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| Leona's Little Blue Butterfly (Philotiella leona) is native to Klamath County, Oregon. Its entire habitat range is restricted to only a six square mile area of lodgepole pine forest in privately owned timber land in lodgepole pine forest and Winema National Forest. With only 1,000-2,000 individuals left in its population, the species is in danger of extinction. |
Like restoration ecology, restoration biology is a sub-discipline of conservation biology. Restoration biology seeks to restore populations “to a level that
allows them to persist as dynamic parts of a metapopulation over the long term within a changing landscape” (Montalvo, 1997). The scientific discipline behind the application of restoration biology is primarily population biology, which marries population genetics and population ecology.
What does restoration biology look like? .png) |
| Venn diagram of the primary goals of restoration ecology, conservation biology, and restoration biology. Note that the goals of conservation biology are shared by both restoration ecology and restoration biology. By Kasey Christian (blog author). |
Specific research areas include:
- How does population colonization, establishment, growth, and evolutionary potential influence the numbers of individuals and genetic variation in theinitial population?
- How do local adaptation and life history traits influence the success of restored populations?
- How does spatial arrangement of landscape elements influence metapopulation dynamics and population processes such as migration?
- How does genetic drift, gene flow, and selection influence population persistence within an often accelerated, successional time frame?
- How do interspecific interactions influence population dynamics and community development?
What sorts of question do restoration ecologists ask biologists?
- How to establish native plant species?
- How to remove invasive, exotic plant and animal species that threaten ecosystems?
- How to encourage mutualistic relationships towards desired restoration results?
- Is it genetically appropriate to introduce organisms to a site?
Primary cautions/recommendations from biologists for restoration:
According to Montalvo et al. in their paper Restoration Biology: A Population Biology Perspective, there are several practical examples of the applicability of population biology in restoration:
- Lack of genetic material in populations may prevent their persistence- ex: seagrass beds (pictured above). Specifically, transplanted eelgrass (Zostera marina) has been found to have lower genetic diversity than natural populations and most seagrass mitigations have resulted in a net loss of habitat (Fonseca et al., 1988).
- Using non-local germplasm (genetic resources from organisms, such as seeds from plants) may cause phenological, morphological, or physiological changes. Biologists have helped develop guidelines so that seeds have better chances to maximize genetic diversity, avoid inbreeding, and adapt to environmental conditions at a restoration site. These guidelines are based on population genetic theory, local plant adaptation studies, and genetic work at the ecological scale (Montalvo et al., 1997).
- Using commercially produced seeds and plants can cause genetic bottlenecks and unwanted selection.
- Presence of mutualists, like pollinators, can be essential for the success of restoration projects.
- Life-history traits of species in their natural areas can be useful for understanding invasive species.
- Regarding reintroduction, bridging genetic and demographic considerations is important for success.
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The Oregon Silverspot Butterfly (Speyeria zerene hippolyta) is listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act as a threatened pollinator. Historically, periodic fires maintained coastal meadow habitats in an early successional stage, but development has inhibited fires and caused the meadows to turn into forests, depleting the butterflies’ habitat. Fortunately, appropriate management strategies give the Oregon Silverspot a promising future. |
Perks for biologists working in restoration
Restoration biologists working in ecological restoration gain significant benefits in certain aspects of their work. Essentially, the setting of restoration allows them to manipulate more variables to test hypotheses rather than to be somewhat restricted to descriptive, comparative, and unreplicatable models (Montalvo et al, 1997).
Restoration biologists working in ecological restoration gain significant benefits in certain aspects of their work. Essentially, the setting of restoration allows them to manipulate more variables to test hypotheses rather than to be somewhat restricted to descriptive, comparative, and unreplicatable models (Montalvo et al, 1997).
- As stated above, restorations provide a setting for biologists restorations "provide a sanction for population biologists to conduct field experiments, sometimes over large spatial scales, that are otherwise unthinkable for fear of resulting effects on natural populations and communities" (Montalvo et al, 1997).
- Restorations provide a wider variety of organisms than most conventional biological models of evolutionary theory, and therefore can increase the robustness of understanding evolutionary theory
- Successful restorations supply opportunities for biologists to learn about population processes in the "realistic context of environmental variation, multispecies interactions, and successional change" (Montalvo et al., 1997)
- In summary, by providing opportunities for gathering empirical data, restoration informs fundamental evolutionary and ecological theories
