Potential contributions of the soil seed bank and seed rain for accelerating the restoration of riparian catchments in Australia
- Florentine, Singarayer, Milberg, Per, Westbrooke, Martin
- Authors: Florentine, Singarayer , Milberg, Per , Westbrooke, Martin
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Global Ecology and Conservation Vol. 47, no. (2023), p.
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- Description: The quality and quantity of soil seed bank composition can play a key role in secondary succession restoration efforts such as those involved in this study, which concerned the restoration of damaged native sites in riparian environments in Victoria, Australia. The objective of this study of the restoration work was to determine the role played by naturally existing soil seed bank in the success of natural restoration in these restored and unmanaged riparian areas. In this regard, we sampled the soil seed bank, seed rain, seedlings in the field and vegetation cover from three sub catchments defined by restoration attempts which had been conducted (i) < 3 years, (ii) 4–8 years, and (iii) > 9 years previous to sampling. In addition, (iv) in order to provide comparative data, adjacent sites (iv) chosen for future restoration and (v) with remnant vegetation, were also sampled. From samples, a total of 8858 seedlings were recorded from the seed bank and the vegetation survey showed 170 species, with exotic species being more numerous than native. The seed rain (a total of 1422 seeds) was dominated by exotic species at all sites. When comparing the vegetation distribution and the seed rain composition, it was clear that whilst the seed bank was more promising as a comparative recruitment source of native species, there were still too many sites dominated by exotic species to rely on this as a long-term restoration strategy. However, this study indicated that there were significant variations in restoration potential among the sites, suggesting that some careful prior site selection for investment of restoration efforts is an important issue. As a consequence, we have recommended that a detailed understanding of the soil seed bank and seed rain species composition prior to the restoration is essential, since a positive seed bank composition with a significant relative density of native species seeds, will provide an indication of native species’ resilience and their potential for recovery. We therefore believe that the findings of this study will provide valuable information to natural resource management agencies regarding the strategy for prioritisation of restoration sites, which will be more beneficial than randomly selecting sites for habitat restoration. In addition, with successful sector restoration, it is expected that the increasing usefulness of the seed bank will allow further restoration of adjacent areas with time. © 2023 The Authors
- Authors: Florentine, Singarayer , Milberg, Per , Westbrooke, Martin
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Global Ecology and Conservation Vol. 47, no. (2023), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The quality and quantity of soil seed bank composition can play a key role in secondary succession restoration efforts such as those involved in this study, which concerned the restoration of damaged native sites in riparian environments in Victoria, Australia. The objective of this study of the restoration work was to determine the role played by naturally existing soil seed bank in the success of natural restoration in these restored and unmanaged riparian areas. In this regard, we sampled the soil seed bank, seed rain, seedlings in the field and vegetation cover from three sub catchments defined by restoration attempts which had been conducted (i) < 3 years, (ii) 4–8 years, and (iii) > 9 years previous to sampling. In addition, (iv) in order to provide comparative data, adjacent sites (iv) chosen for future restoration and (v) with remnant vegetation, were also sampled. From samples, a total of 8858 seedlings were recorded from the seed bank and the vegetation survey showed 170 species, with exotic species being more numerous than native. The seed rain (a total of 1422 seeds) was dominated by exotic species at all sites. When comparing the vegetation distribution and the seed rain composition, it was clear that whilst the seed bank was more promising as a comparative recruitment source of native species, there were still too many sites dominated by exotic species to rely on this as a long-term restoration strategy. However, this study indicated that there were significant variations in restoration potential among the sites, suggesting that some careful prior site selection for investment of restoration efforts is an important issue. As a consequence, we have recommended that a detailed understanding of the soil seed bank and seed rain species composition prior to the restoration is essential, since a positive seed bank composition with a significant relative density of native species seeds, will provide an indication of native species’ resilience and their potential for recovery. We therefore believe that the findings of this study will provide valuable information to natural resource management agencies regarding the strategy for prioritisation of restoration sites, which will be more beneficial than randomly selecting sites for habitat restoration. In addition, with successful sector restoration, it is expected that the increasing usefulness of the seed bank will allow further restoration of adjacent areas with time. © 2023 The Authors
