Stages Of Restoration Research Articles

Concurrent datasets on land cover and river monitoring in Fukushima decontaminated catchment during 2013–2018

After the Fukushima nuclear accident, the Japanese government implemented extensive decontamination work in 137Cs contaminated catchments for residents’ health and local revitalization. Whether dramatic land use changes in the upstream decontaminated regions affected river suspended sediment (SS) and particulate 137Cs discharge downstream remain unknown because of the poor quantification on land cover changes and long-term river SS dynamics. We here introduce a 6-year concurrent database of the Niida River Basin, a decontaminated catchment, including the first available vector decontamination maps, satellite images in decontaminated regions with a spatial resolution of 10 m, and long-term river monitoring datasets spanning decontamination (2013–2016) and subsequent natural restoration stages (2017–2018). These datasets allow us, for the first time, to directly link the transport dynamics of river SS (particulate 137Cs) to land use changes caused by humans in real-time, which provide fundamental data for better understanding the river response of sediment to land use change. Moreover, the data obtained by interdisciplinary methods offer a template for land use change impact assessment in other river basins.

Macrofauna and Organic Matter in Postagrogenic Sandy Soils at the NW Smolensk Region (Russia)

Natural reforestation on the abandoned arable lands is one of the characteristic processes that triggers the transformation of soils, accompanied by the change in the abundance, biomass, and taxonomic structure of the soil macrofauna. The assessment of the restoration potential of the soil properties and soil macrofauna to the natural state, the duration of this period, the dynamics of soil organic carbon stocks, and the role of macrofauna in this process at different stages of post-agrogenic successions is relevant for prediction of changes in ecosystem components and their role in the storage of organic carbon under various land use scenarios. The work is based on the data on organic carbon reserves, morphological properties of soils, abundance, biomass and taxonomic structure of the soil macrofauna of arable lands, primary forests and 5 stages of pine forest restoration (fallow meadows and pine forests of different ages) at the Smolenskoye Poozerye National Park (Smolensk region). It was revealed that in the soils of the 85–100-year-old pine forests, signs of plowing are preserved in the form of the smooth lower boundary of the humus horizon. At the same time, signs of soil regradation appear already at the meadow stage and are expressed in the formation of a thin humus horizon penetrated by roots, which transforms further at the next stages. In the litter and mineral part of the soil, the carbon stocks change non-monotonically with a maximum at the meadow stage and a minimum in 70–80-year-old forests. By the age of 80, the stock of organic carbon in the mineral part of soils is almost restored to the background values. The composition of soil macrofauna changes drastically during the transition from meadow to forest communities. At the initial stages (in agrocenoses and fallow meadows), the fauna of mineral soil horizons predominates: endogeic earthworms and larvae of lamellar beetles. Further, the fauna of organic horizons is restored, among which there is a high proportion of saprophages – epigeic and epi-endogeic earthworms, which contribute to the differentiation of litter. The biomass of saprophages has a negative correlation with the carbon reserves in the mineral part of forest soils, the thickness and reserves of organic carbon in the litter, and a positive correlation with the share of the easily decomposable litter fraction.

Impacts of reclamation marsh restoration on greenhouse gas emission in the Sanjiang Plain, China.

To understand the variations in greenhouse gas fluxes during the process of returning cropland to wetland in the Sanjiang Plain, we selected naturally restored wetlands of 4, 7, 11, 16 and 20 years as research objects to compare with a cultivated site (soybean plantation for 13 years) and an uncultivated marsh dominated by Deyeuxia purpurea and Carex schmidtii. We measured carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) fluxes using a static chamber-gas chromatography and explored the main influencing factors. The results showed that there were seasonal variations in growing-season CO2 and CH4 fluxes of the restored wetlands, with the seasonal trends in greenhouse gases becoming gradually similar to that of natural marsh with increasing restoration time. The mean growing-season CO2 fluxes increased during the early stage of restoration, but then decreased during the late stage, which decreased from 893.4 mg·m-2·h-1 to 494.0 mg·m-2·h-1 in the 4-year and 20-year sites, respectively. Mean CH4 fluxes increased with restoration time, ranging from a weak CH4 sink (soybean fields, -0.6 mg·m-2·h-1) to a CH4 source of 87.8 mg·m-2·h-1(20-year restored site). The CH4 fluxes of experimental plots were consistently lower than that of natural marsh (96.4 mg·m-2·h-1). Increases in water level and soil conductivity resulting from restoration were the main driving factors for the decrease in CO2 fluxes. The increases in water level and soil dissolved organic carbon resulting from restoration were the primary drivers for the increase of CH4 fluxes in the restored wetlands. The global warming potentials increased with restoration time, ranging from 27.8 t·CO2-eq·hm-2(soybean fields) to 130.8 t·CO2-eq·hm-2(plot of 20-year restoration), which gradually approached that of natural marsh (156.3 t·CO2-eq·hm-2). The emission of GHGs from restored wetlands in the Sanjiang Plain gradually approached those of natural marsh. Further monitoring is required to identify the maturity of restored wetlands for achieving greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to that of natural marshland.

Adaptational responses of leaf functional traits of Dicranopteris dichotoma to environmental factors in different vegetational restoration stages

Adaptational responses of leaf functional traits of Dicranopteris dichotoma to environmental factors in different vegetational restoration stages

Progress of Mine Land Reclamation and Ecological Restoration Research Based on Bibliometric Analysis

The mining of mineral resources has caused serious damage to land and significant pressure on ecological environment. During the repairing of damaged land and degraded ecosystems, there have been many pieces of literature related to land reclamation and ecological restoration (LRER) that have emerged. To understand the progress and prospect of LRER research, it is necessary to sort out such pieces of literature, analyze the current research status, and forecast the future research directions. Here, Bibliometrix R-package was used to analyze 2357 articles, which were derived from the core database of Web of Science, to explore the development of LRER from 1990 to 2022. The results are as follows. (1) The annual scientific output results show that both the number of articles published on LRER and the number of articles annually citied were increasing gradually from 1990 to 2022. (2) High-frequency keyword analysis indicates that heavy metal (Cd, Pb) pollution remediation is a research hotspot. The cluster analysis (CA) and multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) show that there are two clusters in the current research of LRER, in which one surrounds heavy metal pollution and the other focuses on ecological restoration of mining areas. The two clusters correspond to the remediation and ecological restoration (rehabilitation) stages of stepwise ecological restoration, respectively. Thematic evolution analysis shows that, for more than 30 years, mine drainage and heavy metal pollution treatment, soil reconstruction (soil profile reconstruction, soil improvement), and vegetation restoration have been the focus of research. (3) Future research should focus on the relationship between mine ecological restoration and carbon sequestration and the relationship between ecological restoration and biodiversity in mine areas. In addition, LRER technology exchange, international cooperation, and industrialization are also main directions of development. Generally, in this study, metrology software (Bibliometrix R-package 3.1.4) from the literature was used to sort out the relevant literature on LRER over the past 30 years so as to provide reference for future research on LRER.

A Coordinated Reconfiguration Strategy for Multi-Stage Resilience Enhancement in Integrated Power Distribution and Heating Networks

The tight coupling of power distribution system (PDS) and district heating system (DHS) makes it imperative to devise a coordinated strategy for the resilience enhancement of integrated electric and heating system (IEHS) in natural disasters. The PDS reconfiguration serves as a critical tool for service restoration by the optimal adjustment of PDS topology with designated tie and sectionalizing switches. Similarly, the DHS reconfiguration provides a viable solution for countering disasters by the optimal adjustment of heating supply topology with targeted tie and sectionalizing valves in DHS. In this paper, a multi-stage resilience enhancement strategy considering the coordinated reconfiguration of PDS and DHS is proposed, which coordinates degradation, fault isolation, and service restoration stages after disasters. The proposed model is formulated as a mixed-integer nonlinear problem, which addresses the coordinated regulation of PDS switches and DHS valves to achieve efficient fault isolation and provide a better service restoration. To make the proposed model tractable, a linearized Distflow model is proposed by introducing current-oriented auxiliary variables and the approximation of power flow and voltage drop equations. Extensive case studies are conducted to validate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed model and illustrate the performance of coordinated reconfiguration of PDS and DHS on resilience enhancement.

Economic and legal dimension of humanitarian demining of Ukraine: problem and research prospects

In recent years, issues related to humanitarian demining of the affected territories in Ukraine have become increasingly urgent. In this context, the economic and legal aspects of humanitarian demining are of particular importance as they affect the possibility of rapid restoration of economic and other peaceful use of de-occupied territories. The authors focused on identifying the problems and highlighting the research prospects of the economic and legal dimension of humanitarian demining. It is considered in this study as the first stage of the comprehensive restoration of the Ukrainian territories. The present paper proves the importance of forming economic and legal tools that will contribute to the development of conceptual approaches as well as scientific and practical proposals to ensure humanitarian demining in Ukrainian realities.

An assessment of forest restoration after fie using segmentation and cluster analysis of Landsat images

For the purposes of monitoring the state of forest ecosystems, it is most effctive to use the capabilities of remote methods. Fragments with an area of 250 km2 (scale 1:5000) were identifid on Landsat multispectral satellite images (time series of summer images for 1995, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2013, 2016) of the Olyokminsky State Nature Reserve. Then polygons were saved at three levels of segmentation: 4, 16, 64 with the scales of 1:2500, 1:1250, 1:625. When deciphering, an unmanaged classifiation of polygons was carried out using the ISODATA method (Iterative Self-Organizing Data Analysis Technigue) into 2, 4, 10 classes. Distribution curves for the values of the forest cover index for polygons of the 3rd level of segmentation were constructed. The results of classifiation into 4 classes were used to calculate the thematic pixel diffrence. According to the classification results for 4.10 classes, statistical processing was carried out with the calculation of the diffrence and similarity indicators of polygons, the dispersion of the general population and the Fisher test (F-test). A method is described for determining the disturbance of ecosystems and their restoration from the distribution curves of the forest cover index. The results of the change in the dispersion of the general population and the F-test at diffrent levels of segmentation and at diffrent stages of forest restoration are considered. The features of the transition between three levels of self-similarity (scaling) of multifractal structures as forests are restored are determined.

Organization Life Cycle and Key Methods of Enterprise Development in Current Practice of Management

While analyzing organization life cycle, stages of development and slump the article found out that the stage of restoration is similar to the stage of start, but it differs from the latter, as a new spiral of enterprise life cycle is formed with regard to previous developments, experience and work trends. After SWOT-analysis the necessity to use strategies of the pretender to leadership on market is assessed. Estimation of weak sides showed that the absence of advert materials for a store with a limited geography cannot foster successful product promotion. The simplest way to attract customers is to use social nets. Estimation of opportunities focuses on studying the product range. By comparing different products within one category of goods we can understand what is profitable to buy and which products should be rejected. The enterprise can increase profit, if it changes the product range, raises the purchase of popular positions and rejects illiquid goods. The mentioned indicators show that the enterprise being analyzed is competitive and acts as an active participant on market. Today its key goal is to expand market. The author underlines the importance of using measures aiming at changing enterprise life cycle stages with the help of tools of digital economy.

Use of predator exclusion cages to enhance Orbicella faveolata micro-fragment survivorship and growth during restoration

As coral reefs face increasing threats from a variety of stressors, coral restoration has become an important tool to aid coral populations. A novel strategy for restoring boulder corals is microfragmentation, which may enhance coral growth by at least five times, depending on species and conditions. However, mortality rates are still significant during the early weeks after transplanting microfragments to impacted areas. We examined the effects of predation after transplanting fragments by caging Orbicella faveolata microfragments and testing if field survival rates would increase after an acclimation period. We tracked the health and growth of ten genotypes across different acclimation periods from a control group of no acclimation (0 months) to full acclimation (4 months). After four months, we presented a mix of acclimated and unacclimated corals to reef predators. Coral survivorship was highest in acclimation cages (near 100%) compared to the field (p < 0.001), with significant growth differences across genotypes (p < 0.001). Microfragments also grew more in acclimation cages (p < 0.001), with rates slowing down in the first two months after being planted into the substrate. Microfragments that had been acclimated for longer than one month also showed comparatively higher survival rates, further supporting the importance of acclimation during restoration. These results suggest caging fragments boost coral survival during initial stages of restoration by > 50% and increase the persistence of transplanted fragments. Results also highlight the importance of identifying and prioritizing genotypes with high survival and growth rates. Beyond coral restoration, results demonstrate the possible negative ecological effects of corallivores, particularly parrotfishes, on recent transplants of fragments.

Fungal-bacterial composition and network complexity determine soil multifunctionality during ecological restoration

Ecological restoration has been considered an efficient strategy for improving ecosystem functioning. However, the patterns and driving forces of soil multifunctionality (MF) during ecological restoration are poorly understood. Here, we examined multiple soil functions related to climate regulation (carbon [C] stock and C mineralization), nutrient supply (nitrogen [N] stock, phosphorus [P] stock, total inorganic N, and available P concentration), and biogeochemical cycling (net N and P mineralization), and explored how the soil MF developed during ecological restoration (i.e., grassland → shrubland → forest) after agricultural abandonment. Our results showed that forest supported significantly higher soil MF than grassland and shrubland. The development of soil MF could not be explained by microbial α-diversity, as we did not observe significant changes in bacterial and fungal α-diversity during ecological restoration. Microbial community composition altered significantly during ecological restoration. Notably, the changes in abundant taxa (i.e., Alphaproteobacteria and Agaricomycetes) positively affected soil MF, whereas the rare taxa negatively correlated with soil MF across different stages of ecological restoration. In addition, our result showed that the complexity of meta-community co-occurrence networks declined with ecological restoration. We further demonstrated that higher soil MF was supported by a less complex microbial network, and this influence was held when soil abiotic drivers (pH and stability of soil aggregates) were included simultaneously. In conclusion, our work suggests that ecological restoration after agricultural abandonment plays an essential role in improving soil MF, and it emphasizes the importance of soil microbial composition and network complexity in regulating the soil MF.

Response of soil organic carbon and its fractions to natural vegetation restoration in a tropical karst area, southwest China

The dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) and its fractions are important for evaluating the vegetation restoration effect and carbon cycle of the ecosystem. Here, SOC fractions, including light fraction organic carbon (LFOC), heavy fraction organic carbon (HFOC), and labile organic carbon (LOC) fractions (including water-soluble organic carbon, WSOC, readily oxidizable organic carbon, ROC, particulate organic carbon, POC, and microbial biomass carbon, MBC), were investigated at four soil depths under five restoration stages in a tropical karst area in southwest China. This study showed that the content of SOC and its fractions significantly increased with vegetation restoration and decreased with increasing soil depth at each restoration stage (p < 0.05). Additionally, LFOC was more sensitive to vegetation restoration, whereas HFOC was the main storage form of SOC. The LOC fractions in the surface soil layer were significantly higher than those in the lower, and the percentages of some LOC fractions (POC/SOC and MBC/SOC) significantly decreased with increasing soil depth, indicating that SOC was more stable in the lower layer than in the surface layer. Correlation analysis showed that SOC was significantly and positively correlated with its fractions. Moreover, SOC and its fraction were positively correlated with soil chemical factors (TN, TP, AP, AK, ECa, EMg, NH4+-N, and NO3–-N) and negatively correlated with bulk density (BD) at a significant level (p < 0.05). Moreover, redundancy analysis showed that the 12 soil physicochemical factors explained 70.99% of the variation in SOC and its fractions, with AK, NH4+-N, and BD being the main factors, explaining 19.38, 17.24, and 10.52% of the variation, respectively. The structural equation mode analysis showed that soil properties, above-ground biomass, and litterfall explained most of the variation in SOC (59%), LFOC (79%), HFOC (81%), and LOC (61%). Soil properties and above-ground biomass significantly affected SOC, LFOC, and HFOC content mainly through indirect effects, while the total phosphorus content of the litterfall could directly and significantly affect SOC, LFOC, and HFOC content. NH4+-N and AK of soil factors had direct effects on LFOC and LOC accumulation, respectively. This study provides a valuable perspective for estimating carbon sink potential and constructing carbon sink models in karst areas.

Nitrogen and phosphorus change the early natural vegetation restoration in degraded Phaeozems of gullies

The influence of nutrients during natural vegetation restoration (NVR) in complicated landscapes and hydrologic conditions has often been debated. This study aimed to clarify how nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) runoff influences plant biomass and biodiversity during early restoration stages in gullies. In this study, the influence of runoff containing N, P, and N + P on the biomass and diversity of ten predominant herbaceous species was simulated in two degraded Phaeozems of gullies by under controlled conditions for two years. Increasing N in runoff increased the biomass in both low-degradation Phaeozems (LDP) and high-degradation Phaeozems (HDP), and N input could increase the competitive ability of No-Gramineae (NG) and constrain G biomass in the second year. N and P increased the biomass by increasing the species abundance and individual mass but not the diversity. N input typically decreased biodiversity, while P input influenced the dynamics of biodiversity was nonmonotonic increased or decreased. Compared with sole N input, additional P accelerated the competition of NG, restrained G mass, and decreased the total biomass in LDP, while increasing the total biomass in HDP in the first year. However, additional P input did not change the N effects on biodiversity in the first year, while high P input improved the herbaceous diversity in the second year of gullies. Generally, N in runoff was the key factor influencing NVR, especially for biomass in early NVR stages. The P dose and the ratio of N:P in the runoff were the main determinants of P mediation on the N effect on NVR.

Responses of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus contents and stoichiometry in soil and fine roots to natural vegetation restoration in a tropical mountainous area, Southern China.

The stoichiometry of key elements such as C, N, and P is an important indicator of ecosystem nutrient status and biogeochemical cycling. Nevertheless, the responses of soil and plant C:N:P stoichiometric characteristics to natural vegetation restoration remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated C, N, and P contents and stoichiometry in soil and fine roots along vegetation restoration stages (grassland, shrubland, secondary forest, and primary forest) in a tropical mountainous area in southern China. We found that soil organic carbon, total N, C:P ratio, and N:P ratio significantly increased with vegetation restoration and significantly decreased with increasing soil depth, whereas there was no significant effect on soil total P and C:N ratio. Furthermore, vegetation restoration significantly increased the fine root N and P content and N:P ratio, whereas soil depth significantly decreased the fine root N content and increased the C:N ratio. The increasing average N:P ratio in fine roots from 17.59 to 21.45 suggested that P limitation increased with vegetation restoration. There were many significant correlations between C, N, and P contents and their ratios in soil and fine roots, indicating a reciprocal control of nutrient stoichiometric characteristics between them. These results contribute to our understanding of changes in soil and plant nutrient status and biogeochemical cycling during vegetation restoration and provide valuable information for restoration and management of tropical ecosystems.

Integrated Data-Driven and Equity-Centered Framework for Highway Restoration Following Flood Inundation

Rapid and efficient infrastructure restoration is critical to reducing the impacts of extreme events on community lifelines. Following a large-scale extreme event, infrastructure restoration at various stages is carried out simultaneously by agencies at various government levels and jurisdictions. Since each agency has different roles, responsibilities, and boundaries within which it operates, coordination and communication among them are challenging. With the overall goal of providing a common operating picture and facilitating concerted planning and action among emergency response agencies, this research proposes a data-driven and equity-centered framework that links the various stages—damage identification, restoration scheduling, and monitoring and control—of infrastructure restoration. This study takes a particular focus on the highway restoration caused by flood inundation. In detail, the framework is composed of three parts, including (1) a systematic data-driven approach that quickly provides spatially distributed estimates of highway inundation, (2) an equity-centered restoration scheduling strategy that prioritizes restoration tasks based on community social vulnerability, and (3) a Bayesian-based approach that provides an up-to-date indication of the impacts of component level changes on the overall restoration progress. A case study on highway inundation in Harris County during Hurricane Harvey was conducted to demonstrate the feasibility and applicability of the proposed framework. In the case study, multisource data, including physical highway topology, geospatial information, field inspection results, and socioeconomic and demographic data, were used. Our framework generates outputs that can be used for rapid damage identification, automated restoration scheduling, and real-time progress updating. In practice, these outputs facilitate quick and shared situational awareness among the involved agencies, which is expected to ease communication and coordination and help overcome challenges resulting from parallel and fragmented restoration efforts. To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the first framework that aims to support the management of infrastructure restoration by synthesizing various restoration stages.

Dynamics of soil net nitrogen mineralization and controlled effect of microbial functional genes in the restoration of cold temperate forests

Soil nitrogen mineralization (Nmin) generally controls the availability and circulation of soil nitrogen (N). To better understand the mechanisms of soil Nmin and environmental protection, this study explored the dynamics of net Nmin in soils from restored forests and the effect of soil physicochemical properties (SPPs) and soil microbial mineralization genes (SMGs) on Nmin. Field studies were conducted from July 2019 to April 2020 in five representative restored forests in the mountainous region of northwestern Hebei, China (i.e., Larix principis-rupprechtii forest (LF), Betula platyphylla forest (BF), mixed forest of Larix principis-rupprechtii and Betula platyphylla (MF), Picea asperata forest (SF) and Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica forest (MPF)), and soil net nitrogen mineralization rate (Rmin), SPPs and SMGs were determined after collecting soil samples in five plots. The influence of restored forests and seasonality on Rmin was investigated to determine the characteristics of the dynamics of soil net Nmin. Principal component analysis (PCA) and variation partitioning analysis (VPA) revealed that soil properties and functional genes could explain approximately 80 % of the variation in Nmin. SMGs significantly contributed to the variation in the soil net ammonification rate (Ramm) and nitrification rate (Rnit) compared to soil properties. SMGs were strongly correlated with Ramm\\Rnit (except in LF), implying that the shifts in functional genes may control Rmin. Given the debate on the role of soil properties and N cycling genes in driving soil N transformation, this study provides new insights into the controlled effect of microbial functional genes during the early stage of forest restoration in the cold temperate zone.

Seismic performance assessment and retrofitting proposal for a historic masonry school building (Bursa, Türkiye)

The current paper presents all stages of a masonry building restoration including seismic performance assessment of the restored building, and a seismic retrofitting proposal accordingly. All these practices were carried out on a historical school building with timber slabs constructed in 1912. The study was composed of six stages: i. Historical research to identify all previous interventions in the building, ii. On-site examinations to determine the geometrical and structural properties of the building, iii. Laboratory tests to identify original material properties and determine repair materials, iv. Restoration decision and implementation of the restoration, v. Numerical analyses to assess the seismic performance of the restored building, and vi. Retrofitting proposal. The primary aim of this study is to present a comprehensive guide for seismic performance assessment and retrofitting approaches for similar buildings. The story shear forces and inter-story drifts of the examined building were obtained by linear and nonlinear analyses and compared with the limit values given in the applicable seismic code; accordingly, the seismic performance of the building was assessed. On the other hand, vertical and lateral bending collapse mechanisms were determined by local analyses. Based on the obtained findings, the building was found to have sufficient displacement capacity; however, failed in shear. Additionally, we believe that the presented restoration practices and seismic performance assessment aiming the structural integrity of the historic building will contribute to the literature.

Variations in soil organic carbon storage and stability with vegetation restoration stages on the Loess Plateau of China

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays the most significant role in climate change mitigation and ecosystem productivity. However, dynamic changes in the storage and stability of SOC during vegetation restoration and succession, especially the physical protection role of soil aggregates, are not well understood. This study, therefore, explored the variations in SOC storage and stability along with vegetation restoration by combining the physical protection of soil aggregates with the chemical structural stability of organic carbon (OC). OC fractions and carbon functional groups of bulk soil and soil aggregates were investigated using soil samples collected from abandoned farmland, grassland, miscellaneous shrubland, pioneer arbor forest, and coniferous forest plots representing typical vegetation restoration consequence on the Loess Plateau of China. Vegetation restoration enhanced clumps of clay particles with visible pores and cementing substances. The contents of OC fractions (total, inert, and active carbons) in bulk soil and aggregates significantly increased during vegetation restoration process. Total and active OC in macroaggregates (>0.25 mm) were significantly higher than those in other aggregate fractions, while inert OC had no significant difference among different aggregate fractions. The elevated absorption intensity, i.e., absolute content of OC functional groups, especially stable OC functional groups, enhanced SOC chemical stability during vegetation restoration. From the abandoned farmland to miscellaneous shrubland, the relative content of active OC functional groups significantly increased and was primarily distributed in macroaggregates (84.94–86.32%), while silt–clay aggregates (<0.053 mm) had higher relative content of stable functional groups (21.84–26.53%). A significant increase was observed in the relative content of the stable functional group from miscellaneous shrubland to pioneer arbor forest, primarily in silt–clay aggregates (∼27.15%). In the coniferous forest, stable functional groups mainly distributed in macroaggregates also showed the most pronounced increase (∼36.15%). We concluded that vegetation restoration improves the soil structure and storage and stability of SOC due to the increased accumulation of OC in macroaggregates and enhanced chemical stability of OC in silt–clay aggregates from the abandoned farmland to the pioneer arbor forest. However, SOC stability in the coniferous forest is significantly influenced by macroaggregates in the soil.

Impacts of invasive ants on pollination of native plants are similar in invaded and restored plant communities

Ants are amongst the most successful invaders worldwide and can markedly modify invaded communities through biotic interactions. Invasive ants, for example, can compete with native pollinators for resources, act as legitimate pollinators, or disrupt plant-pollinator mutualistic interactions, thereby affecting native plant reproduction. Ecological restoration aims to mitigate the impact of invasive species and restore ecological communities and ecosystem functioning. Here we investigated the combined effects of two invasive ant species, the yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes) and white-footed ant (Technomyrmex albipes), on the pollination and reproduction of native plants in the context of a large-scale plant community restoration experiment. We conducted ant exclusion experiments and pollinator observations to obtain data on plant reproduction and pollination of four plant species. The experiments were conducted across eight granitic inselbergs on the island of Mahé, Seychelles, four of which are undergoing restoration since 2011 and four remained as invaded control sites (unrestored). Our findings indicate that native plants on Seychelles’ inselbergs relied primarily on flying flower visitors for pollination, considering that the contribution of ants to fruit set was generally small and substantially lower than that of flying pollinators. Moreover, while flying pollinators approached flowering plants irrespective of invasive ant presence, the number of probed flowers per visit was reduced, in both restored and unrestored communities. Therefore, native plant reproduction was negatively affected by the presence of invasive ants and this effect was similar in restored and unrestored plant communities. Our research suggests that invasive ants may contribute to changes in plant communities by deterring legitimate pollinators of native plants, an impact that is unlikely to be alleviated through early stages of ecological restoration.

Vegetation restoration enhances soil erosion resistance through decreasing the net repulsive force between soil particles

Vegetation restoration is a valid way to improve soil erosion resistance by enhancing the stability of soil aggregates. Past studies have shown that the net force (the sum of electrostatic, hydration, and van der Waals forces) between soil particles had crucial effects on the stability of soil aggregates. However, little is known about the influence of vegetation restoration on the net force and soil erosion resistance, which hinders our quantitative understanding of this process at the particle to particle level. In this study, to quantitatively analyze the influence of vegetation restoration on soil net force and their relationship with aggregate stability and erosion resistance, we collected soil samples from four different restoration stages (including farmland, grassland, shrubland, and forest), then used Na+-saturated soil aggregates (1 to 5 mm model aggregates) to conduct our experiments. The stability of soil aggregates and erosion resistance were tested through the wet sieving method and rainfall simulation experiments. Our results indicated that the soil net force was repulsive and decreased with vegetation restoration. The stability of soil aggregates and erosion resistance increased with vegetation restoration. With the decrease of electrolyte concentration, the net force and splash erosion rate both first increased (from 1 to 10−2 mol L−1) then remained stable (from 10−2 to 10−4 mol L−1), while the soil aggregate stability first decreased (from 1 to 10−2 mol L−1) then remained stable (from 10−2 to 10−4 mol L−1). The experimental results of soil aggregate stability and splash erosion rate changing with electrolyte concentration could be well explained by soil net force. Moreover, the rate of splash erosion and the stability of soil aggregates showed a significantly negative linear relationship (P < 0.01). Overall, the results indicated that the vegetation restoration process could reduce the net repulsive force of soil particles and thus increase the stability of soil aggregates and erosion resistance. These findings provided quantitative information about the mechanistic understanding of vegetation restoration improving soil erosion resistance.