Abstract
Abstract Question: Is it possible to restore dry calcareous inland sand ecosystems with their characteristic plant community structure within a 4‐yr period by means of combined abiotic–biotic techniques (topsoil replacement, inoculation with raked/mown plant material from target areas)? Location: Upper Rhine valley, Germany. Methods: Two 4‐year experiments were carried out on former arable land, each in the proximity of a reference area bearing a similar complex of threatened sandy grasslands (experiment 1: fine‐scale; experiment 2: landscape scale). In both experiments we used nutrient‐poor deep‐sand substrate (abiotic approach), raked/mown inoculation material from target areas and grazing as management tool (biotic and management approach). The vegetation of the restoration and donor areas was sampled once a year and analysed by non‐metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination and target‐species ratios. Mixed linear models were calculated to determine effects of grazing (experiment 1) and year (both experiments). Results: NMDS revealed a continuous development of the restored sites towards the corresponding donor sites. Similarly, target‐species ratios of the restored sites tended towards the ratios of the donor sites. To date, grazing effects have mainly been structural: reduction of a carpet‐forming pleurocarpous moss species and of litter. In addition, cover of target species in relation to total plant cover was significantly enhanced by grazing in the last two study years. Conclusions: The combination of nutrient‐poor substrate, inoculation with raked/mown plant material and grazing proved to be a very effective restoration method for dry base‐rich sand ecosystems. After 4 yr the restored plant communities serve as well‐developed parts of a habitat network.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Restored site vegetation developed continuously toward donor site vegetation.
Verbatim
e0“NMDS revealed a continuous development of the restored sites towards the corresponding donor sites”
t0“sandy grassland”
Claim · model-written summary
Target species ratios in restored sites tended toward donor site ratios.
Verbatim
e0“target‐species ratios of the restored sites tended towards the ratios of the donor sites”
t0“sandy grassland”
Claim · model-written summary
Grazing reduced a carpet forming moss and litter.
- Taxon
- sandy grasslandt0
- Outcome
- carpet‐forming pleurocarpous moss species and of littere0
- Direction
- reductione0
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Verbatim
e0“reduction of a carpet‐forming pleurocarpous moss species and of litter”
t0“sandy grassland”
Claim · model-written summary
Grazing significantly enhanced relative target species cover in the final two years.
- Taxon
- sandy grasslandt0
- Treatment
- grazinge0
- Outcome
- cover of target species in relation to total plant covere0
- Direction
- enhancede0
- Qualifier
- last two study yearse0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“cover of target species in relation to total plant cover was significantly enhanced by grazing in the last two study years”
t0“sandy grassland”
Claim · model-written summary
The combined restoration approach was judged very effective.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“The combination of nutrient‐poor substrate, inoculation with raked/mown plant material and grazing proved to be a very effective restoration method for dry base‐rich sand ecosystems”
t0“sandy grassland”
Claim · model-written summary
After four years, restored communities functioned as developed habitat network parts.
Verbatim
e0“After 4 yr the restored plant communities serve as well‐developed parts of a habitat network”
t0“sandy grassland”