Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Jong-Yun Choi, Seong-Ki Kim, Jeong-Cheol Kim, Jong-Hak Yun
Summary: The rapid dispersion of Procambarus clarkii in the Yeongsan River basin in South Korea has not significantly impacted the local freshwater ecosystem.
Article
Soil Science
Apolline Auclerc, Lea Beaumelle, Sandra Barantal, Matthieu Chauvat, Jerome Corte, Tania De Almeida, Anne-Maimiti Dulaurentg, Thierry Dutoit, Sophie Joimel, Geoffroy Sere, Olivier Blight
Summary: Ecological engineering in degraded ecosystems often manipulates plants and soil biota for restoration. However, soil invertebrates have been underused in restoration efforts, despite their important role in soil ecological processes and plant-soil feedback. This review highlights the potential of using soil invertebrate functional traits for ecosystem restoration, focusing on traits related to nutrient and carbon cycling, pollutant detoxification, soil structure arrangement, and biological control. The paper proposes guidelines for integrating soil organism traits into ecological engineering and identifies knowledge gaps and limitations.
Article
Plant Sciences
Martin Freitag, Norbert Hoelzel, Lena Neuenkamp, Fons van der Plas, Peter Manning, Anna Abrahao, Joana Bergmann, Runa Boeddinghaus, Ralph Bolliger, Ute Hamer, Ellen Kandeler, Till Kleinebecker, Klaus-Holger Knorr, Sven Marhan, Margot Neyret, Daniel Prati, Gaetane Le Provost, Hugo Saiz, Mark van Kleunen, Deborah Schaefer, Valentin H. H. Klaus
Summary: Experimental evidence shows that grassland plant diversity enhances ecosystem functioning. However, transferring these results to naturally assembled ecosystems remains challenging due to environmental variation and confounding factors. Our study creates gradients of species richness in agricultural grasslands and finds that only a few ecosystem functions respond to plant diversity, mainly related to nitrogen cycling. Among different sites, environmental conditions and land use have greater effects on ecosystem functioning. In conclusion, restoration of plant diversity in naturally assembled grasslands may have limited impact on ecosystem functioning.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Javed A. A. Mugloo, Mehraj ud din Khanday, Mehraj ud din Dar, Ishrat Saleem, Hesham F. F. Alharby, Atif A. A. Bamagoos, Sameera A. A. Alghamdi, Awatif M. M. Abdulmajeed, Pankaj Kumar, Sami Abou Fayssal
Summary: The yield and nutritional profile of grass and legume species in Kashmir Valley's rangelands were investigated. The study area consisted of three types of sites and three regions in Kashmir. The central region had the highest biomass yield, followed by the southern and northern regions. Orchard grass had the highest yield among grasses, while Agrostis grass had the highest crude fiber and crude protein contents. Red clover recorded the highest yield and crude fiber content among legumes, while white clover had the highest crude protein content. These findings highlight the successful management of Kashmir rangelands in protected sites and the nutritional value of grasses and legumes.
Article
Geography, Physical
Quanqin Shao, Shuchao Liu, Jia Ning, Guobo Liu, Fan Yang, Xiongyi Zhang, Linan Niu, Haibo Huang, Jiangwen Fan, Jiyuan Liu
Summary: We propose a theoretical framework to evaluate the ecological benefits of key national ecological projects in China. Through ground survey and remote sensing data, we generated a dataset of primary and secondary indicators related to ecosystem structure, quality, and services. Our study found that areas with higher degrees of ecological restoration were mainly located in specific regions, and the contributions of climatic factors and ecological projects to changes in vegetation and water erosion were quantified. The study highlights the importance of considering climate conditions and implementing comprehensive measures to maximize the benefits of ecological investment funds.
JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaoxing Liu, Jingyi Ding, Wenwu Zhao
Summary: This study comprehensively assesses the impact of different ecological projects (including afforestation and grassland restoration) on ecosystem services (carbon storage, water conservation, soil retention). The results suggest that afforestation increases carbon storage and soil retention, while the effects of grassland restoration are mixed and overall changes in water conservation are negligible. Considering prior land use/measures, implementation age, climate, topography, and other resources is critical for optimizing ecosystem services.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Stephanie S. Romanach, Saira M. Haider, Caitlin Hackett, Mark McKelvy, Leonard G. Pearlstine
Summary: Given limited funding, natural resources decision making faces the challenge of making tradeoffs, such as which species or landscapes to prioritize for management action. This study focuses on Florida's Everglades wetland, which is home to endangered indicator species with different hydrological requirements. The study introduces EverForecast, a spatially explicit, hydrologic, and ecological operational forecast that can inform conservation management decisions by providing near-term water conditions and predicted species responses. The tool has been increasingly used by water managers for decision making, although fully integrating its capability to quantify tradeoffs among species may require more time.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
M. Anelli Monti, D. Brigolin, P. Franzoi, S. Libralato, R. Pastres, C. Solidoro, M. Zucchetta, F. Pranovi
Summary: Implementing management measures to improve ecological status in coastal and transitional water environments is a major challenge within an Ecosystem Based Management approach. The complex relationship between ecosystem functioning and ecological status requires the use of ecological modeling to support BQEs monitoring.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
HuiBo Xu, SongTao Wu, Jessica Ann Diehl
Summary: This study quantitatively evaluates the construction factors of artificial ecological corridors (AECs) and their impact on soil quality. Based on the analysis of soil samples from different recovery times and locations, the results suggest that AECs have great potential in restoring soil quality in mollisols areas. The study offers ideas and a scientific basis for governments worldwide to formulate restoration policies for mollisols.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Congcong Wang, Xiongdong Zhou, Mengzhen Xu, Linyuan Zhang, Xinjue Hou, Zhongsuo Wang, Yao Yang, Yaqi Luo
Summary: Urban water bodies globally are facing ecological pressures that impact freshwater ecosystem services and aquatic biodiversity. A study in Beijing, China, investigated the macroinvertebrates in different water types and identified environmental factors that affect their spatial distribution. A multimetric index (MMI) model based on macroinvertebrates was developed to assess ecological quality, revealing variations in different water types and providing recommendations for ecological protection. This study contributes to urban ecological planning and sustainable development.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jian Peng, Hui Tang, Chong Su, Hong Jiang, Jianquan Dong, Dongmei Xu
Summary: The widespread degradation of natural ecosystems globally has led to various ecological problems. Ecological restoration is considered a global priority to address ecosystem degradation and enhance ecosystem services. However, few studies have focused on how to define the reference state for ecological restoration, especially in the context of a changing climate. This study assessed ecosystem services under homogeneous climate conditions in Guizhou Province, China, and defined the optimal ecosystem services as the reference state for restoration. Restoration suitability was evaluated using a comprehensive framework, and ecological restoration priority areas (ERPAs) were identified by integrating restoration suitability and conservation priority areas. The results showed minimal increases in water conservation and habitat maintenance services from 2001 to 2018. Identified ERPA covered a significant area, primarily located in the eastern part of Guizhou. The proposed approach for defining the reference state and the framework for identifying ERPAs can provide valuable scientific guidance for large-scale ecological restoration planning.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ulisse Cardini, Lazaro Marin-Guirao, Luis M. Montilla, Ugo Marzocchi, Salvatore Chiavarini, Juri Rimauro, Grazia Marina Quero, Jillian M. Petersen, Gabriele Procaccini
Summary: This study demonstrates that the nested interactions between lucinid bivalves and seagrass can enhance the functioning of seagrass ecosystems. Contaminated sediments can improve the photosynthetic efficiency of seagrass, and the presence of lucinid bivalves further enhances this trend and promotes plant growth.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ana D. Sampaio, Pedro F. Pereira, Alice Nunes, Adelaide Clemente, Vania Salgueiro, Carmo Silva, Antonio Mira, Cristina Branquinho, Pedro A. Salgueiro
