River Restoration in Victoria, Australia: Change is in the Wind, and None too Soon

Stream restoration has become a multibillion dollar industry worldwide, yet there are few clear success stories and the scientific basis for effective stream restoration remains uncertain. We compiled data on completed river restoration projects from four management authorities in Victoria, Australia, to examine how the available data could inform the science of restoration ecology in rivers, and thus improve future restoration efforts. We found that existing data sources are limited and much historical information has been lost through industry restructuring and poor data archiving. Examining records for 2,247 restoration projects, we found that riparian management projects were the most common, followed by bank stabilization and in‐stream habitat improvement. Only 14% of the project records indicated that some form of monitoring was carried out. It is evident that overall there is little scientific guidance and little or no monitoring and evaluation of the projects for which we had information. However, recent advances with mandatory, statewide reporting and an increased emphasis on project design and monitoring strongly suggest that the design, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of stream restoration projects have improved in recent years and will continue to do so.     

Edge effects across boundaries between natural and restored jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forests in south‐western Australia

Edge effects are a widespread and ubiquitous ecological phenomenon, yet they remain poorly studied across edges between restored and natural forests. To address this lack of knowledge, we studied vertebrate communities across edges between 3‐year old restored mine‐pits and adjacent unmined forest in the jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest of south‐western Australia. We found that mammal communities showed no edge response but reptile communities did. Overall reptile abundance and Morethia obscura abundance were higher in unmined forest along edges, Egernia napoleonis abundance was lower in unmined forest along edges, while Pogona minor abundance was lower in restored mine‐pits along edges. Predictive models were unable to predict species edge responses, due to the lack of knowledge of the ecology of jarrah forest reptiles, but proved useful in identifying potential ecological mechanisms behind observed edge responses and suggested that potential mechanisms were likely different for each species. Our study is the first to show edge responses in both habitats forming the edge between restored and natural forests, emphasizing the importance of studying both habitats forming the edge. Our results also suggest that, despite being poorly studied, edge responses are common across edges between restored and natural forest and result from a variety of ecological mechanisms. An increased understanding of the ecological mechanisms driving edge responses across edges between restored and natural forests will improve our ability to integrate restored areas into cross‐landscape management and, ultimately, improve our ability to manage landscapes for biodiversity conservation.     

Mating system and early viability resistance to habitat fragmentation in a bird-pollinated eucalypt

Habitat fragmentation has been shown to disrupt ecosystem processes such as plant-pollinator mutualisms. Consequently, mating patterns in remnant tree populations are expected to shift towards increased inbreeding and reduced pollen diversity, with fitness consequences for future generations. However, mating patterns and phenotypic assessments of open-pollinated progeny have rarely been combined in a single study. Here, we collected seeds from 37 Eucalyptus incrassata trees from contrasting stand densities following recent clearance in a single South Australian population (intact woodland=12.6 trees ha⁻¹; isolated pasture=1.7 trees ha⁻¹; population area=10 km²). 649 progeny from these trees were genotyped at eight microsatellite loci. We estimated genetic diversity, spatial genetic structure, indirect contemporary pollen flow and mating patterns for adults older than the clearance events and open-pollinated progeny sired post-clearance. A proxy of early stage progeny viability was assessed in a common garden experiment. Density had no impact on mating patterns, adult and progeny genetic diversity or progeny growth, but was associated with increased mean pollen dispersal. Weak spatial genetic structure among adults suggests high historical gene flow. We observed preliminary evidence for inbreeding depression related to stress caused by fungal infection, but which was not associated with density. Higher observed heterozygosities in adults compared with progeny may relate to weak selection on progeny and lifetime-accumulated mortality of inbred adults. E. incrassata appears to be resistant to the negative mating pattern and fitness changes expected within fragmented landscapes. This pattern is likely explained by strong outcrossing and regular long-distance pollen flow.     

Biosolids Application and Long‐Term Noxious Weed Dominance in the Western United States

Vegetation characteristics were assessed on three sets of 10‐year‐old test plots and one set of 5‐year‐old plots that received 0, 34, 45, and 67 tons/ha (0, 15, 20, and 30 short tons/acre) of biosolids at a semiarid mine reclamation site in Utah. On average, noxious weed species such as Bromus tectorum L. (cheatgrass) provided two‐thirds of the cover on the biosolids test plots, but only one‐tenth of the cover on adjacent control plots that received no biosolids. Cheatgrass provided more than half of the total cover on every biosolids test plot. Seeded species provided about two times more cover at the control plots than at the biosolids plots. Surfaces treated with 45 tons/ha composted biosolids (one part biosolids and two parts wood chips) had a much lower percentage of noxious weed cover compared to biosolids alone. The relatively heavy initial nitrogen load associated with biosolids application may have promoted cheatgrass dominance. Although the available nitrogen eventually declines, once cheatgrass is established it may maintain its dominance indefinitely. Given the risk of weed invasion, heavy biosolids applications should be used with caution for reclamation projects in semiarid climates if perennial species establishment is desired. Consideration should instead be given to light applications (<45 tons/ha) of biosolids/wood chip compost or forgoing the use of biosolids entirely. The underapplication of nutrients may provide a slower, but ultimately more reliable, strategy for the establishment of a healthy, native perennial vegetation community.     

