The effect of seed mix additions on emergent community composition with implications for Iowa CREP wetland restorations

With extensive wetland losses nationwide, people have turned to wetland restoration as a mechanism to return these valuable ecosystems to the landscape. However, the appropriate restoration method is not straightforward due to conflicting research documenting different outcomes from the same methodology used to re-vegetate the restoration. Some argue that active re-vegetation is not necessary as nearby sources will colonize naturally. Others state that active re-vegetation is necessary because not all species have the dispersal capabilities necessary to arrive at a restoration site. This thesis explores whether a supplemental seed source and timing of seed application with respect to wetland construction will enhance emergent community composition in wetland restorations compared to sites not seeded. It also evaluates site and design attributes by examining the coverage and diversity of their vegetation. We found that the seed mix was capable of producing differences in community composition especially for the shallow water species mix, however, many sites were dominated by an invasive species, Phalaris arundinacea. Evaluation of the physical characteristics revealed that only relative cover of P. arundinacea and the remaining non-seeded species were significantly affecting total cover of seeded species. Furthermore, Simpson’s diversity was significantly impacted by whether the site was seeded and the age of the restoration. All remaining physical characteristics were not significant. Lastly, a negative correlation was found between species richness and absolute cover of non P. arundinacea species, and relative cover of P. arundinacea. In sum, this thesis shows that adding a native seed mix to Iowa CREP wetland restorations is capable of improving species diversity specifically from the fringe species in the shallow water mix, however, there is still high variability with the outcome of species composition due to barriers of ecosystem development such as invasive species and high nutrient loads

Food for pollinators: quantifying the nectar and pollen resources of urban flower meadows

Planted meadows are increasingly used to improve the biodiversity and aesthetic amenity value of urban areas. Although many ‘pollinator-friendly’ seed mixes are available, the floral resources these provide to flower-visiting insects, and how these change through time, are largely unknown. Such data are necessary to compare the resources provided by alternative meadow seed mixes to each other and to other flowering habitats. We used quantitative surveys of over 2 million flowers to estimate the nectar and pollen resources offered by two exemplar commercial seed mixes (one annual, one perennial) and associated weeds grown as 300m2 meadows across four UK cities, sampled at six time points between May and September 2013. Nectar sugar and pollen rewards per flower varied widely across 65 species surveyed, with native British weed species (including dandelion, Taraxacum agg.) contributing the top five nectar producers and two of the top ten pollen producers. Seed mix species yielding the highest rewards per flower included Leontodon hispidus, Centaurea cyanus and C. nigra for nectar, and Papaver rhoeas, Eschscholzia californica and Malva moschata for pollen. Perennial meadows produced up to 20x more nectar and up to 6x more pollen than annual meadows, which in turn produced far more than amenity grassland controls. Perennial meadows produced resources earlier in the year than annual meadows, but both seed mixes delivered very low resource levels early in the year and these were provided almost entirely by native weeds. Pollen volume per flower is well predicted statistically by floral morphology, and nectar sugar mass and pollen volume per unit area are correlated with flower counts, raising the possibility that resource levels can be estimated for species or habitats where they cannot be measured directly. Our approach does not incorporate resource quality information (for example, pollen protein or essential amino acid content), but can easily do so when suitable data exist. Our approach should inform the design of new seed mixes to ensure continuity in floral resource availability throughout the year, and to identify suitable species to fill resource gaps in established mixes

Sowing wildflower meadows in Mediterranean peri-urban green areas to promote grassland diversity

Introduction: The increase of urban areas and their infrastructure network is homogenizing the landscape and threatening biodiversity and ecosystems functions and services. Wildflower meadows have a high biodiversity value and can prosper in degraded areas dominated by nitrophilous species, making them suitable to be used in peri-urban and urban areas to promote local flora, create habitat for pollinators and other small fauna, and increase overall biodiversity. Moreover, the application of wildflowers seed mixes suitable for rehabilitating anthropized environments should be restricted to native species of regional origin, and the results properly monitored. However, thorough monitoring of seed mixes evolution is uncommon. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a seed mix of wild native species developed to promote grassland diversity in Mediterranean peri-urban areas. Methods: The study was divided into two sequential phases. Firstly, a preparatory phase consisted in developing two seed mixes and sowing them (autumn 2016) in ex-situ plots (three plots of 5 × 2 m2 per mix) at an experimental field to choose the one with the best performance. The second phase consisted of the in-situ application (autumn 2018) of the chosen seed mix by sowing 14 plots (10 × 2 m2) in pocket parks distributed along pedestrian trails of South Portugal. All plots were monitored through floristic surveys for two springs (ex-situ trials: 2017 and 2018; in-situ trials: 2019 and 2020). Results: All sowed species germinated in the in-situ plots over the first 2  years. The seed mix application positively contributed to the floristic community, generating a significant increase in the total species richness, diversity, evenness, and vegetation cover. The seed mix establishment did not require watering nor soil fertilizing and the mowing frequency was low (once in late spring), contributing to sustainable and low-cost management of these green areas. Discussion: The tested seed mix promoted native flora diversity rapidly and seems suitable for use in peri-urban context under identical climate conditions. Given the small number of native seed mixes tested in the Mediterranean, this study represents a contribution toward improved management standards of native flora diversity in Mediterranean green urban and peri-urban areas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Stonewall Jackson Resort Master Plan: An ecological model for stormwater management that engages and educates through context sensitive low-impact development strategies

Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park sits in central West Virginia in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains. The dammed lake and state park opened to the public over two decades ago and development within the property continues today. The attention to stormwater management, vegetation, and public awareness of their connection to the natural environment become an integral component to an ecologically sustainable landscape. This project focuses on the eighteen acres surrounding the lodge buildings on a lakefront peninsula. The design responded to a thorough analysis and seeks to enhance the visitor\u27s experience through use of new program elements, circulation patterns, vegetation, and stormwater management. Educational and interpretive opportunities considering stormwater management, native vegetation communities, and diverse habitats create a laboratory environment for visitors and state park programs. Stormwater management systems are designed using the Chesapeake Stormwater Network and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methods. Renderings support the explanations of each space throughout the site, completing the picture of the proposed designs

Revegetation Success and Weed Resilience of Wyoming Right-Of-Way Reclamation

RS02218Roadside revegetation within highway rights-of-way is a final step in road construction, and often occurs in areas that are difficult to reclaim due to harsh climate conditions and impacts of land disturbance, including topsoil removal, soil compaction, and the presence of noxious and invasive weeds. Wyoming Department of Transportation managers have focused on reseeding native plant species since the 1990s, and seed mixes are designed for application among six Level II ecoregions across the state. A study of 73 sites along 12 highways in central and southern Wyoming revealed that 36 percent of seeded species were present among sampled sites between two and twenty years after projects were completed. In addition, a minimum of one seeded species was detected along transects for all 31 roadside projects. Grasses were the most likely plant type to establish from seed mixes despite both the number of forbs in seed mixes, and the large number of native and non-native forbs present at field sites. While many seeded species were not detected along reclaimed roadsides, a higher abundance of seeded plants corresponded to a significantly lower number of introduced weeds. Moreover, a higher number of weeds along roadsides positively correlated with a higher number of weeds over the fence line, providing evidence that weeds may be spreading along road corridors and into nearby, undisturbed rangeland. Results of this study support seeding roadsides with native vegetation to minimize the number and abundance of undesirable, non-native species. Further study is needed to determine the factors that prevent establishment of seeded forbs along road rights-of-way in Wyoming

Renovation of Seeded Warm-season Pastures with Atrazine

Numerous warm-season pastures have been established in the last 30 years in the central Great Plains. Some of these pastures are old enough to verify that they can be abused by overgrazing as easily as native tallgrass prairies. Overgrazed warm-season pastures are invaded and dominated by cool-season grasses such as smooth brome (Bromus inermis Leyss.) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), which diminishes the pasture productivity during the hot summer months. Since established warm-season grasses have greater tolerance to the herbicide atrazine than cool-season grasses, the effectiveness of atrazine applications in renovating invaded warm-season pastures was evaluated. A single, early spring application of atrazine (3.3 kg/ha) killed or sufficiently suppressed the cool-season grasses so that surviving warm-season remnants were able to effectively re-establish the warm-season pasture in a single growing season without any loss in total pasture forage production. Lower rates of atrazine were not as effective, particularly if smooth brome was the primary cool-season grass. The single atrazine application cost was approximately 25% of the seed cost associated with more conventional renovation. Pastures should not be grazed the treatment year but can be hayed rt the end of the growing season. The success of the practice is dependent on the presence of warm-season grass remnants. Spraying test strips in small fenced areas would be advisable before treating entire pastures

Transplanting Mature Mountain Big Sagebrush Plants Yields High First-Year Survival in Dryland Pasture Restoration

Approximately 10-20% of global dryland ecosystems are severely degraded, an amount that is expected to increase, threatening the environment and ecosystem services that 38% of the global population relies upon. Human activities such as agriculture, livestock grazing, mining and urban development have contributed to the degradation and loss of rangelands worldwide. A need for reestablishing sagebrush in disturbed landscapes across the Western United States, including dryland pastures, has been identified but traditional, primarily seeding-based, restoration methods have largely been unsuccessful. To improve restoration outcomes, there has been increased interest in the planting of containerized greenhouse “tubelings”, but transplanting of mature plants, “wildlings”, remains relatively unexplored. Survival of tubelings vs. wildlings and under what conditions these techniques might be suitable are unclear. Here we tested establishment of mountain big sagebrush (A. tridentata ssp. vaseyana) from planting tubelings vs. wildlings. Research was conducted in southeastern Idaho where vegetation was dominated by two non-native grasses which are a concern for land managers. Following seedbed preparation and application of herbicide, the study area was drill-seeded with a mix of rangeland grasses and forbs. We then established thirty-six research plots, each of which received one of three sagebrush establishment methods: tubelings vs. wildlings, plus seeding for comparison over the long term. Another six plots were established as controls (no sagebrush). In addition to assessing planting quality and frost heaving at the time of planting, we recorded plant survival the summer and fall after planting, as well as other measures such as percent green leaves present, plant height, physical damage, and reproduction. Survival of wildlings one year after planting was significantly higher than that of tubelings (92% and 17% respectively). Tubeling mortality had a significant association with the poor planting variable (e.g., exposed roots or air pockets in the soil), indicating that quality of planting performed by vegetation crews needs to be more closely examined. The results of this study illustrate that wildlings can yield very high one-year survival rates (especially compared to tubelings) and suggest that, when conditions are appropriate, wildlings may be a more cost-effective method for establishing sagebrush

Functional Diversity and Restoration of Meadows in Northeast Ohio

Restoration outcomes can be variable and there is a need to understand the short- and long-term responses of the vegetation community. It is important to see if management goals are being met by evaluating restoration outcomes. Restoration goals often include establishing native species, increasing conservation value, and providing pollinator resources throughout the year. Assessing communities is commonly done though a taxonomic approach by using species presence and abundance. Another method of evaluation is through functional traits or species traits and their abundance. Both give different perspectives on how the community is achieving management goals. While taxonomic assessments can give insight into native species metrics, a functional trait approach can give insight into the processes influencing the assembly of species. This research evaluates restoration through a taxonomic and functional trait approach. A seeding experiment at Observatory Park, Geauga County, was conducted to see if there are differences in functional diversity before and after a restoration as well as between methods of broadcast and drill seeding. I found that broadcast seeding from the seed mix had a greater richness and abundance of species and a higher mean coefficient of conservatism than in the drill seeded plot. However, the drill seeded plot had a greater diversity of native species. Functional composition analysis found individual traits differed between treatments. Multivariate functional trait analyses, which included the traits of leaf dry matter content, height, seed mass and reproductive phenology, did not identify differences between treatments. This survey characterized the plant community in the early stage of restoration. To understand regional patterns of restoration and functional diversity, I surveyed 5 paired restored and unrestored sites in the Cleveland, Ohio Metropolitan Area. Restored plots had a significantly higher coefficient of conservatism than plots that were not restored. There was no difference in native richness or diversity between plots, but native abundance increased as a restoration progressed. Flowering phenology was most abundant in summer and tended to have lower abundance in spring and in fall. There was no difference in functional diversity between restored and unrestored plots. These insights into restoration can guide natural resource managers in planning restorations