The Effects of Seeding Method and Early Mowing Management on Plant Diversity and Community Composition in New Tallgrass Prairie Reconstructions

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 270 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (415 download)

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Book Synopsis The Effects of Seeding Method and Early Mowing Management on Plant Diversity and Community Composition in New Tallgrass Prairie Reconstructions by : Scott Harvey Moeller

Download or read book The Effects of Seeding Method and Early Mowing Management on Plant Diversity and Community Composition in New Tallgrass Prairie Reconstructions written by Scott Harvey Moeller and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On a first-year site dominated by foxtail, increases in diversity and floristic quality with frequent mowing were due to increases in desirable planted species. The overall results suggest that an intermediate seeding depth (e.g., 2-3 cm)followed by frequent mowing (maintained between 10 cm and 30 cm in height) are the most effective strategies for fostering high diversity of native species. The results also suggest that the benefits of short and frequent mowing can be obtained even in the third year of a reconstruction, and that a cover crop of foxtail may be beneficial in some reconstruction situations.

Tallgrass Prairie Restoration in the Midwestern and Eastern United States

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Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 144197427X
Total Pages : 291 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (419 download)

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Book Synopsis Tallgrass Prairie Restoration in the Midwestern and Eastern United States by : Harold Gardner

Download or read book Tallgrass Prairie Restoration in the Midwestern and Eastern United States written by Harold Gardner and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-12-01 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work advocates the restoration of the North American tallgrass prairie, which is rapidly disappearing. Historical descriptions of prairie aesthetics are outlined. As we are experiencing a worldwide mixing of plant species, prairie restoration is particularly important. Plants alien to North America do not readily support insect populations, including all animal species higher on the food chain. Prairie restoration methods are described for amateurs, academics, and land managers. Some of the techniques described are growing crops for seed production, times of seed gathering for specific species, facile seed processing for amateurs, land preparation, segregation of seed into its preference for habitat, and required seed treatment for germination. Over 200 species are described that comprise the predominant species found in tallgrass prairie nature preserves, as well as degraded prairies. Some additional plants of especial interest are also described. The appendix tabulates all likely species found on prairies regardless of their scarcity. Safe fire management of prairies is described in detail. Finally, methods of controlling aggressive alien weeds by herbicides are detailed.

The Effects of Mowing and Fertilizing on Species Richness and Species Diversity in a New Prairie Reconstruction

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 104 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (471 download)

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Book Synopsis The Effects of Mowing and Fertilizing on Species Richness and Species Diversity in a New Prairie Reconstruction by : Meredith Hope Borchardt

Download or read book The Effects of Mowing and Fertilizing on Species Richness and Species Diversity in a New Prairie Reconstruction written by Meredith Hope Borchardt and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mowing did significantly affect some of these measures. In the first year mowing significantly increased total and desirable richness and desirable diversity. In the second year mowing significantly decreased desirable diversity. Individual t - tests revealed that the 10 / 25 mow treatment had significantly higher mean total richness vs. the unmowed treatment over both years. However, desirable species richness, the more important composition measure, was not significantly different in 10 / 25 vs. unmowed plots over both years. Based on this study the most important recommendation I would make is to mow to a height of 10 cm when the vegetation reaches 25 cm in the first year to increase total and desirable species richness and desirable diversity. I would further recommend mowing in the second year, though perhaps less frequently. I would not recommend fertilizing, as it showed no effect on influencing community composition dynamics.

Environmental and Biotic Processes Influencing Floristic Composition, Quality, Integrity, and Function in Tallgrass Prairie Assemblages

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (17 download)

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Book Synopsis Environmental and Biotic Processes Influencing Floristic Composition, Quality, Integrity, and Function in Tallgrass Prairie Assemblages by : George Charles Manning (IV)

Download or read book Environmental and Biotic Processes Influencing Floristic Composition, Quality, Integrity, and Function in Tallgrass Prairie Assemblages written by George Charles Manning (IV) and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tallgrass prairie is one of the most threatened grasslands in North America. Conservation of tallgrass prairie focuses on both effective management of remaining native prairie, and restoration of formerly cultivated fields to tallgrass prairie. This research focused on processes and properties relevant to restoration and conservation of tallgrass prairie. Community assembly theory attempts to explain the formation of communities, which can be governed by deterministic or stochastic processes, or some combination of both. Fire and grazing are widely used to manage grasslands for conservation purposes, but few studies have evaluated the effects of these drivers on the conservation value of plant communities measured by the floristic quality index. Pollination services play a vital role in the reproductive stability of the plant community in prairies, though this has not been well studied in restored prairie. The first chapter of this dissertation reports on a sequential restoration approach used to gain insights into the extent to which community assembly is deterministic and stochastic events change the trajectory of community development. The sequential restorations consisted of former agriculture fields restored to prairie, varying only in time since abandonment. Species composition and aboveground net primary production were quantified over time in sequentially restored communities to reveal the predictability of ecological restoration in producing desired communities and ecosystem functions. The sequential restoration plots were established in a block design. The same suite of species was seeded using the same seeding rates in each restoration sequence. Species composition was recorded each September in the year of seeding and each June and September in the two subsequent years for each block. Annual aboveground net primary productivity was collected from 2 randomly placed 0.1 m2 plots per subplot during peak biomass. There was a significant sequence by age interaction for sown, volunteer, and total species composition. Sown, volunteer, and total cover, diversity, and richness also were affected by a sequence by age interaction. Annual net primary production (ANPP) also was affected by a sequence by age interaction for sown and volunteer species. However, total ANPP was only affected by the variable age. Results show that interannual climate variability (specifically growing season precipitation) inhibits a priori determinations of community assembly, which suggests that stochastic processes play a significant role in the community assembly process in tallgrass prairie restoration. Variations in annual precipitation during the installation years likely drove the initial differences in species composition and ANPP. In general this study revealed that drought conditions at the time of restoration may be more deleterious than drought conditions occurring at other times post-establishment. The influence of fire and grazing on soil properties and functions is difficult for land managers and restoration practitioners to assess. Therefore, the objectives for the second study were to (i) to quantify the independent and interactive effects of grazing and fire frequency on floristic quality in native tallgrass prairie, and provide potential benchmarks for community assessment, and (ii) to explore whether floristic quality can serve as an indicator of soil structure and function for more holistic ecosystem assessments. A factorial combination of fire frequencies (1-2, 4, and 20 y return intervals) and grazing (by bison or ungrazed) treatments was sampled for plant species composition and several indicators of soil quality in lowland tallgrass prairie. Floristic quality, diversity, and richness were higher in grazed than ungrazed prairie over all fire frequencies. Available inorganic N, microbial biomass N, total soil N, and soil bulk density were also higher in grazed prairie soil over all fire frequencies. Microbial biomass C, total soil organic C, and total soil N were positively correlated with FQI. This study demonstrated that floristic quality and soil N pools are more strongly influenced by grazing than fire and that floristic quality can be an indicator of total soil C and N stocks in never cultivated lowland prairie. In tallgrass prairie, 85-90 % of angiosperms require an insect or other animal for pollen transfer. Restorations can play a vital role in the reestablishment of pollination services and simultaneously help maintain high levels of diversity in the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Missed pollination, via temporal asynchronies, could have a number of biological disadvantages for a plant population. In the third study we addressed the effects of missed pollination on floral period, photosynthetic activity, leaf N content, and seed set in a common native tallgrass prairie forb, Penstemon digitalis . In each of 12 plots, 6 individual plants were either bagged to prevent pollination, or left unbagged, to allow for pollination. There was no difference in mean flower duration between netted and open plots. There was a treatment by time interaction for relative chlorophyll concentrations (P = 0.0005). (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)

The Tallgrass Prairie Center Guide to Seed and Seedling Identification in the Upper Midwest

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Publisher : University of Iowa Press
ISBN 13 : 1587299534
Total Pages : 132 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (872 download)

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Book Synopsis The Tallgrass Prairie Center Guide to Seed and Seedling Identification in the Upper Midwest by : Dave Williams

