LTREB: Evaluating the Role of Metacommunity Dynamics in the Assembly of Vernal Pool Communities

恢复生物多样性和生态系统服务的努力往往失败，因为生态学家缺乏关于待恢复生态系统复杂运作的详细信息。本研究将生态学理论与加州春池濒危植物的大规模恢复相结合。春池是临时的湿地，在春天会开出紫色、金色和白色的花朵。项目调查人员将跟踪每年恢复的植物群落的成功情况，将进行温室研究，以估计储存在土壤中的种子如何影响每年的植物产量，并将建立模型来预测植物种群的未来增长。这项研究是新颖的，因为它结合了长期的实地实验和最先进的数学建模来评估栖息地恢复的成功。 这项研究是特别相关的资源管理人员和保护从业人员参与栖息地恢复。这项研究具有社会效益，因为春天的池塘里有许多联邦保护物种，栖息地恢复将是它们恢复的一个关键方面。该项目包括培训六年级学生到研究生，该研究将继续为加州春季游泳池的保护和恢复行动做出贡献，包括地区政府，美国鱼类和野生动物管理局和环境咨询公司制定的计划。

Efforts to restore biological diversity and ecosystem services often fail because ecologists lack detailed information on the intricate workings of the ecosystems to be restored. This study combines ecological theory with large-scale restoration for endangered plant species of vernal pools in California. Vernal pools are temporary wetlands that produce large displays of purple, gold and white flowers in the spring. Project investigators will track yearly success of restored plant communities, will conduct greenhouse studies to estimate how seeds stored in the soil affect yearly plant production, and will construct models to project future growth of plant populations. The study is novel in that it combines a long-term field experiment with state-of-the-art mathematical modeling to estimate success of habitat restoration. This study is especially relevant to resource managers and conservation practitioners involved in habitat restoration. The research has societal benefits, since vernal pools harbor many federally protected species and habitat restoration will be a key aspect of their recovery. The project involves training sixth-graders to graduate students, and the research will continue to contribute to conservation and restoration actions for vernal pools in California, including plans generated by regional governments, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and environmental consulting firms.