Restoration of biogeomorphic systems by creating windows of opportunity to support natural establishment processes.

ABSTRACT: In degraded landscapes, recolonization by pioneer vegetation is often halted by the presence of persistent environmental stress. When natural expansion does occur, it is commonly due to the momentary alleviation of a key environmental variable previously limiting new growth. Thus, studying the circumstances in which expansion occurs can inspire new restoration techniques, wherein vegetation establishment is provoked by emulating natural events through artificial means. Using the salt-marsh pioneer zone on tidal flats as a biogeomorphic model system, we explore how locally raised sediment bed forms, which are the result of natural (bio)geomorphic processes, enhance seedling establishment in an observational study. We then conduct a manipulative experiment designed to emulate these facilitat

SUBMITTER: Fivash GS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8365657 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature