Drylands functioning depends on water fluxes and the retention of resources. The restoration of degraded areas should mimic the natural arrangement of vegetation in the landscape in a source-sink pattern. Reintroducing key woody seedlings through planting is a major concern in ecological restoration as these areas often exceed degradation thresholds and ecosystem functions are limited. However, it is not clear how natural fluxes might determine seedlings performance of key woody species. We have analyzed the microcatchment surface area of planting spots with and without water optimization treatment (waterproof surfaces with dry wells) and the survival and growth of Olea europaea seedlings during six years after planting in a semiarid degraded landscape. We recorded a positive effect of water optimization treatment in seedling survival and growth highlighting water limitation of these sites. We did not observe a clear and linear relationship between microcatchment collecting surface area and plant performance. The higher the collecting surface the lower the retention capacity of the planting pitch suggesting a loss of the integrity of the planting hole structure. Water optimization treatments were especially effective when collecting surface areas were low. These results might be useful for designing precision restoration actions in degraded landscapes.

旱地的功能取决于水的通量和资源的保留。退化地区的恢复应以源汇模式模仿景观中植被的自然排列。通过种植重新引入关键的木本幼苗是生态恢复的主要关注点，因为这些地区经常超过退化阈值且生态系统功能受到限制。但是，尚不清楚自然通量如何决定关键木本物种的幼苗性能。我们分析了有水优化处理和无水优化处理的种植点的微集水表面积（带干井的防水表面）以及油橄榄的存活和生长在半干旱退化景观中种植后六年内的幼苗。我们记录了水分优化处理对幼苗存活和生长的积极作用，突出了这些部位的水分限制。我们没有观察到微流域收集表面积与植物性能之间的明确线性关系。收集表面越高，种植螺距的保持能力越低，表明种植孔结构的完整性下降。当收集的表面积较低时，水优化处理尤其有效。这些结果可能对设计退化景观中的精确恢复措施很有用。