Restoration interventions require knowledge on the suitability of seed sources. Provenance delineation for ecological restoration of degraded environments has begun to incorporate genome‐wide ...information on adaptive variation, but this has only been completed on a small number of plant species. Rarely is provenance delineation using a genomics approach applied to species occurring across different habitats, and in the context of future climate scenarios, despite their potential importance for successful long‐term restoration. Here, we use neutral genetic data to investigate patterns of genetic differentiation and a landscape genomics approach to model putatively adaptive genetic variation under multiple climate scenarios for two species co‐occurring in a predominantly mesic environment, and two species co‐occurring in a semi‐arid environment. We then determine the genetic similarity of seed sourcing locations to hypothetical restoration sites, both under current and future climate scenarios. We found that the geographical extent of provenances and the amount of genetic change required to track the projected climatic conditions over time differed within the pairs of co‐occurring species, and between habitats. Additionally, future climate scenarios had differing effects on provenance patterns between the two landscapes indicating a differential response to changing climate between species from mesic and arid habitats. This implies that provenance guidelines can be both species and habitat dependent. We discuss how these results can be utilized to design seed sourcing strategies for successful restoration, and how these methods could be more broadly applied to delineate provenances of other species and locations.
River restoration success: a question of perception Jähnig, S. C; Lorenz, A. W; Hering, D ...
Ecological applications,
2011-September, 20110901, September 2011, 2011-Sep, 2011-09-00, Letnik:
21, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
What defines success and failure of river restoration measures is a strongly debated topic in restoration science, but standardized approaches to evaluate either are still not available. The debate ...is usually centered on measurable parameters, which adhere to scientific objectivity. More subjective aspects, such as landscape aesthetics or recreational value, are usually left out, although they play an important role in the perception and communication of restoration success. In this paper, we show that different perceptions of restoration success exist by analyzing data from 26 river restoration measures in Germany. We addressed both objective parameters, such as hydromorphological changes and changes in fish and benthic invertebrate assemblages, from field investigations, and subjective parameters, such as opinions and perceptions, from water managers via an online survey. With regard to the objective hydromorphological and biotic parameters, our results agree with many studies that have reported improvements in the hydromorphology following restoration; however, there is no similar agreement between results concerning changes in the benthic invertebrate and fish assemblages. The objective results do not correspond to the subjective parameters because self-evaluation of the restoration projects by water managers was overly positive. Indeed, 40% of the respondents admitted that their evaluation was based on gut feeling, and only 45% of the restoration measures were monitored or occasionally checked. This lack of objectively recorded data meant that the water managers were not able to reasonably evaluate restoration success. In contrast, some self-evaluation responses reflected a different perception of the restoration success that was based on landscape aesthetic values or on benefit for the public; others adopted a general "condemned to success" attitude. Based on our data, we argue (1) that goals should be thoughtfully formulated prior to restoration implementation and (2) that it is necessary to monitor river restoration success from different perspectives.
•The indications for repair procedures varied among teachers.•Hands-on activities at preclinical levels were often not part of repair teaching.•Diamond finishing instruments were the most common for ...mechanical treatment.•Phosphoric acid and adhesives were the most common for chemical treatment.•All teachers reported finding patients willing to accept restoration repair.
The aim was to investigate aspects of the teaching of restoration repair as a minimally invasive alternative to replacing defective direct composite restorations in undergraduate curricula teaching programs in Brazilian dental schools.
A 14-item validated survey questionnaire was mailed to directors/coordinators of operative/restorative dentistry teachers of Brazilian Dental Schools. Data were collected on demographic characteristics of the teachers and institutions, together with questions on the teaching of the repair of defective resin-based composite restorations as part of the school curriculum; the rationale behind the teaching; the nature of the teaching (preclinical and/or clinical); how techniques were taught, indications for repair, operative techniques, materials used, patient acceptability and expected longevity of completed repairs.
