Predicting and mitigating weed invasions to restore natural post-fire succession in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, USA

2006 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 247 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Lisa Floyd ◽  
David Hanna ◽  
William H. Romme ◽  
Timothy E. Crews
Keyword(s):  
Soil Nitrogen ◽  
Native Species ◽  
National Park ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Weed Species ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Weed Invasion ◽  
Weed Density ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Mesa Verde

Six large wildfires have burned in Mesa Verde National Park during the last 15 years, and extensive portions of burns were invaded by non-native plant species. The most threatening weed species include Carduus nutans, Cirsium arvense, and Bromus tectorum, and if untreated, they persist at least 13 years. We investigated patterns of weed distribution to identify plant communities most vulnerable to post-fire weed invasion and created a spatially explicit model to predict the most vulnerable sites. At the scale of the entire park, mature piñon–juniper woodlands growing on two soil series were most vulnerable to post-fire weed invasion; mountain shrublands were the least vulnerable. At a finer scale, greater richness of native species was correlated with greater numbers of non-native species, indicating that habitats with high native biodiversity are at the greatest risk of weed invasion. In unburned areas, weed density increased with greater soil nitrogen and phosphorus, and lower salinity. In burned areas weed density correlated with soil nitrogen status and textural class. We also evaluated the effectiveness of a variety of weed mitigation methods; aerial seeding of targeted high-risk areas with native grasses was the most effective treatment tested. We recommend a conservative mitigation plan using natives grass seed on only the most invasible sites.

scholarly journals Slash Pile Burn Scar Restoration: Tradeoffs between Abundance of Non-Native and Native Species

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 813
Author(s):  
Ian Sexton ◽  
Philip Turk ◽  
Lindsay Ringer ◽  
Cynthia S. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Burn Scar ◽  
Native Plant Species ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Soil Scarification

The accumulation of live and dead trees and other vegetation in forests across the western United States is producing larger and more severe wildfires. To decrease wildfire severity and increase forest resilience, foresters regularly remove excess fuel by burning woody material in piles. This common practice could also cause persistent ecosystem changes such as the alteration of soil physical and chemical properties due to extreme soil heating, which can favor invasion by non-native plant species. The abundance and species richness of native plant communities may also remain depressed for many years after burning has removed vegetation and diminished propagules in the soil. This adds to the vulnerability of burned areas to the colonization and dominance by invasive species. Research into the use of revegetation techniques following pile burning to suppress invasion is limited. Studies conducted in various woodland types that investigated revegetation of pile burn scars have met with varying success. To assess the effectiveness of restoring pile burn scars in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, we monitored vegetation in 26 scars, each about 5 m in diameter, the growing season after burning. Later that summer, we selected 14 scars for restoration that included soil scarification, seed addition, and pine duff mulch cover. We monitored the scars for four years, pre-restoration, and three years post-restoration and found that the cover of seeded species exceeded the surrounding unburned areas and unseeded controls. The restoration seeding suppressed cover of non-native species as well as native species that were not seeded during restoration. Our results suggest that restoration of pile burn scars could be a useful tool to retard the establishment of invasive plant species when there are pre-existing infestations near scars. However, this must be weighed against the simultaneous suppression of native species recruitment. Monitoring for periods more than three years will help us understand how long the suppression of native and non-native species by restoration species may persist.

scholarly journals Tests of Hexazinone and Tebuthiuron for Control of Exotic Plants in Kauai, Hawaii

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 576
Author(s):  
Wang ◽  
Awaya ◽  
Zhu ◽  
Motooka ◽  
Nelson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Loblolly Pine ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Native Plants ◽  
Early Period ◽  
Metrosideros Polymorpha ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Weed Species ◽  
Invasive Weed ◽  
Native Plant Species

