Interactive effects of local and landscape scale restoration of semi-natural grasslands and agricultural fields on species interactions and ecosystem functions in different social-ecological systems

钙质草原是欧洲文化景观中由传统土地利用而形成的，是物种最丰富的栖息地类型之一。它们是许多珍稀和高度濒危物种的栖息地，但如今经常受到威胁，主要是由于遗弃和富营养化。因此，迫切需要恢复措施。然而，跨国恢复方法缺乏，区域恢复方案中的评价通常只关注指示物种或物种丰富度，而忽略了它们的生物相互作用、生态系统功能和景观背景。特别是物种间的相互作用是恢复成功的重要指标，因为它们往往对环境变化更敏感，并决定了稳定生态系统所必需的重要功能。在这个项目中，我们将在三个国家（德国、西班牙和爱沙尼亚）的不同社会生态和景观背景下，研究恢复和退化的钙质草地上不同营养水平上的物种相互作用，包括(1)植物与土壤、(2)植物与传粉者和(3)鸟类与食物资源的相互作用。此外，我们将测量生态系统功能，包括土壤功能、授粉和捕食。我们假设，与退化地相比，局部恢复措施将导致更复杂和稳定的相互作用，并改善生态系统功能。此外，我们将探讨景观尺度的农业环境方案是否可以通过加性或协同效应使局部恢复更有效。我们期望农业环境方案增加钙质草地的连通性，特别是在周围没有其他钙质草地的孤立地点。此外，我们将分析恢复计划的社会背景，并确定实现当地和景观恢复目标所必需的关键参与者。重要的是，我们将研究社会相互依赖如何作为间接驱动因素影响生物相互作用。为了综合这个项目的结果，我们将使用元网络、多功能和社会生态网络方法，例如确定保护优先事项和可能的权衡。我们项目的结果将通过关注具有极高保护价值的栖息地，为爱知县的几个目标做出贡献。他们将向欧洲栖息地指令通报恢复措施对物种相互作用和生态系统功能的影响，以及它们如何与社会网络联系起来。关于景观尺度上的农业环境方案对钙质草地恢复的贡献的知识可以纳入共同农业政策。因此，该项目将有助于保护钙质草原中宝贵的生物多样性、它们之间的相互作用和功能，并促进欧洲文化景观中具有弹性的生态系统。

Calcareous grasslands were created by traditional land use in European cultural landscapes and are one of the most species-rich habitat types. They harbour many rare and highly endangered species, but are nowadays often threatened, mainly by abandonment and eutrophication. Hence, restoration measures are urgently needed. However, transnational restoration approaches are missing and evaluations within regional restoration schemes focus usually only on indicator species or species richness and ignore their biotic interactions, ecosystem functions and the landscape context. Especially species interactions are important indicators of restoration success as they are often more sensitive to environmental changes and determine vital functions that are necessary to stabilize ecosystems.In this project we will investigate species interactions across different trophic levels including (1) plant-soil, (2) plant-pollinator and (3) bird-food resource interactions, in restored and degraded calcareous grasslands that are embedded in different socio-ecological and landscape contexts in three countries (Germany, Spain and Estonia). Additionally, we will measure ecosystem functions including soil functions, pollination and predation. We hypothesize that local restoration measures will lead to more complex and stable interactions and improved ecosystem functions compared to degraded sites. Moreover, we will investigate whether landscape-scale restoration with agri-environment schemes can make local restoration more effective through additive or synergistic effects. We expect that agri-environment schemes increase the connectivity of calcareous grasslands, especially in isolated sites with no other calcareous grasslands in the surroundings. Moreover, we will analyse the social contexts of the restoration programs and identify key actors who are necessary to achieve local and landscape restoration goals. Importantly, we will investigate how social interdependencies impact biological interactions as indirect drivers. To synthesize the results of this project we will use metanetwork, multifunctional and social-ecological network approaches, e.g. to identify conservation priorities and possible trade-offs.The results of our project will contribute to several Aichi targets by focussing on habitats with extremely high conservation value. They will inform the European Habitats Directive on the effects of restoration measures on species interactions and ecosystem functions and how they are linked to social networks. Knowledge on the contribution of agri-environment schemes at the landscape scale to the restoration of calcareous grasslands can be integrated in the Common Agricultural Policy. The project will therefore contribute to safeguard the precious biodiversity in calcareous grasslands, their interactions and functions and promote resilient ecosystems in European cultural landscapes.