Abiotic and biotic responses to woody debris additions in restored old fields in a multi-site Before-After-Control-Impact experiment.

ABSTRACT: Ecological restoration of former agricultural land can improve soil conditions, recover native vegetation, and provide fauna habitat. However, restoration benefits are often associated with time lags, as many attributes, such as leaf litter and coarse woody debris, need time to accumulate. Here, we experimentally tested whether adding mulch and logs to restoration sites in semi-arid Western Australia can accelerate restoration benefits. All sites had been cropped and then planted with native trees and shrubs (i.e., Eucalyptus, Melaleuca, and Acacia spp.) 10 years prior to our experiment, to re-establish the original temperate eucalypt woodland vegetation community. We used a Multi-site Before-After-Control-Impact (MBACI) design to test the effects on 30 abiotic and bio

SUBMITTER: Parkhurst T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9251846 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature