The nature and extent of environmental disturbance associated with mining commonly entails completely new and challenging combinations of climate,lithology and landform.Consequently,the outcomes of ecological processe...The nature and extent of environmental disturbance associated with mining commonly entails completely new and challenging combinations of climate,lithology and landform.Consequently,the outcomes of ecological processes associated with the recovery or restoration of ecosystems cannot be predicted reliably from previously known associations between their physical and biological components.For radically disturbed sites,we propose that it is not practicable to aim for the restoration of historical ecosystems.However,hybrid(reversibly different)or novel(irreversibly different)ecosystems comprising new combinations of physical and biological components,including both native and non-native species,could provide levels of stability and functionality acceptable to all stakeholders and within feasible management regimes.We propose that limiting physical conditions of the landscape can be identified and managed,and that alternative species combinations for introduction to these new landscapes may be considered with cautious optimism.展开更多
Stemming from a special symposium at the 2012 inaugural meeting of the Society for Ecological Restoration Australasia in Perth,Western Australia,this special issue editorial addresses novel ecosystems in ecological re...Stemming from a special symposium at the 2012 inaugural meeting of the Society for Ecological Restoration Australasia in Perth,Western Australia,this special issue editorial addresses novel ecosystems in ecological restoration and the inherent challenges of maintaining the highest standards of environmental stewardship and biological conservation in the face of increasing urbanization,agricultural expansion,and industrialization.Echoing others,we(the vip Editors)view novel ecosystems as offering opportunities for conservation and restoration in the coming years and a pragmatic recognition that it may not always be possible,or desirable,to overcome adverse consequences of environmental degradation to reinstate historical systems.Being mindful of hubris and taking into account difficulties with identification,novel ecosystems may be viewed as a temporary or interim stage on the way towards the evolution of other future ecosystems able to supply a variety of ecosystem services,while attempting to maintain and enhance biodiversity,function and resilience.Here,a concise summary of contributions to the special issue and their significance to the field of restoration ecology is provided noting that authors were tasked to answer whether novel ecosystems are innovative planning or lowering the bar in ecological restoration.Core themes shared by the manuscripts are elucidated leading to guiding principles and,more importantly,an assessment of how and why restoration priorities are changing in the 21^(st)century.展开更多
Introduction:This study depicts broad-scale revegetation patterns following sand mining on North Stradbroke Island,south-eastern Queensland,Australia.Methods:Based on an ecological timeline spanning 4–20 years post-r...Introduction:This study depicts broad-scale revegetation patterns following sand mining on North Stradbroke Island,south-eastern Queensland,Australia.Methods:Based on an ecological timeline spanning 4–20 years post-rehabilitation,the structure of these ecosystems(n=146)was assessed by distinguishing between periods of‘older’(pre-1995)and‘younger’(post-1995)rehabilitation practices.Results:The general rehabilitation outlook appeared promising,whereby an adequate forest composition and suitable levels of native biodiversity(consisting of mixed-eucalypt communities)were achieved across the majority of rehabilitated sites over a relatively short time.Still,older sites(n=36)appeared to deviate relative to natural analogues as indicated by their lack of under-storey heath and simplified canopy composition now characterised by mono-dominant black sheoak(Allocasuarina littoralis)reaching up to 60%of the total tree density.These changes coincided with lower soil fertility parameters(e.g.,total carbon,total nitrogen,and nutrient holding capacity)leading us to believe that altered growth conditions associated with the initial mining disturbance could have facilitated an opportunistic colonisation by this species.Once established,it is suspected that the black sheoak’s above/belowground ecological behaviour(i.e.,relating to its leaf-litter allelopathy and potential for soil-nitrogen fixation)further exacerbated its mono-dominant distribution by inhibiting the development of other native species.Conclusions:Although rehabilitation techniques on-site have undergone refinements to improve site management,our findings support that putative changes in edaphic conditions in combination with the competitive characteristics of some plant species can facilitate conditions leading to alternative ecological outcomes among rehabilitated ecosystems.Based on these outcomes,future studies would benefit from in depth spatio-temporal analyses to verify these mechanisms at finer investigative scales.展开更多
基金the two anonymous reviewers and vip-Editor(M Perring)for their beneficial commentary which contributed highly to improving this manuscript for publication.Special thanks are also extended to M Perring and RJ Hobbs for providing early access to the compilation book Novel ecosystems:Intervening in the new ecological world order by RJ Hobbs,ES Higgs and CM Hall(eds).This study was made possible by funding to P.Audet from The University of Queensland and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council(NSERC)of Canada.
文摘The nature and extent of environmental disturbance associated with mining commonly entails completely new and challenging combinations of climate,lithology and landform.Consequently,the outcomes of ecological processes associated with the recovery or restoration of ecosystems cannot be predicted reliably from previously known associations between their physical and biological components.For radically disturbed sites,we propose that it is not practicable to aim for the restoration of historical ecosystems.However,hybrid(reversibly different)or novel(irreversibly different)ecosystems comprising new combinations of physical and biological components,including both native and non-native species,could provide levels of stability and functionality acceptable to all stakeholders and within feasible management regimes.We propose that limiting physical conditions of the landscape can be identified and managed,and that alternative species combinations for introduction to these new landscapes may be considered with cautious optimism.
文摘Stemming from a special symposium at the 2012 inaugural meeting of the Society for Ecological Restoration Australasia in Perth,Western Australia,this special issue editorial addresses novel ecosystems in ecological restoration and the inherent challenges of maintaining the highest standards of environmental stewardship and biological conservation in the face of increasing urbanization,agricultural expansion,and industrialization.Echoing others,we(the vip Editors)view novel ecosystems as offering opportunities for conservation and restoration in the coming years and a pragmatic recognition that it may not always be possible,or desirable,to overcome adverse consequences of environmental degradation to reinstate historical systems.Being mindful of hubris and taking into account difficulties with identification,novel ecosystems may be viewed as a temporary or interim stage on the way towards the evolution of other future ecosystems able to supply a variety of ecosystem services,while attempting to maintain and enhance biodiversity,function and resilience.Here,a concise summary of contributions to the special issue and their significance to the field of restoration ecology is provided noting that authors were tasked to answer whether novel ecosystems are innovative planning or lowering the bar in ecological restoration.Core themes shared by the manuscripts are elucidated leading to guiding principles and,more importantly,an assessment of how and why restoration priorities are changing in the 21^(st)century.
基金the traditional landowners of North Stradbroke Island(Minjerribah),the Quandamooka People.We also thank the special-issue vip editor(Michael Perring)and three anonymous reviewers for their insightful commentary,as well as past/present staff at North Stradbroke Island’s operations of Sibelco Australia Ltd.for their active cooperation within the project.This study was made possible through funding from Sibelco(previously Consolidated Rutile Ltd.),the Sustainable Minerals Institute,and the Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation.Further independent financial support was awarded to PA from the University of Queensland as well as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council(NSERC-CRSNG)of Canada.
文摘Introduction:This study depicts broad-scale revegetation patterns following sand mining on North Stradbroke Island,south-eastern Queensland,Australia.Methods:Based on an ecological timeline spanning 4–20 years post-rehabilitation,the structure of these ecosystems(n=146)was assessed by distinguishing between periods of‘older’(pre-1995)and‘younger’(post-1995)rehabilitation practices.Results:The general rehabilitation outlook appeared promising,whereby an adequate forest composition and suitable levels of native biodiversity(consisting of mixed-eucalypt communities)were achieved across the majority of rehabilitated sites over a relatively short time.Still,older sites(n=36)appeared to deviate relative to natural analogues as indicated by their lack of under-storey heath and simplified canopy composition now characterised by mono-dominant black sheoak(Allocasuarina littoralis)reaching up to 60%of the total tree density.These changes coincided with lower soil fertility parameters(e.g.,total carbon,total nitrogen,and nutrient holding capacity)leading us to believe that altered growth conditions associated with the initial mining disturbance could have facilitated an opportunistic colonisation by this species.Once established,it is suspected that the black sheoak’s above/belowground ecological behaviour(i.e.,relating to its leaf-litter allelopathy and potential for soil-nitrogen fixation)further exacerbated its mono-dominant distribution by inhibiting the development of other native species.Conclusions:Although rehabilitation techniques on-site have undergone refinements to improve site management,our findings support that putative changes in edaphic conditions in combination with the competitive characteristics of some plant species can facilitate conditions leading to alternative ecological outcomes among rehabilitated ecosystems.Based on these outcomes,future studies would benefit from in depth spatio-temporal analyses to verify these mechanisms at finer investigative scales.