Recruitment and functionality traits as biondicators of ecological restoration success in the Lurg Hills district, Victoria, Australia
- Monie, Kristin, Florentine, Singarayer, Palmer, Grant
- Authors: Monie, Kristin , Florentine, Singarayer , Palmer, Grant
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Processes Vol. 2, no. 27 (2013), p. 1-11
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- Description: Introduction The Regent Honeyeater Project commenced ecological restoration in the Lurg district in 1994, with an aim to restore habitats for the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater Anthochaera phrygia and a range of other threatened and declining species. Within this context, our study aimed to explore whether plant reproduction can be an effective measure of ecological restoration success. Methods Evaluation involved comparing attributes at unrestored, restored and remnant sites to establish whether sites displayed evidence of a clear restoration trajectory. Five age classes (unrestored, 4–6 years old, 8–10 years old, 12–14 years old and remnant areas) and two landforms (upper hills and lower hills) were considered. The diversity of woody plant species—which have easily recognisable reproductive material and which all recruit seedlings—provides easily measured parameters that have the potential to allow the determination of early establishment success and long-term ecological development of restored ecosystems. Results Restoration plantings developed in a hybrid state towards a benchmark in the lower hills; seedling species composition differed significantly among age classes, increasing in similarity with time since restoration, with some divergence from the target pathway. Composition of functional groups with reproductive outputs was also significantly different among age classes; however, a restoration trajectory was only evident in the upper hills where sites converged towards the target goal. Conclusions Divergence or deviation from the restoration trajectory was not deemed to be a restoration failure, as the variety of functional groups with fruits and diversity of seedlings recruiting indicated a potential increase in resilience in the future due to greater variability across the landscape. Plant recruitment was effective in detecting development trends towards a restoration target in this study and therefore may be a useful measure that contributes to determining ecological restoration success
- Authors: Monie, Kristin , Florentine, Singarayer , Palmer, Grant
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Processes Vol. 2, no. 27 (2013), p. 1-11
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Introduction The Regent Honeyeater Project commenced ecological restoration in the Lurg district in 1994, with an aim to restore habitats for the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater Anthochaera phrygia and a range of other threatened and declining species. Within this context, our study aimed to explore whether plant reproduction can be an effective measure of ecological restoration success. Methods Evaluation involved comparing attributes at unrestored, restored and remnant sites to establish whether sites displayed evidence of a clear restoration trajectory. Five age classes (unrestored, 4–6 years old, 8–10 years old, 12–14 years old and remnant areas) and two landforms (upper hills and lower hills) were considered. The diversity of woody plant species—which have easily recognisable reproductive material and which all recruit seedlings—provides easily measured parameters that have the potential to allow the determination of early establishment success and long-term ecological development of restored ecosystems. Results Restoration plantings developed in a hybrid state towards a benchmark in the lower hills; seedling species composition differed significantly among age classes, increasing in similarity with time since restoration, with some divergence from the target pathway. Composition of functional groups with reproductive outputs was also significantly different among age classes; however, a restoration trajectory was only evident in the upper hills where sites converged towards the target goal. Conclusions Divergence or deviation from the restoration trajectory was not deemed to be a restoration failure, as the variety of functional groups with fruits and diversity of seedlings recruiting indicated a potential increase in resilience in the future due to greater variability across the landscape. Plant recruitment was effective in detecting development trends towards a restoration target in this study and therefore may be a useful measure that contributes to determining ecological restoration success
- Florentine, Singarayer, Graz, Patrick, Ambrose, Graeme, O'Brien, L.