Non-native plant species have become serious pests in Hawaii’s delicate island ecosystems. It is necessary to control invasive plants. The herbicides hexazinone and tebuthiuron were evaluated for defoliation efficacy to control several major invasive plants and for non-target effects on native plants at Site I in a rainforest at 1200 m elevation and Site II in a mesic area at 640 m elevation on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. The invasive weed species in the sites included daisy fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus DC.), faya tree (Myrica faya Ait.), strawberry guava (Psidium cattleyanum Sabine), banana passion fruit (Passiflora mollissima Bailey), vaseygrass (Paspalum urvillei Steud.), and highbush blackberry (Rubus argutus Link. 1822). Native plants included ohia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha Gaudich.), naupaka (Scaevola cerasifolia Labill.), pilo (Hedyotis mannii), hona (Urera glabra (Hook. & Arn.)), aalii (Dodonaea viscosa Jacq.), and amau (Sadleria sp.). The results showed that broadcast applications of hexazinone granules and tebuthiuron pellets were effective on some of those invasive species. Herbicidal tolerance varied among the native species. For example, D. viscosa showed high tolerance to hexazinone. S. cerasifolia was susceptible to hexazinone, but not to tebuthiuron. The inconsistent defoliation of Sadleria sp. occurred among different applications rates of the two herbicides. M. polymorpha, particularly when it was small, could tolerate hexazinone and tebuthiuron. U. glabra was severely injured by the two herbicides. H. mannii was moderately tolerant to hexazinone, but fairly sensitive to tebuthiuron. The invasive loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) was highly tolerant to hexazinone, but was very sensitive to tebuthiuron. M. faya was very sensitive to hexazinone, but very tolerant to tebuthiuron. P. cattleyanum was sensitive to both herbicides. Six and nine months after hexazinone and tebuthiuron treatment, respectively, native plants were transplanted into the Sites to observe injury from residual herbicides. Approximately less than 10% mortality was observed for the out-planted native species three months after planting (MAP), indicating that the native species showed less injury in the early period of transplant. The mortality of the three endangered species Kauai hau kuahiwi (Hibiscadelphis distans), Kauai delissea (Delissea rhytidosperma H.Mann) and kawawaenohu (Alsinidendron lynchnoides), however, increased as the MAP increased. Overall, broadcast treatments of hexazinone and tebuthiuron at rates higher than 1 kg active ingredient per hectare would be problematic. The dissipation half-life values of hexazinone and tebuthiuron in the 1-15 cm layer of soils at the two sites were approximately 7 days and greater than 180 days, respectively.

The impacts of invasive plant species on the biodiversity of Australian rangelands

2006 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. C. Grice
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Weed Species ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Native Plant Species

Most parts of the Australian rangelands are at risk of invasion by one or more species of non-native plants. The severity of current problems varies greatly across the rangelands with more non-native plant species in more intensively settled regions, in climatic zones that have higher and more reliable rainfall, and in wetter and more fertile parts of rangeland landscapes. Although there is quantitative evidence of impacts on either particular taxonomic groups or specific ecological processes in Australian rangelands, a comprehensive picture of responses of rangeland ecosystems to plant invasions is not available. Research has been focused on invasive species that are perceived to have important effects. This is likely to down play the significance of species that have visually less dramatic influences and ignore the possibility that some species could invade and yet have negligible consequences. It is conceivable that most of the overall impact will come from a relatively small proportion of invasive species. Impacts have most commonly been assessed in terms of plant species richness or the abundance of certain groups of vertebrates to the almost complete exclusion of other faunal groups. All scientific studies of the impacts of invasive species in Australian rangelands have focused on the effects of individual invasive species although in many situations native communities are under threat from a complex of interacting weed species. Invasion by non-native species is generally associated with declines in native plant species richness, but faunal responses are more complex and individual invasions may be associated with increase, decrease and no-change scenarios for different faunal groups. Some invasive species may remain minor components of the vegetation that they invade while others completely dominate one stratum or the vegetation overall.

Skeleton weed (Chondrilla juncea) in the Victorian Mallee. 4. Effects of fallowing on wheat yields and weed populations

1971 ◽  
Vol 11 (50) ◽  
pp. 313 ◽  
Author(s):  
GJ Wells
Keyword(s):  
Soil Nitrogen ◽  
Nitrate Nitrogen ◽  
Wheat Yield ◽  
Individual Response ◽  
Phosphorus Fertilizer ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Rainfall Distribution ◽  
Weed Density ◽  
Weed Growth ◽  
The Individual

Experiments to compare the duration of fallows and the substitution of a 2,4-D spray for some fallow cultivations for wheat production on skeleton weed land were conducted in the Victorian Mallee from 1962 to 1966. Generally winter fallows outyielded spring fallows, commenced only two months later, and these in turn gave higher yields than an autumn-cultivated treatment. Compared with autumn cultivation, winter fallowing reduced skeleton weed density by an average of 49 per cent. Substituting a 2,4-D spray for some Gltivations had little effect on wheat yield, but improved the control of skeleton weed. Grain yield was determined primarily by the level of nitrate nitrogen in the surface 15 cm of soil before sowing, and this effect was attributed to the low soil nitrogen status found in skeleton weed situations. Soil moisture was conserved only occasionally, owing to the difficulty of controlling weed growth during the summer coupled with the variable rainfall distribution in the Mallee. Although a nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer interaction was significant at all sites, neither the individual response nor the interaction was affected by fallow treatment.