Summary: The study assessed restoration success in a quarry undergoing restoration practices for 40 years, finding that bird abundance in the restored area was significantly lower and the bird community composition differed from neighboring natural and semi-natural areas. Vegetation characteristics, such as native vegetation cover and fruit richness, played a key role in driving bird community composition and influencing seed dispersal services.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Andrew D. Kaul, Brian J. Wilsey
Summary: The study conducted plant community and soil sampling in restored prairies in Iowa, USA and tested multiple hypotheses using multiple regressions and structural equation models. Results showed that exotic plant species invasion is the most important factor influencing species richness and diversity in restored prairies.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Chabi A. M. S. Djagoun, S. Zanvo, Elie A. Padonou, E. Sogbohossou, Brice Sinsin
Summary: Identification and assessment of the influence of socio-cultural beliefs on the perception of ecosystem services values are increasingly important for forest resource management. This study compares local perceptions of ecosystem services between communities near sacred and non-sacred forests, finding that the former prioritize non-material benefits like spiritual inspiration. Interestingly, young and formally educated community members place greater emphasis on provisioning services in non-sacred forests.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Xia Xu, H. Wayne Polley, Kirsten Hofmockel, Pedram P. Daneshgar, Brian J. Wilsey
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2015)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Brian J. Wilsey, Leanne M. Martin, Andrew D. Kaul
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Ecology
H. Wayne Polley, Brian J. Wilsey
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Plant Sciences
Brian J. Wilsey, Kaitlin Barber, Leanne M. Martin
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Aleksandra Checinska Sielaff, H. Wayne Polley, Andres Fuentes-Ramirez, Kirsten Hofmockel, Brian J. Wilsey
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2019)
Article
Ecology
Andrew D. Kaul, Brian J. Wilsey
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Ecology
Brian Wilsey, Xia Xu, H. Wayne Polley, Kirsten Hofmockel, Steven J. Hall
Review
Ecology
Brian Wilsey
Summary: Grasslands, as extensive and biodiverse ecosystems highly altered by humans, provide an excellent model system for restoration ecology. The emerging issue of global change requires a focus on designing seed mixes with high diversity to cope with novel conditions. More research on persistence and the importance of stochastic processes in restoration are needed to improve restoration success, as grasslands provide valuable ecosystem services and cultural significance.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Racheal N. Upton, Aleksandra Checinska Sielaff, Kirsten S. Hofmockel, Xia Xu, H. Wayne Polley, Brian J. Wilsey
Article
Ecology
Hannah M. Carroll, Alan D. Wanamaker, Lynn G. Clark, Brian J. Wilsey
Article
Ecology
H. Wayne Polley, Chenghai Yang, Brian J. Wilsey, Philip A. Fay
Article
Ecology
Andrew D. Kaul, Brian J. Wilsey
Summary: The study conducted plant community and soil sampling in restored prairies in Iowa, USA and tested multiple hypotheses using multiple regressions and structural equation models. Results showed that exotic plant species invasion is the most important factor influencing species richness and diversity in restored prairies.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Andrew D. Kaul, Brian J. Wilsey
Summary: Cover crops have long-term effects on plant community composition and diversity, with different cover crop species having varying effectiveness in reducing weed abundances. The perennial grass E. canadensis is particularly effective at reducing weeds and has specific effects on assembling tallgrass prairie communities.
Article
Plant Sciences
Andrew Kaul, Brian J. Wilsey
Summary: This study examined the relationship between community-weighted plant functional traits in seed mixes, restored prairies, and reference prairies. The results showed that there were differences in functional traits between seed mixes and restored prairies, and the differences between restored prairies and reference prairies were mainly due to the presence of exotic species.
APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Brian Wilsey, Leanne Martin, Xia Xu, Forest Isbell, H. Wayne Polley
Summary: This study found that relationships between species richness and productivity may be altered by invasive (exotic) species, resulting in the "paradox of invasive species" where invasive species reduce richness but increase productivity. The results indicate that the relationship between NPP and richness depends on whether native or exotic species are dominant.