Download or read book The Tallgrass Prairie Center Guide to Seed and Seedling Identification in the Upper Midwest written by Dave Williams and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2010-04-15 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Settlers crossing the tallgrass prairie in the early 1800s were greeted by a seemingly endless landscape of wildflowers and grasses, one of the most diverse ecosystems on our planet. Today, although the tallgrass prairie has been reduced to a tiny percentage of its former expanse, people are working to restore and reconstruct prairie communities. This lavishly illustrated guide to seeds and seedlings, crafted by Tallgrass Prairie Center botanist Dave Williams and illustrator Brent Butler, will insure that everyone from urban gardeners to grassland managers can properly identify and germinate seventy-two species of tallgrass wildflowers and grasses in eastern North Dakota, eastern South Dakota, southwestern Minnesota, southwestern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, northwestern Indiana, Iowa, eastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, northwestern Missouri, and eastern Oklahoma. Williams has created a brilliant, nearly foolproof system of identification and verification. Two primary keys lead to eleven secondary keys that link to characteristic groups of tallgrass plants: seven groups for wildflowers and four groups for grasses. To identify a seedling, use the primary key to discover its place in the secondary key, then turn to that characteristic group to find your seedling. Circles on each full seedling photograph correspond to close-up photographs; triangles on these close-ups illustrate information in the text to further pinpoint identification. Drawings of leaves illuminate exact identification, and enlarged photographs of each seed provide yet another way to confirm identification. Thousands of seeds were sprouted in the Tallgrass Prairie Center’s greenhouse to provide seedlings close in size and development to those grown in the field near the end of their first season; research and photography took place over four years. Williams’s text for each species includes a thorough description, a comparison of similar species, and guidance for germination and growth. A complete glossary supports the text, which is concise but detailed enough to be accessible to beginning prairie enthusiasts. Anyone in the Upper Midwest who wishes to preserve the native vegetation of prairie remnants or reconstruct a tallgrass prairie of whatever size—from home gardens to schoolyards to roadsides to large acreages—will benefit from the hundreds of photographs and drawings and the precise text in this meticulously prepared guide.

Tallgrass Prairie Restoration in the Midwestern and Eastern United States

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Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 9781441974266
Total Pages : 276 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (742 download)

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Book Synopsis Tallgrass Prairie Restoration in the Midwestern and Eastern United States by : Harold Gardner

Download or read book Tallgrass Prairie Restoration in the Midwestern and Eastern United States written by Harold Gardner and published by Springer. This book was released on 2010-11-19 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work advocates the restoration of the North American tallgrass prairie, which is rapidly disappearing. Historical descriptions of prairie aesthetics are outlined. As we are experiencing a worldwide mixing of plant species, prairie restoration is particularly important. Plants alien to North America do not readily support insect populations, including all animal species higher on the food chain. Prairie restoration methods are described for amateurs, academics, and land managers. Some of the techniques described are growing crops for seed production, times of seed gathering for specific species, facile seed processing for amateurs, land preparation, segregation of seed into its preference for habitat, and required seed treatment for germination. Over 200 species are described that comprise the predominant species found in tallgrass prairie nature preserves, as well as degraded prairies. Some additional plants of especial interest are also described. The appendix tabulates all likely species found on prairies regardless of their scarcity. Safe fire management of prairies is described in detail. Finally, methods of controlling aggressive alien weeds by herbicides are detailed.

The Influence of Edges and Plant Diversity on Mammal-induced Mortality of Prairie Plants

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 136 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (51 download)

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Book Synopsis The Influence of Edges and Plant Diversity on Mammal-induced Mortality of Prairie Plants by : Anne M. Nickel

Download or read book The Influence of Edges and Plant Diversity on Mammal-induced Mortality of Prairie Plants written by Anne M. Nickel and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Herbivory is an important process in plant communities because herbivores have the ability to affect plant abundance, productivity, composition, diversity, and succession. In the grassland ecosystem, the effects of small-mammal herbivores on the plant community are beginning to be understood, but there is little understanding about what factors may influence small-mammal herbivory patterns. This research investigated two factors, wooded edges and plant diversity, that may affect herbivory of native tallgrass prairie seedlings by the small-mammal Microtus pennsylvanicus (the meadow vole). The first study investigated the impact of wooded edges on meadow vole distributions in Iowa tallgrass prairie reconstructions, and their subsequent effect on native prairie vegetation. Voles were less abundant at the wooded edge, resulting in less herbivory on seedlings near the edge. These results indicate that the wooded edges of prairie reconstructions may be refuges for native seedling establishment. The second study investigated the relationship between plant diversity and meadow vole herbivory in native and reconstructed prairies. We found a negative relationship between diversity and herbivory, with decreased herbivory on seedlings as diversity increased. These results suggest that the foraging behavior of voles is not only influenced by diversity, but that diversity may be perpetuated via vole herbivory. In high-diversity prairies, herbivory per species is low, and plant diversity is maintained. However, herbivory per species is great in low-diversity prairies, resulting in the perpetuation, and perhaps accentuation, of low diversity. Together, these studies show that wooded edges and plant diversity have an effect on meadow vole herbivory patterns. Consequently, both of these factors have the potential to change the plant community by altering predation pressure on seedlings. Studying the way in which wooded edges and plant diversity influence vole herbivory has helped our understanding of how prairies function in fragmented ecosystems and how important plant diversity is to prairie ecosystems.

Commencement

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 510 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (318 download)

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Book Synopsis Commencement by : Iowa State University

Download or read book Commencement written by Iowa State University and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 510 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Limitations to Plant Diversity and Productivity in Restored Tallgrass Prairie

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (228 download)

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Book Synopsis Limitations to Plant Diversity and Productivity in Restored Tallgrass Prairie by :

Download or read book Limitations to Plant Diversity and Productivity in Restored Tallgrass Prairie written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Approximately 96% of native tallgrass prairie in North America has been lost, which accentuates the need for effective methods to restore the structure and function of these degraded ecosystems. Many prairie restorations aim to restore grass and forb species in proportions reflecting plant species diversity in native prairie. A target grass-forb species mixture is typically chosen at the onset of restoration, but often, grasses become excessively dominant and forbs are underrepresented as the community develops. Several studies have examined the potential for increasing forb cover and diversity in newly restored grasslands, but few studies have assessed factors limiting forb cover and diversity in well-established grass-dominated prairie restorations. The primary objective of this research was to assess the potential for enhancing plant species diversity and productivity in an established grass-dominated prairie restoration by selective removals of dominant grass species, and by manipulating resources (soil nutrients, light availability) or mycorrhizal interactions. A 7-year old grass-dominated restoration was used to evaluate plant and soil responses to manipulations in three separate studies. The first study examined the potential suppressive effects of dominant grasses on plant diversity by reducing the cover and biomass of two dominant grass species, Andropogon gerardii and Panicum virgatum. After 3 years, the removal of A. gerardii increased species richness and diversity, which was correlated with increased light availability, but not changes in soil resources. The second study examined the responses of restored grassland communities to long-term manipulation of soil resources (nutrient availability or soil depth), and to aboveground biomass removal via mowing. The long-term manipulation of soil resources did not alter plant species diversity, but nitrogen and light availability were important factors regulating plant productivity. The third study assessed the effects of manipulating arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, through the use of either commercial inoculum or fungicide, on plant communities in restored prairie. Mycorrhizal suppression reduced grass productivity, suggesting that fungicide may be useful for enhancing diversity of restored prairies that are dominated by obligate mycotrophic grasses. In total, these studies suggest that competition between dominant grasses and subordinate forbs limits plant diversity in restored tallgrass prairie.

Guidelines for Native Seed Production and Grassland Restoration

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Publisher : Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1443861855
Total Pages : 315 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (438 download)

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Book Synopsis Guidelines for Native Seed Production and Grassland Restoration by : Kathrin Kiehl

Download or read book Guidelines for Native Seed Production and Grassland Restoration written by Kathrin Kiehl and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2014-06-19 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: World-wide, the degradation and destruction of both natural and traditionally used semi-natural ecosystems is drastically increasing. Unfortunately, commercial seed mixtures, consisting of non-native species and genetically uniform cultivars, are widely used in grassland restoration, often with negative effects on biodiversity. Therefore, native species should be used in the ecological restoration of natural and semi-natural vegetation. This book compiles results from recent studies presented at a Special Session “Native seed production and use in restoration projects”, which was organised during the 8th European Conference on Ecological Restoration in České Budějovice, Czech Republic. The authors review the ecological and genetic aspects of seed propagation and species introduction both from a European and an American perspective, and discuss implications for the development of seed zones and for native seed production. Examples from different countries focus on native seed production in practice, and suggest different approaches for the certification of seed provenance. Best practice examples from Europe and the United States are used to indicate the advantages of using native seeds for ecological restoration of grasslands, field margins and sagebrush steppe. Finally, this volume also provides guidelines for the successful implementation of restoration projects for local authorities, landscape planners and NGOs in order to bridge gaps between research and practice.

The Tallgrass Restoration Handbook

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 504 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis The Tallgrass Restoration Handbook by : Stephen Packard

Download or read book The Tallgrass Restoration Handbook written by Stephen Packard and published by . This book was released on 1997-03 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This hands-on manual provides a detailed account of what has been learned about the art and science of prairie restoration and the application of that knowledge to restoration projects throughout the world. The book explores a myriad of restoration philosophies and techniques and is an essential resource for anyone working to nurture our once-vibrant native landscapes to a state of health.

When Do Propagules Matter?

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 342 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (99 download)

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Book Synopsis When Do Propagules Matter? by : Jason Edward Willand

Download or read book When Do Propagules Matter? written by Jason Edward Willand and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ecological restoration aims to augment and steer the composition and contribution of propagules for community regeneration in degraded environments. Three studies were conducted to elucidate the role of regeneration dynamics and dominant species on community assembly during tallgrass prairie restoration. In the first study, patterns in the abundance, richness, and diversity of seed and bud banks were quantified across an 11-year chronosequence of restored prairies and in prairie remnants to elucidate the degree to which the germinable seed bank, emerged seedlings, belowground buds, and emerged ramets were related to community regeneration. There were no directional patterns in the abundance, richness, or diversity of the germinable seed bank across the chronosequence. Emerged seedling abundance of sown species decreased during restoration, whereas richness and diversity of all emerged seedlings and non-sown emerged seedling species decreased across the chronosequence. Conversely, abundance and richness of belowground buds increased with restoration age and belowground bud diversity of sown species increased across the chronosequence. Numbers of emerged ramets also increased across the chronosequence and was driven primarily by the number of graminoid ramets. There were no temporal changes in abundance and richness of sown and non-sown emerged ramets, but diversity of sown emerged ramets increased across the chronosequence. This study demonstrates that after initial seeding, plant community structure in restored prairies increasingly reflects the composition of the bud bank. In the second study, abundance and richness of ramets, emerged seedlings, seed rain, and the soil seed bank were measured in a restoration experiment consisting of a split plot design with population source of dominant grasses (cultivar vs. local ecotype) and sown subordinate species (three unique pools of non-dominant species) as the subplot factor, respectively. Different sown species pools were included to assess whether any observed differences in propagule abundance or richness between the dominant species sources was generalizable across varying interspecific interactions. Abundance of emerged ramets was similar between communities sown with cultivar and local ecotypes of the dominant grasses but differed among sown species pools in prairie restored with cultivars but not local ecotypes. Number of emerged seedlings also differed among species pools, but only in communities sown with local ecotypes of the dominant grasses. There was also higher seedling emergence in communities sown with local ecotypes relative to cultivars of the dominant grasses in one species pool. Richness of the seed rain was influenced by an interaction between dominant grass population source and sown species pool, resulting from (1) higher richness in prairie restored with local ecotypes than cultivars of the native grasses in one species pool and (2) differences in richness among species pools that occurred only in prairie restored with the local ecotype grass source. Abundance and richness of the seed bank was not affected dominant grass population source. This study addressed a poorly understood potential effect of using cultivars in ecological restoration, specifically on the abundance and supply of propagules for community assembly. These results suggest that if both local ecotype and cultivar sources are available for restoration, using local ecotypes could result in more seedling germination and richness in the seed rain. One of the central concepts of ecology is to understand the processes that influence species diversity, and how the resulting diversity affects ecosystem functioning. Diversity has been hypothesized to be responsible for long-term community stability, contrasted by the idea that dominant species regulate temporal stability (mass ratio hypothesis). In the third study, community metrics (total plant cover, forb cover, C4 grass cover, richness, and diversity) were measured in a restoration experiment consisting of a split plot design with sown dominant grasses (Andropogon gerardii, Schizachyrium scoparium, and Sorghastrum nutans) and subordinate species (three unique pools of non-dominant species) as the subplot factor, with treatment (control vs. suppression of dominant grasses) as the sub-subplot factor, respectively. Dominant grass suppression had little effect on forb cover, richness, and diversity, but influenced total and C4 grass cover. Propagule addition increased community richness and diversity in year of sowing and year after sowing, but contributed little to total cover. Dominant grass suppression had an effect on new species recruitment in one of two species pools, with suppression of all dominant grasses having the greatest influence on total cover and richness of new species. These results suggest that dominant species collectively are responsible for modulating stable species composition during community assembly and can act as a biotic filter to the recruitment of new species, but diverse subordinate species assemblages are more important for temporal stability.

