Ecological restoration is vital to the conservation of biodiversity and provision of ecosystem services in a changing world. Biodiversity is often a goal of restoration, and species to be planted for restoration are often selected based on diversity objectives. But species are not independent; they are related to one another through the evolutionary tree of life. Species’ positions on the phylogenetic tree can reflect their traits. How broadly species in a community are drawn from across the tree can predict ecosystem function. I studied the role of evolutionary history and diversity in restoration of the tallgrass prairie. Prairies are one of the most endangered ecosystems on earth, and they have been an intensive focus of ecological restoration throughout the history of the field. n chapter 1, I describe how restoration can be informed by historical ecological information like recorded, archeological, paleoecological, and evolutionary data. These “long view” persectives can provide context for better understanding contemporary ecosystems, and can contribute to goal setting, management, and monitoring for restoration. Phylogenetic diversity specifically can inform restoration because it is a strong predictor of ecosystem functions that are also key restoration objectives, like stability, productivity, support of higher trophic levels, and invasion resistance. Phylogenetic information can also be useful for understanding how restored sites compare to remnant habitats that serve as reference sites for restoration. In chapter 2, I found that restored prairies have lower phylogenetic diversity than remnant prairies, in addition to differing in species richness and community composition. These differences may occur because restored prairies are subject to higher levels of disturbance than remnants, and because species seeded to establish restored prairies are more closely related than expected by chance. I identified “missing branches” – clades found in remnant prairies, but absent from restoration seed mixes – that could be planted in restorations to increase their compositional and functional equivalency to reference systems. Increasing biodiversity of restored prairies depends on an understanding of how seeds germinate and establish to build restored plant communities. Seed traits, which are understudied relative to vegetative plant traits, are critical for understanding assembly of restored communities. In chapter 3 I tested the effects of seed traits, phylogenetic position, and germination pre-treatment on germination response in species commonly used in prairie restoration. I found that seed traits, particularly shape variables, predicted germination response. Phylogenetic position was also an important predictor of germination, indicating that the phylogeny may supply information that is integrative over many traits, both measured and unmeasured. Seeds come together to form seed mixes, the raw materials of prairie restoration. Seed mix design is motivated by objectives related to biodiversity and ecosystem function, but also by economic constraints. In chapter 4 I studied biodiversity of commercially available seed mixes, in terms of species richness, conservatism, and phylogenetic diversity, and compared commercial mixes to restored and remnant prairies. I also tested whether price was predictive of biodiversity in commercial mixes. I found that commercial mixes were generally less diverse than remnant prairies, but similar in diversity to extant restored prairie communities. Lastly, I found that seed mix price was predictive of multiple measures of biodiversity.

Last modified

• 04/02/2018

Creator

• Rebecca Samantha Barak

DOI

• https://doi.org/10.21985/N2C409

Subject

• Plant Biology and Conversation

Keyword

• Plant Biology

Date created

• 2017-01-01

Resource type

• Dissertation

Rights statement

• In Copyright