significantly different from null distributions for nearly all traits at all sites, with trait variation more restricted in harsher abiotic conditions, supporting the stress‐dominance hypothesis. Contrary to expectations, we primarily found evidence for directional selection, which increased in frequency in warm species pools while disruptive selection was found more often in cool and intermediate species pools. Synthesis. This study provides a controlled experimental approach to test the effect of the abiotic environment on plant trait filtering. We found that opportunistic strategies allowing for rapid water acquisition during favourable periods improved survival at warmer sites. Species with these strategies may be expected to benefit from increasing aridity and may be selected for active management efforts. More generally, the prevalence of directional selection may have important implications for dynamic vegetation models that rely on trait distributions for translating environmental variation into ecosystem processes.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Directional selection shifts trait distributions of planted species in dryland restoration

et al. 2021

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“…Despite time‐consuming and expensive efforts, dryland restoration success remains low (Copeland et al., 2018). High temperatures, scarce and variable precipitation, low vegetation cover, and low soil nutrient availability contribute to the vulnerability, and low recovery potential, of these fragile ecosystems (Havrilla et al., 2020; Muñoz‐Rojas et al., 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does restoration of plant diversity trigger concomitant soil microbiome changes in dryland ecosystems?

Yang

Balazs

Butterfield

et al. 2021

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Drylands constitute 41% of the terrestrial surface and are home to over 38% of the human population, and these numbers are likely to increase as a consequence of desertification and projected population growth (Bestelmeyer et al., 2015;Peters et al., 2015). With 10%-20% of drylands worldwide already defined as degraded, the United Nations has declared restoring degraded drylands as a top priority for supporting human life in the coming decades (Cherlet et al., 2018). Despite time-consuming and expensive efforts, dryland restoration success remains low (Copeland et al., 2018). High temperatures, scarce and variable precipitation, low vegetation cover, and low soil nutrient availability contribute to the vulnerability, and low recovery potential, of these fragile ecosystems (Havrilla et al., 2020;.Low vegetation cover in drylands emphasizes the crucial role that soil microbial communities may play in ecological restoration because microbes provide ecosystem functions normally delivered by plants in more vegetated ecosystems (Blankinship et al., 2016;Costantini et al., 2016). Micro-organisms engineer soil structure that

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“…Indeed, our results exemplify a case in which it cannot be assumed that nurse plants always exert positive effects on beneficiary plants. For this reason, in large‐scale restoration activities where high investment costs are budgeted, it might be more efficient to carry out small‐scale field experiments to identify the species, restoration treatments, and environmental conditions under which facilitative effects among target plants are most likely (Havrilla et al, 2020; Ibáñez & Rodríguez, 2020). Furthermore, identifying which nurse plant phenotypes (e.g., size, shape) provide better results in putative beneficiary species (Violle et al, 2012) might also be an important task in large‐scale restoration programs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coping with changing plant–plant interactions in restoration ecology: Effect of species, site, and individual variation

Garrote

Castilla

Fedriani

2022

Applied Vegetation Science

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Question Nurse–beneficiary plant interactions are often used to restore degraded habitats. However, whether and how shifts in plant–plant interactions along the facilitation–competition continuum alter revegetation success has been seldom considered. To test whether and how shifts in plant–plant interactions (due to woody species identity, study site, early life stage, and individual nurse) might alter plant recruitment and thus the success of revegetation projects, we chose a system comprising the Mediterranean dwarf palm (Chamaerops humilis) and seven common woody plant species. Location Two human‐degraded sites within Doñana National Park (southwestern Spain). Methods We carried out several well‐replicated field experiments to compare plant performance (seed survival, seedling emergence, seedling survival, seedling recruitment) in the presence and absence of Chamaerops humilis. Results Chamaerops humilis had marked effects on the performance of woody species that, however, changed among life stages. Depending on woody species identity, seed survival was up to 193 times greater in adjacent open spaces than beneath Chamaerops humilis. Conversely, seedling survival and recruitment were up to 19 times greater beneath Chamaerops humilis than in open spaces. Importantly, none of the studied woody species showed greater accumulated recruitment in open spaces than beneath Chamaerops humilis. Interestingly, we found strong inter‐individual palm variation in the sign and strength of their effect on woody plant performance. Conclusions We found strong seed–seedling conflicts the strength of which was species‐specific. The strong inter‐individual palm variation depicts a facilitation–competition continuum with important implications for restoration. We propose several management recommendations across different hierarchical levels (i.e., from individuals to communities) that may increase plant recruitment and therefore the success of revegetation projects. Our results are particularly relevant for restoring arid, semi‐arid and alpine landscapes worldwide where the nurse–beneficiary plant interactions are critical to ameliorating stressful conditions.

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RestoreNet: An emerging restoration network reveals controls on seeding success across dryland ecosystems

Cited by 34 publications

References 36 publications

Directional selection shifts trait distributions of planted species in dryland restoration

Directional selection shifts trait distributions of planted species in dryland restoration

Does restoration of plant diversity trigger concomitant soil microbiome changes in dryland ecosystems?

Coping with changing plant–plant interactions in restoration ecology: Effect of species, site, and individual variation

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