Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula) Affects Vegetation More Than Seed Banks in Mixed-Grass Prairies of the Northern Great Plains

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 416-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dustin F. Haines ◽  
Diane L. Larson ◽  
Jennifer L. Larson
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Exotic Plants ◽  
Seed Banks ◽  
Leafy Spurge ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Invasion History ◽  
Living Plant ◽  
Mixed Grass

AbstractExotic plants have the ability to modify soil seed banks in habitats they invade, but little is known about the legacy of invasion on seed banks once an exotic plant has successfully been controlled. Natural areas previously invaded by leafy spurge in the northern Great Plains typically have one of two fates following its removal: a return of native plants, or a secondary invasion of other exotic plants. It is unknown, however, if this difference in plant communities following leafy spurge control is due to seed bank differences. To answer this question, we monitored seed banks and standing vegetation for 2 yr in mixed-grass prairies that were previously invaded by leafy spurge but controlled within 5 yr of our study. We found that native plant seed banks were largely intact in areas previously invaded by leafy spurge, regardless of the current living plant community, and leafy spurge invasion history had a larger impact on cover and diversity of the vegetation than on the seed banks. Differences in plant communities following leafy spurge control do not appear to be related to the seed banks, and soil conditions may be more important in determining trajectories of these postinvasion communities.

Effect of Aminocyclopyrachlor on Native Prairie Species in the Northern Great Plains

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blake M. Thilmony ◽  
Rodney G. Lym
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Leafy Spurge ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Invasive Weeds ◽  
Canada Thistle ◽  
Floristic Quality ◽  
Treatment Timing ◽  
Native Prairie ◽  
Beneficial Effects

Aminocyclopyrachlor (AMCP) will control many invasive broadleaf weeds, but the susceptibility of desirable forbs is not widely known. Native prairie response to AMCP was evaluated near Fargo, ND, and Felton, MN, in the Northern Great Plains. Both sites had high floristic quality prior to treatment, with 33 and 80 different species at Fargo and Felton, respectively. AMCP was applied at 140 g ha−1 in July 2014 to coincide with leafy spurge and Canada thistle treatment timing. AMCP altered the plant communities and reduced foliar cover of undesirable species, high seral forbs (undisturbed stable communities), and low seral forbs (early succession in disturbed communities) at both locations at 10 and 14 mo after treatment (MAT). AMCP reduced Canada thistle and leafy spurge in Fargo and eliminated hedge bindweed, prickly lettuce, and black medic in Felton. High seral forb foliar cover was reduced at 10 and 14 MAT from 20% to 2% and 3% in Fargo and from 19% to 1.6% and 2% in Felton, respectively. The high seral forb species birdfoot violet, white panicled aster, northern bedstraw, Canada goldenrod, purple meadowrue, and American vetch were reduced at both locations. Low seral forb cover also decreased at 10 MAT from 22% to 10% in Fargo and from 12% to 1% in Felton, respectively. By 14 MAT, low seral species in Fargo recovered to 16%, but recovery was much slower in Felton and slightly increased to 1.5%. After treatment high and low seral monocot species increased at both sites, likely due to reduced competition from susceptible species. AMCP reduced richness, evenness, and diversity at both locations at 10 and 14 MAT; therefore, floristic quality declined. A decline in diversity is generally undesirable but could have beneficial effects if invasive weeds and other undesirable species are reduced or eliminated.

scholarly journals Comparing Stability in Random Forest Models to Map Northern Great Plains Plant Communities Using 2015 and 2016 Pleiades Imagery

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jameson Brennan ◽  
Patricia Johnson ◽  
Niall Hanan
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Random Forest ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Plant Structure ◽  
Prairie Dog ◽  
Sensing Applications ◽  
High Resolution Imagery ◽  
Misclassification Rates

Abstract. The use of high resolution imagery in remote sensing has the potential to improve understanding of patch level variability in plant structure and community composition that may be lost at coarser scales. Random forest (RF) is a machine learning technique that has gained considerable traction in remote sensing applications due to its ability to produce accurate classifications with highly dimensional data and relatively efficient computing times. The aim of this study was to test the ability of RF to classify five plant communities located both on and off prairie dog towns in mixed grass prairie landscapes of north central South Dakota, and assess the stability of RF models among different years. During 2015 and 2016, Pleiades satellites were tasked to image the study site for a total of five monthly collections each summer (June–October). Training polygons were mapped in 2016 for the five plant communities and used to train separate 2015 and 2016 RF models. The RF models for 2015 and 2016 were highly effective at predicting different vegetation types associated with, and remote from, prairie dog towns (misclassification rates

Revegetating Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula)-Infested Rangeland with Native Tallgrasses

