Botkin7e Lecture PPT Ch10
Botkin7e Lecture PPT Ch10
Botkin7e Lecture PPT Ch10
Restoration Ecology
New field of restoration ecology developed w/in the science of ecology.
Goal = return damaged ecosystems to some set of conditions considered functional, sustainable and natural.
Restore to what?
Balance of Nature
Predominant belief that left undisturbed an ecosystem would achieve a single condition that would persist indefinitely. Major tenets of this belief
1. Nature undisturbed achieves a permanency of form and structure that persists indefinitely 2. If it is disturbed and the disturbing force removed, nature returns to exactly the same permanent state. 3. In this permanent state of nature, there is a great chain of being with a place for each creature.
Balance of Nature
Twentieth century ecologist formalized the belief in the balance of nature
Climate state steady-state stage that would persist indefinitely
Maximum biological diversity Maximum storage of chemical element Maximum biological diversity
Balance of Nature
Since the second half of the 20th century ecologist have learned that nature is not constant.
All ecosystems undergo change Species adapted to and need change
Goals of Restoration
Frequently accepted that restoration means restoring an ecosystem to its historical range of variation and to an ability to sustain itself and its crucial functions
Cycling of chemical elements The flow of energy Maintenance of biological diversity
Goals of Restoration
Science tells us what nature has been and what it could be. Our values determine what we want nature to be.
There is no single perfect condition.
Prairie Restoration
Prairie once occupied more land in US than any other kind of ecosystem.
Only a few remnants remain Land converted to agriculture
Prairie Restoration
Area along road ways not plowed
Narrow strips of native prairie remain In Iowa 242,000 hectares of prairie along roadways Reservoir for native plants Used as send sources for other restoration projects
Secondary succession
Reestablishment of an ecosystem following disturbance
Examples of primary succession after a lava flow and at the edge of a receding glacier.
Patterns of Succession
When succession occurs it follows certain general patterns.
Three examples include dunes, bog and abandoned farm field
Dune Succession
Sand dunes continually formed along sandy shores.
Then breached and destroyed by storms
Dune Succession
Plants of early succession tend to be
Small, grow well in bright light, and withstand harshness of environment
Bog Succession
A bog is an open body of water with surface inlets but no surface outlets. Succession begins with
Sedge puts out floating runners Wind blows particles into the mat of runners Seeds that land on top dont sink in the water and can germinate Mat becomes thicker and shrubs and trees can grow
Bog Succession
The bog also fills in from the bottom
The the shoreward end floating mat and sediment will meet, forming a solid surface. Farther from shore all the vegetation is still floating
Old-Field Succession
A great deal of land cleared for farming in the 18th and 19th centuries
That land now allowed to go back to forest
Succession
The first plants to enter the farm land are small plants adapted to harsh and variable conditions. After they are established larger plants move in.
2. A second stage with plants still of small statute, rapidly growing, with seeds that spread rapidly.
Similar patterns seen with animals and other life-forms at each stage.
Species characteristic of early stage are called pioneers Late-successional species tend to be slowergrowing and longer-lived
In middle stages
Gross production increase and net production decrease Organic material in soil increases, as does chemical element storage
Soils store large quantities of c.e. but not as readily available as those in living organisms.
Facilitation
In the dune and bog the facilitators are the dune grass and floating sedge, respectively.
They prepare the way for other species
Interference
Certain early species interfere w/ the entrance of other species.
Grasses may form dense mats blocking other seeds from germinating. Breaks in the mat allow other to be established
Late-successional species seeds take longer to travel and seedlings can tolerate shade.
Chronic Patchiness
Common in deserts
Major shrub species grow in patches Patch persist for long period of time until next disturbance.
Life tends to build up, aggrade Non-biological processes tend to erode or degrade.
In harsh environments degrading dominates and succession does not occur.