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Near-Surface Soil Property Change Over Time In Two Native Tallgrass Prairies In The Arkansas River Valley, Katie Jansson

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

One climate-change mitigation pathway is soil carbon (C) sequestration, which removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores C in various forms in the soil. Native prairie soils have long been known for their soil C sequestration abilities, but the full extent of their sequestration capacity is not completely understood. This study evaluated the effect of soil depth and soil map unit/prairie combination on changes in various soil properties over time from 2018 to 2022 in the top 20 cm of two native tallgrass prairie soils in the Arkansas River Valley in west-central Arkansas. Soil samples were collected from the …

Soil C Change Over 14 Years In Grasslands Sown Into A Highly Disturbed Soil, R. D. Jackson, J. Stier

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Perennial grasslands are thought to sequester C, so restoring them is touted as part of the solution for mitigating climate change. Moreover, there is growing interest among managed grassland stakeholders in selling C credits on nascent C markets. Former agricultural and municipal sites are often considered viable areas for conversion to grasslands, with types ranging from unmanaged prairies with diverse plant communities to monocultures in highly managed urban environments. We sowed five perennial plant communities into an area that had undergone massive soil disturbance five years previous during conversion from row crop agriculture to C3 turf. We found that soils …

Native Grasses Seeded Into A Cool-Season Pasture Encouraged By Low Resource Availability, J. E. Doll, R. L. Cates, R. D. Jackson

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Native prairie of the Upper Midwest, which was dominated by warm-season (C₄) grasses, now exists as relatively small relict and restored patches (Curtis 1959). Re-introduction of natives into grazed agroecosystems would promote genetic, species, and landscape diversity. Extensive re-introduction of C₄ grasses will require a shift away from the paradigm of maximizing production because C₄ grasses have higher C:N ratios than C₃ grasses rendering them inferior forage species. Nonetheless, there is great interest amongst the grazing community of the Upper Midwest in establishing native grasses as a means of improving wildlife habitat and increasing belowground …

Center For Grassland Studies, March 2023

Center for Grassland Studies: Newsletters

Contents

New Assistant Director for The Center for Grassland Studies, David Wedin

Center for Grassland Studies Policy Advisory Committee

Director's Column by Jerry Volesky (Interim Director)

Congratulations December 2022 Graduates

New Grazing Lands Ecologist for Grassland Studies, Nic McMillan

New Administrative Associate for Grassland Studies, Ashley Branting

Apply Now for CGS Scholarships and Assistantship, https://grassland.unl.edu/grassland-systems/grazing-livestock-scholarships

New Guidelines for Reducing Eastern Redcedar in Grasslands by Dillon Fogarty

Year One Barta Brothers Ranch Collaborative Adaptive Management Update by Craig Allen

Nebraska Grazing Conference, August 8-9, 2023 by Daren Redfearn

Forty Years Reflection on Grassland Fire Weather by David Wedin

Nebraska Youth Range …

Center For Grassland Studies, March 2022

Center for Grassland Studies: Newsletters

Contents

New Course: Research Experiences in Grasslands by Dan Uden

Center for Grassland Studies Policy Advisory Committee

Director’s Column by Jerry Volesky (Interim Director)

Educational Trunk to Focus on Grasslands by Cheryl Dunn

Form a Team and Grab Your Clubs by Scott Holly

Collaborative Adaptive Management for the Barta Brothers Ranch by Craig Allen

Nebraska Range Short Course, June 20-23

Registration Opens for 2022 Nebraska Ranch Practicum by Troy Walz

Nebraska Sandhills Rates as World’s Most Intact Prairie by Scott Schrage

Nebraska Youth Range Camp, June 6-9, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, Curtis, Nebraska

Center For Grassland Studies, November 2021

Center for Grassland Studies: Newsletters

Contents

Ranchers’ Preferences for Payment for Ecosystem Services Programs in Nebraska by Kyle Martens

Center for Grassland Studies Policy Advisory Committee

Director's Column by Walt Schacht (Interim Director)

