Towards climate-resilient restoration in mesic eucalypt woodlands: characterizing topsoil biophysical condition in different degradation states

Abstract

Background and aims Investments in restoring native vegetation must increasingly allow for likely impacts of climate change, requiring re-evaluation of limits to ecological recovery and persistence. Nutrient enrichment and weed invasion are significant limits to restoration in mesic ecosystems, but in a drying climate, limits could shift towards more fundamental ecosystem functions. We used a state and transition framework to identify landuse-related changes in topsoil biophysical characteristics likely to influence climate resilience in mesic temperate eucalypt woodlands.