Restoring grassy ecosystems – Feasible or fiction? An inquisitive Australian's experience in the USA

Many small‐scale projects in Australia suggest that ground‐layer elements of ecosystems can be restored, but scaling up of grassland and grassy understorey restoration has not occurred to date. Paul Gibson‐Roy recently travelled through the USA, where well‐developed markets for restoration have created a large, financially viable native‐herbaceous seed production and restoration sector. Here, he shares his observations, which show how much about the USA situation can be a model and inspiration for Australian grassy ecosystem restoration.     

Reconstructing grassy understories in south‐eastern Australia: Interview with Paul Gibson‐Roy

A marriage of ecology with agronomy is proving successful in restoring diverse herbaceous layers ‐ to the extent that some reconstructed grasslands on ex‐agricultural land and rural roadsides have been found eligible for federal protection as threatened ecological communities. Can lessons from this improve our management and expansion of grassy ecosystems more broadly?     

北方风沙区生态修复的科学原理、工程实践和恢复效果

北方风沙区位于欧亚草原的东部,是我国生态环境最为脆弱的地区之一,其在北方生态安全屏障和丝绸之路经济带建设中具有十分重要的战略地位。在国家一系列生态保育工程的支持下,该地区的生态环境得到明显改善。但是,由于受人类活动和全球气候变化的影响,该地区仍然面临着严峻的环境压力。在中国科学院科技服务网络计划(STS计划)等项目支持下,开展了北方风沙区土地沙化成因及退化土地空间分布研究,集成了北方风沙区重点脆弱区生态恢复的理论和技术体系,以内蒙古中部的阴山北麓地区、内蒙古浑善达克沙地和蒙辽交界的科尔沁沙地为重点研究区域,进行了高效人工草地建植、天然草地恢复和管理、沙化草地治理等相关工程技术的示范,开展生态恢复模式的效果跟踪监测和生态效益评估,确定生态恢复技术和模式的技术参数和指标,明确不同集成技术与模式在北方风沙区的适用区域和范围,为技术模式的推广应用提供科学依据。通过上述研究,可以为中央和地方政府制定生态系统管理和退化生态系统恢复政策、建立我国北方生态安全屏障提供决策依据,为生态修复产业提供技术指南,为相关研究提供全面系统的基础数据支撑。     

Long-term variation in seed mass and seed production in populations of Paris quadrifolia

Seed production of the perennial herb Paris quadrifolia L. (Liliaceae) was investigated in five populations in northern Poland. The long-term seed production per square metre differed significantly among populations and years. Moreover, throughout the 7-year study period, 30% of both whole ripe fruits and seeds alone were predated. Variation in seed mass per fruit in both space and time was significant. Throughout the 7-year study, nearly all the marked individuals produced fruits once every 2 years. The most frequent break between fruiting was 2 years and the longest was 5 years. Only the mean seed mass in fruits of the same individual varied significantly over subsequent years. In the five populations, the number of ovules, number of seeds in the fruit and seed mass varied significantly between populations. However seed/ovule ratio did not differ in fruits in the five populations. The seed mass/number trade-off in fruits was strongly partially correlated when the effect of total seed mass was considered. Breeding experiments suggest that P. quadrifolia has a substantial capacity for both inbreeding and outbreeding. There were no significant differences in the seed/ovule ratio, seed number or seed mass in fruits produced from bagged or control flowers. However, both seed/ovule ratio and number of seeds were significantly lower in fruits from emasculated flowers.     

内蒙古和青藏高原草原植物叶片与根系氮利用效率空间格局及影响因素

氮利用效率是植物的关键功能性状, 同时紧密关联生态系统功能, 但是目前对氮利用效率的区域格局及影响因素仍然不清楚。该研究分析了内蒙古和青藏高原草原82个调查地点、139种植物叶片和根系的氮利用效率及其与环境因素、植物功能群之间的关系, 实验结果显示: 1)草甸草原植物叶片的氮利用效率为53 g·g ^-1, 显著大于高寒草甸(46 g·g ^-1)、荒漠草原(41 g·g ^-1)和典型草原(39 g·g ^-1)。高寒草甸根系氮利用效率为108 g·g ^-1, 显著高于其他生态系统。2)叶片氮利用效率比根系对温度更加敏感, 但随着干旱指数的增加, 两者均表现出显著的降低趋势。3)杂类草叶片和根系氮利用效率低于莎草科和禾本科植物, 豆科植物叶片和根系氮利用效率分别比非豆科植物低48%和60%。4)植物氮利用效率与土壤氮含量之间没有显著关系。总体上, 内蒙古和青藏高原草原植物叶片和根系氮利用效率的空间格局存在差异, 主要影响因素为植物功能群和干旱指数。本研究系统揭示内蒙古和青藏高原草原植物氮利用效率的空间格局及关键驱动因子, 有助于在全球变化背景下了解我国草地生产力维持机制, 同时为草原生态系统管理提供科学依据。     

Restoring the Victorian Western (Basalt) Plains grassland. 1. Laboratory trials of viability and germination, and the implications for direct seeding

Summary   The Victorian Western (Basalt) Plains grassland is one of Australia's most threatened plant communities. Practitioners using seed for its restoration need to know whether seed can be sown fresh or whether it requires an after-ripening period. This study assessed the viability and germination of freshly harvested wild seed from 64 grassland species indigenous to the Basalt Plains of western Victoria. The seed was collected as part of a broader experiment that examined the potential of direct-sown complex seed mixes for the restoration of grassland communities. The germination of fresh seed at 25°C varied widely between species. Comparisons with tetrazolium viability tests for each species indicated varying levels of dormancy within the species pool. Germination separated into three broad responses at day 28. One-third of the species failed to germinate, one-third germinated at 1% to 50% and the remaining species germinated between 51% and 100%. Therefore, if the aim of a sowing was the rapid and synchronous establishment of most of the sown species, the use of fresh seed in restoration could be problematic. After 3 months of dry storage, eight species were re-tested for germination. Each of the selected species had shown high viability but low initial germination. Only two species significantly increased their total germination at 25°C. The annual species, Triptilodiscus pygmaeus , increased its total germination from 6% as fresh seed to 99% after dry storage. Testing the viability and germination capacity of freshly harvested seed from a large and diverse sample of native grassland species demonstrated that many of the species were unlikely to germinate rapidly or synchronously when sown in complex seed mixes soon after harvest. This finding has implications for the scheduling and management of restoration projects that rely on the use of such seed.