Microclimate and propagule availability are equally important for rehabilitation of dryland N-fixing lichens

Matthew A. Bowker, Jayne Belnap, Diane W. Davidson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

In some arid regions, rehabilitation of whole system N-fixation may be strongly facilitated by the recovery of populations of the lichen genus Collema. Identification of the limits to recovery of Collema in apparently suitable habitat should inform selection of rehabilitation techniques. We simultaneously tested the relative importance of three hypothetical limits to Collema recovery: active erosion, resource limitation, and propagule scarcity. We found that in our experimental system, active erosion had no effect on short-term establishment of Collema, whereas propagule addition did enhance recovery and microhabitat (a resource availability gradient) also exerted a strong influence. It is possible that attempts to improve N cycling via re-establishment of Collema might be best served by developing economical means of simulating moister, cooler microhabitats, e.g., sloping soil or creating partial shade, which would favor the establishment of naturally dispersed propagules, rather than introducing propagules.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)30-33
Number of pages4
JournalRestoration Ecology
Volume18
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2010

Keywords

  • Biological soil crusts
  • Drylands
  • Ecosystem function
  • Nitrogen fixation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Ecology
  • Nature and Landscape Conservation

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