Two hundred and twenty-two (94%) directors/ coordinators of dental curricula in Brazil were contacted. One hundred and thirty-one directors/coordinators (59%) replied, providing the e-mail address from the teacher responsible for the operative/restorative dentistry program in their school. Of these, 104 responded to the questionnaire (79% response rate). Ninety-three (89%) of the participating schools reported teaching composite repairs as an alternative to replacing restorations. Of the theoretical content, 43% was taught at preclinical and clinical levels, whereas most practical experience (53%) was acquired at clinical levels. Eighty-eight schools (95%) reported tooth substance preservation being the main reason for teaching repair techniques. All schools that taught repairs reported high patient acceptability.
The teaching of composite restoration repair as an alternative to restoration replacement is established in undergraduate programs in most of the Brazilian dental schools surveyed.
The reasons for teaching restoration repair in Brazil were found to be quite unanimous among teachers, especially regarding the preservation of tooth structure. Variations were found in the clinical indications for repair, suggesting the need for further investigations. Monitoring repaired restorations should be encouraged and could contribute to future studies.
Significant attention has been given to how artificial intelligence (AI) can be utilized by society and in scientific fields in recent years. This article explores how AI tools utilized in various ...fields have been and can be applied to ecological restoration projects, their affiliated benefits and drawbacks, and what those tools depend on. While restoration efforts can benefit from such tools, individual and institutional values primarily drive project goals. As such, AI tools are constrained in their usefulness in restoration because they can only factor in value‐oriented variables to a certain degree. In fact, certain restoration practices may be so value‐laden that the use of AI may bias a restoration project in a manner which could lead to undesired outcomes. This article posits that AI can be integrated into ecological restoration projects, but that practitioners (and academics) should recognize the complexity of what AI tools are before they use them.
The restoration of wetlands has attracted the attention in different countries. Restored coastal wetlands, especially urban wetlands, are sensitive to external pressures. Thus, it is necessary to ...evaluate the efficiency of the restoration of coastal wetlands, which benefits their management and functional maintenance. In this study, a restored mangrove-aquaculture system in Waterlands Resort at Shenzhen was selected for analysis. The distribution and ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in surface sediments were investigated. The results showed that restoration could effectively decrease the heavy metal concentrations in the sediment, while the restored mangrove posed a moderate ecological risk. Most of the heavy metal concentrations were higher during the dry season compared with the wet season. In addition, during the whole investigation, the sediment quality remained failed to achieve the marine sediment criteria required for aquaculture in China.
•Distribution and ecological risk of heavy metals in a restored mangrove-aquaculture system were analyzed.•Restoration effectively decreased most of the heavy metals concentrations in the sediment of the restored wetland.•A moderate ecological risk was determined in sediment of the restored mangrove.
Coral reefs worldwide are increasingly damaged by anthropogenic stressors, necessitating novel approaches for their management. Maintaining healthy fish communities counteracts reef degradation, but ...degraded reefs smell and sound less attractive to settlement-stage fishes than their healthy states. Here, using a six-week field experiment, we demonstrate that playback of healthy reef sound can increase fish settlement and retention to degraded habitat. We compare fish community development on acoustically enriched coral-rubble patch reefs with acoustically unmanipulated controls. Acoustic enrichment enhances fish community development across all major trophic guilds, with a doubling in overall abundance and 50% greater species richness. If combined with active habitat restoration and effective conservation measures, rebuilding fish communities in this manner might accelerate ecosystem recovery at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Acoustic enrichment shows promise as a novel tool for the active management of degraded coral reefs.
