Biotic ecosystem engineering for global recovery of drylands.

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Land transformation is a pressing global crisis, and we must balance the direct needs of people with the ecological benefits of functional natural systems. Drylands including deserts and semi-arid grasslands in Canada and beyond are subject to significant pressures such as drought, invasive species, agriculture, and energy developments. Large-scale reductions in groundwater levels worldwide and drought have lead to regulations and sustainable development goals that will require the retirement of irrigated and agricultural drylands. This is both an opportunity and a challenge. Fundamental community ecology of plants and animals including restoration will provide solutions. In partnership with The Nature Conservancy, The Bureau of Land Management, and local preserves, we have extensively sampled throughout deserts in California at a total of 34 independent sites in the last 5 years sampling over 120 plant species, 30 species of pollinators, and 10 species of vertebrate animals including 3 endangered species. We are now fully prepared to test solutions directly using a standard restoration and monitoring program for the Southwest and join a collaborative network with 29 other sites. The primary objectives of this program are to (1) setup experimental, outdoor gardens to test native seed restoration and site remediation techniques, (2) examine the capacity for positive local interactions with remaining native foundation species such as shrubs to mitigate biodiversity loss, and (3) use novel theory and analyses to explore the pool of species that can be used for restoration even if not currently present at a specific site. Collectively, this research will provide pragmatic evidence for land managers and policy makers. It will also advance fundamental theory in community ecology by identifying key drivers in community assembly for extreme environments. This research program will connect Canadian researchers with a large, established international network of researchers working together to solve the globally recognized grand challenge of water and the environment.**