1 REFLECTION

The inaugural issue of Applied Vegetation Science in 1998 included a Special Feature focused on plant species diversity and restoration ecology. This thematic focus emerged from a conference on vegetation management, where biodiversity theory was linked to the applied concept of restoration. At the time, ecological restoration was frequently practiced but the science of restoration ecology was still in its infancy. In this Editorial, we aim to reflect on the evolution of restoration ecology since the Journal's inception in 1998. The restoration of vegetation has remained a central theme for the Journal, and here we reflect on the advancements in restoration ecology by drawing comparisons between the inaugural issue and the key topics discussed in the articles published in Applied Vegetation Science in 2023.

In the first issue, a primary theme revolved around reintroducing plant species to degraded sites. This included discussions on the species pool, fragmentation, and traits associated with dispersal and longevity (Ehrlén & van Groenendael, 1998; Zobel et al., 1998). Notably, these themes demonstrated a focus extended beyond the patch or site scale to include landscape-scale processes. These large-scale processes were linked to restoration in terms of the capacity for natural regeneration after the removal of the degrading force. For example, restoration was more successful when the species pool was diverse and colonization could occur. The strong focus on regional processes reflected the interest at the time in diversity theory at large scales.

In 1998, philosophical inquiries pondered whether restoration necessitates the return of all species or whether some are functionally equivalent (van Andel, 1998). This overlaps with ideas raised regarding the determination of reference sites in relation to desired vegetation states, such as semi-natural vegetation (Poschlod et al., 1998). One paper explored how restoration success should be measured (van Duren et al., 1998), reporting on the failure of a restoration project that could nowadays be interpreted as the presence of strong thresholds to recovery. The authors suggest a reconsideration of restoration targets, aligning with more recent concepts such as novel ecosystems. In essence, these discussions considered what constitutes restoration, a theme that is still relevant today. The papers highlighted the need to actively reintroduce species while recognizing the limitations of focusing on species alone as a restoration target. The exploration of these early themes serves as a valuable foundation for understanding the trajectory of restoration ecology within Applied Vegetation Science.

In 2023, articles published in Applied Vegetation Science explored longer-term trajectories and showed a notable shift towards a more comprehensive examination of restoration success and the resilience of restored sites over decadal scales. For example, Cowan et al. (2023) found that the resilience of restored sites to disturbances such as fire increased with restoration age. The 2023 articles also continued to explore the reintroduction of plant species to degraded sites, highlighting the enduring challenges associated with restoring various species. Notably, there was a shift towards more active techniques; for example, sequential sowing to facilitate the establishment of subordinate species (Durbecq et al., 2023).

The 2023 articles provided a critical examination of what constitutes restoration success, indicative of the field's maturation towards nuanced assessments of project outcomes. However, the ideas link with the philosophical considerations that were explored in 1998. Functionality emerged as another notable theme with a focus on functional traits as key indicators of restoration success. For example, Chollet et al. (2023) explored the occurrence of typical species, beta-diversity and functional traits as indicators of restoration success in the absence of a suitable reference site. They argued that beta-diversity and functional analyses are good indicators of success while acknowledging the difficulty of achieving the return of all typical species at their study sites—echoing ideas presented in 1998. Similarly, Kaul and Wilsey (2023) used functional traits to compare restored sites with reference sites and seed mixes. Their findings revealed functional disparities driven by higher proportions of non-native species with a distinct functional composition at restored sites. The integration of functional traits into the assessment of restoration success represents a shift in the field that builds upon earlier considerations of functionality.

The papers published in 2023, demonstrate a maturation of restoration ecology but also highlight many enduring themes related to assessing restoration success and determining appropriate restoration targets, many of which arise from the recognized difficulties in returning species. Looking ahead, the persistent challenges and evolving perspectives presented in these articles suggest that the field of restoration ecology will continue to grapple with defining success, exploring innovative techniques, and balancing the restoration of plant diversity with the realities of complex ecosystems.