Conservation of the Grassy White Box Woodlands: Relative Contributions of Size and Disturbance to Floristic Composition and Diversity of Remnants

1995 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 349 ◽  
Author(s):  
SM Prober ◽  
KR Thiele
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
General Character ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Weed Invasion ◽  
Total Species Richness ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Native Species Richness

Before European settlement, grassy white box woodlands were the dominant vegetation in the east of the wheat-sheep belt of south-eastern Australia. Tree clearing, cultivation and pasture improvement have led to fragmentation of this once relatively continuous ecosystem, leaving a series of remnants which themselves have been modified by livestock grazing. Little-modified remnants are extremely rare. We examined and compared the effects of fragmentation and disturbance on the understorey flora of woodland remnants, through a survey of remnants of varying size, grazing history and tree clearing. In accordance with fragmentation theory, species richness generally increased with remnant size, and, for little-grazed remnants, smaller remnants were more vulnerable to weed invasion. Similarly, tree clearing and grazing encouraged weed invasion and reduced native species richness. Evidence for increased total species richness at intermediate grazing levels, as predicted by the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, was equivocal. Remnant quality was more severely affected by grazing than by remnant size. All little-grazed remnants had lower exotic species abundance and similar or higher native species richness than grazed remnants, despite their extremely small sizes (< 6 ha). Further, small, littlegrazed remnants maintained the general character of the pre-European woodland understorey, while grazing caused changes to the dominant species. Although generally small, the little-grazed remnants are the best representatives of the pre-European woodland understorey, and should be central to any conservation plan for the woodlands. Selected larger remnants are needed to complement these, however, to increase the total area of woodland conserved, and, because most little-grazed remnants are cleared, to represent the ecosystem in its original structural form. For the maintenance of native plant diversity and composition in little-grazed remnants, it is critical that livestock grazing continues to be excluded. For grazed remnants, maintenance of a site in its current state would allow continuation of past management, while restoration to a pre-European condition would require management directed towards weed removal, and could take advantage of the difference noted in the predominant life-cycle of native (perennial) versus exotic (annual or biennial) species.

Importance of phosphorus and nitrogen in the nutrition of grass seedlings growing in mulga soil

1976 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 583 ◽  
Author(s):  
RG Silcock ◽  
A Noble ◽  
RDB Whalley
Keyword(s):  
Seedling Growth ◽  
Soil Nitrogen ◽  
Nitrogen Fertilizer ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Exotic Grasses ◽  
Early Seedling Growth ◽  
Phosphorus Fertilizers ◽  
Early Seedling

A pot experiment was conducted to compare the Importance of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers to seedling growth of four grasses on mulga soil. Two native species, Monachather paradoxa (mulga oats) and Digitaria ammophila (silky umbrella grass), and two exotic ones, Anthephora pubescens (wool grass) and Cenchrus ciliaris cv. Biloela (buffel grass), were tested. Digitaria and the two exotic grasses reacted similarly to applied phosphorus while Cenchrus utilized soil nitrogen more readily than the others. Phosphorus produced marked growth responses, increased the nitrogen and phosphorus contents of the plants, reduced the time between emergence and tillering and reduced root/shoot ratios. Nitrogen fertilizer produced no significant responses and actually retarded very early seedling growth. There were no nitrogen x phosphorus interactions.

Soil Seed Bank Responses to Postfire Herbicide and Native Seeding Treatments Designed to Control Bromus tectorum in a Pinyon–Juniper Woodland at Zion National Park, USA

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hondo Brisbin ◽  
Andrea Thode ◽  
Matt Brooks ◽  
Karen Weber
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Native Species ◽  
National Park ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Germination Rate ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Soil Seed Banks ◽  
Zion National Park ◽  
Juniper Woodland

