Seed menus: An integrated decision-support framework for native plant restoration in the Mojave Desert
Ecology and Evolution
Links
- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Data Releases:
- USGS data release - Mojave Seed Menus: a new spatial tool for restoration software release v1.0
- USGS data release - Species Distribution Models for Native Species in the Mojave Desert
- Open Access Version: External Repository
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
The combination of ecosystem stressors, rapid climate change, and increasing landscape-scale development has necessitated active restoration across large tracts of disturbed habitats in the arid southwestern United States. In this context, programmatic directives such as the National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration have increasingly emphasized improved restoration practices that promote resilient, diverse plant communities and enhance native seed reserves. While decision-support tools have been implemented to support genetic diversity by guiding seed transfer decisions based on patterns in local adaptation, less emphasis has been placed on identifying priority seed mixes composed of native species assemblages. Well-designed seed mixes can provide foundational ecosystem services including resilience to disturbance, resistance to invasive species, plant canopy structure to facilitate natural seedling recruitment, and habitat to support wildlife and pollinator communities. Drawing from a newly developed dataset of species distribution models for priority native plant taxa in the Mojave Desert, we created a novel decision support tool by pairing spatial predictions of species habitat with a database of key species traits including life history, flowering characteristics, pollinator relationships, and propagation methods. This publicly available web application, Mojave Seed Menus, helps restoration practitioners generate customized seed mixes for native plant restoration in the Mojave Desert while emphasizing key species traits. Our application forms an essential part of an integrated Mojave Desert restoration program designed to help practitioners identify species to include in local seed mixes and nursery stock development while accounting for local adaptation by identifying appropriate seed sources within key restoration species.
Suggested Citation
Shryock, D., DeFalco, L., and Esque, T., 2022, Seed menus: An integrated decision-support framework for native plant restoration in the Mojave Desert: Ecology and Evolution, v. 12, no. 4, e8805, 16 p., https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8805.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Seed menus: An integrated decision-support framework for native plant restoration in the Mojave Desert |
| Series title | Ecology and Evolution |
| DOI | 10.1002/ece3.8805 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Publication Date | April 12, 2022 |
| Year Published | 2022 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Contributing office(s) | Western Ecological Research Center |
| Description | e8805, 16 p. |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah |
| Other Geospatial | Mojave Desert |