Article (Scientific journals)
Specialist plant species harbour higher reproductive performances in recently restored calcareous grasslands than in reference habitats
Harzé, Mélanie; Mahy, Grégory; Bizoux, Jean-Philippe et al.
2015In Plant Ecology and Evolution, 148 (2)
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Keywords :
Plant population; specialist; fitness; reproductive success; ecological restoration; ecological resilience; calcareous grassland
Abstract :
[en] Background and aims_Calcareous grasslands are local biodiversity hotspots in temperate regions that suffered intensive fragmentation. Ecological restoration projects took place all over Europe. Their success has traditionally been assessed using a plant community approach. However, population ecology can also be useful to assess restoration success and to understand underlying mechanisms. Methods_We took advantage of three calcareous grassland sites in Southern Belgium, where reference parcels coexist with parcels restored in the late twentieth century and with more recently restored parcels. We evaluated the colonization stage of three specialist species (Sanguisorba minor, Potentilla neumanniana and Hippocrepis comosa) using occurrence data. We also measured the reproductive traits of 120 individuals per species and compared components of fitness between recent restorations, old restorations and reference habitats. Key results_We found that the occurrence of H. comosa was similar in the different restoration classes, whereas both P. neumanniana and S. minor occurrences decreased from reference grasslands to recent restorations. In contrast, these two latter species exhibited a much higher reproductive output in recent restorations, thanks to an increased production of flowers and seeds. Conclusions_Our results suggest that, during colonization of recently restored calcareous grasslands, favourable environmental conditions, low competition and sufficient genetic mixing may lead to an increased fitness of individuals and a faster population growth than in the reference habitat. These results demonstrate how population processes can increase ecological resilience and highlight the interest of a population-based approach to assess the success of ecological restoration.
Disciplines :
Environmental sciences & ecology
Author, co-author :
Harzé, Mélanie ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Forêts, Nature et Paysage > Biodiversité et Paysage
Mahy, Grégory ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Forêts, Nature et Paysage > Biodiversité et Paysage
Bizoux, Jean-Philippe ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Forêts, Nature et Paysage > Biodiversité et Paysage
Piqueray, Julien
Monty, Arnaud ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Forêts, Nature et Paysage > Biodiversité et Paysage
Language :
English
Title :
Specialist plant species harbour higher reproductive performances in recently restored calcareous grasslands than in reference habitats
Publication date :
2015
Journal title :
Plant Ecology and Evolution
ISSN :
2032-3913
eISSN :
2032-3921
Publisher :
Royal Botanical Society of Belgium, Bruxelles, Belgium
Volume :
148
Issue :
2
Peer reviewed :
Peer reviewed
Available on ORBi :
since 21 April 2015

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