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Peddle SD, Hodgson RJ, Borrett RJ, Brachmann S, Davies TC, Erickson TE, Liddicoat C, Muñoz-Rojas M, Robinson JM, Watson CD, Krauss SL, Breed MF. Practical applications of soil microbiota to improve ecosystem restoration: current knowledge and future directions. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024. [PMID: 39075839 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
Soil microbiota are important components of healthy ecosystems. Greater consideration of soil microbiota in the restoration of biodiverse, functional, and resilient ecosystems is required to address the twin global crises of biodiversity decline and climate change. In this review, we discuss available and emerging practical applications of soil microbiota into (i) restoration planning, (ii) direct interventions for shaping soil biodiversity, and (iii) strategies for monitoring and predicting restoration trajectories. We show how better planning of restoration activities to account for soil microbiota can help improve progress towards restoration targets. We show how planning to embed soil microbiota experiments into restoration projects will permit a more rigorous assessment of the effectiveness of different restoration methods, especially when complemented by statistical modelling approaches that capitalise on existing data sets to improve causal understandings and prioritise research strategies where appropriate. In addition to recovering belowground microbiota, restoration strategies that include soil microbiota can improve the resilience of whole ecosystems. Fundamentally, restoration planning should identify appropriate reference target ecosystem attributes and - from the perspective of soil microbiota - comprehensibly consider potential physical, chemical and biological influences on recovery. We identify that inoculating ecologically appropriate soil microbiota into degraded environments can support a range of restoration interventions (e.g. targeted, broad-spectrum and cultured inoculations) with promising results. Such inoculations however are currently underutilised and knowledge gaps persist surrounding successful establishment in light of community dynamics, including priority effects and community coalescence. We show how the ecological trajectories of restoration sites can be assessed by characterising microbial diversity, composition, and functions in the soil. Ultimately, we highlight practical ways to apply the soil microbiota toolbox across the planning, intervention, and monitoring stages of ecosystem restoration and address persistent open questions at each stage. With continued collaborations between researchers and practitioners to address knowledge gaps, these approaches can improve current restoration practices and ecological outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn D Peddle
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Sturt Road, Bedford Park, South Australia, 5042, Australia
| | - Riley J Hodgson
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Sturt Road, Bedford Park, South Australia, 5042, Australia
| | - Ryan J Borrett
- SoilsWest, Centre for Sustainable Farming Systems, Food Futures Institute, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150, Australia
| | - Stella Brachmann
- University of Waikato Te Whare Wananga o Waikato Gate 1, Knighton Road, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand
| | - Tarryn C Davies
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Sturt Road, Bedford Park, South Australia, 5042, Australia
| | - Todd E Erickson
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kings Park Science, Kattidj Close, Kings Park, Western Australia, 6005, Australia
- Centre for Engineering Innovation, School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia
| | - Craig Liddicoat
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Sturt Road, Bedford Park, South Australia, 5042, Australia
| | - Miriam Muñoz-Rojas
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of Seville, C. San Fernando, Sevilla, Spain
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Ecosystem Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia
| | - Jake M Robinson
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Sturt Road, Bedford Park, South Australia, 5042, Australia
| | - Carl D Watson
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Sturt Road, Bedford Park, South Australia, 5042, Australia
| | - Siegfried L Krauss
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kings Park Science, Kattidj Close, Kings Park, Western Australia, 6005, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia
| | - Martin F Breed
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Sturt Road, Bedford Park, South Australia, 5042, Australia
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Alfonzetti M, Doleac S, Mills CH, Gallagher RV, Tetu S. Characterizing Effects of Microbial Biostimulants and Whole-Soil Inoculums for Native Plant Revegetation. Microorganisms 2022; 11:microorganisms11010055. [PMID: 36677347 PMCID: PMC9867050 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11010055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Soil microbes play important roles in plant health and ecosystem functioning, however, they can often be disturbed or depleted in degraded lands. During seed-based revegetation of such sites there is often very low germination and seedling establishment success, with recruitment of beneficial microbes to the rhizosphere one potential contributor to this problem. Here we investigated whether Australian native plant species may benefit from planting seed encapsulated within extruded seed pellets amended with one of two microbe-rich products: a commercial vermicast extract biostimulant or a whole-soil inoculum from a healthy reference site of native vegetation. Two manipulative glasshouse trials assessing the performance of two Australian native plant species (Acacia parramattensis and Indigofera australis) were carried out in both unmodified field-collected soil (trial 1) and in the same soil reduced in nutrients and microbes (trial 2). Seedling emergence and growth were compared between pelleted and bare-seeded controls and analyzed alongside soil nutrient concentrations and culturable microbial community assessments. The addition of microbial amendments maintained, but did not improve upon, high levels of emergence in both plant species relative to unamended pellets. In trial 1, mean time to emergence of Acacia parramattensis seedlings was slightly shorter in both amended pellet types relative to the standard pellets, and in trial 2, whole-soil inoculum pellets showed significantly improved growth metrics. This work shows that there is potential for microbial amendments to positively affect native plant emergence and growth, however exact effects are dependent on the type of amendment, the plant species, and the characteristics of the planting site soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Alfonzetti
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Sebastien Doleac
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | | | - Rachael V. Gallagher
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia
- Correspondence: (R.V.G.); (S.T.)
