Introducing desirable patches to initiate ecosystem transitions and accelerate ecosystem restoration.
ecological modeling
ecosystem restoration
nucleation theory
patch introduction
plant community dynamics
restoration strategy
spatial dynamics
Journal
Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America
ISSN: 1051-0761
Titre abrégé: Ecol Appl
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 9889808
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
Dec 2023
Dec 2023
Historique:
revised:
30
05
2023
received:
18
08
2022
accepted:
17
07
2023
medline:
4
12
2023
pubmed:
21
8
2023
entrez:
21
8
2023
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Meeting restoration targets may require active strategies to accelerate natural regeneration rates or overcome the resilience associated with degraded ecosystem states. Introducing desired ecosystem patches in degraded landscapes constitutes a promising active restoration strategy, with various mechanisms potentially causing these patches to become foci from which desired species can re-establish throughout the landscape. This study considers three mechanisms previously identified as potential drivers of introduced patch dynamics: autocatalytic nucleation, directed dispersal, and resource concentration. These mechanisms reflect qualitatively different positive feedbacks. We developed an ecological model framework that compared how the occurrence of each mechanism was reflected in spatio-temporal patch dynamics. We then analyzed the implications of these relationships for optimal restoration design. We found that patch expansion accelerated over time when driven by the autocatalytic nucleation mechanism, while patch expansion driven by the directed dispersal or resource concentration mechanisms decelerated over time. Additionally, when driven by autocatalytic nucleation, patch expansion was independent of patch position in the landscape. However, the proximity of other patches affected patch expansion either positively or negatively when driven by directed dispersal or resource concentration. For autocatalytic nucleation, introducing many small patches was a favorable strategy, provided that each individual patch exceeded a critical patch size. Introducing a single patch or a few large patches was the most effective restoration strategy to initiate the directed dispersal mechanism. Introducing many small patches was the most effective strategy for reaching restored ecosystem states driven by a resource concentration mechanism. Our model results suggest that introducing desirable patches can substantially accelerate ecosystem restoration, or even induce a critical transition from an otherwise stable degraded state toward a desired ecosystem state. However, the potential of this type of restoration strategy for a particular ecosystem may strongly depend on the mechanism driving patch dynamics. In turn, which mechanism drives patch dynamics may affect the optimal spatial design of an active restoration strategy. Each of the three mechanisms considered reflects distinct spatio-temporal patch dynamics, providing novel opportunities for empirically identifying key mechanisms, and restoration designs that introduce desired patches in degraded landscapes according to these patch dynamics.
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
e2910Subventions
Organisme : NSF
ID : DEB-1556664
Organisme : NSF
ID : DEB-1738041
Organisme : NSF
ID : OIA-1656006
Organisme : University of Zurich
Organisme : University Research Priority Program
Informations de copyright
© 2023 The Authors. Ecological Applications published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Ecological Society of America.
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