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

Revegetation Success and Weed Resilience of Wyoming Right-of-Way Reclamation [Data Management Plan]

RS02218Objectives are to evaluate different reclamation seed mixes along roadsides over twenty years to determine the rate of reseeding success and better define combinations of species and site variables that contribute to successful revegetation outcomes. Sites and seed mixes will be evaluated for resilience to invasion by high impact species such as cheatgrass

Soil heterogeneity and the distribution of native grasses in California: Can soil properties inform restoration plans?

When historical vegetation patterns are unknown and local environments are highly degraded, the relationship between plant species distributions and environmental properties may provide a means to determine which species are suitable for individual restoration sites. We investigated the role of edaphic variation in explaining the distributions of three native bunchgrass species (Bromus carinatus, Elymus glaucus and Nassella pulchra) among central California mainland and island grasslands. The relative contribution of soil properties and spatial variation to native grass species abundance was estimated using canonical redundancy analysis, with subsequent testing of individual variables identified in ordination. Soil variables predicted a significant proportion (22-27%) of the variation in species distributions. Abiotic soil properties that drive species distributions included serpentine substrates and soil texture. Biotic properties that correlated with species distributions were ammonium and nitrogen mineralization rates. Spatial autocorrelation also contributed to species presence or absence at each site, and the significant negative autocorrelation suggested that species interactions and niche differentiation may play a role in species distributions in central California mainland and island grasslands. We explored the application of plant-environment relationships to ecological restoration for species selection at locations where degradation levels are high and historical communities are unclear. © 2014 Hufford et al

Genetic variation among mainland and island populations of a native perennial grass used in restoration.

Genetic marker studies can assist restoration practice through selection of seed sources that conserve historical levels of gene diversity and population genetic differentiation. We examined genetic variation and structure within and among mainland and island populations of Elymus glaucus, a perennial bunchgrass species native to western North American grasslands that is targeted for grassland restoration. Island populations of E. glaucus represent sensitive sites and potentially distinctive seed sources for reintroduction, and little is known of their genetic composition. Genetic diversity and structure were estimated using amplified fragment length polymorphism markers for 21 populations and 416 individuals distributed across two coastal California mainland locations and three California Channel Islands. Eight primer combinations resulted in 166 markers, of which 165 (99.4 %) were polymorphic. The number of polymorphic bands was significantly greater among mainland populations relative to island sites, and locally common alleles were present for each sampled island and mainland location. Population structure was high (62.9 %), with most variation (55.8 %) distributed among populations, 7.1 % between mainland and island locations, and the remainder (37.1 %) within populations. Isolation by distance was only apparent among islands. Using marker data to recommend appropriate seed sources for restoration, E. glaucus seeds are best derived within islands with collections representing a large number of individuals from matching environments. Given the limited gene flow and prior evidence of adaptive divergence among populations of this species, regional collections are recommended in all cases to maintain diversity and to avoid long-distance introductions of highly differentiated plant material

Genetic variation among mainland and island populations of a native perennial grass used in restoration.

Genetic marker studies can assist restoration practice through selection of seed sources that conserve historical levels of gene diversity and population genetic differentiation. We examined genetic variation and structure within and among mainland and island populations of Elymus glaucus, a perennial bunchgrass species native to western North American grasslands that is targeted for grassland restoration. Island populations of E. glaucus represent sensitive sites and potentially distinctive seed sources for reintroduction, and little is known of their genetic composition. Genetic diversity and structure were estimated using amplified fragment length polymorphism markers for 21 populations and 416 individuals distributed across two coastal California mainland locations and three California Channel Islands. Eight primer combinations resulted in 166 markers, of which 165 (99.4 %) were polymorphic. The number of polymorphic bands was significantly greater among mainland populations relative to island sites, and locally common alleles were present for each sampled island and mainland location. Population structure was high (62.9 %), with most variation (55.8 %) distributed among populations, 7.1 % between mainland and island locations, and the remainder (37.1 %) within populations. Isolation by distance was only apparent among islands. Using marker data to recommend appropriate seed sources for restoration, E. glaucus seeds are best derived within islands with collections representing a large number of individuals from matching environments. Given the limited gene flow and prior evidence of adaptive divergence among populations of this species, regional collections are recommended in all cases to maintain diversity and to avoid long-distance introductions of highly differentiated plant material

Soil heterogeneity and the distribution of native grasses in California: Can soil properties inform restoration plans?

When historical vegetation patterns are unknown and local environments are highly degraded, the relationship between plant species distributions and environmental properties may provide a means to determine which species are suitable for individual restoration sites. We investigated the role of edaphic variation in explaining the distributions of three native bunchgrass species (Bromus carinatus, Elymus glaucus and Nassella pulchra) among central California mainland and island grasslands. The relative contribution of soil properties and spatial variation to native grass species abundance was estimated using canonical redundancy analysis, with subsequent testing of individual variables identified in ordination. Soil variables predicted a significant proportion (22-27%) of the variation in species distributions. Abiotic soil properties that drive species distributions included serpentine substrates and soil texture. Biotic properties that correlated with species distributions were ammonium and nitrogen mineralization rates. Spatial autocorrelation also contributed to species presence or absence at each site, and the significant negative autocorrelation suggested that species interactions and niche differentiation may play a role in species distributions in central California mainland and island grasslands. We explored the application of plant-environment relationships to ecological restoration for species selection at locations where degradation levels are high and historical communities are unclear. © 2014 Hufford et al

Soil heterogeneity and the distribution of native grasses in California: Can soil properties inform restoration plans?

When historical vegetation patterns are unknown and local environments are highly degraded, the relationship between plant species distributions and environmental properties may provide a means to determine which species are suitable for individual restoration sites. We investigated the role of edaphic variation in explaining the distributions of three native bunchgrass species (Bromus carinatus, Elymus glaucus and Nassella pulchra) among central California mainland and island grasslands. The relative contribution of soil properties and spatial variation to native grass species abundance was estimated using canonical redundancy analysis, with subsequent testing of individual variables identified in ordination. Soil variables predicted a significant proportion (22-27%) of the variation in species distributions. Abiotic soil properties that drive species distributions included serpentine substrates and soil texture. Biotic properties that correlated with species distributions were ammonium and nitrogen mineralization rates. Spatial autocorrelation also contributed to species presence or absence at each site, and the significant negative autocorrelation suggested that species interactions and niche differentiation may play a role in species distributions in central California mainland and island grasslands. We explored the application of plant-environment relationships to ecological restoration for species selection at locations where degradation levels are high and historical communities are unclear. © 2014 Hufford et al

Variable Microsatellite Markers for Genotyping Tree Shrews, Tupaia, and their Potential Use in Genetic Studies of Fragmented Populations

We describe the sequences of six primer pairs for the PCR amplification of nuclear microsatellite markers in the tree shrews, Tupaia glis and T. belangeri. Multilocus genotyping based on non-destructive DNA sampling of live-trapped animals reveals high allelic variability (A) and heterozygosity (H e ) at these loci. Such characteristics make these genetic markers ideal for linkage mapping and comparative genomics, and for studies of pedigree relationships, population structure, and population genetic variability in wild populations. We illustrate another use of these markers in the study of genetic erosion in small recently fragmented natural populations of tree shrews in south Thailand. This method for detecting and monitoring genetic erosion in fragmented populations can be applied to larger taxa of traditional concern to wildlife managers

Forbs and Greater Sage-grouse Habitat Restoration Efforts: Suggestions for Improving Commercial Seed Availability and Restoration Practices

On the Ground: • Greater sage-grouse are the species of concern in the largest conservation effort in US history and have populations spanning 11 western states. Restoration of sage-grouse habitat will assist these conservation efforts. • It is known that forbs are critical to sage-grouse diets, but only isolated studies have measured forbs in the diet at a species or genera-specific level and little is known about sage-grouse preference to forbs. • Research has shown that local seed sources promote successful reestablishment of vegetation communities, although commercial seed sources for forb species used in sage-grouse diet often are lacking. • We make suggestions for selecting forb species and improving seed sources for sage-grouse conservation.The Rangelands archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform March 202