Restoring habitat connectivity over the road: vegetation on a fauna land‐bridge in south‐east Queensland

The Compton Road overpass in southern Brisbane is known to be allowing passage by numerous birds, reptiles and amphibians; but what type of vegetation is providing habitat suitable for these movements? An evaluation of the reconstructed vegetation on the overpass shows that 45 species of plants were present after 4 years of growth. Most of these were in the original planting list but over 40% have almost certainly come from salvaged native topsoil used in the bypass construction. The resulting habitat, 4 years later, now appears similar to a typical coastal eucalypt forest secondary succession, although not yet identical to nearby forest. The current presence of a dense mid‐layer of small trees and shrubs may be an important factor in allowing even the edge‐avoiding species to cross the road. On‐going investigation of successional changes and the changing responses of the birds and other taxa will contribute to understanding the functionality of such crossing structures.     

长春花(Catharanthus roseus)对热带珊瑚岛生理生态适应性研究

长春花(Catharanthus roseus)是夹竹桃科的一种亚灌木植物,具有重要的药用价值和观赏价值,在前期的试验性种植中,发现长春花对热带珊瑚岛环境有很强的适应性。为了探讨长春花对热带珊瑚岛环境的生理生态适应性,该文以移植到热带珊瑚岛的长春花和生长于海南省文昌市苗圃的长春花为研究对象,对其叶片的形态解剖结构、生理学特征、营养元素含量等进行了分析。结果表明:(1)与苗圃生长的长春花和其他耐胁迫的植物相比,移植到热带珊瑚岛上的长春花具有叶片厚、栅栏组织发达、比叶面积小等形态解剖特征,这些特征有利于其光能吸收、水分储存和对环境资源的利用。(2)长春花的超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化物酶(POD)和过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性较高,表现出较强的抗氧化性和抗胁迫能力。(3)长春花的叶绿素a和叶绿素b含量较低,可以减少过多的光能进入叶绿体光合系统,防止过剩的光能对光合系统产生伤害。(4)热带珊瑚岛土壤养分含量低,但生长在岛上的长春花叶片的营养元素含量高,表现出很强的养分吸收和利用能力。因此,长春花对干旱、贫瘠等恶劣生境具有很好的适应能力,可以作为热带珊瑚岛植被恢复工具种。     

A soil archaeal community responds to a decade of ecological restoration

Large‐scale restoration efforts are underway globally to mitigate the impact of decades of land degradation by returning functional and biodiverse ecosystems. Revegetation is a heavily relied upon restoration intervention, and one that is expected to result in associated biodiversity returns. However, the outcome of such restoration interventions rarely considers recovery to the soil microbiome, a mega‐diverse and functionally important ecosystem component. Here we examine the archaeal component of the soil microbiome and track community change after a decade of eucalypt woodland restoration in southern Australia. We employed DNA metabarcoding to show that archaeal community composition, richness, and diversity shifted significantly, and towards a restored state 10 years after the restoration intervention. Changes in soil pH and nitrate associated with changes to the archaeal community, potentially relating to the pH responsive properties and close relationship with the nitrogen cycle of some archaea. Our study helps shed light on archaeal community dynamics, as no other study has used DNA metabarcoding to study archaeal responses across a restoration chronosequence. Our results provide great promise for the development of molecular monitoring of the soil microbiome as a future restoration monitoring tool.     

黄土丘陵区草地土壤微生物C、N及呼吸熵对植被恢复的响应

以野外样地调查和室内分析法研究了黄土丘陵区不同植被恢复年限下草地土壤微生物C、N及土壤呼吸熵的变化.结果表明,土壤微生物量碳明显地随着植被恢复年限的增加而增加.在恢复前23a, 土壤微生物量碳在0～20 cm土层年增加率为24.1%;20～40 cm为104.4%.植被恢复23a后,0～20 cm土层增长率为0.83%,20～40 cm为0.19%.土壤微生物量N表现为在植被恢复的初期略有下降,3a后,开始出现明显增加.0～20 cm土层年增长率为20.14%,20～40 cm为15.11%.在植被恢复23a后,0～20 cm土层的年增长率为0.14%,20～40 cm变化不大.土壤微生物呼吸强度随着恢复年限的增加逐渐加强;土壤呼吸熵随植被封育时间的增加而呈对数降低趋势.土壤呼吸熵(qCO2)在反映土壤的生物质量变化时,显得更加稳定,受植物生长状况影响较小.相关分析表明,土壤微生物量和土壤微生物活性与土壤有机质、碱解氮和粘粒含量显著正相关;与土壤粉粒含量明显负相关;表层土壤pH值对其也有明显影响.草地植被自然恢复过程可增加土壤微生物活性,有利于土壤质量的提高.