Restoring ecosystems has been a key strategy to combat land degradation and reverse losses in biodiversity. Because interactions between communities above and below the ground drive key ecosystem ...processes, they can profoundly influence ecological succession trajectories. However, relatively little empirical information is available for plant–microbial diversity linkages during ecological restoration. Here, using the Illumina platform for bacterial and fungal sequencing, we investigated linkages between soil microbial and plant diversity across a 30‐year chronosequence of restored grasslands on the Loess Plateau in Northwestern China. The results showed that plant, bacterial, and fungal species richness all increased with increased years of grassland restoration, during which their community compositions shifted among six different habitats. The microbial community assembly data were integrated into a co‐occurrence network analysis, revealing greater network complexity in the late restoration stage (25 and 30 years). The alpha and beta diversities of both the bacterial and fungal communities were significantly and positively correlated with plant communities. Bacterial community composition was governed primarily by soil edaphic factors and deterministic processes, whereas fungal community composition was structured mainly by plant community composition and both deterministic and stochastic processes. This evidence strongly suggests that different ecological processes shaped bacterial and fungal communities during ecological restoration of the grasslands. Our results provide insight into the aboveground–belowground associations of restored habitats, which may have implications for ecological restoration practices and biodiversity maintenance in arid and semiarid grassland ecosystems.
Abstract
Ecological restoration is vital for combating ecosystem degradation and enhancing ecosystem services. However, conventional approaches typically tend to focus on a single ecosystem service ...at a particular time, resulting in a limited understanding of the interactions and trade-offs among various services. This study proposes a novel method that utilizes ecosystem service bundles (ESBs) over time to identify degraded areas of prioritize restoration efforts. By employing ESBs, double-counting is avoided, and accuracy is improved. In this study, the area of degraded ecosystems identified based on ESBs accounted for approximately 40.27% of the total area of individual ecosystem service degradation. Restoration measures are shown to vary in effectiveness for different ESBs across different scenarios, with land-to-lake restoration improving ESB II (flood regulation services), while other measures significantly enhance ESB I (pollination services, habitat provision services, and carbon sequestration services). Strengthening shelterbelts on both sides of rivers, lakes and wetlands, as well as expanding habitat restoration scope, can effectively improve both ESB I and ESB II. Artificial afforestation can boost all three ESBs simultaneously, but its impact is limited due to land availability. Restoration efforts may also result in trade-offs, with ESB III (water production services and soil conservation services) declining. The findings provide decision-makers with a useful tool for prioritizing ecological restoration areas and selecting appropriate restoration measures to enhance multiple ecosystem services synergistically.
Wetlands are valuable ecosystems because they harbor a huge biodiversity and provide key services to societies. When natural or human factors degrade wetlands, ecological restoration is often carried ...out to recover biodiversity and ecosystem services (ES). Although such restorations are routinely performed, we lack systematic, evidence-based assessments of their effectiveness on the recovery of biodiversity and ES. Here we performed a meta-analysis of 70 experimental studies in order to assess the effectiveness of ecological restoration and identify what factors affect it. We compared selected ecosystem performance variables between degraded and restored wetlands and between restored and natural wetlands using response ratios and random-effects categorical modeling. We assessed how context factors such as ecosystem type, main agent of degradation, restoration action, experimental design, and restoration age influenced post-restoration biodiversity and ES. Biodiversity showed excellent recovery, though the precise recovery depended strongly on the type of organisms involved. Restored wetlands showed 36% higher levels of provisioning, regulating and supporting ES than did degraded wetlands. In fact, wetlands showed levels of provisioning and cultural ES similar to those of natural wetlands; however, their levels of supporting and regulating ES were, respectively, 16% and 22% lower than in natural wetlands. Recovery of biodiversity and of ES were positively correlated, indicating a win-win restoration outcome. The extent to which restoration increased biodiversity and ES in degraded wetlands depended primarily on the main agent of degradation, restoration actions, experimental design, and ecosystem type. In contrast, the choice of specific restoration actions alone explained most differences between restored and natural wetlands. These results highlight the importance of comprehensive, multi-factorial assessment to determine the ecological status of degraded, restored and natural wetlands and thereby evaluate the effectiveness of ecological restorations. Future research on wetland restoration should also seek to identify which restoration actions work best for specific habitats.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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