Impacts of Kentucky bluegrass Invasion (Poa pratensis L.) on Ecological Processes in the Northern Great Plains

The study of colonizing and of dominant grass species is essential for prairie conservation efforts. We sought to answer how naturalized Kentucky bluegrass in the northern Great Plains has become successful in the last 20 yr despite its long history in the northern Great Plains. We tested for evidence of geographical differentiation using flow cytometry and microsatellite markers to ascertain the population genetics of Kentucky bluegrass. Across all tested wild populations, high levels of genetic diversity were detected along with moderate levels of structure. Mantel tests of geographical patterns were not significant. Using clonal assignment, we found two major clones that made up the majority of the tested wild populations. When we compared the wild individuals to pedigree cultivars, we found virtually no genetic overlap across all tests, which did not support our hypothesis of developed cultivars contributing to high genetic diversity in natural populations. Furthermore, DNA content tests indicated a narrow range in ploidy in wild populations compared with lawn cultivars, further supporting a hypothesis of divergence between wild and pedigree cultivars. These results indicate the recent invasion of Kentucky bluegrass in the northern Great Plains is not because of adaptation or propagule pressure, but rather likely an environmental or land use shift.

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Kentucky Bluegrass Invasion in the Northern Great Plains and Prospective Management Approaches to Mitigate Its Spread

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10040817 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 817

Author(s):

Rakhi Palit ◽

Greta Gramig ◽

Edward S. DeKeyser

Keyword(s):

Great Plains ◽

Native Species ◽

Management Practices ◽

Propagule Pressure ◽

Poa Pratensis ◽

Kentucky Bluegrass ◽

Northern Great Plains ◽

Ecological Interactions ◽

Management Tools ◽

Management Approaches

Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) is one of the most aggressive grasses invading Northern Great Plains (NGP) grasslands, resulting in substantial native species losses. Highly diverse grasslands dominated by native species are gradually transforming into rangelands largely dominated by non-native Kentucky bluegrass. Several factors potentially associated with Kentucky bluegrass invasions, including high propagule pressure, thatch formation, climate change, and increasing nitrogen deposition, could determine the future dominance and spread of Kentucky bluegrass in the NGP. Because atmospheric CO2 is amplifying rapidly, a C3 grass like Kentucky bluegrass might be photosynthetically more efficient than native C4 grasses. As this exotic species shares similar morphological and phenological traits with many native cool-season grasses, controlling it with traditional management practices such as prescribed fire, grazing, herbicides, or combinations of these practices may also impair the growth of native species. Thus, developing effective management practices to combat Kentucky bluegrass spread while facilitating the native species cover is essential. Modifying traditional techniques and embracing science-based adaptive management tools that focus on the ecological interactions of Kentucky bluegrass with the surrounding native species could achieve these desired management goals. Enhancement of the competitiveness of surrounding native species could also be an important consideration for controlling this invasive species.

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Controlling Kentucky Bluegrass with Herbicide and Burning Is Influenced by Invasion Level

Invasive Plant Science and Management ◽

10.1017/inp.2017.2 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 10 (01) ◽

pp. 80-89 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Corie B. Ereth ◽

John R. Hendrickson ◽

Donald Kirby ◽

E. Shawn DeKeyser ◽

Kevin K. Sedivec ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Great Plains ◽

