Ecological restoration after management of invasive alien plants

Abstract

The impacts of plant invasion on biodiversity are substantially visible and concerning. Despite the numerous studies conducted on the management of invasive alien plants (MIAPs), limited reviews are available on how to restore the lost diversity of native communities after the control of invasive alien plants. Here, through a systematic review we synthesize recent developments related to the restoration of native plant communities after MIAP and provide a checklist to make decisions for addressing various outstanding questions based on different contexts. We address (1) how the restoration of biodiversity after the MIAP could be improved by controlling reinvasion and novel invaders, and (2) what kind of follow up restoration methods should be employed to increase the diversity and functioning of native communities. Further, we briefly describe the importance of managing multitrophic interactions for reestablishing self-sustainable native plant communities after restoration. This review will guide researchers and restoration practitioners on how to move beyond the MIAP to conduct more research, and what actions to take for restoring the diversity of native communities on temporal and spatial scales. Based on the review of the state of knowledge, we offer the following practical implications: (1) given the investment of resources to curb invasive alien plants, active restoration efforts post invasion control are critical for effective recovery of biodiversity, regardless of the type of control method employed; (2) reducing the abundance of invasive seedbank, a robust legacy of invasion, and managing the arrival of new invasive seeds from the surroundings are crucial before the sowing or planting of native species; and (3) aiming to restore the desired diversity of native plant communities requires a thorough understanding of the conditions and level of assisted active restoration to implement the different practices.