Integrating belowground recovery into tropical forest restoration design and monitoring
There is growing recognition that tropical forest restoration is key for sequestering carbon and enhancing ecosystem resilience. Soils, roots, and soil biota are central to ecosystem function and services, but belowground recovery is largely overlooked in restoration monitoring frameworks. Here, we outline current understanding of the links between above- and belowground recovery in tropical forests by examining how belowground properties before and after intervention influence recovery; by evaluating whether aboveground recovery can serve as a proxy for belowground dynamics; and by proposing a blueprint for monitoring dynamic soil physical (bulk density, aggregate stability), chemical (organic matter or carbon, pH), and biological properties (decomposition rate, macrofauna abundance) in resource-constrained projects. Although we highlight some aboveground proxies for assessing belowground recovery, a better understanding of relationships between above- and belowground indicators across diverse restoration interventions remains essential. Overall, we provide an actionable path toward integrating belowground recovery into restoration design and assessment.
Authors
- Laura Toro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0550-3294)
- Shalom D. Addo‐Danso (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5074-1673)
- Rebecca J. Cole (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9217-796X)
- Mareli Sánchez‐Julia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3193-8259)
- Katrin Fleischer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9093-9526)
- Daisy H. Dent (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1219-7344)
- Leland K. Werden (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3579-4352)
- Oscar J. Valverde‐Barrantes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7327-7647)
- Michelle Y. Wong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7830-8035)
- Pooja Choksi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2997-5894)
- Anita Weissflog (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9527-0964)
- Kelly M. Andersen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1460-9904)
- Nohemi Huanca Nuñez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4603-827X)
- Lucia Fuchslueger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9615-4439)
- Daniela Cusack (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4681-7449)
- Ember M. Morrissey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5810-1096)
- Sarah A. Batterman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7703-9873)
- Lindsay A. McCulloch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6868-2632)
- Janey R. Lienau (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4681-235X)
- Jennifer S. Powers (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3451-4803)
- Joshua B. Fisher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4734-9085)
- Lee H. Dietterich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4465-5845)
- Liza S. Comita (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9169-1331)
- Matilde M Bragadini
Institutions
- West Virginia University (US)
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (PA)
- University of Vienna (AT)
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Haverford College (US)
- Chapman University (US)
- Florida International University (US)
- University of South Florida (US)
- Twin Cities Public Television (US)
- Missouri Botanical Garden (US)
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies (US)
- Yale University (US)
- ETH Zurich (CH)
- Twin Cities Orthopedics (US)
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (DE)
- The Forestry Commission of Ghana (GH)
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)
- Colorado State University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BioScience
- Published
- 2025-06-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaf097
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.19
Funders
- Data Fusion Corporation
- Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
- Natural Resources Conservation Service
- Division of Environmental Biology