Are local plants the best for ecosystem restoration? It depends on how you analyze the data.

摘要: One of the key questions in ecosystem restoration is choice seed material for restoring plant communities. The most common strategy to use local sources, based on argument that many plants are locally adapted and thus sources should provide best success. However, evidence adaptation inconsistent, some these inconsistencies may be due different experimental approaches have been used test adaptation. We illustrate how conclusions about depend design particular method data analysis. from a multispecies reciprocal transplant experiment analyzed them three ways: (1) comparing vs. foreign within species sites, corresponding tests "local best" paradigm ecological restoration, (2) sympatric allopatric populations across sites but species, (3) multiple species. These reflect designs: While comparison can done even small experiments with single site, other two require one or respectively. analyses led contrasting results. local/foreign approach indicated lack maladaptation, more general sympatric/allopatric rather suggested adaptation, cross-species provided significant demonstrate methods analysis impact presence absence small-scale, single-species useful identifying appropriate specific project, patterns only detected sites.