Poa Pratensis ◽

Kentucky Bluegrass ◽

Grass Species ◽

Northern Great Plains ◽

Management Tools ◽

Native Grass ◽

Sheyenne National Grassland ◽

High Site ◽

Restoration Strategies

Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) invades northern Great Plains rangelands. On the Sheyenne National Grassland in southeastern North Dakota, three research sites, each with a different level of Kentucky bluegrass invasion, were chosen to evaluate effectiveness of burning and burning–herbicide combinations to control Kentucky bluegrass. Initial Kentucky bluegrass invasion levels were 37%, 77%, and 91% for LOW, MODERATE, and HIGH invaded sites, respectively. Within each invaded site, four replicated strips (20 by 60 m) were established, with half of each strip burned in late October 2005 and the other half burned in early May 2006. Herbicide treatments of (1) no herbicide, (2) 2.24 kg ha−1 of glyphosate, and (3) 0.43 kg ha−1 of imazapic were randomly assigned to 10 by 20 m subplots within each burn. Control plots were established at the same time. Relative basal cover of native grass, native forb, and Kentucky bluegrass was estimated annually using 50 10-point frames within each subplot. On the HIGH site in 2006, fall-burned plots with a spring glyphosate application had three times the native grass cover and only one fourth of the Kentucky bluegrass cover compared with controls. Similar results with the same treatment occurred at the MODERATE site. Native grasses became the most abundant plant community on these plots in the MODERATE and HIGH sites within 1 yr. Treatment differences were transitory, and the LOW site differed from the MODERATE and HIGH sites. In 2007, on fall-burned plots with spring glyphosate application, the amount of Kentucky bluegrass was 14% and 30%, and native grass species were 52% and 42% on the MODERATE and HIGH sites, respectively, which was similar to the initial values on the LOW site. These data emphasize the importance of initial invasion level in developing restoration strategies and provide evidence burning and herbicide combinations can be valuable management tools even on heavily invaded grasslands.

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Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) Invasion in the Northern Great Plains: A Story of Rapid Dominance in an Endangered Ecosystem

Invasive Plant Science and Management ◽

10.1614/ipsm-d-14-00069.1 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 255-261 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Edward S. DeKeyser ◽

Lauren A. Dennhardt ◽

John Hendrickson

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Great Plains ◽

Poa Pratensis ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Kentucky Bluegrass ◽

The United States ◽

Common Species ◽

Northern Great Plains ◽

Past Century ◽

The Past

AbstractKentucky bluegrass was introduced into the present-day United States in the 1600s. Since that time, Kentucky bluegrass has spread throughout the United States and Canada becoming prolific in some areas. In the past century, Kentucky bluegrass has been a presence and often a dominant species in some prairies in the Northern Great Plains. Sometime within the past few decades, Kentucky bluegrass has become the most-common species on the untilled, native prairie sites of much of North and South Dakota. In this article, we hypothesize how Kentucky bluegrass has come to dominate one of the most endangered ecosystems in North America—the prairie—through a historical, ecological, and climatological lens. We urge others to start addressing the invasion of Kentucky bluegrass with both new research and management strategies.

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Patterns of Smooth Brome, Kentucky Bluegrass, and Shrub Invasion in the Northern Great Plains Vary with Temperature and Precipitation

Natural Areas Journal ◽

10.3375/043.040.0103 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 40 (1) ◽

pp. 11 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Todd A. Grant ◽

Terry L. Shaffer ◽

Bridgette Flanders

Keyword(s):

Great Plains ◽

Kentucky Bluegrass ◽

Northern Great Plains ◽

Smooth Brome ◽

Shrub Invasion ◽

Temperature And Precipitation

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Landscape Disturbances Impact Affect the Distribution and Abundance of Exotic Grasses in Northern Fescue Prairies

Invasive Plant Science and Management ◽

10.1614/ipsm-d-13-00023.1 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 577-584 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marlene Gifford ◽

Rafael Otfinowski

Keyword(s):

Great Plains ◽

Exotic Plants ◽

Kentucky Bluegrass ◽

Livestock Grazing ◽

Northern Great Plains ◽

Human Disturbances ◽

Exotic Grasses ◽

Smooth Brome ◽

Native Prairie ◽

Riding Mountain National Park

AbstractThe presence of landscape disturbances increases the establishment of exotic plants inside natural areas. Here, we examine the effect of human disturbances to prairie landscapes on the distribution and abundance of Kentucky bluegrass and smooth brome, exotic grasses that threaten the integrity of prairie ecosystems throughout the northern Great Plains. Using plant inventory data from Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba, Canada, we investigated how roads, trails, and the intensity of historic livestock grazing affect the distribution and abundance of exotic grasses. On the basis of our results, both Kentucky bluegrass and smooth brome were more abundant in areas closer to roads. Kentucky bluegrass was also more abundant in areas farther from trails and those historically grazed by cattle. Our research demonstrates that the effect of landscape disturbances on exotic grasses varies between species and suggests that patterns of invasion may reflect different introduction histories. Given our findings, conserving the integrity of northern fescue prairies should account for human disturbances of landscapes and their effects on the proliferation of exotic plants into areas of native prairie.

