TY - CHAP T1 - Applying soil ecological knowledge to restore ecosystem services T2 - Soil Ecology and Ecosystem Services Y1 - 2012 A1 - S.G. Baer A1 - Heneghan, L. A1 - Eviner, V. ED - Wall, D. KW - agriculture KW - Invasive species KW - mining; novel ecosystem KW - plant–soil feedback KW - restoration KW - soil ecological knowledge AB - Ecological restoration is human-facilitated improvement of a degraded environment. This chapter synthesizes the relevance of soil ecological knowledge to restoration along a continuum of ecosystem degradation and in the context of novel ecosystems. At one end of the continuum, mining can result in severe soil degradation and contamination with metals. Restoration of mined sites often focuses on decontamination, and success can be affected by soil heterogeneity, organic matter content, and refugia for soil biota that possess biodegradation pathways. Former agricultural sites can exhibit a wide range of soil and ecosystem legacies, with restoration goals ranging from simply reducing erosion with perennial plants to establishing a suite of historic ecosystem attributes and services through the re-introduction of many species. Although recovery of soil structure and function can coincide with plant establishment, knowledge of soil processes and plant–soil feedbacks have been applied to promote resource heterogeneity and plant diversity, and to reduce non-native species in restored agricultural systems. Even in relatively undisturbed sites with high legacy of native plants and soil, invasions of undesirable species may occur. Restoration of invaded systems may necessitate knowledge of how invaders impact resource availability and capture, as well as potentially complex multi-trophic interactions and feedbacks with soil. Last, restoration of novel ecosystems with new and self-sustaining assemblages of plant species in no-analog environments may require sophisticated consideration of biogeochemistry, plant population and community dynamics, and soil ecology to reintroduce and sustain native species long extirpated from local environments. JF - Soil Ecology and Ecosystem Services PB - Oxford University Press CY - Oxford, UK UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199575923.003.0032 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Integrating soil ecological knowledge into restoration management JF - Restoration Ecology Y1 - 2008 A1 - Heneghan, L. A1 - Miller, S. A1 - S.G. Baer A1 - Callaham, M.A. A1 - Montgomery, J. A1 - Rhoades, C.C. A1 - Richardson, S. A1 - Pauvo-Zuckerman, M. KW - ecosystem processes KW - feedbacks KW - Soil ecology AB -

The variability in the type of ecosystem degradation and the specificity of restoration goals can challenge restorationists’ ability to generalize about approaches that lead to restoration success. The discipline of soil ecology, which emphasizes both soil organisms and ecosystem processes, has generated a body of knowledge that can be generally useful in improving the outcomes of restoration despite this variability. Here, we propose that the usefulness of this soil ecological knowledge (SEK) for restoration is best considered in the context of the severity of the original perturbation, the goals of the project, and the resilience of the ecosystem to disturbance. A straightforward manipulation of single physical, chemical, or biological components of the soil system can be useful in the restoration of a site, especially when the restoration goal is loosely defined in terms of the species and processes that management seeks to achieve. These single-factor manipulations may in fact produce cascading effects on several ecosystem attributes and can result in unintended recovery trajectories. When complex outcomes are desired, intentional and holistic integration of all aspects of the soil knowledge is necessary. We provide a short roster of examples to illustrate that SEK benefits management and restoration of ecosystems and suggest areas for future research.

VL - 16 UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1526-100X.2008.00477.x ER -