Abstract
Restoration in dryland ecosystems often has poor success due to low and variable water availability, degraded soil conditions, and slow plant community recovery rates. Restoration treatments can mitigate these constraints but, because treatments and subsequent monitoring are typically limited in space and time, our understanding of their applicability across broader environmental gradients remains limited. To address this limitation, we implemented and monitored a standardized set of seeding and soil surface treatments (pits, mulch, and ConMod artificial nurse plants) designed to enhance soil moisture and seedling establishment across RestoreNet, a growing network of 21 diverse dryland restoration sites in the southwestern USA over 3 years. Generally, we found that the timing of precipitation relative to seeding and the use of soil surface treatments were more important in determining seeded species emergence, survival, and growth than site-specific characteristics. Using soil surface treatments in tandem with seeding promoted up to 3× greater seedling emergence densities compared with seeding alone. The positive effect of soil surface treatments became more prominent with increased cumulative precipitation since seeding. The seed mix type with species currently found within or near a site and adapted to the historical climate promoted greater seedling emergence densities compared with the seed mix type with species from warmer, drier conditions expected to perform well under climate change. Seed mix and soil surface treatments had a diminishing effect as plants developed beyond the first season of establishment. However, we found strong effects of the initial period seeded and of the precipitation leading up to each monitoring date on seedling survival over time, especially for annual and perennial forbs. The presence of exotic species exerted a negative influence on seedling survival and growth, but not initial emergence. Our findings suggest that seeded species recruitment across drylands can generally be promoted, regardless of location, by (1) incorporation of soil surface treatments, (2) employment of near-term seasonal climate forecasts, (3) suppression of exotic species, and (4) seeding at multiple times. Taken together, these results point to a multifaceted approach to ameliorate harsh environmental conditions for improved seeding success in drylands, both now and under expected aridification.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e2834 |
| Pages (from-to) | e2834 |
| Journal | Ecological Applications |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2023 |
Funding
This research was co‐produced with staff from the Canyonlands Research Center, Tonto National Forest, McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, the Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center, Antelope Valley Resource Conservation District, 29 Palms Inn, BLM Arizona/Utah/Colorado, Babbitt Ranches, Bar T Bar Ranch, Flying M Ranch, Tolani Lake Enterprises, Montezuma Well National Monument, Petrified Forest National Park, Jornada Experimental Range, Borderlands Restoration Network, Scottsdale Community College, Lake Pleasant Regional Park (Bureau of Reclamation and Maricopa County Parks), and Borderlands Restoration Network. The research was supported by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest (RAMPS) within the Ecosystems Mission Area. We thank Charles Yackulic for helpful advice on statistical analyses, and our many collaborators and technicians for their help in the field with site installation and monitoring, including: Kathleen Balazs, Austin Rueda, Lia Melis, James Donnelly, Dustin Lord, Sneha Vissa, Marci Caballero‐Reynolds, Mary Fastiggi, Robert Madera, Hannah Haines, Steve Jones, the McDowell Preserve Stewards, Cara Lauria, Jasmine Anenberg, Grayson Carlisle, Emily Brooke, Jenny Shostrand, Albert Kline, Trace Martyn, Sierra Lauman, Sunny Saroa, Jenna Braun, Clarissa Rodriguez, Meg Kargul, Amberly Barry, David Hooper, and Andrew Cox. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the United States Government. This research was co-produced with staff from the Canyonlands Research Center, Tonto National Forest, McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, the Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center, Antelope Valley Resource Conservation District, 29 Palms Inn, BLM Arizona/Utah/Colorado, Babbitt Ranches, Bar T Bar Ranch, Flying M Ranch, Tolani Lake Enterprises, Montezuma Well National Monument, Petrified Forest National Park, Jornada Experimental Range, Borderlands Restoration Network, Scottsdale Community College, Lake Pleasant Regional Park (Bureau of Reclamation and Maricopa County Parks), and Borderlands Restoration Network. The research was supported by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest (RAMPS) within the Ecosystems Mission Area. We thank Charles Yackulic for helpful advice on statistical analyses, and our many collaborators and technicians for their help in the field with site installation and monitoring, including: Kathleen Balazs, Austin Rueda, Lia Melis, James Donnelly, Dustin Lord, Sneha Vissa, Marci Caballero-Reynolds, Mary Fastiggi, Robert Madera, Hannah Haines, Steve Jones, the McDowell Preserve Stewards, Cara Lauria, Jasmine Anenberg, Grayson Carlisle, Emily Brooke, Jenny Shostrand, Albert Kline, Trace Martyn, Sierra Lauman, Sunny Saroa, Jenna Braun, Clarissa Rodriguez, Meg Kargul, Amberly Barry, David Hooper, and Andrew Cox. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the United States Government.
| Funders |
|---|
| McDowell Sonoran Conservancy |
| United States Government Publishing Office |
Keywords
- arid and semiarid ecosystems
- desert
- disturbance
- drought
- nonnative invasive species
- plant recovery
- seeding
- seedling establishment
- site characteristics
- vegetation management
- Seeds
- Plants
- Seedlings
- Ecosystem
- Soil
