Abstract
Habitat restoration can play an important role in recovering functioning ecosystems and improving biodiversity. Restoration may be particularly important in improving habitat prior to species reintroductions. We reintroduced seven brown treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus) social groups into two nature reserves in the Australian Capital Territory in south-eastern Australia. This study provided a unique opportunity to understand the interactions between restoration ecology, behavioural ecology and habitat ecology. We examined how experimental restoration treatments (addition of coarse woody debris, variations in ground vegetation cover and nest box installation) influenced the behaviour and microhabitat use of radio-tracked individuals to evaluate the success of restoration treatments. The addition of coarse woody debris benefited the brown treecreeper through increasing the probability of foraging on a log or on the ground. This demonstrated the value of using behaviour as a bio-indicator for restoration success. Based on previous research, we predicted that variations in levels of ground vegetation cover would influence behaviour and substrate use, particularly that brown treecreepers would choose sites with sparse ground cover because this allows better access to food and better vigilance for predators. However, there was little effect of this treatment, which was likely influenced by the limited overall use of the ground layer. There was also little effect of nest boxes on behaviour or substrate use. These results somewhat confound our understanding of the species based on research from extant populations. Our results also have a significant impact regarding using existing knowledge on a species to inform how it will respond to reintroduction and habitat restoration. This study also places great emphasis on the value of applying an experimental framework to ecological restoration, particularly when reintroductions produce unexpected outcomes.
Highlights
Habitat destruction and degradation are major causes of biodiversity loss worldwide [1,2]
We examined the effects of experimental restoration treatments, the addition of coarse woody debris, variations in ground vegetation cover, and installation of nest boxes, by quantifying the response of reintroduced brown treecreepers
We analysed the effect of these restoration treatments on the behaviour and substrate use of radio-tracked individuals
Summary
Habitat destruction and degradation are major causes of biodiversity loss worldwide [1,2]. The ability of remaining habitat to support functioning populations of native species may be diminished because of the condition of the habitat. Restoration can play an important role in regaining functioning ecosystems and biodiversity [3,4]. Species reintroductions will become an increasingly important part of ecosystem restoration, where the poor dispersal capabilities of a species prevents natural re-colonisation. Reintroductions must work in concert with habitat restoration. Habitat restoration may be a necessary prerequisite to species reintroduction, especially for degraded habitats [5]. Restoration activities may aid in improving the habitat suitability of the release site, which is a vital factor influencing the success or failure of a translocation [6,7,8]
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