ArticleNature ecology & evolution2021
Drivers of seedling establishment success in dryland restoration efforts.
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Article in Nature ecology & evolution, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 33 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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33citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- A global meta-analysis on the drivers of salt marsh planting success and implications for ecosystem services.Nature communications · 2024Pooled it
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- From Data to Discovery: Characterizing the Scope and Limitations of Seedling Trait Studies in the U.S. With the EPiC Database.Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Canopy Plants Safeguard the Taxonomic and Phylogenetic Diversity of Recruiting Plants Worldwide.Ecology letters · 2026Article
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- Shorebird loss increases soil COFundamental research · 2026Article
- Comprehensive UAV and ground data for typical semiarid sites in the midstream of the Heihe River Basin.Scientific data · 2026Article
- Depth-dependent heterogeneity in topsoil stockpiles influences plant-microbe interactions and revegetation success in arid mine reclamation.The Science of the total environment · 2025Article
- Ecological Resilience of Restored Mediterranean-Climate Woodlands to Experimental Fire.Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- Overcoming Obstacles: Perspective on How Mediterranean Oaks Defend Their Acorns from Insect Seed Predators.Insects · 2025Article
- Plant Regeneration Trait Syndromes, Tradeoffs, and Linkages to Adult Abundance for Native and Exotic Grassland Plants.Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- Effect of pre-germination temperature conditions on germination characteristics of temperate grassland species.BMC ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- Suturing fragmented landscapes: Mosaic hybrid zones in plants may facilitate ecosystem resiliency.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Seedling size affects the strategy of dune seedlings responding to rainfall variation.Annals of botany · 2025Article
- Species occupancy is inflated by sink populations in productive environments but not unproductive environments.Ecology · 2025Article
- Desiccation tolerant yet short-lived seeds: A conundrum for post-harvest handling of a high restoration value bunchgrass?PloS one · 2025Article
- A Test of Activated Carbon and Soil Seed Enhancements for Improved Sub-Shrub and Grass Seedling Survival With and Without Herbicide Application.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Morphological Seed Traits Predict Early Performance of Native Species to Pelletized Seed Enhancement Technologies.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Balancing the books of nature by accounting for ecosystem condition following ecological restoration.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Trophic facilitation in forest restoration: CanEcology and evolution · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
76 authors.
Nancy Shackelford *School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. nshack@uvic.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4817-0423
Gustavo B Paterno *Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9719-3037
Daniel E WinklerUS Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, UT, USA.
Todd E EricksonSchool of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.
Elizabeth A LegerDepartment of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA.
Lauren N SvejcarUSDA Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, Burns, OR, USA.
Martin F BreedCollege of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7810-9696
Akasha M FaistDepartment of Animal and Range Sciences, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA.
Peter A HarrisonSchool of Natural Sciences and ARC Training Centre for Forest Value, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3502-0242
Michael F CurranProgram in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA.
Qinfeng GuoUSDA FS - Southern Research Station, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4375-4916
Anita KirmerDepartment of Nature Conservation and Landscape Planning, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Bernburg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2396-713X
Darin J LawSchool of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
Kevin Z MgangaDepartment of Agricultural Sciences, South Eastern Kenya University, Kitui, Kenya.
Seth M MunsonUS Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, AZ, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2736-6374
Lauren M PorenskyUS Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service Rangeland Resources and Systems Research Unit, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
R Emiliano QuirogaInstituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Catamarca, Catamarca, Argentina.
Péter TörökMTA-DE Lendület Functional and Restoration Ecology Research Group, Debrecen, Hungary.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4428-3327
Claire E WainwrightTennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Water Resources, Nashville, TN, USA.
Ali AbdullahiHirola Conservation Programme, Nairobi, Kenya.
Matt A BahmUSDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Merced Field Office, Merced, CA, USA.
Elizabeth A BallengerNational Park Service, Southeast Utah Group, Moab, UT, USA.
Nichole BargerEcology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.
Owen W BaughmanThe Nature Conservancy of Oregon, Burns, OR, USA.
Carina BeckerPlant Conservation Unit, Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4567-5127
Manuel Esteban Lucas-BorjaUniversity of Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario, Albacete, Spain.
Chad S BoydUSDA Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, Burns, OR, USA.
Carla M BurtonUniversity of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada.
Philip J BurtonUniversity of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5956-2716
Eman CallejaInstitute of Applied Sciences, Malta College for Arts, Sciences and Technology, Fgura, Malta.
Peter J CarrickPlant Conservation Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa.
