Abstract
The removal of nonnative species can lead to re-invasion by nonnative species, especially in communities with multiple co-occurring invaders. Biotic and abiotic conditions shape community structure, reducing the predictability of nonnative management. We evaluated plant community recovery after the removal of nonnative pines with an emphasis on the effect of environmental conditions on the nonnative species response. We compared clearcuts (where pine plantations were removed), pine plantations, and native communities along a precipitation gradient in Patagonia. Nonnative richness and cover were higher in clearcuts compared to native communities along nearly the entire precipitation gradient, with the exception of the harshest sites. Compared to native communities, invasion resistance was lower in clearcuts in the wetter sites. Native richness and cover were lower in clearcuts relative to native communities along the gradient. Species composition in clearcuts diverged in similarity from native communities towards the wetter sites. Plantations showed an extremely lower richness and cover compared to both clearcuts and native communities. Our study highlights that clearcutting is an ineffective strategy to manage nonnatives aimed at restoring native communities and elucidates the importance of environmental context in management approaches. Taken together, our findings reinforce the important consideration of both the biotic and abiotic context of nonnative management.
Highlights
The management of nonnative species is a current challenge for ecological restoration [1,2,3], whose major goal is recovering the characteristics of an ecosystem that were prevalent before invasion, such as increasing biodiversity and restoring ecological functions [4]
Our model showed that the effect of clearcutting and plantation on nonnative richness depended on Forests 2018, 9, x FOR PEER REVIEW
The modelling of the proportion of nonnative richness resulted in higher values in clearcuts plantations in nativethan communities throughout nonnative richness resulted in higher valuesand in clearcuts andthan plantations in native communities the precipitation
Summary
The management of nonnative species is a current challenge for ecological restoration [1,2,3], whose major goal is recovering the characteristics of an ecosystem that were prevalent before invasion, such as increasing biodiversity and restoring ecological functions [4]. The outcome of nonnative species management is highly unpredictable and the recovery of community structure and ecosystem functioning are hardly ever achieved or even evaluated [2,5]. Most studies addressing the management of nonnative species focus on the management of a single-invader, without considering their community context [2]. A better understanding of the conditions that promote nonnative species invasion after the removal of a dominant nonnative can help predict management outcomes, as well as improve the allocation of management efforts [8]
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