Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Assessing mangrove restoration practices using species‐interaction networks

O'Connell, Darren P.; Fusi, Marco; Djamaluddin, Rignolda; Rajagukguk, Bulfrit B.; Bachmid, Fihri; Kitson, James J. N.; Dunnett, Zoe; Trianto, Agus; Tjoa, Aiyen B.; Diele, Karen; Evans, Darren M.

Authors

Darren P. O'Connell

Marco Fusi

Rignolda Djamaluddin

Bulfrit B. Rajagukguk

Fihri Bachmid

James J. N. Kitson

Zoe Dunnett

Agus Trianto

Aiyen B. Tjoa

Darren M. Evans



Abstract

Mangroves are uniquely important ecosystems, for preserving biodiversity, sustaining livelihoods and mitigating against climate change. However they are degraded globally and are therefore a priority for ecosystem restoration. To date, the assessment of mangrove restoration outcomes is generally poor, and the limited studies that do exist are focussed largely on forest area. Thus, more holistic ways of assessing the outcomes of mangrove restoration projects on biodiversity and associated ecological processes are urgently needed. Ecological networks are a useful tool for simultaneously examining both. Here, we assessed the utility of using species-interaction networks for evaluating mangrove restoration outcomes for the first time. We compared the structure and complexity of mangrove ecological networks in replicated ‘Monoculture Reforestation’, ‘Mixed Species Regeneration’ and ‘Reference Forest’ plots in two study areas in Sulawesi, Indonesia, an estuarine and a coastal fringe mangrove system. We also combined and evaluated sampling methods, utilising traditional plant-animal sampling while also integrating video recording data in a novel way. We found significant differences in the structure and complexity of mangrove networks between restored and natural plots, with contrasting effects between the two sites. Our results show differences in the complex ways in which taxa interact in mangrove restoration projects, which would be overlooked if common biodiversity metrics such as species-richness were used alone, with consequences for the restoration of ecosystem functioning. We also highlight the utility of video recording data collection for constructing species interaction networks, overcoming the detrimental impacts of observer presence for some key species.

Citation

O'Connell, D. P., Fusi, M., Djamaluddin, R., Rajagukguk, B. B., Bachmid, F., Kitson, J. J. N., …Evans, D. M. (2022). Assessing mangrove restoration practices using species‐interaction networks. Restoration Ecology, 30(4), Article e13546. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13546

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Sep 2, 2021
Online Publication Date Sep 4, 2021
Publication Date 2022-05
Deposit Date Oct 13, 2021
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Restoration Ecology
Print ISSN 1061-2971
Electronic ISSN 1526-100X
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 30
Issue 4
Article Number e13546
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13546
Keywords camera traps, ecological networks, forest, marine, plant–animal interactions, Wallacea
Public URL http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2811900

Files

Assessing Mangrove Restoration Practices Using Species‐interaction Networks (1.3 Mb)
PDF

Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Copyright Statement
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.






You might also like



Downloadable Citations