Alex CaruanaInstitute of Applied Sciences, Malta College for Arts, Sciences and Technology, Fgura, Malta.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7604-4574
Charlie D ClementsUSDA, Agricultural Research Service, Great Basin Rangelands Research Unit, Reno, NV, USA.
Kirk W DaviesUSDA Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, Burns, OR, USA.
Balázs DeákLendület Seed Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Debrecen, Hungary.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6938-1997
Jessica DrakeMurrang Earth Sciences, Ngunnawal Country, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Sandra DullauDepartment of Nature Conservation and Landscape Planning, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Bernburg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3167-799X
Joshua EldridgeGreat Ecology, Denver, CO, USA.
Erin EspelandUSDA-ARS Pest Management Research Unit, Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, Sidney, MT, USA.
Hannah L FarrellUS Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, AZ, USA.
Stephen E FickUS Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, UT, USA.
Magda GarbowskiGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Enrique G de la RivaDepartment of Ecology, Brandenburg University of Technology, Cottbus, Germany.
Peter J GolosKings Park Science, Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions, Kings Park, Western Australia, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3588-7011
Penelope A GreyBiodiversity Management Branch, Environmental Resource Management Department, Cape Town, South Africa.
Barry HeydenrychGreening Australia, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Patricia M HolmesDepartment of Conservation Ecology & Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch Central, Stellenbosch, South Africa.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0794-9713
Jeremy J JamesNatural Resource Management and Environmental Sciences, Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, USA.
Jayne Jonas-BrattenDepartment of Biology, University of Nebraska-Kearney, Kearney, NE, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1716-7195
Réka KissLendület Seed Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Debrecen, Hungary.
Andrea T KramerNegaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL, USA.
Julie E LarsonEcology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.
Juan LoriteDepartment of Botany, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4617-8069
C Ellery MayenceNew Zealand Department of Conservation, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Luis Merino-MartínDepartamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química inorgánica, ESCET, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0343-0546
Tamás MigléczÖMKi - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Budapest, Hungary.
Suanne Jane MiltonHadison Park, Kimberley, South Africa.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4390-6040
Thomas A MonacoUS Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Forage and Range Research Laboratory, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.
Arlee M MontalvoUniversity of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
Jose A Navarro-CanoDepartment of Environment and Agronomy, National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
Mark W PaschkeForest and Rangeland Stewardship Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
Pablo Luis PeriInstituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral (UNPA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Santa Cruz, Argentina.
Monica L PokornyUSDA - NRCS, Bozeman, MT, USA.
Matthew J RinellaUSDA Agricultural Research Service, Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory, Miles City, MT, USA.
Nelmarie SaaymanPlant Science, Western Cape Department of Agriculture, Elsenburg, South Africa.
Merilynn C SchantzRed Rock Resources LLC, Miles City, MT, USA.
Tina ParkhurstBush Heritage Australia, Eurardy, Western Australia, Australia.
Eric W SeabloomDeptartment of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6780-9259
Katharine L StubleHolden Arboretum, Kirtland, OH, USA.
Shauna M UselmanDepartment of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.
Orsolya ValkóLendület Seed Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Debrecen, Hungary.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7919-6293
Kari VeblenDepartment of Wildland Resources & Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7523-3368
Scott WilsonDepartment of Biology, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Megan WongCentre of eResearch and Digital Innovation, Federation University Australia, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.
Zhiwei XuSchool of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8630-1204
Katharine L SudingEcology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5357-0176
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Restoration of degraded drylands is urgently needed to mitigate climate change, reverse desertification and secure livelihoods for the two billion people who live in these areas. Bold global targets have been set for dryland restoration to restore millions of hectares of degraded land. These targets have been questioned as overly ambitious, but without a global evaluation of successes and failures it is impossible to gauge feasibility. Here we examine restoration seeding outcomes across 174 sites on six continents, encompassing 594,065 observations of 671 plant species. Our findings suggest reasons for optimism. Seeding had a positive impact on species presence: in almost a third of all treatments, 100% of species seeded were growing at first monitoring. However, dryland restoration is risky: 17% of projects failed, with no establishment of any seeded species, and consistent declines were found in seeded species as projects matured. Across projects, higher seeding rates and larger seed sizes resulted in a greater probability of recruitment, with further influences on species success including site aridity, taxonomic identity and species life form. Our findings suggest that investigations examining these predictive factors will yield more effective and informed restoration decision-making.
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EcosystemSeedlingsClimate ChangeHumansPlantsSeeds
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