1. Testing restoration methods is essential for the development of restoration ecology as a science. It is also important to monitor a range of taxa, not just plants which have been the traditional focus of restoration ecology. Here we compare the effects on ground flora and leaf-miners, of two restoration practices used when restoring conifer plantations. 2. Two methods of restoration were investigated: clearfelling of plantations and the gradual thinning of conifers over time. Unrestored plantations and native broad-leaved woodlands were also surveyed, these representing the starting point of restoration and the reference community respectively. The study sites consist of two forest types (acidic Quercus woodland and mesotrophic Fraxinus woodland) enabling us to compare the two restoration methods in different habitat types. We use a well-replicated, large-scale study system consisting of 32 woodland plots, each 2 ha in size. 3. There were 179 plant species identified in the plots. Clearfelled plots had greater overall ground flora species richness than other management regimes (thinned, unrestored plantation and native woodland), but the richness of woodland plant species did not differ between clearfelled, thinned, native woodland and unrestored plantation plots. 4. More than 10 000 leaf-miners comprising 122 species were collected. Increased plant species richness was associated with increased leaf-miner species richness under all management regimes except clearfelled plots. 5. Forest type did not affect the response to restoration method, i.e. there was no interaction between management regime and forest type for any of the variables measured. 6. Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest that both the clearfelling and gradual thinning approaches to plantation restoration maintain woodland ground flora species. Either method can be used without detriment to woodland ground flora species richness. However, these methods differed in their effects on the leaf-miner–plant species richness relationship. If increasing invertebrate herbivore species richness is a concern the gradual thinning approach is more appropriate.,Plant and leaf-miner richnessPlant and leaf-miner species richness of plots. Data collected in the field. 'Plant species' refers to the species richness of the ground flora. 'Woodland species' refers to the species richness of woodland species in the ground flora.Ground flora species matrixPlant species found in the ground flora of each plot. Data collected in the field. Species names are abbreviated to the first three letters of the genus followed by the first three letters of the species. Full names can be found in the read me file. Plot information for each code can be found in the 'Plant and leaf-miner richness' file.ground flora species matrix.csvWoodland species matrixWoodland species found in the ground flora of each plot. Data collected in the field. Species names are abbreviated to the first three letters of the genus followed by the first three letters of the species. Full names can be found in the read me file. Plot information for each code can be found in the 'Plant and leaf-miner richness' file.woodland species matrix.csvLeaf-miner matrixLeaf-miner species found on each plot. Data collected in the field. Plot information for each code can be found in the 'Plant and leaf-miner richness' file.leaf-miner matrix.csv,
Date made available | 14 Jul 2016 |
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Publisher | Dryad |
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