DOI: 10.5061/dryad.q20jf
title: Data from: A comparison of clearfelling and gradual thinning of plantations for the restoration of insect herbivores and woodland plants

description: 1. Testing restoration methods is essential for the development of
 restoration ecology as a science. It is also important to monitor a range
 of taxa, not just plants which have been the traditional focus of
 restoration ecology. Here we compare the effects on ground flora and
 leaf-miners, of two restoration practices used when restoring conifer
 plantations. 2. Two methods of restoration were investigated: clearfelling
 of plantations and the gradual thinning of conifers over time. Unrestored
 plantations and native broad-leaved woodlands were also surveyed, these
 representing the starting point of restoration and the reference community
 respectively. The study sites consist of two forest types (acidic Quercus
 woodland and mesotrophic Fraxinus woodland) enabling us to compare the two
 restoration methods in different habitat types. We use a well-replicated,
 large-scale study system consisting of 32 woodland plots, each 2 ha in
 size. 3. There were 179 plant species identified in the plots. Clearfelled
 plots had greater overall ground flora species richness than other
 management regimes (thinned, unrestored plantation and native woodland),
 but the richness of woodland plant species did not differ between
 clearfelled, thinned, native woodland and unrestored plantation plots. 4.
 More than 10 000 leaf-miners comprising 122 species were collected.
 Increased plant species richness was associated with increased leaf-miner
 species richness under all management regimes except clearfelled plots. 5.
 Forest type did not affect the response to restoration method, i.e. there
 was no interaction between management regime and forest type for any of
 the variables measured. 6. Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest
 that both the clearfelling and gradual thinning approaches to plantation
 restoration maintain woodland ground flora species. Either method can be
 used without detriment to woodland ground flora species richness. However,
 these methods differed in their effects on the leaf-miner–plant species
 richness relationship. If increasing invertebrate herbivore species
 richness is a concern the gradual thinning approach is more appropriate.
description: Plant and leaf-miner
 richnessPlant and leaf-miner
 species richness of plots. Data collected in the field. 'Plant
 species' refers to the species richness of the ground flora.
 'Woodland species' refers to the species richness of woodland
 species in the ground flora.Ground flora species
 matrixPlant species found in
 the ground flora of each plot. Data collected in the field. Species names
 are abbreviated to the first three letters of the genus followed by the
 first three letters of the species. Full names can be found in the read me
 file. Plot information for each code can be found in the 'Plant and
 leaf-miner richness' file.ground flora species
 matrix.csvWoodland species
 matrixWoodland species found
 in the ground flora of each plot. Data collected in the field. Species
 names are abbreviated to the first three letters of the genus followed by
 the first three letters of the species. Full names can be found in the
 read me file. Plot information for each code can be found in the
 'Plant and leaf-miner richness' file.woodland species
 matrix.csvLeaf-miner
 matrixLeaf-miner species found
 on each plot. Data collected in the field. Plot information for each code
 can be found in the 'Plant and leaf-miner richness'
 file.leaf-miner
 matrix.csv