| | - Sasha Tetu
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
- Biomolecular Discovery Research Centre, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
- Correspondence: (R.V.G.); (S.T.)
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Dadzie FA, Moles AT, Erickson TE, Slavich E, Muñoz‐Rojas M. Native bacteria and cyanobacteria can influence seedling emergence and growth of native plants used in dryland restoration. J Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Frederick A. Dadzie
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences UNSW Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences UNSW Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Angela T. Moles
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences UNSW Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Todd E. Erickson
- School of Biological Sciences University of Western Australia Crawley Western Australia Australia
- Kings Park Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions Kings Park Western Australia Australia
| | - Eve Slavich
- School of Mathematics and Statistics UNSW Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Miriam Muñoz‐Rojas
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences UNSW Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology University of Seville Seville Spain
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Brown VS, Ritchie AL, Stevens JC, Hanks TD, Hobbs RJ, Erickson TE. Seed positioning in extruded pellets: Does it matter? Restor Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa S Brown
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia 35 Stirling Hwy Crawley Western Australia 6009 Australia
- Kings Park Science, Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions 2 Kattidj Close Kings Park Western Australia 6005 Australia
| | - Alison L Ritchie
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia 35 Stirling Hwy Crawley Western Australia 6009 Australia
- Kings Park Science, Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions 2 Kattidj Close Kings Park Western Australia 6005 Australia
| | - Jason C Stevens
- Kings Park Science, Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions 2 Kattidj Close Kings Park Western Australia 6005 Australia
| | - Taylah D Hanks
- Kings Park Science, Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions 2 Kattidj Close Kings Park Western Australia 6005 Australia
| | - Richard J Hobbs
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia 35 Stirling Hwy Crawley Western Australia 6009 Australia
| | - Todd E Erickson
- Kings Park Science, Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions 2 Kattidj Close Kings Park Western Australia 6005 Australia
- Centre for Engineering Innovation: Agriculture and Ecological Restoration, School of Agriculture and Environment The University of Western Australia Crawley Western Australia 6009 Australia
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Berto B, Brown VS. 10 years to restore the planet: a seedy situation. Restor Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13755] [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)
- Bianca Berto
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Crawley Western Australia 6009 Australia
- Kings Park Science, Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions, Kings Park Western Australia 6005 Australia
| | - Vanessa S. Brown
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Crawley Western Australia 6009 Australia
- Kings Park Science, Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions, Kings Park Western Australia 6005 Australia
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Santini NS, Miquelajauregui Y. The Restoration of Degraded Lands by Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples. FRONTIERS IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2022.873659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
One of Earth's foremost ecological challenges is the degradation of land habitats. This degradation is often caused by deforestation and desertification resulting from the unsustainable management of natural resources. Land restoration seeks to reverse this trend and repair ecosystems to better health. Indigenous peoples and local communities have a key role in realizing long-term, sustainable land restoration. Local and indigenous communities often have intimate knowledge of the local ecosystems and an interest in preserving ecosystem services. Areas managed by indigenous peoples and local communities especially overlap with remaining intact ecosystems and suffer from less deforestation than unprotected areas. Here, we discuss how the knowledge and engagement of local communities can improve the management, implementation, and monitoring of habitat restoration. However, there are also challenges to land restoration, and scientists and policymakers that can align restoration outcomes with community benefits gained from environmental stewardship and knowledge, are more likely to achieve long-term sustainable restoration success.
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