Trait-based approaches for guiding the restoration of degraded agricultural landscapes in East Africa

• Published in: The Journal of applied ecology Vol. 55; no. 1; pp. 59 - 68
• Main Authors: Lohbeck, Madelon, Winowiecki, Leigh, Aynekulu, Ermias, Okia, Clement, Vågen, Tor-Gunnar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford John Wiley & Sons Ltd 01.01.2018; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: aboveground biomass; Agricultural ecosystems; Agricultural land; Agriculture; agroecology; agroforestry; Biodegradation; Biodiversity; Biomass; Ecological function; Ecology; Ecosystem services; Ecosystems; erosion; Erosion control; Erosion mechanisms; Ethiopia; Farmers; functional diversity; functional properties; functional traits; Health; Introduced species; Invasive species; inventories; Kenya; Land degradation; Land use; Landscape; landscapes; livelihood; monitoring; Multiscale analysis; Nonnative species; Organic carbon; Plant diversity; Plant species; population characteristics; Service restoration; Soil erosion; soil health; soil organic carbon; soil quality; Special Feature: Functional traits in agroecology; Species diversity; Topsoil; trees; Uganda; Vegetation; Vegetation cover; Woody plants; East Africa; Kenya; Uganda; Ethiopia

1. Functional ecology provides a framework that can link vegetation characteristics of various land uses with ecosystem function. However, this application has been mostly limited to [semi-]natural systems and small spatial scales. Here, we apply functional ecology to five agricultural landscapes in...