Woodland Restoration Plot Network: Invertebrate Data (Ant Abundance), Western Sydney Parklands (Western Sydney Regional Park), NSW, Australia, 2002

Abstract: The Woodland Restoration Plot Network Invertebrate Data Package contains ant survey data for sixteen 0.02 hectare sites which were established in 2002.

The sites were located on retired farmland that includes a mosaic of restored vegetation (native plantings) of varying ages juxtaposed with patches of remnant vegetation and untreated, abandoned pasture. All sites were originally woodland prior to agricultural development about 200 years ago. The plantings monitored by the Woodland Restoration Plot Network research plots commenced in 1992.

A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Woodland Restoration Plot Network’s full program is provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c36e5688ff89.

Sampling method: The experimental design (Lomov 2009) was based on space-for-time substitution (Pickett 1989) with a chronosequence of four treatments. Ungrazed pasture was the control and represented the starting point of restoration; ‘younger revegetation’ of approximately 5 years since planting; ‘older revegetation’ of approximately 10 years since planting; and Cumberland Plain Woodland remnants were used as reference and represented the desired end point of restoration.

Sixteen spatially independent sites comprise four replicates per treatment located 2–6 km apart and not connected through the same type of habitat.

The genus group Anillomyrma is based on the description by Bolton (1987) http://ant.edb.miyakyo-u.ac.jp/AZ/Australia/FORMICIDAE/Myrmicinae/Solenopsidini/Anillomyrma/sp./index.html

Study extent: The study site is located on retired farmland that includes a mosaic of restored vegetation (native plantings) of varying ages juxtaposed with patches of remnant vegetation and untreated, pasture (both grazed and abandoned). During their period of pastoral management (prior to 1990), the sites have been grazed by cattle, fertilised and planted with exotic pasture grasses, particularly Phalaris species. All sites were originally woodland prior to agricultural development about 200 years ago. Restoration projects commenced in the area in 1992 with a stated goal of ‘re-establishment of native vegetation’ (Perkins 1997). The restoration plantings were carried out in a pattern designed to connect remnant patches of woodland, which were also the primary sources of seed for tubestock. To evaluate success against the above goal, we therefore identified the remnants as suitable reference sites to which the restored sites were expected to increase their resemblance in composition and structure over time. Disturbance resulting from past agricultural practices in the area have impacted upon remnant patches to varying degrees, but these were the best available examples of native woodland in the region. Untreated pasture is defined as a control, from which restored sites are expected to become increasingly dissimilar in species composition and vegetation structure with time.

Project funding: Between 2012 and 2018 this project was part of, and funded through the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN) a facility within the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) and supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.

摘要：本林地恢复样地网络无脊椎动物数据包包含2002年设立的16个0.02公顷样地的蚂蚁调查数据。

上述样地均位于弃耕农田区域，该区域镶嵌分布着不同林龄的恢复植被（乡土植物种植区）、残存原生植被斑块以及未处理的弃牧草地。所有样地在约200年前的农业开发前均为原生林地。林地恢复样地网络研究样地所监测的植物种植工作始于1992年。

作为林地恢复样地网络完整项目组成部分收集的相关数据包概要，可通过以下链接获取：https://doi.org/10.25911/5c36e5688ff89。

采样方法：本研究的实验设计（Lomov等，2009）基于空间替代时间法（space-for-time substitution），设置了4个处理的时间序列样地。其中，未放牧草地作为对照，代表恢复起始状态；‘早期恢复植被区’为种植后约5年的区域；‘晚期恢复植被区’为种植后约10年的区域；坎伯兰平原原生林地残存斑块则作为参考样地，代表恢复的预期终点状态。

本研究共设置16个空间独立的样地，每个处理设置4个重复样地，样地间距为2~6千米，且未通过同类生境相连。

阿尼洛蚁属（Anillomyrma）类群的分类依据为Bolton（1987）的描述，详情参见链接：http://ant.edb.miyakyo-u.ac.jp/AZ/Australia/FORMICIDAE/Myrmicinae/Solenopsidini/Anillomyrma/sp./index.html

研究范围：本研究样地位于弃耕农田区域，该区域包含镶嵌分布的不同林龄恢复植被（乡土植物种植区）、残存原生植被斑块以及未处理的草地（涵盖放牧草地与弃牧草地）。在1990年前的放牧管理阶段，样地曾被牛群放牧、施加肥料，并种植了外来牧草，尤以虉草属（Phalaris）物种为主。所有样地在约200年前的农业开发前均为原生林地。该区域的恢复项目始于1992年，其既定目标为‘重建乡土植被’（Perkins，1997）。恢复种植工作采用了连通残存原生林地斑块的布局模式，这些残存斑块同时也是容器育苗苗木（tubestock）繁育的主要种源地。为评估恢复项目是否达成上述目标，本研究将残存斑块作为适宜的参考样地，预期恢复样地的物种组成与群落结构将随时间推移逐渐趋近于参考样地。过往农业活动造成的干扰对不同残存斑块的影响程度存在差异，但这些斑块仍是该区域现存最具代表性的原生林地样例。未处理草地被设为对照样地，预期恢复样地的物种组成与植被结构将随时间推移与该对照样地的差异逐渐增大。

项目资助：2012年至2018年间，本项目隶属于陆地生态系统研究网络（Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, TERN）下属的长期生态研究网络（Long Term Ecological Research Network, LTERN），由澳大利亚政府通过国家协同研究基础设施战略提供资助。