The use and abuse of keystone plant species in restoration practices of terrestrial ecosystems

Keystone plant species are commonly used for restoring degraded terrestrial sites because, despite being encountered in low abundances in natural communities, they interact with multiple species across multiple niche dimensions. Nevertheless, the demographic characteristics of these “great interacto...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inRestoration ecology Vol. 32; no. 1
Main Authors Ballarin, Caio S., Amorim, Felipe W., Watson, David M., Fontúrbel, Francisco E.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Malden, USA Wiley Periodicals, Inc 01.01.2024
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Subjects
animals
asymmetrical relationships
density‐dependence
ecological restoration
Food chains
Food webs
Keystone species
multitrophic interactions
overabundance
Plant species
Plants
reproduction
Restoration
Survival
Sympatric populations
sympatry
Terrestrial ecosystems
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Keystone plant species are commonly used for restoring degraded terrestrial sites because, despite being encountered in low abundances in natural communities, they interact with multiple species across multiple niche dimensions. Nevertheless, the demographic characteristics of these “great interactors” are often disregarded in restoration planning, which may bring unintended consequences for restoration trajectories once the outcome of species relationships interplays between positive and negative effects depending on the density of interacting species. Therefore, while replanting keystone species at their characteristically low densities may re‐entangle food webs and allow novel plant and animal recruitment, restoring them at high densities can assemble asymmetrical relationships strong enough to affect sympatric plant species establishment, survival, and reproduction. Here, we explore the negative consequences of overusing keystone plant species in sites undergoing restoration and provide specific guidelines for practitioners to maximize the benefits of keystone plants in restoration initiatives.
Bibliography:Author contributions: CSB conceived the idea; CSB, FEF designed the study; all authors discussed, wrote, and edited the manuscript.
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
content type line 23
ISSN:1061-2971
1526-100X
DOI:10.1111/rec.14030