Tag: plants

Research summaries

Northern mixed-grass prairie bounces back, but slowly: reflections on a 33 year long grazing experiment

In this post Julie Kray, Agricultural Science Research Technician, USDA-ARS & Lauren Porensky, Ecologist, USDA-ARS discuss the recent paper ‘Thresholds and gradients in a semi-arid grassland: long-term grazing treatments induce slow, continuous and reversible vegetation change’ How do we strike a balance between an economically sustainable amount of grazing, and an ecologically sustainable amount? This is the central challenge in managing grazed landscapes around the … Continue reading Northern mixed-grass prairie bounces back, but slowly: reflections on a 33 year long grazing experiment

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied EcologyLeave a comment
Research summaries

Restoring Australian floodplains? Add water, reduce browsing, and lower salt*

In this post Associate Editor David Moreno Mateos discusses a paper he handled by Gillis Horner and colleagues ‘Recruitment of a keystone tree species must concurrently manage flooding and browsing’ It’s true, land management keeps getting complicated, especially when it gets to restoring sites. But the fact is that studies keep showing that we’re not that good at restoring ecosystems, essentially restored ecosystems tend not … Continue reading Restoring Australian floodplains? Add water, reduce browsing, and lower salt*

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied EcologyLeave a comment
Research summaries

Restoration of the tallgrass prairie in the face of global changes

In this post Nick Smith and Mike Schuster discuss their recent paper with Jeffrey Dukes ‘Rainfall variability and nitrogen addition synergistically reduce plant diversity in a restored tallgrass prairie‘ Prairies once covered great swathes of North America, from Texas to Canada and the foothills of the Rocky Mountains to the hardwood forests of the Eastern United States. These grasslands were home to a diverse array … Continue reading Restoration of the tallgrass prairie in the face of global changes

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied EcologyLeave a comment
Research summaries

Pastures new for pollinators?

In this post Associate Editor Peter Manning discusses the paper he recently handled from Katherine Orford and colleagues ‘Modest enhancements to conventional grassland diversity improve the provision of pollination services‘ You can also read a blog post from Katherine here: Managing ecosystem services: a grassland experiment Pollinator insects have undergone a global decline, and there is evidence that this may be placing both crop production … Continue reading Pastures new for pollinators?

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied Ecology5 Comments
Research summaries

Global analysis of seagrass restoration

In this post Marieke van Katwijk discusses her recent paper ‘Global analysis of seagrass restoration: the importance of large‐scale planting’ Have you seen a lot of your restorations fail? Not immediately… but in the end? Repeatedly? Could you not find a consistent environmental correlation to explain it, nor a technique to overcome it? It happened to me. I must admit I felt stupid. I am … Continue reading Global analysis of seagrass restoration

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied Ecology3 Comments
Research summaries

Seed source matters for prairie restorations

In this blog post Associate Editor Brian Wilsey discusses a paper he recently handled by Kate Gallagher and Stuart Wagenius ‘Seed source impacts germination and early establishment of dominant grasses in prairie restorations’ Growing propagules from wild populations in cultivation could alter their genetics. For example, it has long been known that the selection pressures differ between hatchery-raised salmon and wild salmon (Waples 1991). Similar … Continue reading Seed source matters for prairie restorations

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied EcologyLeave a comment
Research summaries

Restoration methods of conifer plantations on ancient forest sites

In this post Associate Editor mentee Lander Baeten discusses a paper he handled by Beth Atkinson and colleagues ‘A comparison of clearfelling and gradual thinning of plantations for the restoration of insect herbivores and woodland plants’ Since the pioneering work of George Peterken in the 1970s, numerous studies have shown that many forest plant species are extremely slow to re-establish once lost from the ecosystem. … Continue reading Restoration methods of conifer plantations on ancient forest sites

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied Ecology1 Comment
Research summaries

Lessons in how to restore a wetland ecosystem

In this post David Moreno Mateos discusses his paper ‘Ecosystem response to interventions: lessons from restored and created wetland ecosystems’ After over 30 years and billions of dollars (and euros, pounds, and yuans) of restoring wetlands globally, and especially in the USA, the time has come to evaluate the results, and particularly to find out how wetlands are responding to our efforts. The results found … Continue reading Lessons in how to restore a wetland ecosystem

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied Ecology1 Comment
Research summaries

Plant species diversity improves ecosystem multifunctionality on a green roof

In this post, Jeremy Lundholm writes about his recent paper “Green roof plant species diversity improves ecosystem multifunctionality”. We can improve the benefits provided by green roofs by planting more species. Green roofs offer an attractive and useful solution to wasted space on building rooftops. Green roof coverage is growing in major cities around the world and more ecologists are paying attention to this habitat. … Continue reading Plant species diversity improves ecosystem multifunctionality on a green roof

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied Ecology1 Comment
Research summaries

Video: Plant diversity responses to organic farming and heterogeneity

Here’s a fantastic video from Romina Rader about her recently published paper “Organic farming and heterogeneous landscapes positively affect different measures of plant diversity“. Enjoy! You can also read more about the paper in this blog post from Journal Associate Editor Ailsa McKenzie. Continue reading Video: Plant diversity responses to organic farming and heterogeneity

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied EcologyLeave a comment