An anthropogenic habitat facilitates the establishment of non-native birds by providing underexploited resources

Anthropogenic modification of habitats may reduce the resources available for native species, leading to population declines and extinction. These same habitats often have the highest richness of non-native species. This pattern may be explained if recently human-modified habitats provide novel resources that are more accessible to non-native species than native species. Using non-native birds in the Iberian Peninsula as a case study, we conduct a large-scale study to investigate whether non-native species are positively associated with human modified habitats, and to investigate whether this positive association may be driven by the presence of resources that are not fully exploited by native species. We do this by comparing the functional diversity and resource use of native and non-native bird communities in a recently human-modified habitat (rice fields) and in more traditional habitats in the Iberian Peninsula. The functional diversity of native bird communities was lower in rice fields, but non-native birds were positively associated with rice fields and plugged this gap. Differences in resource use between native and non-native species allowed non-native species to exploit resources that were plentiful in rice fields, supporting the role of underexploited resources in driving the positive association of non-native birds with rice fields. Our results provide a potential mechanism explaining the positive association of non-native species with anthropogenic habitats, and further work is needed to test if this applies more generally

Author Correction: Drivers of seedling establishment success in dryland restoration efforts

1 Pág. Correción errata.In the version of this Article originally published, the surname of author Tina Parkhurst was incorrectly written as Schroeder. This has now been corrected.Peer reviewe

Seed use in the field: delivering seeds for restoration success

© 2020 The Authors. Restoration Ecology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Ecological Restoration Seed delivery to site is a critical step in seed-based restoration programs. Months or years of seed collection, conditioning, storage, and cultivation can be wasted if seeding operations are not carefully planned, well executed, and draw upon best available knowledge and experience. Although diverse restoration scenarios present different challenges and require different approaches, there are common elements that apply to most ecosystems and regions. A seeding plan sets the timeline and details all operations from site treatments through seed delivery and subsequent monitoring. The plan draws on site evaluation data (e.g. topography, hydrology, climate, soil types, weed pressure, reference site characteristics), the ecology and biology of the seed mix components (e.g. germination requirements, seed morphology) and seed quality information (e.g. seed purity, viability, and dormancy). Plan elements include: (1) Site treatments and seedbed preparation to remove undesirable vegetation, including sources in the soil seed bank; change hydrology and soil properties (e.g. stability, water holding capacity, nutrient status); and create favorable conditions for seed germination and establishment. (2) Seeding requirements to prepare seeds for sowing and determine appropriate seeding dates and rates. (3) Seed delivery techniques and equipment for precision seed delivery, including placement of seeds in germination-promotive microsites at the optimal season for germination and establishment. (4) A monitoring program and adaptive management to document initial emergence, seedling establishment, and plant community development and conduct additional sowing or adaptive management interventions, if warranted. (5) Communication of results to inform future seeding decisions and share knowledge for seed-based ecological restoration

Restaurer une pelouse sèche Méditerranéenne en France par l'utilisation de diverses méthodes de transfert d'espèces

International audienceMediterranean dry grasslands are characterized by a high biodiversity which is threatened by significant changes in land-use in the last decades. The La Crau area is the only French Mediterranean steppe located in South-Eastern France. From the 45,000ha occurring in the 16th century, only 11,500ha are currently remaining. Moreover numerous studies have shown a very low resilience of this plant community after major disturbances, such as cultivation, even on the very long term (150 yrs). This has stressed both the importance of conserving remnant patches and restoring plant community. Several experiments testing species-transfer methods have been carried out in the last decade. In 2002 the transplantation of two perennial target species: Thymus vulgaris and Brachypodium retusum in former cultivated fields showed that their establishment was successful if the stone cover had been previously restored. The transfer of vacuum-harvested hay was assessed in 2007 on an area disturbed by pipeline burying. This method allowed the plant composition to be close to that of the reference community, with many target annual species, but without some dominant perennial species. In 2009, a multi-treatment experiment was implemented on a larger area disturbed by intense peach cultivation where hay transfer and soil transfer, combined or not with topsoil removal were experimented. The best results were obtained when both abiotic conditions were restored (topsoil removal, soil transfer) and species were transferred (soil transfer, hay transfer combined with topsoil removal). In 2011, large scale soil transfers with or without soil compaction were implemented again on an area degraded by an oil spill where soil had been excavated. On the very short term, soil transfers showed a species-rich community composed of numerous target species. Their combination with soil compaction or topsoil removal allowed decreasing the sometimes too dense cover of grasses occurring on other restoration treatments. Results from these ten years of diverse experiments and monitoring highlight the difficulties of restoring this unique habitat. Nevertheless they provide insights on possibilities of approaching the target communities, especially when the transfer of the whole community is combined with the restoration of appropriate abiotic conditions

Restaurer une pelouse sèche Méditerranéenne en France par l'utilisation de diverses méthodes de transfert d'espèces

International audienceMediterranean dry grasslands are characterized by a high biodiversity which is threatened by significant changes in land-use in the last decades. The La Crau area is the only French Mediterranean steppe located in South-Eastern France. From the 45,000ha occurring in the 16th century, only 11,500ha are currently remaining. Moreover numerous studies have shown a very low resilience of this plant community after major disturbances, such as cultivation, even on the very long term (150 yrs). This has stressed both the importance of conserving remnant patches and restoring plant community. Several experiments testing species-transfer methods have been carried out in the last decade. In 2002 the transplantation of two perennial target species: Thymus vulgaris and Brachypodium retusum in former cultivated fields showed that their establishment was successful if the stone cover had been previously restored. The transfer of vacuum-harvested hay was assessed in 2007 on an area disturbed by pipeline burying. This method allowed the plant composition to be close to that of the reference community, with many target annual species, but without some dominant perennial species. In 2009, a multi-treatment experiment was implemented on a larger area disturbed by intense peach cultivation where hay transfer and soil transfer, combined or not with topsoil removal were experimented. The best results were obtained when both abiotic conditions were restored (topsoil removal, soil transfer) and species were transferred (soil transfer, hay transfer combined with topsoil removal). In 2011, large scale soil transfers with or without soil compaction were implemented again on an area degraded by an oil spill where soil had been excavated. On the very short term, soil transfers showed a species-rich community composed of numerous target species. Their combination with soil compaction or topsoil removal allowed decreasing the sometimes too dense cover of grasses occurring on other restoration treatments. Results from these ten years of diverse experiments and monitoring highlight the difficulties of restoring this unique habitat. Nevertheless they provide insights on possibilities of approaching the target communities, especially when the transfer of the whole community is combined with the restoration of appropriate abiotic conditions