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Understanding the effects of grazing and prescribed fire on hydrology of Kentucky bluegrass–dominated rangelands in the northern Great Plains

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation ◽

10.2489/jswc.74.4.360 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 74 (4) ◽

pp. 360-371 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

S.K. Nouwakpo ◽

D. Toledo ◽

M. Sanderson ◽

M. Weltz

Keyword(s):

Great Plains ◽

Prescribed Fire ◽

Kentucky Bluegrass ◽

Northern Great Plains

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Evaluation of Salinity Tolerance of Prairie Junegrass, a Potential Low-maintenance Turfgrass Species

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.46.7.1038 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 46 (7) ◽

pp. 1038-1045 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Sheng Wang ◽

Qi Zhang ◽

Eric Watkins

Keyword(s):

Salt Tolerance ◽

Salinity Tolerance ◽

Perennial Ryegrass ◽

Tall Fescue ◽

Poa Pratensis ◽

Germination Rate ◽

Kentucky Bluegrass ◽

Northern Great Plains ◽

Limited Information ◽

Salt Tolerant

Prairie junegrass (Koeleria macrantha) is a perennial, cool-season, native grass that has shown potential for use as a turfgrass species in the northern Great Plains; however, limited information is available on its salt tolerance. In this study, salinity tolerance of four junegrass populations from North America (Colorado, Minnesota, Nebraska, and North Dakota) and two improved turf-type cultivars from Europe (‘Barleria’ and ‘Barkoel’) was evaluated and compared with kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), sheep fescue (Festuca ovina), hard fescue (F. brevipila), and tall fescue (F. arundinacea). Salinity tolerance was determined based on the predicted salinity level causing 50% reduction of final germination rate (PSLF) and daily germination rate (PSLD) as well as electrolyte leakage (EL), tissue dry weight (DW), and visual quality (VQ) of mature plants. All populations of prairie junegrass showed similar salt tolerance with an average of PSLF and PSLD being 7.1 and 5.3 g·L−1 NaCl, respectively, comparable to kentucky bluegrass and hard and sheep fescue but lower than tall fescue and perennial ryegrass. Larger variations were observed in VQ in the junegrasses compared with EL and DW, in which ‘Barleria’ from the European population showed the highest VQ, following two salt-tolerant grasses, tall fescue and sheep fescue. Nebraska population was the least salt-tolerant within the species but still exhibited similar or higher tolerance than kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass cv. Arctic Green. Overall, junegrass was more salt-sensitive during germination but more tolerant to salinity when mature. Salinity tolerance of junegrass may be further improved through turfgrass breeding because salinity tolerance varied in different populations.

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Extent of Kentucky Bluegrass and Its Effect on Native Plant Species Diversity and Ecosystem Services in the Northern Great Plains of the United States

Invasive Plant Science and Management ◽

10.1614/ipsm-d-14-00029.1 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 543-552 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

David Toledo ◽

Matt Sanderson ◽

Kenneth Spaeth ◽

John Hendrickson ◽

Jeff Printz

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Plant Species ◽

Great Plains ◽

Kentucky Bluegrass ◽

The United States ◽

Northern Great Plains ◽

Native Plant ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Native Plant Species

AbstractKentucky bluegrass, a nonnative species, has invaded rangelands in the United States and is currently present in most rangelands across the Northern Great Plains. Despite its accelerated expansion, the consequences of Kentucky bluegrass on the diversity of native plant species and on ecosystem services remain largely unknown. We synthesized the available data related to Kentucky bluegrass and how it affects native plant diversity and ecosystem services. We found that invasion may bring negative consequences to ecosystem services, such as pollination, habitat for wildlife species, and alteration of nutrient and hydrologic cycles, among others. To maintain the flow of ecosystem goods and services from these rangeland ecosystems, range science must adapt to the challenge of introduced, cool-season grass dominance in mixed-grass prairie. Based on our findings, we identify research needs that address ecosystem changes brought on by Kentucky bluegrass invasion and the corresponding effects these changes have on ecosystem services. We are dealing with novel ecosystems, and until we have better answers, adaptive management strategies that use the best available information need to be developed to adapt to the invasion of this pervasive invasive species.

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