UBC - Conservation Biology Lab, Portugal.
UBC - Conservation Biology Lab, Portugal; MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, University of Évora, Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal; Department of Biology, University of Évora, Mitra, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal.
J Environ Manage. 2022 Sep 15;318:115450. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115450. Epub 2022 Jun 20.
Ecological restoration has the potential to accelerate the recovery of biodiversity and ecosystem services in degraded ecosystems. However, current research queries whether active restoration is necessary. We evaluated plant-pollinator networks during spring at replicated sites within an actively restored quarry, at abandoned quarries undergoing spontaneous restoration, and within a natural reference area, to compare pollinator community composition and function. Overall, we aimed to assess which approach is more effective in rehabilitating pollination networks. We found that while both approaches allowed for the restoration of pollination function, active restoration provided faster recovery: pollination network structure was more similar to the reference ecosystem after 20-30 years of active restoration, than 40 years of natural succession in spontaneously restored areas. Different restoration approaches sustained distinct pollinator communities providing a similar service in different areas: honey bees played an important role in the natural area, bumblebees in the abandoned quarries and wild bees in the restored sites, suggesting a possible conflict between diverse wild bee communities and honey bee homogenized pollinator communities. In quarries, flower resource availability and diversity influenced networks' structural properties by constraining species interactions and composition. In spontaneously restored areas a rich herbaceous layer of ruderal species from early successional stages buffered against the shortage of flower resources at critical periods. Active restoration, though effective, should include practices that consider wild bee communities and mitigate flower resource scarcity. The use of "bridging" plants that flower in different periods, should be considered in active restoration programs to enhance the pollinator community.
生态恢复有可能加速退化生态系统中生物多样性和生态系统服务的恢复。然而，目前的研究质疑主动恢复是否必要。我们在一个正在积极恢复的采石场、一个正在自然恢复的废弃采石场和一个自然参照区的重复地点评估了春季的植物-传粉者网络，以比较传粉者群落组成和功能。总的来说，我们旨在评估哪种方法更有效地恢复传粉网络。我们发现，虽然这两种方法都允许恢复传粉功能，但主动恢复的恢复速度更快：在 20-30 年的主动恢复后，传粉网络结构与参照生态系统更为相似，而在自然演替 40 年后，自发恢复的地区则更为相似。不同的恢复方法维持了不同的传粉者群落，在不同的地区提供了相似的服务：在自然地区，蜜蜂起着重要的作用；在废弃的采石场中，熊蜂起着重要的作用；在恢复的地区中，野生蜜蜂起着重要的作用，这表明不同的野生蜜蜂群落与蜜蜂同质化的传粉者群落之间可能存在冲突。在采石场中，花资源的可利用性和多样性通过限制物种相互作用和组成来影响网络的结构特性。在自然恢复的地区，早期演替阶段丰富的草本层为一年生植物提供了缓冲，缓解了关键时期花资源短缺的问题。虽然主动恢复是有效的，但应该包括考虑野生蜜蜂群落和减轻花资源短缺的实践。在主动恢复计划中，应该考虑使用在不同时期开花的“桥梁”植物，以增强传粉者群落。
