Herbivory limits success of vegetation restoration globally

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Xu, Changlin; Silliman, Brian R.; Chen, Jianshe; Li, Xincheng; Thomsen, Mads S.; Zhang, Qun; Lee, Juhyung; Lefcheck, Jonathan S.; Daleo, Pedro; Hughes, Brent B.; Jones, Holly P.; Wang, Rong; Wang, Shaopeng; Smith, Carter S.; Xi, Xinqiang; Altieri, Andrew H.; van de Koppel, Johan; Palmer, Todd M.; Liu, Lingli; Wu, Jihua; Li, Bo; He, Qiang
• 署名单位: Fudan University; Duke University; University of Canterbury; University of Canterbury; Aarhus University; Northeastern University; Pusan National University; Pusan National University; Smithsonian Institution; Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; Smithsonian Institution; Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; University System of Maryland; University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; National University of Mar del Plata; California State University System; Sonoma State University; Northern Illinois University; Northern Illinois University; East China Normal University; Peking University; Peking University; Nanjing University; State University System of Florida; University of Florida; Utrecht University; Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ); University of Groningen; State University System of Florida; University of Florida; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Institute of Botany, CAS; Lanzhou University; Lanzhou University; Yunnan University
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-11669
• DOI: 10.1126/science.add2814
• 发表日期: 2023-11-03
• 页码: 589-594
• 关键词: plant; defaunation; communities; disturbance; CHALLENGE; diversity; STABILITY; responses; drought; shifts

摘要

Restoring vegetation in degraded ecosystems is an increasingly common practice for promoting biodiversity and ecological function, but successful implementation is hampered by an incomplete understanding of the processes that limit restoration success. By synthesizing terrestrial and aquatic studies globally (2594 experimental tests from 610 articles), we reveal substantial herbivore control of vegetation under restoration. Herbivores at restoration sites reduced vegetation abundance more strongly (by 89%, on average) than those at relatively undegraded sites and suppressed, rather than fostered, plant diversity. These effects were particularly pronounced in regions with higher temperatures and lower precipitation. Excluding targeted herbivores temporarily or introducing their predators improved restoration by magnitudes similar to or greater than those achieved by managing plant competition or facilitation. Thus, managing herbivory is a promising strategy for enhancing vegetation restoration efforts.