Ecosystem services through restoration: Improving restoration outcomes through trait-based modelling

地中海型生态系统(MTE)似乎是受多种全球变化因素(如生物交换、氮沉积、气候)影响最大的生态系统之一，这些因素可能会加剧当代生态系统服务的衰退。生态系统恢复项目越来越多地以改善多个生态系统为目标。因此，需要从根本上理解生态系统组成、相关功能和生态系统以及影响环境驱动因素之间的联系。植物性状已被认为是生态系统组成和生态系统功能之间的可量化的联系，这为提供ES提供了基础。然而，基于特征的研究在多种环境因素的影响下解决多个ES之间的权衡问题，以可靠地支持未来的恢复结果，仍然缺乏。该项目的目的是评估在环境变化的影响下，植物特性与提供ES之间的联系以及它们之间的权衡，以改善MTE未来的恢复结果。为此，将与世界各地MTE研究地点的研究人员密切合作，开发基于特征的模拟模型。该模型将模拟依赖于特征组成和几个环境因素的生态系统过程，并将评估由此产生的生态系统功能和服务。该模型将建立在已公布的方法的基础上，并考虑到每个MTE的具体特点，将养分、水和植被动态联系起来。对于每个地点的模型参数化和改编，项目的合作伙伴将提供澳大利亚、智利、法国和西班牙的MTE正在进行的实验和测量的数据。生态系统模型将用于检测物种组合，最大限度地减少全球变化下生态系统之间的权衡，因此与恢复项目直接相关。通过整合不同MTE的研究结果，将发现ES供应和它们之间的权衡的异同，这将有助于发展关于MTE中性状和多个ES之间联系的一般理论。

Mediterranean-type ecosystems (MTEs) appear to be among the ecosystems that are most at risk to multiple global change factors (e.g. biotic exchange, nitrogen deposition, climate), which are likely to exacerbate the contemporary decline of ecosystem services (ES). Ecosystem restoration projects increasingly aim at improving multiple ES. Therefore, a fundamental understanding of the link between ecosystem composition, related functions and ES, and influencing environmental drivers is required. Plant traits have been recognised as a quantifiable link between ecosystem composition and ecosystem functions, which provide the base for the provision of ES. Trait-based research, however, that addresses trade-offs among multiple ES under the impact of multiple environmental factors to reliably support future restoration outcomes is still missing. The project aims at assessing the linkage between plant traits and the provision of ES and trade-offs among them under the impact of environmental change to improve future restoration outcomes in MTEs. To this end, a trait-based simulation model will be developed in close cooperation with researchers from study sites in MTEs world-wide. The model will simulate ecosystem processes dependent on trait composition and several environmental factors, and will assess the resulting ecosystem functions and services. The model will build on published approaches and will link nutrient, water and vegetation dynamics taking into account specific characteristics of each MTE. For model parametrisation and adaptation for each site, data from ongoing experiments and measurements at MTEs in Australia, Chile, France and Spain will be made available by collaboration partners of the project. The ecosystem model will be used to detect species assemblages, that minimise trade-offs among ES under global change, and that are therefore of direct interest for restoration projects. By integrating findings from different MTEs, similarities and dissimilarities between ES provision and their trade-offs will be detected, which will assist to develop a general theory on the linkage between traits and multiple ES in MTEs.