Community and Ecosystem Changes in Tallgrass Prairie Restorations

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 512 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (871 download)

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Book Synopsis Community and Ecosystem Changes in Tallgrass Prairie Restorations by : Ryan P. Klopf

Download or read book Community and Ecosystem Changes in Tallgrass Prairie Restorations written by Ryan P. Klopf and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The overall objective of this study was to quantify the effects of dominant grass propagule source (i.e., cultivar vs. non-cultivar) and seeded diversity of propagules on community structure and ecosystem function during prairie restoration. Two field experiments, and two chronosequences were used to investigate this main objective. The two field experiments were established at the same latitude separated by 620 km (corresponding to a precipitation gradient from eastern Kansas to western Illinois), and consisted of a split plot design, with dominant grass source as the whole-plot factor (2 levels) and seeded dominance of grasses as the subplot factor (5 levels). Percent cover of each species in each treatment combination was quantified during the first five years of restoration. Total plant species richness and diversity were not adversely affected by cultivars in Kansas or Illinois. The effect of the dominant grass population source on the cover of focal grasses, planted species, and volunteer species were contingent upon location. By the fifth year of restoration, diversity and richness were greatest, and cover of volunteer species was lowest in the low grass dominance (i.e., high diversity) treatment. ANPP, as well as total, microbial, and mineralizable pools of C and N were measured to quantify ecosystem function in these two field experiments. Changes in ecosystem function in Kansas and Illinois were primarily driven by time and regional abiotic differences, not propagule source or seeded diversity. The effect of plant species diversity on ecosystem function was further investigated at a landscape scale by developing and sampling two chronosequences of high (HDC; n=20) and low diversity (LDC; n=15) prairies spanning over two decades of restoration in northwestern Illinois. In general most metrics of ecosystem function in both chronosequences moved towards levels measured in remnant prairies. While the constituent prairies of the HDC had higher species richness, diversity, and more rapidly increasing root biomass than the fields of the LDC, recovery of other important ecosystem functions including aboveground net primary productivity, total, microbial, and mineralizable soil C, and soil aggregate mean weighted diameter were achieved equally well with either high or low diversity prairie plantings.

Master's Theses Directories

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 492 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Master's Theses Directories by :

Download or read book Master's Theses Directories written by and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 492 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Education, arts and social sciences, natural and technical sciences in the United States and Canada".

The Effects of Planting Methods and Granivory on Seedling Emergence in a Tallgrass Prairie Reconstruction

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 196 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (7 download)

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Book Synopsis The Effects of Planting Methods and Granivory on Seedling Emergence in a Tallgrass Prairie Reconstruction by : Justin Vernon Huisman

Download or read book The Effects of Planting Methods and Granivory on Seedling Emergence in a Tallgrass Prairie Reconstruction written by Justin Vernon Huisman and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

How Does Your Prairie (re)grow?

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (891 download)

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Book Synopsis How Does Your Prairie (re)grow? by : Nicole Lynn Stanton

Download or read book How Does Your Prairie (re)grow? written by Nicole Lynn Stanton and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Temperate grasslands are among the most threatened biomes in the world, with the largest historical losses due to conversion to agricultural land. While much of this biome has already been converted, there is concern the last remaining remnants in North America will be converted in response to increasing demand for crops used for ethanol production. Thus, restoring grasslands post-anthropogenic disturbance is increasingly important for conserving grassland biodiversity. Two major challenges for prairie restorations are establishing the many subdominant and rarer species found in native prairie, and offsetting the typical decline in richness and diversity over time as restorations age. Repeated seed addition of targeted species is commonly used to override low and declining plant richness and diversity. While this is generally effective early in restoration (i.e., as communities are establishing), its effectiveness in later stages (i.e., when established communities are often losing diversity) remains unknown. I investigated plant community responses to combinations of resource manipulations and disturbances coupled with a seed addition in a 15-yr old restored grassland to test the hypothesis that spatial resource heterogeneity increases the rate of colonization into established prairie restoration communities. Seeds were added to a long-term restoration experiment involving soil depth manipulations (deep, shallow) crossed with nutrient manipulations (reduced N, ambient N, enriched N). Seedling emergence was generally low and only 8 of the 14 forb species added were detected in the first growing season. I found no effect of increased resource heterogeneity on the abundance or richness of seedlings. There was a significant nutrient effect (p

The Effects of Mowing on Tallgrass Prairie Communities

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (69 download)

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Book Synopsis The Effects of Mowing on Tallgrass Prairie Communities by :

Download or read book The Effects of Mowing on Tallgrass Prairie Communities written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: