1
|
Xu C, Silliman BR, Chen J, Li X, Thomsen MS, Zhang Q, Lee J, Lefcheck JS, Daleo P, Hughes BB, Jones HP, Wang R, Wang S, Smith CS, Xi X, Altieri AH, van de Koppel J, Palmer TM, Liu L, Wu J, Li B, He Q. Herbivory limits success of vegetation restoration globally. Science 2023; 382:589-594. [PMID: 37917679 DOI: 10.1126/science.add2814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Restoring vegetation in degraded ecosystems is an increasingly common practice for promoting biodiversity and ecological function, but successful implementation is hampered by an incomplete understanding of the processes that limit restoration success. By synthesizing terrestrial and aquatic studies globally (2594 experimental tests from 610 articles), we reveal substantial herbivore control of vegetation under restoration. Herbivores at restoration sites reduced vegetation abundance more strongly (by 89%, on average) than those at relatively undegraded sites and suppressed, rather than fostered, plant diversity. These effects were particularly pronounced in regions with higher temperatures and lower precipitation. Excluding targeted herbivores temporarily or introducing their predators improved restoration by magnitudes similar to or greater than those achieved by managing plant competition or facilitation. Thus, managing herbivory is a promising strategy for enhancing vegetation restoration efforts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Changlin Xu
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Brian R Silliman
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, USA
| | - Jianshe Chen
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xincheng Li
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mads S Thomsen
- Marine Ecology Research Group and Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Qun Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Juhyung Lee
- Marine Science Center, Northeastern University, Nahant, MA, USA
- Department of Oceanography and Marine Research Institute, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Jonathan S Lefcheck
- Tennenbaum Marine Observatories Network and MarineGEO Program, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, USA
- University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Cambridge, MD, USA
| | - Pedro Daleo
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), UNMdP, CONICETC, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Brent B Hughes
- Department of Biology, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA, USA
| | - Holly P Jones
- Department of Biological Sciences and Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability, and Energy, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - Rong Wang
- School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Carter S Smith
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, USA
| | - Xinqiang Xi
- Department of Ecology, School of Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Andrew H Altieri
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Johan van de Koppel
- Department of Estuarine and Delta Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Yerseke, Netherlands
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Todd M Palmer
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Lingli Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jihua Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, and College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Bo Li
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plant Reproductive Adaptation and Evolutionary Ecology and Centre for Invasion Biology, Institute of Biodiversity, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Qiang He
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Heydari M, Asadi-Rad H, Hosseinzadeh J, Hajinia S, Wait DA, Prevosto B. Managing semi-arid oak forests (Quercus brantii Lindl.): Mature oak trees of different dimensions create contrasted microhabitats influencing seedling quality. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 304:114269. [PMID: 34915383 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the influence of mature of oak trees of various dimensions on soil properties, acorn and oak seedling characteristics in semi-arid forests in western Iran. A total of 24 oak trees were selected in comparable site conditions according to three size categories: small trees (DBH< 20 cm), medium trees (DBH: 20-50 cm) and large trees (DBH> 50 cm). Soil properties, light availability below canopy, acorn dimensions and weight, various below- and above-ground seedling morphological traits were measured. Besides, a seedling quality index (SQI) was also produced as an integrative measure of the seedling response. We found an increasing light availability from small trees to large trees (1512-103 μmol m-2 s-1) and soil fertility was largely improved from small trees to large trees: soil organic carbon (1.33-2.2%), available phosphorus (12.9-18.1 ppm) and potassium (301.2-470.4 ppm). However, soil properties did not significantly differ between medium and large trees. In contrast, acorn weight and dimensions as well as many seedling traits, including the aerial and belowground biomass and the SQI, were the highest in the medium tree category. To fully explore the relationships among our large set of variables, we produced a partial least square path model which explained 72% of the variation of SQI across the three tree classes. To conclude, we identified a clear effect by mature trees which provided favourable conditions for seedling establishment, but that effect was mediated by tree size and optimal conditions were found below the canopy of medium trees.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Heydari
- Department of Forest Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran.
| | - Hamzeh Asadi-Rad
- Department of Forest Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran
| | - Jaafar Hosseinzadeh
- Department of Forest Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran
| | - Somayeh Hajinia
- Department of Forest Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran
| | - D Alexander Wait
- Department of Biology, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, 65897, USA
| | - Bernard Prevosto
- INRAE, Aix Marseille Univ., UMR RECOVER, Aix-en-Provence, France
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Woods MJ, Frankenberg SJ, Juodvalkis JR, Lloyd MC, Cobb M, McEwan RW. Oak seedling performance and soil development across a forest restoration chronosequence following agriculture in the American Midwest—a greenhouse experiment. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michaela J. Woods
- Department of Biology University of Dayton 300 College Park, Dayton OH 45469 U.S.A
| | - Sarah J. Frankenberg
- Department of Biology University of Dayton 300 College Park, Dayton OH 45469 U.S.A
| | - Joseph R. Juodvalkis
- Department of Biology University of Dayton 300 College Park, Dayton OH 45469 U.S.A
| | - Mary C. Lloyd
- Department of Biology University of Dayton 300 College Park, Dayton OH 45469 U.S.A
| | - Meredith Cobb
- Five Rivers MetroParks 409 E. Monument Avenue, Dayton OH 45402 U.S.A
| | - Ryan W. McEwan
- Department of Biology University of Dayton 300 College Park, Dayton OH 45469 U.S.A
| |
Collapse
|