Are we restoring functional fens? - The outcomes of restoration projects in fens re-analysed with plant functional traits.

ABSTRACT: In peatland restoration we often lack an information whether re-established ecosystems are functionally similar to non-degraded ones. We re-analysed the long-term outcomes of restoration on vegetation and plant functional traits in 38 European fens restored by rewetting (18 sites) and topsoil removal (20 sites). We used traits related to nutrient acquisition strategies, competitiveness, seed traits, and used single- and multi-trait metrics. A separate set of vegetation records from near-natural fens with diverse plant communities was used to generate reference values to aid the comparisons. We found that both restoration methods enhanced the similarity of species composition to non-degraded systems but trait analysis revealed differences between the two approaches. Traits linked to nutrien

SUBMITTER: Klimkowska A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6481837 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature