10.5061/DRYAD.V7T4Q
Fry, Ellen L.
University of Manchester
Pilgrim, Emma S.
University of Exeter
Tallowin, Jerry R.B.
Lancaster University
Smith, Roger S.
University of Newcastle Australia
Mortimer, Simon R.
University of Reading
Beaumont, Deborah A.
University of Manchester
Simkin, Janet
University of Newcastle Australia
Harris, Stephanie J.
University of Reading
Shiel, Robert S.
University of Newcastle Australia
Quirk, Helen
Lancaster University
Harrison, Kate A.
Lancaster University
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Lawson, Clare S.
The Open University
Hobbs, Phil A.
Rothamsted Research
Bardgett, Richard D.
University of Manchester
Data from: Plant, soil and microbial controls on grassland diversity
restoration: a long-term, multi-site mesocosm experiment
Dryad
dataset
2017
soil microbial community
Ecological restoration
priority effects
plant species composition
2017-12-27T00:00:00Z
2017-12-27T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12869
84750 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
The success of grassland biodiversity restoration schemes is determined by
many factors; as such their outcomes can be unpredictable. There is a need
for improved understanding of the relative importance of belowground
factors to restoration success, such as contrasting soil type and
management intensities, as well as plant community composition and order
of assembly. We carried out an eight-year mesocosm experiment across three
locations in the UK to explore the relative and interactive roles of
various aboveground and belowground factors in the establishment of target
species, to determine general constraints on grassland restoration. Each
location had a series of mesocosms with contrasting soil types and
management status, which were initially sown with six grasses typical of
species-poor grasslands targeted for restoration. Over five years, sets of
plant species were added, to test how different vegetation treatments,
including early-coloniser species and the hemiparasite Rhinanthus minor,
and soil type and management, influenced the establishment of target plant
species and community diversity. The addition of early-coloniser species
to model grasslands suppressed the establishment of target species,
indicating a strong priority effect. Soil type was also an important
factor, but effects varied considerably across locations. In the absence
of early-coloniser species, low soil nutrient availability improved
establishment of target species across locations, although R. minor had no
beneficial effect. Synthesis and applications. Our long-term, multi-site
study indicates that successful restoration of species rich grassland is
dependent primarily on priority effects, especially in the form of
early-coloniser species that suppress establishment of slow-growing target
species. We also show that priority effects vary with soil conditions,
being stronger in clay than sandy soils, and on soils of high nutrient
availability. As such, our work emphasises the importance of considering
priority effects and local soil conditions in developing management
strategies for restoring plant species diversity in grassland.
2005 all dataThis file contains all data used in the 2005 analyses for the
paper. It lists pot and treatment details, and biomass, chemistry and
microbial data.2011 all dataThis file contains all data from the 2011
analyses including pot and treatment ID, biomass, chemistry and microbial
data. See Readme file attached to the 2005 data for more details.