Abstracts

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@sebs.rutgers.edu).

Climate Change

Shifts in Forest Species Composition and Abundance Under Climate Change Scenarios in Southern Carpathian Romanian Temperate Forests. 2021. García-Duro, J. (National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry "Marin Drăcea", Romania, juan.garcia.duro@icas.ro), A. Ciceu, S. Chivulescu, O. Badea, M.A. Tanase and C. Aponte. Forests 12:1434. doi:10.3390/f12111434

Temperate forests play a critical role in global carbon balances, and climate change is disrupting forest structure, function and distribution worldwide with considerable negative consequences. Species composition, disturbance regime and geographic context are major factors in determining the degree to which climate change will affect a given temperate forest, but much uncertainty remains. García-Duro used The Landis-II and PnET ecophysiological models to predict future climate change interactions with natural disturbance regimes and land management in Romania's Carpathian forests, with a focus on biomass, productivity, composition, and disturbance impacts. Short term predictions indicated increases in biomass and no change to species composition, but change will accelerate over medium- and long-term time frames. Individual species react differently to climate change, some expanding and some reducing ranges with Fagus sylvatica (European beech) being particularly vulnerable to change. The authors recommend that land management practices should shift to accommodate altered forest structures and conditions under climate change.

Coastal and Marine Communities

Ecosystem-Based Management for Kelp Forest Ecosystems. 2022. Hamilton, S.L. (Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, hamiltsa@oregonstate.edu), M.G. Gleason, N. Godoy, N. Eddy and K. Grorud-Colvert. Marine Policy 136: 104919. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104919

Kelp forests host myriad biodiversity and provide multiple ecosystem services but have faced declines due to global change and knowledge of effective conservation and management strategies is limited. Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) is a set of frameworks aiming to address threats and incorporate ecosystem services into socioecological systems. Hamilton et al. outline how EBM approaches are suitable to kelp forest conservation, applying them to case studies of kelp forest management projects in California, British Columbia, and Chile. They identified six key principles for implementing EBM in kelp forests including assessing and addressing cumulative impacts, biologically relevant temporal and spatial monitoring, using rapid adaptive management, managing food webs, integrating spatial and institutional scales and sharing management with users. Understanding broad patterns in kelp forest dynamics is essential to improving current management practices and conserving these essential ecosystems.

Ecological Design

How can Massive Ecological Restoration Programs Interplay with Social-Ecological Systems? A Review of Research in China's Karst Region. 2022. Qiu, S., J. Peng (Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China, jianpeng@urban.pku.edu.cn), H. Zheng, Z. Xu and J. Meersmans. Science of the Total Environment 807:150723. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150723

Modern restoration programs incorporate not just ecological factors but account for social aspects of ecosystems such as improving well-being via alleviation of poverty. Because much ecological degradation results from unsustainable land use, stakeholders who rely on such activities must be involved in decision-making processes guiding restoration. Southern China's karst region was severely degraded but has experienced significant forest recovery due to large-scale restoration programs. This article reviewed the effects of these programs based on published literature and found significant increases in carbon sequestration and biomass over a twenty-year period. Likewise, farmers transitioned to forestry or non-farming livelihoods, alleviating poverty. Drawbacks included a lack of pre-restoration metrics resulting in uncertainty regarding specific positive outcomes. The authors recommend further examination of above and belowground karst ecosystem processes, careful selection of restoration species and improved data access. Successful restoration programs must incorporate dynamic social-ecological contexts so all may reap the benefits.

Ecological Literacy (Education)

The Role of Community Science in Entomology. 2022. Gardiner, M.M. (Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University...