Download - Unpacking net interactions for restoration & management

Unpacking net interactions within communities to inform restoration & management.

@cjlortie #unpackingecology

plant communities can be very well packed

some systems even more tightly packed with basal anchors

particularly in severe environments

important for many organisms in these systems

arthropods

pollinators

small mammals

lizards

subordinate plant species

unpacking interactions

unpacking interactions = the directions

more broadly, community ecology has evolved

to incorporate more diverse sets of interactionsSotomayor & Lortie 2014

for instance, indirect interactionsSotomayor & Lortie 2014

integrated community concept

1000 studies on plant facilitation

4000 studies on plant competition

but the real evolution

integrated community concept

The sum of all direct and indirect, positive and negative influences which change in a non-proportional manner

along productivity gradients.

net interactions

keystone

module

non-keystone

module

+ -

diversity

predator

H L

use dominant plants in dryland ecosystemsFilazzola & Lortie 2014

many mechanistic pathways, many interactors

Filazzola & Lortie 2014

studied globallyFilazzola & Lortie 2014

but not to unpack interactions nor examine restoration & management

directindirect

+ -

restoration management

a

b

c

d

e

pollinators(5)

animals(20)

annuals(400)

seedbanks(25)

arthropods (5)

videosweeps

tracking/trapping exclosures

addition/removal surveys density series

addition/removal surveys seed traps

pan traps exclosures

experimentstool trophic unpacking indirect contrasts

Summing up evidence: one answer is not always enough.

Lau et al. 1998

progress to date

globally

globally

restoration & other trophic levels understudiedFilazzola & Lortie 2014

Filazzola & Lortie 2014

Gomez-Aparicio et al. 2004

yet there is every indication that dominants can facilitate restoration efforts in Mediterranean systems

Gomez-Aparicio 2009

yet there is also every indication that dominants can facilitate restoration in degraded ecosystems globally

Ruttan & Lortie 2014

restoration not just through abiotic amelioration butthrough consumer pressures as well

very novel opportunities to capitalize on existingdominants within ecosystems for management

progress to date

locally

directindirect

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a

b

c

d

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pollinators(5)

animals(20)

annuals(400)

seedbanks(25)

arthropods (5)

videosweeps






foundational research: map & describe effects.

Lortie et al. 2014 in prep

Panoche Hills Reserve Mojave National Preserve

N = 1000 topological gradient

soil moisture RDM

seedbank scat

Ephedra californica Larrea tridentata

N = 800 elevational gradient

soil moisture plants

seedbank


Ephedra californica at Panoche Hills Reserve

arthropods Spafford & Lortie 2013 Reid & Lortie 2012

arthropodsMolenda & Lortie 2012

arthropodsReid & Lortie 2012

differential & more rapid accumulation of species with dominants

arthropodsSpafford & Lortie 2013

different species with dominants

seeds Liczner & Lortie 2014 in prep

Kelso Dunes, Mojave

seeds 4 species

seeds

!

!Rii

Liczner & Lortie 2014 in prep

germination

50 % germination rate

seeds

Rii

Liczner & Lortie 2014 in prep

germination

!

!

annuals

shrub canopy removal to emulate human impacts on public lands

Michalet, Lortie et al 2014 in review

x

annualsMichalet, Lortie et al 2014 in review

next steps: entire shrub removal & addition track insects & animals

x

feeding trials with animal cams

animalsFilazzola, Liczner, Lamb, Westphal, & Lortie ongoing

animalsFilazzola, Liczner, Lamb, Westphal, & Lortie ongoing

pollinators Ruttan & Lortie 2014 in prep

pollinators Ruttan & Lortie 2014 in prep

magnet hypothesis

directindirect

+ -


a

b

c

d

e

pollinators(5)

animals(20)

annuals(400)

seedbanks(25)

arthropods (5)

videosweeps






implications

local management can trump global change effectsThebault, Lortie, et al. 2014

excellent opportunity here to merge simple facilitation ecology & restoration

many dryland systems are degraded or facing significant impacts

perhaps not to restore to former status but maintain appropriate contemporary function for biodiversity