Restoration Ecology 2025 Course Overview

Course Overview: Restoration Ecology 2025

• The course includes plant ecology and nature conservation (PEN).
• Also includes aquatic ecology and water management (AEW).
• Finally, forest ecology & management (FEM) is included.
• Lecture 1 focuses on the course outline and an introduction to restoration ecology.
• Lecture 2 discusses biogeochemical thresholds in restoration with a focus on acidification.
• There will be a short lecture introduction for case-study work.
• There is a dedicated intro to cases session from 14:00-17:10.
• Groups A1-14 will be in B3031+B3032 for the intro to cases session.
• Groups B15-28 will be in B1032 for the intro to cases session.
• Self-study involves papers 1 & 2 with questions to answer on Brightspace.
• The course outline includes soil processes in heathlands and wet grasslands.
• Disturbance dynamics in riparian grasslands are part of the course.
• Study parallel states in aquatic systems like shallow lakes
• Species interactions via tropical forest regeneration is studied.
• Biodiversity and ecosystem services in agroecosystems are part of the course.
• Teaching methods include 16 lectures that provide a theoretical framework.
• Twelve papers with self-study questions are used to support theory lectures.
• There are five guest lectures which illustrate restoration & theory.
• Three excursions illustrate restoration in practice.
• The course involves group work including six case studies and three tutorials for applying knowledge.
• There is one written open-book exam to assess cases and apply the theoretical framework.
• Course information, lectures, self-study papers, case-studies, tutorials, excursions, and background info are available on Brightspace.
• Group work comprises 50% of the final grade, requiring a passing grade of 5.5 and involves analyzing five case studies and writing a report.
• In the group portion, presenting one case study during a mini-symposium is required.
• Individual work is 50% of the final grade, requiring a passing grade of 5.5 based on all course content except guest lectures and excursions.
• The open book exam is on Friday 7 March from 08:30-11:30.

Exam Details

• Ans (BYOD) requires a laptop.
• Materials like Brightspace content, lecture notes, books, and papers are allowed.
• Questions on the exam will be case-like
• The exam focuses on interpeting information, and applying knowledge from lectures, cases, tutorials, & self-study papers.
• Active participation in tutorial and case questions increases the chance of passing.

Restoration Ecology Defined

• Restoration is defined as assisting the recovery of a degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystem.
• The Society of Ecological Restoration (SER) provides restoration guidance.
• Ecological restoration aims to recover the structure, biodiversity, and function of degraded ecosystems.

Ecosystems and Threats

• Ecosystems face threats from agriculture, industry, and logging.
• Human modification has significantly altered terrestrial lands worldwide.
• Tropical forest loss is increasing.
• Extinction rates are rising, with the grey bar showing the natural extinction rate without human interference.
• Ecosystem services include provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting benefits.

Restoration Initiatives

• The United Nations has declared 2021-2030 as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
• The Nature Restoration Law in EU (18 August 2024) mandates restoring at least 20% of the EU's land and sea areas by 2030.

Ecosystem Change: Linear vs. Non-Linear

• Linear ecosystem change involves successional stages over time.
• Linear response to restoration involves continuous states and a gradual response to disturbance.
• Non-linear ecosystem change involves sudden shifts, as seen with the vegetation Sahara.
• Non-linear responses to restoration involve thresholds and discrete states with resilient responses followed by big changes.

Thresholds in Restoration

• An example of a threshold in restoration is when cottages, roads, and exotic species are removed to restore a forest.
• The Sørenson Coefficient of Similarity (SCS) measures species composition restoration.
• SCS 1 means 100% similar species composition is restored vs reference.
• Thresholds in restoring species include biotic and abiotic factors.
• Biotic factors include species interactions (competition, predation, facilitation).
• Biotic factors include landscape features (colonization, area size, habitat match).
• Abiotic factors include resource availability and non-resource factors like microclimate.

Landscape Ecology

• Landscape: multi-habitat use involves foraging, shelter, reproduction & orientation.
• Increasing compositional heterogeneity by differing landscapes.
• Environmental spatial heterogeneity influences species richness.
• Species with broad niche width are more likely to increase than those with a narrow niche.

Restoration Thresholds and Systematic Approach

• Biotic thresholds are reached, transitioning from fully functional to non-functional states.
• A systematic approach is needed and target is set when doing restoration (reference situation, historical, potential).
• A historical reference for restoration involves restoring previous vegetation.
• A historical reference has an advantage of likelihood that the species fits in the landscape.
• A historical reference has a disadvantage of needing a lot of effor tot change a current situation.
• Current conditions can be a method for restoration by seeing what it possible.
• With current conditions, the advatage is this restoration method is cheaper.
• With current conditions, the disadvantage is there are less species rich.

Restoration Factors

• Restoration (why?) is to ensure ecosystem services, and for instrisinc value
• Restoration (to what?) can include wilderness (natural processes) or arcadia (seminatural landscape)
• When using a systematic approach, choose a target, mechanism, thresholds, landscapes, and source population.
• If there's no rest population near you, see if target species can colonize the target location. If not improve connecticvity
• Reintroduction strategies: ethical considerations, biotic compatibility and is the environment is correct
• When reintroducing seeds, use a large population because of higher genetic variation.
• Re-introduction needs to focus on local adaptation
• Reintegration may need to be local or a mix of large populations.
• Approach restoration with intervention, legislation, and communication.
• Ensure chance sustainable restoration with good N deposition with the current land use

Continuum of Interventions

• Interventions in restoration range from unassisted (natural) to intensively assisted recovery.
• An example is reintroduced bison grazing in restored tallgrass prairie (USA).
• An example is topsoil inversion in UK.
• Unassisted restoration may take many years to reach full recovery.
• Communication and stakeholder engagement are crucial.

Systematic Approach to Restoration

• Choose target
• What are the mechanisms?
• Are there biotic or abiotic thresholds?
• Is the configuration of the landscape correct?
• Where is the source population?
• What approach for for restoration is best?
• What can we do for sustainable restoration?
• Current / follow up management?
• Is the monitoring correct?

Incorrect Management and Reintroduction

• Pimpernelblauwtje (Scarce large blue) and Donker pimpernelblauwtje (Dusky large blue) are extinct in NL since 1970.
• This can be due to bottlenecks like a lack of ant populations and the correct flowering host plant.
• This can be due to incorrect management.