scholarly journals Understanding the variation in vegetation composition of prairie restorations within crop fields

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lydia English
Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 735
Author(s):  
Nicholas Glass ◽  
Brenda Molano-Flores ◽  
Eduardo Dias de Oliveira ◽  
Erika Meraz ◽  
Samira Umar ◽  
...  

Restoration can recover degraded ecosystems and ecosystem services. However, effects of restoration on soil nutrient accrual are difficult to predict, partly because prior land use affects rates of soil nutrient recovery. In tallgrass prairie restorations, land-use legacy effects have not yet been quantified. We investigated topsoil carbon and nitrogen accrual within seven land-use histories: (1) row crop agriculture, (2) pasture, (3) pasture converted from row crops, (4) prairie restored from row crop, (5) prairie restored from old pasture, (6) bison prairie restored from pasture and row crops, and (7) remnant prairie. Soil samples were collected in 2008 and again in 2018 at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Will County, IL. Soil samples were analyzed for bulk density, root chemistry, macro- and micronutrients, and carbon. Restored prairies contained similar soil bulk densities and rates of topsoil carbon accrual compared to each other in 2018. However, restorations from row cropping accrued nitrogen more slowly than restorations from pastures. Additionally, pastures converted from crop fields exhibited fewer legacy effects than restorations converted from crop fields. This research illustrates land-use legacy effects on soil and nutrients during grassland restorations, with implications for potential restoration trajectories and their role in carbon sequestration and ecosystem functioning.


2017 ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Sabah M. Al Hasi ◽  
Yacoub M. El Barasi
Keyword(s):  

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 450e-451
Author(s):  
Virginia A. Gaynor ◽  
Mary Hockenberry Meyer

There is great interest in prairie gardens and prairie restorations in the central United States. Small prairie gardens are often established with plugs, but most restorationists and landscape contractors use seed for large plantings. If initial establishment is poor, restorations are often interseeded the second or third season. However, to evaluate early establishment and determine if interseeding is necessary, contractors must be able to identify native grasses in the seedling and juvenile stages. In this study we investigated vegetative characteristics of native prairie grass seedlings. Seven species of native prairie grass were grown in the greenhouse: Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem), Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass), Panicum virgatum (switch grass), Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem), Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama), Elymus canadensis (Canada wildrye), and Bromus kalmii (Kalmís brome). Every 2 to 3 weeks after germination, seedlings were photographed, pressed, and mounted. Additional photographs were taken through the dissecting scope at key stages of development. Ligules and auricles were found to be useful in distinguishing species, and our close-up photographs highlight these structures. Hairiness and color were variable within a species and could not be used reliably in identification. A seedling identification key will be presented for the species studied.


Author(s):  
Rami Obeid ◽  
Elias Wehbe ◽  
Mohamad Rima ◽  
Mohammad Kabara ◽  
Romeo Al Bersaoui ◽  
...  

Background: Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is the most known virus in the plant mosaic virus family and is able to infect a wide range of crops, in particularly tobacco, causing a production loss. Objectives: Herein, and for the first time in Lebanon, we investigated the presence of TMV infection in crops by analyzing 88 samples of tobacco, tomato, cucumber and pepper collected from different regions in North Lebanon. Methods: Double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA), revealed a potential TMV infection of four tobacco samples out of 88 crops samples collected. However, no tomato, cucumber and pepper samples were infected. The TMV+ tobacco samples were then extensively analyzed by RT-PCR to detect viral RNA using different primers covering all the viral genome. Results and Discussion: PCR results confirmed those of DAS-ELISA showing TMV infection of four tobacco samples collected from three crop fields of North Lebanon. In only one of four TMV+ samples, we were able to amplify almost all the regions of viral genome, suggesting possible mutations in the virus genome or an infection with a new, not yet identified, TMV strain. Conclusion: Our study is the first in Lebanon revealing TMV infection in crop fields, and highlighting the danger that may affect the future of agriculture.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 48-53
Author(s):  
Afrital Rezki, S.Pd., M.Si ◽  
Erna Juita ◽  
Dasrizal Dasrizal ◽  
Arie Zella Putra Ulni

Perkembangan penggunaan tanah bergerak horisontal secara spasial ke arah wilayah yang mudah diusahakan. Penggunaan tanah juga bergerak secara vertikal dalam rangka menaikkan mutunya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pola penggunaan lahan, bagaimana manajemen penggunaan lahan di satu wilayah berdasarkan batas Nagari. Metode yang digunakan adalah analsisis spasial dengan interpretasi citra penginderaan jauh, survey lapangan, dan analisis deskriptif. Pertumbuhan pemukiman Nagari Sungai Sariak Kecamatan VII Koto Kabupaten Padang Pariaman mengakibatkan pemanfaatan ruang menjadi tumpang tindih. Diperlukan cara-cara pengelolaan dan managemen penggunaan tanah dalam rangka pembangunan berkelanjutan yang menaikkan taraf hidup masyarakat dan tidak menimbulkan kerugian lingkungan.Terdapat 9 jenis penggunaan lahan yang ada di Nagari Sungai Sariak. Penggunaan lahan tersebut adalah Primary Forest, Secondary Forest, Paddy Field, Settlement, Mixed Plantations, Crop Fields, Water Bodies, Bushes, dan Plantations. Penggunaan lahan yang paling luas di Nagari Sungai Sariak adalah jenis penggunaan lahan Primary Forest, sebesar 48% dari total luas wilayah Nagari Sungai Sariak. Pada tahun 2011 sampai tahun 2016, penggunaan lahan paling luas terjadi pada penggunaan lahan jenis Primary Forest yang kemudian menjadi Mixed Plantations. Land use Changes moved horizontally spatially towards areas that are easily cultivated. The land use also moves vertically in order to increase its quality. This study aims to analyze land use patterns, how land use management in one area is based on Nagari boundaries. The method used is spatial analysis with interpretation of remote sensing images, field surveys, and descriptive analysis. The growth of Nagari Sungai Sariak in Kecamatan VII Koto, Kabupaten Padang Pariaman resulted in overlapping use of space. Management methods are needed and management of land use in the framework of sustainable development that raises the standard of living of the community and does not cause environmental losses. There are 9 types of land use in the Nagari Sungai Sariak. The land uses are Primary Forest, Secondary Forest, Paddy Field, Settlement, Mixed Plantations, Crop Fields, Water Bodies, Bushes, and Plantations. The most extensive land use in Nagari Sungai Sariak is the type of Primary Forest land use, amounting to 48% of the total area of the Nagari Sungai Sariak. From 2011 to 2016, the most extensive land use occurred in Primary Forest land uses which later became Mixed Plantations.


Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 455
Author(s):  
Rebecca M. Swab ◽  
Nicola Lorenz ◽  
Nathan R. Lee ◽  
Steven W. Culman ◽  
Richard P. Dick

After strip mining, soils typically suffer from compaction, low nutrient availability, loss of soil organic carbon, and a compromised soil microbial community. Prairie restorations can improve ecosystem services on former agricultural lands, but prairie restorations on mine lands are relatively under-studied. This study investigated the impact of prairie restoration on mine lands, focusing on the plant community and soil properties. In southeast Ohio, 305 ha within a ~2000 ha area of former mine land was converted to native prairie through herbicide and planting between 1999–2016. Soil and vegetation sampling occurred from 2016–2018. Plant community composition shifted with prairie age, with highest native cover in the oldest prairie areas. Prairie plants were more abundant in older prairies. The oldest prairies had significantly more soil fungal biomass and higher soil microbial biomass. However, many soil properties (e.g., soil nutrients, β-glucosoidase activity, and soil organic carbon), as well as plant species diversity and richness trended higher in prairies, but were not significantly different from baseline cool-season grasslands. Overall, restoration with prairie plant communities slowly shifted soil properties, but mining disturbance was still the most significant driver in controlling soil properties. Prairie restoration on reclaimed mine land was effective in establishing a native plant community, with the associated ecosystem benefits.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 3052
Author(s):  
Diego Cardoza ◽  
Inmaculada Romero ◽  
Teresa Martínez ◽  
Encarnación Ruiz ◽  
Francisco J. Gallego ◽  
...  

A biorefinery integrated process based on lignocellulosic feedstock is especially interesting in rural areas with a high density of agricultural and agro-industrial wastes, which is the case for olive crop areas and their associated industries. In the region of Andalusia, in the south of Spain, the provinces of Jaén, Córdoba and Seville accumulate more than 70% of the olive wastes generated in Spain. Therefore, the valorisation of these wastes is a matter of interest from both an environmental and a social point of view. The olive biorefinery involves a multi-product process from different raw materials: olive leaves, exhausted olive pomace, olive stones and olive tree pruning residues. Biorefinery processes associated with these wastes would allow their valorisation to produce bioenergy and high value-added renewable products. In this work, using geographic information system tools, the biomass from olive crop fields, mills and olive pomace-extracting industries, where these wastes are generated, was determined and quantified in the study area. In addition, the vulnerability of the territory was evaluated through an environmental and territorial analysis that allowed for the determination of the reception capacity of the study area. Then, information layers corresponding to the availability of the four biomass wastes, and layers corresponding to the environmental fragility of the study area were overlapped and they resulted in an overall map. This made it possible to identify the best areas for the implementation of the biorefineries based on olive-derived biomass. Finally, as an example, three zones were selected for this purpose. These locations corresponded to low fragility areas with a high availability of biomass (more than 300,000 tons/year) in a 30 km radius, which would ensure the biomass supply.


Author(s):  
Vivien Cosandey ◽  
Robin Séchaud ◽  
Paul Béziers ◽  
Yannick Chittaro ◽  
Andreas Sanchez ◽  
...  

AbstractBird nests are specialized habitats because of their particular composition including nest detritus and bird droppings. In consequence, they attract a specialized arthropod community considered as nidicolous, which includes species only found in bird nests (strictly nidicolous) or sometimes found in bird nests (facultatively nidicolous). Because the factors influencing the entomofauna in bird nests are poorly understood, in autumn 2019, we collected nest material in 86 Barn Owl (Tyto alba) nest boxes. We investigated whether the invertebrate species richness was related to Barn Owl nest box occupancy, the density of available nest boxes and the landscape structure. We found 3,321 nidicolous beetle specimens belonging to 24 species. Species richness of strictly nidicolous beetles was 2.7 times higher in nest boxes occupied by a family of Barn Owls the previous spring compared to unoccupied nest boxes. It was also higher in sites that were more often occupied by Barn Owls in the five previous years and in areas surrounded by a higher proportion of crop fields. For facultatively nidicolous beetles, the density of Barn Owl nest boxes enhanced the species richness. In conclusion, our study suggests that the strictly nidicolous beetles benefit from occupied nest boxes of Barn Owls, whereas facultatively nidicolous beetles look for nest boxes independently of whether Barn Owls occupy them. Our study highlights the importance of bird nests for a suite of invertebrates.


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