Exploring the impact of spatial patterns on restoration efforts: promoting self‐facilitating feedback mechanisms with an innovative biodegradable seed mussel collector

• DOI: 10.1111/rec.14095
• Publication Date: 2024-01-17T03:26:05Z
• Authors: Lisanne A. van de...; Jacob J. Capelle; Jildou Schotanus; Tjeerd J. Bouma
• Keywords: Facilitation; Ecosystem engineer; Stressor

Transplantations of organisms in aquatic ecosystems play an important role ecological restoration and commercial practices. However, success rates these transplantations, especially when ecosystem engineers are involved, often low. To enhance transplantation success, the promotion self‐facilitation between transplants that mitigate environmental stressors is crucial. Besides, spatial patterns resulting from can resilience. Using blue mussels as a model organism, we explored possibility increasing subtidal ecosystem. We used biodegradable structures (“BioShell‐SMCs”) to ameliorate self‐facilitating feedback mechanisms overcome initial post‐transplantation phase, increase by implementing large‐scale configurations, mimicking natural mussel bed patterns. The innovation traditional seed collectors (SMCs) cultivation. They consist net based on compound aliphatic polyesters, filled with empty cockle shells around coconut fiber rope. tested whether different configurations could seed: low versus high density labyrinth pattern banded pattern. results this experiment showed losses (approximately 75%), no significant variation configurations. lack migration due unexpected retention hindered initiation aggregations, increased competition among mussels. factors such hydrodynamic dislodgement, burial interannual likely contributed observed losses. While BioShell‐SMC has not demonstrated research contributes understanding underlie successful strategies ecosystems.