Evaluating nurse plants for restoring native woody species to degraded subtropical woodlands

Ecology and Evolution

Stephanie G. Yelenik¹  Nicole DiManno² 

[1] U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, Hawaiʻi National Park, Hawaiʻi;Hawaiʻi Cooperative Studies Unit, University of Hawaiʻi, Hilo, Hawaiʻi

关键词: competition;    Dodonaea viscosa;    dry subtropical Metrosideros woodland;    facilitation;    invasive grasses;    Leptocophylla tameiaeia;    Morella faya;    restoration;    seedling recruitment;    succession;   

DOI  :  10.1002/ece3.1294

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Abstract

Harsh habitats dominated by invasive species are difficult to restore. Invasive grasses in arid environments slow succession toward more desired composition, yet grass removal exacerbates high light and temperature, making the use of “nurse plants” an appealing strategy. In this study of degraded subtropical woodlands dominated by alien grasses in Hawai'i, we evaluated whether individuals of two native (Dodonaea viscosa, Leptocophylla tameiameia) and one non-native (Morella faya) woody species (1) act as natural nodes of recruitment for native woody species and (2) can be used to enhance survivorship of outplanted native woody species. To address these questions, we quantified the presence and persistence of seedlings naturally recruiting beneath adult nurse shrubs and compared survival and growth of experimentally outplanted seedlings of seven native woody species under the nurse species compared to intact and cleared alien-grass plots. We found that the two native nurse shrubs recruit their own offspring, but do not act as establishment nodes for other species. Morella faya recruited even fewer seedlings than native shrubs. Thus, outplanting will be necessary to increase abundance and diversity of native woody species. Outplant survival was the highest under shrubs compared to away from them with few differences between nurse species. The worst habitat for native seedling survival and growth was within the unmanaged invasive grass matrix. Although the two native nurse species did not differentially affect outplant survival, D. viscosa is the most widespread and easily propagated and is thus more likely to be useful as an initial nurse species. The outplanted species showed variable responses to nurse habitats that we attribute to resource requirements resulting from their typical successional stage and nitrogen fixation capability.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.