- Authors: Florentine, Singarayer , Graz, Patrick , Ambrose, Graeme , O'Brien, L.
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Land Degradation and Development Vol. 24, no. 1 (2013), p. 81-89
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Many vegetation restoration works have been undertaken in Australia but only a few of those projects have been assessed for effectiveness. Revisiting earlier restoration attempts and analysing data from them is fundamental to the development of evidence-based prescriptions for future restoration work. Therefore, this study's objectives were to (I) compare plant species composition of different age direct-seeded revegetated sites and (II) determine the effect, if any, of different ages of revegetated sites on the natural recruitment of native plants. The study investigated four fenced restoration sites, dating from 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2005. Results showed that the density of plants surviving varied widely between plots of different ages. The highest density was found in the 2001 plot (2195·.7 stemsha-1), followed by 2000 (1877·8 stemsha-1), 2004 (197·6 stemsha-1) and 2005 (195·4 stemsha-1). An ANOVA showed that the overall amount of seed broadcast does not play a significant (p=0·437) role in the establishment rate. Overall, Eucalyptus ovata was found to be dominant in the 2000 (794·4ha-1) and 2001 (971ha-1) sites. In contrast, Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Eucalyptus viminalis densities were highest in the 2004 (41ha-1) and 2005 (60·4ha-1) sites, respectively. PERMANOVA showed highly significant differences in the present plant composition between plots (p<0·0001), despite similar species mixes used in sowing. Recruitment was not found in any of the sites. The least weed cover and the highest litter cover were found in the 2001 plot. A similar trend was found in the 2000 plot. In contrast, high weed cover and low litter cover were found in the 2004 and 2005 plots. Since one of the major impediments to developing better restoration strategies is the inadequate documentation of past practices, studies such as these may shed some light on how the direct-seeded technique operates in a farm situation. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
- Warnock, Andrew, Florentine, Singarayer, Graz, Patrick, Westbrooke, Martin
- Authors: Warnock, Andrew , Florentine, Singarayer , Graz, Patrick , Westbrooke, Martin
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Weed Biology and Management Vol. 12, no. 4 (December 2012), p. 156-167
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The indigenous Lachnagrostis filiformis colonized extensive areas of dry lake beds in Victoria, Australia, during the drought from 1997 to 2009. Large numbers of the plants' detached seed heads disperse in the wind, lodging against nearby housing, fences and other obstacles. This accumulation of material creates a fire hazard, degrades townships' aesthetics and presents a nuisance to the communities of lake-side towns. This study aimed to examine the effects of various control methods on L.?filiformis in the short and long term. Although herbicide applications, slashing, grazing and burning were found to be effective in controlling the blown L.?filiformis seed heads in the short term, they failed to prevent subsequent reinvasion and can increase its abundance in the long term. The late application of herbicide resulted in an increase in the foliage cover and seed-head biomass of L.?filiformis by up to 37% and 150%, respectively, in the year following the treatment application. The results from this study highlight how management focused on achieving short-term goals, without consideration of the successional trajectory after implementation, can not only fail but be counter-productive in the long term. In order to achieve sustainable management, the fundamental ecological processes that promote the establishment and persistence of the weed need to be addressed.
