Impact and management of crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum) in the northern Great Plains

2007 ◽  
Vol 87 (5) ◽  
pp. 1023-1028 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. M. Vaness ◽  
S. D. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Population Projections ◽  
Agropyron Cristatum ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Crested Wheatgrass ◽  
Native Plant Species ◽  
Native Prairie ◽  
Native Grassland

Crested wheatgrass [Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn.] invades native prairie and reduces diversity in the northern Great Plains. Here we review the effects of crested wheatgrass on grassland communities and ecosystems, as well as potential strategies for controlling crested wheatgrass. Because of its tussock growth form and C3 photosynthetic pathway, crested wheatgrass is likely to alter native grassland both above- and belowground. Experiments and long-term population projections suggest that both grazing and herbicide applied regularly can greatly decrease its abundance even though established populations may not be eliminated. Key words: Agropyron cristatum; non-native plant species; native grassland; invasion; crested wheatgrass management

Species composition and abundance of ants and other invertebrates in stands of crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum) and native grasslands in the northern Great Plains

2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.M. Radtke ◽  
J.R.N. Glasier ◽  
S.D. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Functional Groups ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Cold Climate ◽  
Agropyron Cristatum ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Crested Wheatgrass ◽  
Native Grasslands

Habitat alteration by exotic plant species can have profound effects on vertebrates, but its effects on invertebrates are less well-known. Crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn.) is a perennial grass that has been planted on >106ha of the Great Plains. We tested the hypothesis that invertebrate communities (especially ants) differed between native grasslands and A. cristatum stands, using pitfall traps in Saskatchewan and Montana. Ant species composition differed significantly between native grasslands and A. cristatum stands, but there were no differences in total ant abundance, the abundance of functional groups, or species richness. Ant species richness was significantly greater in Montana than Saskatchewan. In Saskatchewan, bare ground was positively related to total ant abundance and the abundance of “cold-climate specialist” and “opportunist” functional groups of ants. In Montana, the cover of forbs was positively related to total ant abundance. The abundances of individual ant species were not predicted by any vegetation characteristics, except for Formica obscuripes Forel, 1886, which increased significantly with litter. The total abundance of other invertebrates was greater in native grasslands than in A. cristatum stands, although not significantly so. Within each vegetation type, variation in ant communities may depend either directly on the effects of vegetation species composition, or indirectly via the effect of vegetation on other factors such as temperature. The results suggest that ant community composition was influenced more by variation within grasslands and between locations than by differences between native and exotic grasslands.

STABILITY OF CRESTED WHEATGRASS PASTURES UNDER LONG-TERM PASTURE USE

1973 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 501-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. LOOMAN ◽  
D. H. HEINRICHS
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Yield Loss ◽  
Native Plants ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Crested Wheatgrass ◽  
Abandoned Farmland ◽  
Native Plant Species ◽  
Number Of Species

Crested wheatgrass pastures, seeded on abandoned farmland, remain virtually free of weeds for about 15 yr. Thereafter, native plant species establish and the number of species increases in time. This invasion is presumably due to death of crested wheatgrass plants after 15–20 yr, and their replacement by native species. However, even in 35-yr-old pastures native plants seldom make up more than 10% of the density, and yield loss is negligible.

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

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 543-552 ◽  
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.

Long-Term Crop Rotation Effects on Production, Grain Quality, Profitability, and Risk in the Northern Great Plains

2017 ◽  
Vol 109 (3) ◽  
pp. 957-967 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elwin G. Smith ◽  
Robert P. Zentner ◽  
Con A. Campbell ◽  
Reynald Lemke ◽  
Kelsey Brandt
Keyword(s):  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Grain Quality ◽  
Northern Great Plains

scholarly journals Soil Carbon and Nitrogen of Northern Great Plains Grasslands as Influenced by Long-Term Grazing

1995 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 470 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. B. Frank ◽  
D. L. Tanaka ◽  
L. Hofmann ◽  
R. F. Follett
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Soil Carbon And Nitrogen

Long-term response of the mamane forest to feral herbivore management on Mauna Kea, Hawaii.

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 123 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Reddy ◽  
D H Van Vuren ◽  
P G Scowcroft ◽  
J B Kauffman ◽  
L Perry
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Age Distribution ◽  
Forest Recovery ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Native Plant Species ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Native Shrubs ◽  
Term Response

Seven exclosure sites located on Mauna Kea, Hawaii and established in the 1960s and 70s were sampled to characterize long-term response of the mamane (Sophora chrysophylla) forest to protection from feral sheep grazing, and to assess impacts of non-native plant species and recurrent sheep presence on forest recovery. The forest provides essential habitat for an endangered bird, the palila (Loxoides bailleui). Vegetation was sampled inside exclosures during 1972–1976, 1998, and 2009, and also outside exclosures during 2009. Patterns of response varied among exclosures, but overall, mamane trees and native shrubs showed increasing cover between the 1970s and 1998, then a slowed rate of increase in cover or a decline between 1998 and 2009. Cover of native herbaceous vegetation showed variable trends between the 1970s and 1998, and then appeared to decline between 1998 and 2009. Mamane height class distributions inside exclosures indicated that recruitment was initially high but then declined as heights shifted toward larger size classes, and presumably an older age distribution. We found limited evidence of a negative effect of non-native species on forest regrowth, but the effect was not consistent over time or among sites. Recurrent sheep presence outside exclosures negatively affected mamane canopy density and perhaps tree density at all sites, and mamane condition at some sites. Our results indicate that the mamane forest has shown substantial regrowth inside exclosures at some sites, especially those protected the longest. However, these exclosures represent a small portion of the mamane forest. Sheep presence continues to impact mamane recovery outside exclosures, and thus habitat quality for the palila.

scholarly journals On the Identification and Characterization of Drought and Aridity in Postglacial Paleoenvironmental Records from the Northern Great Plains

2004 ◽  
Vol 56 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 229-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alwynne B. Beaudoin
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Instrumental Data ◽  
Proxy Records ◽  
Identification And Characterization

Abstract The Northern Great Plains region is especially sensitive to drought and is likely to be even more drought-prone under projected global warming. Drought has been invoked as an explanatory factor for changes seen in postglacial paleoenvironmental records. These proxy records may extend drought history derived from instrumental data. Moreover, in the last decade, some paleoenvironmental studies have been expressly undertaken for the examination of long-term drought history. Nevertheless, few such studies explicitly define drought. This makes it difficult to compare results or to understand what the results mean in terms of the operational drought definitions that are used in resource management. Operational drought is defined as usually short-term; longer sustained dry intervals reflect a shift to aridity. Therefore, high resolution paleoenvironmental proxies (annual or subdecadal) are best for the investigation of drought history. Such proxies include tree rings and some lake records. However, most lake-based records are sampled at lower resolution (decadal or subcentury) and are therefore providing aridity signals.

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