Active restoration after three decades: Seed addition increases native dominance compared to landscape‐scale secondary succession

作者：Andrew O’Reilly‐Nugent, Dana M. Blumenthal, Elizabeth M. Wandrag, Richard P. Duncan, Jane A. Catford · 发表于：Journal of Applied Ecology · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1111/1365-2664.14778 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies、Rangeland and Wildlife Management、Forest Management and Policy

Abstract Active restoration often aims to accelerate ecosystem recovery. However, active restoration may not be worthwhile if its effects are overwhelmed by changes that occur passively. Moreover, it can be challenging to separate the effects of passive processes, such as dispersal and natural succession, from active restoration efforts. We assess the 24‐year impact of actively restoring a Minnesota old‐field grassland via seed addition of native tallgrass prairie species. We compared the abundance of four functional plant groups in actively restored plots against abundances in three reference classes: (1) unrestored plots undergoing passive recovery within the same old field, (2) passively recovering plots in two nearby old fields of similar age and (3) a chronosequence of 21 old fields within the same landscape. Active restoration led to a higher abundance of native grasses and forbs in the 36 m 2 treatment plots. Seed addition was more effective if the original vegetation was first removed using herbicide, burning and tilling. However, long‐term conclusions about the efficacy of active restoration varied widely depending on the choice of reference class. In our small‐scale restoration experiment, native abundance was similarly high in both the actively restored and reference plots after 24 years, suggesting either (1) passive recovery or (2) local dispersal of native species from nearby treatment plots (i.e. cross‐contamination). In contrast, a comparison with two nearby r...