Evaluation of alternative approaches to rainforest restoration on abandoned pasturelands in tropical north Queensland, Australia
- Florentine, Singarayer, Westbrooke, Martin
- Authors: Florentine, Singarayer , Westbrooke, Martin
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Land Degradation & Development Vol. 15, no. 1 (Jan-Feb 2004), p. 1-13
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The lag time for natural recruitment of tropical rainforest species in abandoned pastureland is very long, therefore artificial restoration techniques have been employed to accelerate natural seedling recruitment. The objectives of this study were to investigate: (1) the success/failure of establishment 502 seedlings belonging to 15 species from 11 families planted approximately ten years ago; and (2) the influence of different restoration techniques on enhancing natural recruitment during this period. The study was conducted in the wet tropical rainforest region of northeast Queensland, Australia as a completely randomized block design involving five treatments with two replicates. In each plot, 63 tropical rainforest seedlings from one or a combination of species were planted randomly. Two control plots were laid out where no seedlings were planted. Survival, height and diameter data were taken on the seedlings ten years after planting. Each 11×17 m2 plot was further divided into 187, 1×1 m2 subplots. Within each subplot all seedlings recruited were located and identified. Canopy cover was estimated using belt transects 1 m apart that ran in an east-west direction across the plots. Within each plot the percentage of grass, and the crown cover were estimated using the Braun-Blanquet cover abundance scale. Survival rate of planted seedlings varied across the treatment plots. The survival rate ranged from 65 to 75 per cent for primary-promoter species, 85 to 100 per cent in middle-phase species and 42 to 57 per cent for mature-phase species. No Pilidiostigma tropicum seedlings survived in any treatment. Fourteen species recruited naturally across the treatment plots. A total of 410 seedlings were naturally recruited from 11 different families in the ten-year-old reforested site. The highest natural recruitment (236 seedlings) occurred in Treatment 3, where Omalanthus novo-guineensis seedlings were planted with eight primary-promoter species, followed by 99 in Treatment 5 where a group of primary-promoters, middle phase species and mature-phase species were planted together, 36 in Treatment 4 (Alphitonia petriei planted with eight primary-promoter species), 10 in Treatment 2 where only Omalanthus novo-guineensis seedlings were planted, and 13 in control plots. Grass cover declined with increasing species diversity and increased canopy cover. The results indicate that the diversity of species used in restoration had a major influence on natural recruitment. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000714
- Authors: Florentine, Singarayer , Westbrooke, Martin
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Land Degradation & Development Vol. 15, no. 1 (Jan-Feb 2004), p. 1-13
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The lag time for natural recruitment of tropical rainforest species in abandoned pastureland is very long, therefore artificial restoration techniques have been employed to accelerate natural seedling recruitment. The objectives of this study were to investigate: (1) the success/failure of establishment 502 seedlings belonging to 15 species from 11 families planted approximately ten years ago; and (2) the influence of different restoration techniques on enhancing natural recruitment during this period. The study was conducted in the wet tropical rainforest region of northeast Queensland, Australia as a completely randomized block design involving five treatments with two replicates. In each plot, 63 tropical rainforest seedlings from one or a combination of species were planted randomly. Two control plots were laid out where no seedlings were planted. Survival, height and diameter data were taken on the seedlings ten years after planting. Each 11×17 m2 plot was further divided into 187, 1×1 m2 subplots. Within each subplot all seedlings recruited were located and identified. Canopy cover was estimated using belt transects 1 m apart that ran in an east-west direction across the plots. Within each plot the percentage of grass, and the crown cover were estimated using the Braun-Blanquet cover abundance scale. Survival rate of planted seedlings varied across the treatment plots. The survival rate ranged from 65 to 75 per cent for primary-promoter species, 85 to 100 per cent in middle-phase species and 42 to 57 per cent for mature-phase species. No Pilidiostigma tropicum seedlings survived in any treatment. Fourteen species recruited naturally across the treatment plots. A total of 410 seedlings were naturally recruited from 11 different families in the ten-year-old reforested site. The highest natural recruitment (236 seedlings) occurred in Treatment 3, where Omalanthus novo-guineensis seedlings were planted with eight primary-promoter species, followed by 99 in Treatment 5 where a group of primary-promoters, middle phase species and mature-phase species were planted together, 36 in Treatment 4 (Alphitonia petriei planted with eight primary-promoter species), 10 in Treatment 2 where only Omalanthus novo-guineensis seedlings were planted, and 13 in control plots. Grass cover declined with increasing species diversity and increased canopy cover. The results indicate that the diversity of species used in restoration had a major influence on natural recruitment. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000714
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