View in EDS

Seeding in single species aggregations promotes evenness of diverse shrub species in Banksia woodlands in the first year of growth.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Seeding in single species aggregations promotes evenness of diverse shrub species in Banksia woodlands in the first year of growth.
Authors: Svejcar, Lauren N.1,2 (AUTHOR) laurensvejcar@gmail.com, Miller, Ben P.3,4 (AUTHOR), Stevens, Jason C.3,4 (AUTHOR), Standish, Rachel J.2 (AUTHOR)
Source: Restoration Ecology. May2026, Vol. 34 Issue 4, p1-10. 10p.
Subjects: Restoration ecology, Vegetation patterns, Plant diversity, Seed viability, Forests & forestry, Competition (Biology)
Abstract: Introduction: Species interactions are an overlooked yet important determinant of plant community assembly in ecological restoration. Specifically, they may determine species that are helped or hindered by neighboring plants during community assembly. Evidence suggests that intraspecific aggregation in combination with interspecific segregation may improve diversity outcomes in restoration owing to facilitation among individuals of the same species and reduced competition among individuals of different species. Objectives: To quantify the effect of plant aggregations in the first year of Banksia woodland restoration, we planted seeds of six common woody shrub species in three spatial patterns: single species aggregated, mixed species aggregated, and mixed species dispersed plantings. Methods: Seedling emergence was monitored and survival was measured monthly through seedling establishment. These data were used to infer strength and direction of intraspecific and interspecific interactions in relation to spatial patterns of planting. Results: Four of the six species demonstrated higher survival in single‐species aggregated plantings relative to mixed‐species dispersed plantings (p < 0.05), while survival of a fifth was higher in mixed‐species dispersed plantings than either aggregated planting arrangements (p < 0.01). At the plot level (1 m2), single‐species aggregated plantings had greater community evenness than either mixed‐species aggregated (p = 0.02) or mixed‐species dispersed (p < 0.01) planting treatments. Conclusion: Our results support the notion of intraspecific aggregation and interspecific segregation promoting species evenness in the first year of restoration for a mesic high plant diversity ecosystem. Conceptual Implications: Creating single species aggregated plantings demonstrates positive initial survival for some species, such as Allocasuarina fraseriana, in post‐sand mining areas of Banksia Woodlands. Aggregated plantings demonstrated an overall positive impact on the evenness of species in restoration plantings at a post‐sand mine site after the first year of growth, and suggest merit in research exploring practical methods (e.g., precision seeding) for imposing species‐specific aggregated plantings. Results from this study demonstrate the value of pursuing longer term and larger scale studies evaluating the effect of plant aggregations in restoration efforts, and determining their efficacy in improving biodiversity outcomes for restoration across diverse ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Restoration Ecology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Engineering Source
Description
Abstract:Introduction: Species interactions are an overlooked yet important determinant of plant community assembly in ecological restoration. Specifically, they may determine species that are helped or hindered by neighboring plants during community assembly. Evidence suggests that intraspecific aggregation in combination with interspecific segregation may improve diversity outcomes in restoration owing to facilitation among individuals of the same species and reduced competition among individuals of different species. Objectives: To quantify the effect of plant aggregations in the first year of Banksia woodland restoration, we planted seeds of six common woody shrub species in three spatial patterns: single species aggregated, mixed species aggregated, and mixed species dispersed plantings. Methods: Seedling emergence was monitored and survival was measured monthly through seedling establishment. These data were used to infer strength and direction of intraspecific and interspecific interactions in relation to spatial patterns of planting. Results: Four of the six species demonstrated higher survival in single‐species aggregated plantings relative to mixed‐species dispersed plantings (p < 0.05), while survival of a fifth was higher in mixed‐species dispersed plantings than either aggregated planting arrangements (p < 0.01). At the plot level (1 m2), single‐species aggregated plantings had greater community evenness than either mixed‐species aggregated (p = 0.02) or mixed‐species dispersed (p < 0.01) planting treatments. Conclusion: Our results support the notion of intraspecific aggregation and interspecific segregation promoting species evenness in the first year of restoration for a mesic high plant diversity ecosystem. Conceptual Implications: Creating single species aggregated plantings demonstrates positive initial survival for some species, such as Allocasuarina fraseriana, in post‐sand mining areas of Banksia Woodlands. Aggregated plantings demonstrated an overall positive impact on the evenness of species in restoration plantings at a post‐sand mine site after the first year of growth, and suggest merit in research exploring practical methods (e.g., precision seeding) for imposing species‐specific aggregated plantings. Results from this study demonstrate the value of pursuing longer term and larger scale studies evaluating the effect of plant aggregations in restoration efforts, and determining their efficacy in improving biodiversity outcomes for restoration across diverse ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:10612971
DOI:10.1111/rec.70320