Abstracts, Reviews, and Meetings

To develop the following abstracts, the editorial staff searches more than 100 scientific journals, professional and organizational newsletters, conference proceedings, and other resources for information relevant to ecological restoration practice and research. Please send suggested abstract sources to the editorial staff (ERjournal@aesop.rutgers.edu).

Grasslands

Plant Traits—A Tool for Restoration? 2012. Clark, D.L. (Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, 2082 Cordley Hall, Corvallis, OR 97731, deborah.clark@lifetime.oregonstate.edu), M. Wilson, R. Roberts, P.W. Dunwiddie, A. Stanley, and T.N. Kaye. Applied Vegetation Science 15:449-458.

The results of many studies of ecological restoration are species-specific, site-specific, or both, making it difficult to apply their results to other species and contexts. In this study, the authors investigate whether it is feasible to use plant traits instead of species identity to characterize how plants respond to restoration treatments. They developed two models to describe plant responses to restoration, one using plant traits and another using species identity, and used these models to understand how much of the change in the total cover of plants following restoration was explained by their traits and by their species identity. They conducted a five-year study to evaluate and develop strategies for restoring bunchgrass prairies invaded by non-native plants at ten sites from central Oregon to southern British Columbia. They found that plant traits explained between 31% and 69% of the variability in change of cover, while species identity explained between 47% and 74%. In seven of nine sites, plant trait models explained more of the variability with less model complexity. The authors conclude that plant traits are a feasible way to measure plant cover responses to restoration treatments.

Aboveground Plant Community and Seed Bank Composition along an Invasion Gradient. 2012. Robertson, S.G. and K.R. Hickman (Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, 008C Ag Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078, karen.hickman@okstate.edu). Plant Ecology 213:1461-1475.

Invasive plant species have been observed to reduce aboveground native plant diversity and abundance in grassland communities. Effects on the grassland seed bank, which can provide native propagules following restoration treatments that remove invasive plants, are less clear. To test how the level of invasion by exotic bluestem (Bothrichloa spp.) grasses influences the composition of the seed bank and aboveground community composition, the authors sampled highly invaded (>25% cover by Bothrichloa), low invasion (<25% cover), and uninvaded plots in at the Marvin Klemme Range Research Station in western Oklahoma. Sites in the study area had been invaded for up to 20 years. They found that diversity of native plants declined with increased cover by Bothriochloa, both aboveground and in the seed bank. While the total number of native seeds in the seed bank did not decline with increased Bothriochloa cover, native plant seeds decreased as a fraction of the total seed bank. The magnitude of the reduction in native plant diversity was greater in the aboveground plant community than in the seed bank. The authors expect that over time native plant diversity will continue to decline as native seeds are lost to death, predation and germination without seed replenishment by successful completion of native plant life cycles.

Woodlands

Identifying Unidirectional and Dynamic Habitat Filters to Faunal Recolonisation in Restored Minepits. 2012. Craig, M.D. (School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia, m.craig@murdoch.edu.au), G.E.St.J. Hardy, J.B. Fontaine, M.J. Garkakalis, A.H. Grigg, C.D. Grant, P.A. Fleming and R.J. Hobbs. Journal of Applied Ecology 49:919-928.

It may take decades or even centuries for animals to recolonize restored areas, reducing the benefits of restoration. This study identified habitat features that may act as filters that slow or prevent recolonization of restored areas. The authors sampled mammals and reptiles in both restored mine pits and an unmined forest in southwestern Australia, and assessed vegetation to identify animal-habitat relationships. They found that mammal communities in restored mine pits rapidly came to resemble those of the unmined forest, but that reptile communities may be encountering filters that prevent recolonization. The authors suggest...