AbstractThe continued threat of an invasive, annual brome (Bromus) species in the western United States has created the need for integrated approaches to postfire restoration. Additionally, the high germination rate, high seed production, and seed bank carryover of annual bromes points to the need to assay soil seed banks as part of monitoring programs. We sampled the soil seed bank to help assess the effectiveness of treatments utilizing the herbicide Plateau® (imazapic) and a perennial native seed mix to control annual Bromus species and enhance perennial native plant establishment following a wildfire in Zion National Park, Utah. This study is one of few that have monitored the effects of imazapic and native seeding on a soil seed bank community and the only one that we know of that has done so in a pinyon–juniper woodland. The study made use of untreated, replicated controls, which is not common for seed bank studies. One year posttreatment, Bromus was significantly reduced in plots sprayed with herbicide. By the second year posttreatment, the effects of imazapic were less evident and convergence with the controls was evident. Emergence of seeded species was low for the duration of the study. Dry conditions and possible interactions with imazapic probably contributed to the lack of emergence of seeded native species. The perennial grass sand dropseed outperformed the other species included in the seed mix. We also examined how the treatments affected the soil seed bank community as a whole. We found evidence that the herbicide was reducing several native annual forbs and one nonnative annual forb. However, overall effects on the community were not significant. The results of our study were similar to what others have found in that imazapic is effective in providing a short-term reduction in Bromus density, although it can impact emergence of nontarget species.

Inventarisasi Plasma Nutfah Serealia Lahan Kering Di Sekitar Kawasan Taman Nasional Kelimutu

AGRICA ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-68
Author(s):  
Sri Wahyuni ◽  
Murdaningsih Murdaningsih
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Cereal Crops ◽  
Staple Food ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Dry Land ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Cultivation Techniques

The goal of this research was to identify the dryland cereal crop seed plasma types growing around Kelimutu National Park, located in Ende district on the island of Flores in Indonesia, by observing crop morphology and cultivation techniques.  Cereal crops represent the largest source of carbohydrates in the regional diet in comparison to other food groups in this area where dry land makes up 80% of the total available land.  It is estimated that the Ende district of Flores has adequate potential to produce dryland cereal as a staple food crop.  Previous studies have shown that farmer preference is shifting towards the cultivation of crops with a higher economic value which threatens the existence of some cereal crops.  Concurrently, shifts in eating habits have made rice a staple food in this region, leading to increased consumption and threatening the existence of other cereal crops.  Furthermore, outsiders tend to think of areas like Flores as being impoverished, with frequent problems with food security. Currently, there is a lack of knowledge within the youth population about the types of foods, especially cereals, which are rich in nutrients and their use in rituals.  This research aims to address this gap by collecting information on cereal crops in and around Kelimutu National Park for dissemination through educational and cultural tours. This study was conducted in the eastern subdistrict of Ndona, Flores and Wolojita Detusoko between June and December 2011.  Study findings identified 5 main cereal crops: paddy fields (consisting of: Are Rumba, Are Sela, Are Obo, Are Laka, Amera, Eko Ndale, Kea Ria, Are Mera, Are Kea Mboa, Eko Ena), corn (consisting of Java Roga, Nggela Java, Java, Keo Ri’a), sorghum (consisting of mera Lolo, Lolo Mite and Lolo Telo Leko), barley (consisting of Mera and Wete Wete Bara) and millet (consisting of Ke’o Mite and Ke’o).  Of the five types of cereal crops identified, one type (Pega, a subspecies of barley with a sorghum-like panicle) is not found in four of the districts.  It was found that corn, classified as a native plant, is strengthened through cultivation by re-seeding.  Study results illustrated that corn in this area is of reduced genetic quality, as illustrated by the fact that 3-4 cobs did not develop.  Alternatively, the Ke’o Bara strain of barley has a morphology and panicle strand number (270-300) that suggest that this species is typical of this region.

Soil Nitrogen Movement under Sustainable Vegetable Production Systems

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 494f-495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy M. Johnson ◽  
Greg D. Hoyt
Keyword(s):  
Pest Management ◽  
Soil Nitrogen ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Plant Diseases ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Beneficial Arthropods ◽  
Weed Species ◽  
Available Nitrogen

An experiment was established to determine the effect of different tillage practices, vegetable crop rotations, and pest management strategies on crop yield, plant diseases, pest and beneficial arthropods, weed species changes over time, and soil environmental consequences. This poster describes nitrogen movement from the various treatments over a 3-year rotation. The treatments are: 1) conventional tillage with chemically based IPM; 2) conventional tillage with biologically based IPM; 3) conservation tillage with chemically based IPM; 4) conservation tillage with biologically based IPM; and 5) conventional tillage with no fertilizer or pest management. Mid-season soil analyses with depth showed chemical-fertilized plowed and conservation-tilled treatments with more soil available nitrogen at most depths compared to the biological-based IPM systems (soybean meal was used as a nitrogen source). However, the biological-based systems did supply enough soil nitrogen to produce similar yield results as the chemical-based systems. Less soil nitrate was measured in the 30- to 90-cm depths at harvest from the biological-based systems than chemical-based systems. Conservation-tilled systems had greater nitrate with depth compared to conventional-tilled systems.

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