Search Results for: prairie

Author: Corbett, E.A.; Anderson, R.C.; Rodgers, C.S. Description: We examined the long-term success of prairie planting on a former strip mine in northeastern Illinois. The site was reclaimed and planted with prairie species in the 1970s. Total biomass increased over time, largely as a result of an increase in biomass of non-prairie species. Biomass of prairie species remained unchanged because of an increase in Panicum virgatum (switchgrass) offsetting decreases in Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass). Total biomass was less than values published for other restored prairies (78 ± 4 g/m2to 298…

Author: Carl B. Koford Description: Man changes his environment to suit his needs. If he wants protection from cold orenemies, he builds houses and dwells in towns. If he needs food, he destroys weeds and fosters crops. But this ability to alter surroundings to his own advantage is not unique with man; it is shared by many humble animals. Among these are the large rodents of the western grasslands, the ground squirrels and the prairie dogs. Subject headings: Prairie dog, Rodents, Grasses, Vegetation, Prairie soils, Plants, Forbs, Burrows, Forage Publication…

Author: Newbold, Chris; Knapp, Benjamin O.; Pile, Lauren S. Description: 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….

Author: Geroff, Ray K.; Gibbs, Jason; McCravy, Kenneth W. Description: Bee species diversity and the effectiveness of four sampling methods were investigated in a west-central Illinois restored tallgrass prairie. Bees were sampled using malaise traps, ground-level pan traps, elevated pan traps, and vane traps. A total of 4,622 bees representing 31 genera and 111 species were collected. Malaise traps collected the greatest number of bees and species, and ground-level pan traps the least. Among the pan traps and vane traps, blue-colored traps collected the greatest abundance and species richness, and…

Author: Larson, Diane L.; Bright, J. B.; Drobney, Pauline; Larson, Jennifer L.; Palaia, Nicholas; Rabie, Paul A.; Vacek, Sara; Wells, Douglas Description: Tallgrass prairie restoration has been practiced for more than 75 years, yet few studies have systematically tested restoration methods over large geographic regions with the intent of refining methodology. In this study, we used three planting methods (dormant-season broadcast, growing-season broadcast and growing-season drill) fully crossed with three levels of seed species richness (10, 20, and 34 spp). We replicated the study on nine former agricultural fields located…

Author: Kaul, Andrew D.; Wilsey, Brian J. Description: A primary goal of restoration ecology is to understand the factors that generate variability in species diversity and composition among restorations. Plant communities may assemble deterministically toward a common community type, or they may assemble stochastically, ending differently because of weather conditions during establishment, soil legacy effects, or exotic species propagule pressure. To test these alternative hypotheses, we sampled plant communities and soil at 93 randomly selected restored prairies distributed throughout Iowa, USA. Five remnant sites were sampled as a reference. We…

Author: J.E. Weaver Description: TO MOST AMERICANS, the word “Prairie” suggests either a romantic element in pioneer fiction or a vast expanse of level land which must be crossed in going from one coast to another. But to the botanist, the American Prairie is a wonderfully complex society of living organisms.This book tells the story of that society-the variety of its inhabitants; the constitution of its several communities; the internal struggles for domination of the society; and the battles of the Prairie as a whole against its two most vicious…

Author: Barnes, Paul W.; Harrison, A. Tyrone Description: Plant and soil water relationships in a typical nebraska Sandhills prairie were examined to 1) explain the observed distribution patterns of several dominant grasses along a topographic gradient, and 2) show how spatial and temporal variations in soil moisture are critical to community organization on a sandy substrate. An experimental transect encompassing the major community and soil types along a steep, west-facing vegetated dune was established. Maximum available water was shown to be significantly higher in the fine textured surface soils of…

Author: Baer, S. G.; Blair, J. M.; Collins, S. L.; Knapp, A. K. Description: In native tallgrass prairie, soil depth and nitrogen (N) availability strongly influence aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and plant species composition. We manipulated these factors in a newly restored grassland to determine if these resources similarly constrain productivity and diversity during the initial three years of grassland establishment. Four types of experimental plots with six treatment combinations of deep and shallow soil at reduced-, ambient-, and enriched-N availability formed the basis of this study. The soil…

Author: Curtis, J. T., & Partch, M. L. Description: Annual and biennial burns in March, May and October were made in a field of blue grass in which prairie plants had been artificially introduced. The experiments were conducted in the University of Wisconsin Arboretum at Madison, in the period from 1941 through 1946. Densities were determined annually for dominant members of the original sod, for the main weedy forbs, and for the planted prairie species. The total density of the blue grass sod was reduced to one-fifth of the original…