Predicting the establishment success of introduced target species in grassland restoration by functional traits.

ABSTRACT: Species-rich semi-natural grasslands are highly endangered habitats in Central Europe and numerous restoration efforts have been made to compensate for the losses in the last decades. However, some plant species could become more easily established than others. The establishment success of 37 species was analyzed over 6 years at two study sites of a restoration project in Germany where hay transfer and sowing of threshing material in combination with additional sowing were applied. The effects of the restoration method applied, time since the restoration took place, traits related to germination, dispersal, and reproduction, and combinations of these traits on the establishment were analyzed. While the specific restoration method of how seeds were transferred played a subordinate role, the

SUBMITTER: Engst K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5606862 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature