Changes in soil properties, microbial biomass, and fluxes of C and N in soil following post-agricultural grassland restoration

Rosenzweig, Steven T.; Carson, M. A.; Baer, Sara G.; Blair, John M.

doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2016.01.001

Cited by 72 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…As hypothesized, light availability and soil nitrate availability changed with restoration age. The exponential decrease in growing-season soil nitrate availability with increasing restoration age was consistent with a previous study that measured extractable soil nitrate (Rosenzweig et al 2016). The exponential decrease in nitrate was expected because of lower mineralization rates compared to nevercultivated prairie (Rosenzweig et al 2016) and frequent burning promoting lower mineralization rates (Turner et al 1997).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…A positive relationship of richness and effective number of species with nitrate heterogeneity only occurred at high levels of nitrate availability. This relationship could pose challenges to restoring diverse grasslands because N becomes progressively limited during grassland restoration (Baer et al 2003, Baer and Blair 2008, Rosenzweig et al 2016. Unlike nitrate heterogeneity, light heterogeneity had a stronger relationship with plant richness/effective number of species at low levels of light availability.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diversity patterns from sequentially restored grasslands support the ‘environmental heterogeneity hypothesis’

Scott

Baer

2019

Oikos

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The ‘environmental heterogeneity hypothesis’ (EHH) has been proposed as a mechanism that enables species coexistence through resource partitioning. In accordance with this hypothesis, plant diversity is predicted to increase with variability in resources, but there has been weak support for this hypothesis from experimental studies. The objectives of this research were to 1) characterize how resource availability and heterogeneity (coefficient of variation) change as plant communities develop using sequentially restored grasslands, 2) determine if resource heterogeneity relates to plant diversity (effective number of species, richness and evenness) and 3) reveal if the strength of resource heterogeneity–diversity relationships is different among levels of resource availability. We quantified means and coefficients of variation in soil nitrate and light availability in grasslands established on former agricultural lands for different times and their relationship to plant diversity using a geostatistically‐informed design. Nitrate availability decreased exponentially with restoration age, but no directional change in nitrate heterogeneity across the chronosequence occurred due to high resource variability in some restorations. Light availability also decreased exponentially across the chronosequence, but there was no directional change in light heterogeneity. Nitrate heterogeneity was positively correlated with both plant richness and plant effective number of species at high levels of nitrate availability. However, no nitrate heterogeneity correlation was detected at low levels of nitrate availability. Light heterogeneity was positively correlated with plant effective number of species at low levels of light availability. However, no light heterogeneity correlation was detected at high levels of light availability. Plant evenness was not correlated with resource heterogeneity at any resource availability level. These results support the positive heterogeneity–diversity relationship predicted by EHH, and uniquely that this relationship develops within a decade of plant community development, but can be obscured by resource availability.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity patterns from sequentially restored grasslands support the ‘environmental heterogeneity hypothesis’

Scott

Baer

2019

Oikos

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“…In particular, reconstructed prairies can improve resistance to invasive exotic plants (Blumenthal et al 2005;Foster et al 2015), create trajectories in many soil properties toward that of undisturbed prairie (Rosenzweig et al 2016), and improve a variety of ecosystem functions (Foster et al 2007). The time-course over which such benefits accrue and become comparable to remnant prairie is variable and in some cases stretches to centuries (Rosenzweig et al 2016). Evaluation of the success of prairie reconstructions therefore can be seen as a moving target, depending on the end point of interest.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Persistence of native and exotic plants 10 years after prairie reconstruction

Larson

Bright

Drobney

et al. 2017

Restoration Ecology

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Prairie reconstructions are a critical component of preservation of the imperiled tallgrass prairie ecosystem in the Midwestern United States. Sustainability of this endeavor depends on establishment of persistent cover of planted native species and resistance to noxious weeds. The goal of this study was to understand the influence of early reconstruction practices on long‐term outcomes. Twelve replicates of three planting methods (dormant‐season broadcast, growing‐season broadcast, and growing‐season drill) and three seed mix richness levels (10, 20, or 34 species), fully crossed in a completely randomized design were planted in 2005 on nine former agricultural fields located in Iowa and Minnesota. Cover by species was estimated in 2005–2007, 2010, and 2015. In 2015, cover of planted species, native nonplanted species, and exotic species were similar to those recorded in 2010. Cover of the noxious weed Cirsium arvense had also declined by an average of 49% without herbicide from a peak in 2007 to low stable levels from 2010 to 2015. Richness of planted forbs, on the other hand, were still increasing in high‐richness broadcast treatments (e.g. 17–59% increase 2010–1015 in Minnesota). Two results in 2015 are reasons for concern: cover of planted species is only slightly over 50% in both Minnesota and Iowa, though with forbs still increasing, this may improve; and the cool‐season exotic grasses Poa pratensis and Bromus inermis are increasing at both Minnesota and Iowa sites. Control of these invasive grasses will be necessary, but care will be needed to avoid negative impacts of control methods on natives.

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“…Studies have shown that increased floristic diversity through prairie reconstruction can result in increased diversity of other taxa (Rowe & Holland ; Tonietto et al ; Port & Schottler ). With time, reconstructed prairies can approximate the soil characteristics of undisturbed prairies (Rosenzweig et al ). Further, reconstructed prairies can provide resistance against invasion from NN plants (Blumenthal et al ; Foster et al ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are we close enough? Comparing prairie reconstruction chronosequences to remnants following two site preparation methods in Missouri, U.S.A.

Newbold

Knapp

Pile

2019

Restoration Ecology

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Prairie reconstruction has become a common method for reestablishing tallgrass prairie communities in the central United States. With the objective of creating plant communities that approximate remnant (reference) prairies, managers are interested in identifying: (1) best methods for reconstructing reference community conditions; (2) the rate of change in plant communities through time following reconstruction; and (3) species present in remnant communities but missing from reconstructed communities. This information is important in the development of adaptive management strategies during active reconstruction. We used a chronosequence approach to assess the success of two reconstruction methods in emulating local, reference remnant prairie plant communities. We compared broadcast dormant seeding following two types of site preparation, agricultural cropping (Crop) or herbicide control in existing grass assemblages (Grass), and remnant communities. The Crop site preparation method resulted in a rapid increase in richness shortly following seeding. Although more similar to remnant assemblages initially, the Grass method took longer for mean coefficient of conservatism and floristic quality index to approach conditions of the reference communities. However, neither method resulted in plant community compositions that converged with the reference through time. Further, indicator species analysis identified a diverse assemblage of species lacking from the reconstructed prairies. These results suggest the need to develop management strategies for establishing the “missing” species during reconstruction and provide further support for protection and conservation of existing remnant prairies.

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Changes in soil properties, microbial biomass, and fluxes of C and N in soil following post-agricultural grassland restoration

Cited by 72 publications

References 49 publications

Diversity patterns from sequentially restored grasslands support the ‘environmental heterogeneity hypothesis’

Diversity patterns from sequentially restored grasslands support the ‘environmental heterogeneity hypothesis’

Persistence of native and exotic plants 10 years after prairie reconstruction

Are we close enough? Comparing prairie reconstruction chronosequences to remnants following two site preparation methods in Missouri, U.S.A.

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