NATIVE ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION
History of the Restoration Site
Role of Buffer Sites in Preserving Biodiversity
--Protecting Original
Landscapes
--Providing Habitat for
Native Species
Project Goals and Purpose
Restoration Strategy and Methods
Site Biodiversity
Education and Outreach
Project Participants
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Providing Habitat for Native Species -- Spatial and Biological Principles* Spacial Principles “Large areas of natural communities sustain more species than small areas. It is absolutely essential to preserve as many large natural areas as is possible in single tracts and expand the size of smaller tracts to maintain biodiversity.” “Fragmentation of habitats, communities and ecosystems reduces diversity. The reduction in size of natural areas reduces diversity. It is essential to maintain the size of natural areas especially those that have been reduced to islands surrounded by develoment or dissimilar habitat types. In the case of the Wolf Road Prairie Nature Preserve there is development on the north and the east. In addition fragmentation is also present on the south side in the form of 31st Street. Even this narrow corridor interferes with species migration and ultimately reduces diversity.” “Isolated patches of natural communities sustain fewer species than closely associated patches. The area known as Hickory Lane and located to the west of the Wolf Road Prairie Nature Preserve contains remnants of oak savanna, a closely associated community to the prairie. The communities should continue to coexist in close association in order to maintain diversity.” 
photo by Susan Van Horn “Ecotones between natural communities support a variety of species from both communities as well as ecotonal specific species. Ecotones, or transition zones between communities, are an inherent part of the Wolf Road Prairie complex. The prairie blends into the remnant oak savanna area to the west. This blend between the true prairie and the oak savanna increases overall biodiversity.” Biological Principles “Full restoration of native plant communities sustains diverse populations. Introducing or preserving as many components of the natural ecosystem as possible is essential to maintaining biodiversity.” “An increase in the structural diversity of vegetation 'increases species diversity. The Wolf Road Prairie Nature Preserve is under an ecosystem management plan designed to increase the structural diversity of the prairie.” *These ecological principles are more fully described in the text Landscape Restoration Handbook by Harker, Evans, Evans, and Harker, 1993. |
