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Mimicry of emergent traits amplifies coastal restoration success.

ABSTRACT: Restoration is becoming a vital tool to counteract coastal ecosystem degradation. Modifying transplant designs of habitat-forming organisms from dispersed to clumped can amplify coastal restoration yields as it generates self-facilitation from emergent traits, i.e. traits not expressed by individuals or small clones, but that emerge in clumped individuals or large clones. Here, we advance restoration science by mimicking key emergent traits that locally suppress physical stress using biodegradable establishment structures. Experiments across (sub)tropical and temperate seagrass and salt marsh systems demonstrate greatly enhanced yields when individuals are transplanted within structures mimicking emergent traits that suppress waves or sediment mobility. Specifically, belowground mimics of dense root mats most facilitate seagrasses via sediment stabilization, while mimics of aboveground plant structures most facilitate marsh grasses by reducing stem movement. Mimicking key emergent traits may allow upscaling of restoration in many ecosystems that depend on self-facilitation for persistence, by constraining biological material requirements and implementation costs.

SUBMITTER: Temmink RJM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7376209 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Mimicry of emergent traits amplifies coastal restoration success.

Temmink Ralph J M RJM Christianen Marjolijn J A MJA Fivash Gregory S GS Angelini Christine C Boström Christoffer C Didderen Karin K Engel Sabine M SM Esteban Nicole N Gaeckle Jeffrey L JL Gagnon Karine K Govers Laura L LL Infantes Eduardo E van Katwijk Marieke M MM Kipson Silvija S Lamers Leon P M LPM Lengkeek Wouter W Silliman Brian R BR van Tussenbroek Brigitta I BI Unsworth Richard K F RKF Yaakub Siti Maryam SM Bouma Tjeerd J TJ van der Heide Tjisse T

Nature communications 20200722 1

Restoration is becoming a vital tool to counteract coastal ecosystem degradation. Modifying transplant designs of habitat-forming organisms from dispersed to clumped can amplify coastal restoration yields as it generates self-facilitation from emergent traits, i.e. traits not expressed by individuals or small clones, but that emerge in clumped individuals or large clones. Here, we advance restoration science by mimicking key emergent traits that locally suppress physical stress using biodegradab ...[more]

PMID: 32699271

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Project description:Species-rich semi-natural grasslands are highly endangered habitats in Central Europe and numerous restoration efforts have been made to compensate for the losses in the last decades. However, some plant species could become more easily established than others. The establishment success of 37 species was analyzed over 6 years at two study sites of a restoration project in Germany where hay transfer and sowing of threshing material in combination with additional sowing were applied. The effects of the restoration method applied, time since the restoration took place, traits related to germination, dispersal, and reproduction, and combinations of these traits on the establishment were analyzed. While the specific restoration method of how seeds were transferred played a subordinate role, the establishment success depended in particular on traits such as flower season or the lifeform. Species flowering in autumn, such as Pastinaca sativa and Serratula tinctoria, became established better than species flowering in other seasons, probably because they could complete their life cycle, resulting in increasingly stronger seed pressure with time. Geophytes, like Allium angulosum and Galium boreale, became established very poorly, but showed an increase with study duration. For various traits, we found significant trait by method and trait by year interactions, indicating that different traits promoted establishment under different conditions. Using a multi-model approach, we tested whether traits acted in combination. For the first years and the last year, we found that models with three traits explained establishment success better than models with a single trait or two traits. While traits had only an additive effect on the establishment success in the first years, trait interactions became important thereafter. The most important trait was the season of flowering, which occurred in all best models from the third year onwards. Overall, our approach revealed the potential of functional trait analysis to predict success in restoration projects.

Dataset Information

Mimicry of emergent traits amplifies coastal restoration success.

Publications

Mimicry of emergent traits amplifies coastal restoration success.

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