For more than 25 years, our Journal has provided an international platform for the exchange of ideas on ecological restoration, and we will continue to do so in the years to come. This commitment is increasingly important because advancements in restoration science are needed to support the objectives of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

中文翻译：

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应用植被科学中恢复生态学的反思（1998-2023）

1 反思

1998 年的创刊号《应用植被科学》有一个专题，重点关注植物物种多样性和恢复生态学。这一主题焦点来自一次植被管理会议，其中生物多样性理论与恢复的应用概念联系在一起。当时，生态恢复已被频繁实践，但恢复生态学仍处于起步阶段。在这篇社论中，我们旨在反思自 1998 年该杂志创刊以来恢复生态学的演变。植被恢复仍然是该杂志的中心主题，在这里，我们通过比较创刊号和其他期刊之间的比较来反思恢复生态学的进展问题以及 2023 年《应用植被科学》发表的文章中讨论的关键主题。

在第一期中，主要主题围绕将植物物种重新引入退化地区。这包括对物种库、破碎化以及与扩散和寿命相关的特征的讨论（Ehrlén & van Groenendael，  1998；Zobel 等，  1998）。值得注意的是，这些主题表明重点超出了斑块或场地规模，包括景观规模的过程。这些大规模的过程与去除降解力后自然再生能力的恢复有关。例如，当物种库多样化并且可能发生殖民化时，恢复会更成功。对区域进程的强烈关注反映了当时对大规模多样性理论的兴趣。

1998 年，哲学问题思考了恢复是否需要所有物种的回归，或者某些物种是否在功能上是等效的（van Andel，  1998）。这与关于确定与所需植被状态（例如半自然植被）相关的参考地点的想法重叠（Poschlod 等人，  1998）。一篇论文探讨了如何衡量恢复成功（van Duren 等人，  1998），报告了恢复项目的失败，该项目现在可以被解释为恢复存在强大的门槛。作者建议重新考虑恢复目标，与新生态系统等最新概念保持一致。从本质上讲，这些讨论考虑了什么是恢复，这个主题至今仍然具有现实意义。这些论文强调了积极重新引入物种的必要性，同时认识到仅关注物种作为恢复目标的局限性。对这些早期主题的探索为理解应用植被科学中恢复生态学的发展轨迹奠定了宝贵的基础。

2023 年，《应用植被科学》上发表的文章探讨了长期轨迹，并显示出对恢复成功和恢复地点在十年尺度上的恢复力进行更全面检查的显着转变。例如，考恩等人。（2023）发现，恢复遗址对火灾等干扰的恢复能力随着恢复年限的增加而增加。2023 年的文章还继续探讨将植物物种重新引入退化地点，强调了与恢复各种物种相关的持久挑战。值得注意的是，人们开始转向更积极的技术；例如，顺序播种以促进从属物种的建立（Durbecq 等，  2023）。

2023 年的文章对恢复成功的要素进行了严格审查，表明该领域在对项目成果进行细致入微的评估方面已趋于成熟。然而，这些想法与 1998 年探索的哲学考虑相关。功能性成为另一个值得注意的主题，重点关注功能特征作为修复成功的关键指标。例如，Chollet 等人。（2023）探索了典型物种的出现、β-多样性和功能性状，作为在缺乏合适参考地点的情况下恢复成功的指标。他们认为，β 多样性和功能分析是成功的良好指标，同时也承认在其研究地点实现所有典型物种回归的难度，这与 1998 年提出的想法相呼应。同样，Kaul 和 Wilsey（2023）使用功能性状来比较使用参考站点和种子混合物恢复站点。他们的发现揭示了功能差异是由于修复地点具有独特功能组成的非本地物种比例较高所致。将功能特征整合到修复成功的评估中代表了该领域的转变，这种转变建立在早期对功能的考虑之上。

2023 年发表的论文展示了恢复生态学的成熟，但也强调了与评估恢复成功和确定适当的恢复目标相关的许多持久主题，其中许多主题源于公认的物种回归困难。展望未来，这些文章中提出的持续挑战和不断变化的观点表明，恢复生态学领域将继续努力确定成功，探索创新技术，并平衡植物多样性的恢复与复杂生态系统的现实。

25 年来，我们的期刊为生态恢复思想交流提供了一个国际平台，我们将在未来几年继续这样做。这一承诺变得越来越重要，因为需要恢复科学的进步来支持联合国生态系统恢复十年的目标。