1998 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 381-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Masters ◽  
Scott J. Nissen
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Leafy Spurge ◽  
Plant Residue ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Big Bluestem ◽  
Perennial Weed ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
No Till

Degradation of Great Plains rangelands can be linked to past management practices that reduced native species diversity and accelerated establishment and expansion of exotic weeds and less desirable native species. Leafy spurge is an exotic perennial weed that infests more than 1 million ha in the northern Great Plains and reduces rangeland carrying capacity by competing with desirable forages and causing infested areas to be undesirable to cattle and wildlife. Research was conducted to determine the feasibility of using herbicides to suppress leafy spurge and other resident vegetation, which facilitated planting and establishment of native tallgrasses. Four experiments were conducted where 0.28, 0.56, and 0.84 kg ai/ha imazapyr and 0.1 kg ai/ha sulfometuron were applied alone and in combination and 0.84 kg ai/ha glyphosate was applied to leafy spurge-infested range sites in fall 1991 near Ainsworth, NE, and in fall 1991, 1992, and 1993 near Ansley, NE. Research areas were burned about 200 d after herbicide application to reduce plant residue. Monoculture stands of big bluestem and switchgrass were then no-till planted in each experiment and indiangrass was no-till planted in experiments initiated at Ansley in 1992 and 1993. Yields of the planted grasses, leafy spurge, and other vegetation were measured in August at each location starting the year after planting. Imazapyr was an essential component of treatments applied before planting to facilitate establishment of highly productive stands of the tallgrasses. Generally, yields were maximized by fall treatments of 0.28 kg/ha imazapyr + 0.1 kg/ha sulfometuron for big bluestem, 0.84 kg/ha imazapyr for indiangrass, and 0.84 kg/ha imazapyr + 0.1 kg/ha sulfometuron for switchgrass. Yields of the planted grasses were frequently four times greater where these herbicides were applied compared to where glyphosate or no herbicide were applied. Leafy spurge yields were usually reduced in areas where tallgrass yields were greatest. The sequential combination of suppressing vegetation with fall-applied herbicides, burning standing dead plant residue, then no-till planting desirable native tallgrasses in the spring increased productivity of these leafy spurge-infested range sites.

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

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 577-584 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Grasshopper populations respond similarly to multiple moderate intensity livestock grazing treatments

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-69
Author(s):  
David H. Branson
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Moderate Intensity ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Mixed Grass Prairie ◽  
Continuous Grazing ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Mixed Grass

Livestock grazing frequently affects grasshopper populations, but no prior studies have simultaneously examined a wide range of moderate intensity livestock grazing treatments in the Northern Great Plains. Grasshopper densities varied significantly between years, but five moderate grazing treatments, including both rotational and continuous grazing treatments, did not differentially affect grasshopper densities or species composition. Grasshopper populations appear resilient to different types of moderate grazing at this Northern Great Plains mixed-grass prairie site.

Long-term agroecosystem research on northern Great Plains mixed-grass prairie near Mandan, North Dakota

2015 ◽  
Vol 95 (6) ◽  
pp. 1101-1116 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Sanderson ◽  
M. A. Liebig ◽  
J. R. Hendrickson ◽  
S. L. Kronberg ◽  
D. Toledo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Dakota ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Beef Steers ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Mixed Grass Prairie ◽  
Long Term Experiment ◽  
Mixed Grass ◽  
Livestock Productivity

Sanderson, M. A., Liebig, M. A., Hendrickson, J. R., Kronberg, S. L., Toledo, D., Derner, J. D. and Reeves, J. L. 2015. Long-term agroecosystem research on northern Great Plains mixed-grass prairie near Mandan, North Dakota. Can. J. Plant Sci. 95: 1101–1116. In 1915, a stocking rate experiment was started on 101 ha of native mixed-grass prairie at the Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory (NGPRL) near Mandan, ND (100.9132N, 46.7710W). Here, we document the origin, evolution, and scientific outcomes from this long-term experiment. Four pastures of 12.1, 20.2, 28.3, and 40.5 ha were laid out and stocked continuously from May until October with 2-yr-old or yearling beef steers at four rates [initially 0.98, 1.39, 1.83, and 2.4 animal unit months ha−1]. The experiment generated some of the first information on the resilience of mixed-grass prairie to grazing and drought and relationships of livestock productivity to soil moisture for predictive purposes. After 1945, the experiment was reduced to the light and heavy stocking rate pastures only, which have been managed and grazed in approximately the same manner to the present day. The pastures were used to assess responses of vegetation to fertilizer in the 1950s and 1960s, develop grazing readiness tools in the 1990s, and assess remote sensing technologies in the 2000s. The long-term pastures currently serve as a unique resource to address contemporary questions dealing with drought, soil quality, carbon dynamics, greenhouse gas emissions, invasive species, and climate change.

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