Ecology and evolution are historical sciences; the patterns around us mesh current interactions with past events. Consequently, todays habitats are the products of species’ adaptations, the forces that are molding our current landscapes, and long-gone events that have brought todays species mixes forward to us. This includes single species presence and abundance (we are rarely at equilibrium), but also the species' contemporary interactions that are necessary for reproduction and dispersal. Restoring species would be oh-so-easy if we could just identify the plant palette, install, and wait for the associated animals and microbes to appear from the landscape, like an ecological Santa on his biodiversity sled.
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