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A role for assisted evolution in designing native plant materials for domesticated landscapes
Author(s) -
Jones Thomas A,
Monaco Thomas A
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
frontiers in ecology and the environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.918
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1540-9309
pISSN - 1540-9295
DOI - 10.1890/080028
Subject(s) - domestication , ecosystem , restoration ecology , selection (genetic algorithm) , novel ecosystem , function (biology) , ecology , value (mathematics) , empirical evidence , environmental resource management , computer science , biology , environmental science , evolutionary biology , artificial intelligence , epistemology , machine learning , philosophy
Developers of native plant propagation materials for wildland restoration may emphasize naturally occurring genetic patterns or, in contrast, the material's empirical performance in comparative field trials. We contend that both approaches have value and need not be mutually exclusive. Anthropogenic influences have pushed many ecosystems across ecological thresholds, to less desirable states, so that actively managing for “domesticated nature” – nature as modified, either intentionally or inadvertently, by humans – is more realistic and more likely to succeed than recreating the original ecosystem. Furthermore, when domesticated nature is the most reasonable objective, empirical performance, together with geographical origin, are plausible criteria for choosing restoration plant material. For altered ecosystems, we suggest that evolution should be assisted by the inclusion of plants that (1) reflect general historical evolutionary patterns, (2) are particularly suited to the modified environment, (3) are able to adapt to contemporary selection pressures, and (4) contribute to the restoration of ecosystem structure and function.