Fall Army Worms Reared Their Ugly Heads and Wings in Nebraska in 2021by Roch Gaussoin

Dalbey-Halleck Open House by Margo McKendree

Internships – Let’s Get More Students on the Land! by Shelly Kelly

Jim Gerrish Insightful and Relatable for Grazing Livestock (GLS) Club Members

Center For Grassland Studies, September 2021

Center for Grassland Studies: Newsletters

Contents

Nebraska Grazing Conference Recap by Daren Redfearn

Center for Grassland Studies Policy Advisory Committee

Director's Column by Walt Schacht (Interim Director)

Land Use and Property Taxes by Jordan Johnson

Congratulations August 2021 Graduates

Wildfires are Changing the Future of Nebraska’s Woodland-Grassland Complexes by Amanda Hefner

PGA WORKS Scholarship Recipients Announced by PGA Reach

Grazing Livestock Systems Internships Provide Diverse Experience by Bryan Reiling

Jim Choquette Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Center For Grassland Studies, July 2021

Center for Grassland Studies: Newsletters

Contents

21st Nebraska Grazing Conference on the Horizon by Daren Redfearn

Center for Grassland Studies Policy Advisory Committee

Director's Column by Walt Schacht (Interim Director)

21st Annual Nebraska Grazing Conference Schedule, August 9-11, 2021

Club Officers Elected for FY 21-22 by Jessica Windh

2021 Fall Seminar Series Schedule

CGS Scholarships and Fellowship Awarded for FY 21-22

Congratulations May 2021 Graduates

Effects Of Traditional And Microbially-Focused Restoration Techniques On Soil Communities In Tallgrass Prairies, Zachary J. Whitacre

Masters Theses

Tallgrass prairies have virtually disappeared in many parts of their former range due to the conversion of this ecosystem to farmland. In more recent years there have been efforts to restore these prairies on reclaimed agricultural land. However, these restored prairies do not resemble their remnant counterparts in many ways, such as in soil microbial community composition and metrics related to carbon storage. In Chapter 1, I show that bacterial communities in a restored prairie and an adjacent remnant prairie in southwest Michigan differ in their immediate and longer-term responses to prescribed fire, a commonly used prairie restoration and maintenance …

Center For Grassland Studies, May 2021

Center for Grassland Studies: Newsletters

Contents

Prescribed Burn Associations by Brian Teeter

Center for Grassland Studies Policy Advisory Committee

Director's Column by Walt Schact (Interim Director)

Looking for a Career in Conservation – How to Apply in USAJOBS for NRCS Positions by Mary Reece

Monitoring Sandhills Rangelands: A Key Step in Understanding Plant Community Dynamics by Mitch Stephenson

Development of Novel Plant Fluorescence Based Techniques for Remote Assessment of Grasslands and Pastures Health and Resilience by Anastasios Mazis

UNL PGA Golf Management Alumni Among Nebraska Section Award Winners by Brad Goetsch

Nebraska’s Grassland Legacy by Walt Schacht

Nebraska Grazing Conference: Save the Date, August 9-11, …

The Role Of Endophytes In Conferring Salinity Tolerance In Prairie Cordgrass And The Winter Wheat Mint Variety, Jeffery Bartel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prairie Cordgrass (PCG) Spartina pectinata is a native grass to North America that survives saline conditions, can be harvested multiple times in a year, and can be used as biofuel. Endophytes are bacteria that reside in plant tissues and often have growthpromoting capabilities. They can assist plants by obtaining nutrients by improving the tolerance of plants against a broad range of stresses, such as plant pathogens, viruses, flooding, drought, acids, or bases. PCG can survive ocean levels of salinity. Endophytes that naturally bond with PCG may not only be able to not only help PCG but be transferred to other …

Comparison Of The Effects Of Growing-Season Burns And Dormant-Season Burns On Vegetation Structure And Grassland Bird Diversity In East-Central Illinois Prairies, Joseph Lee Boise

Masters Theses

For managed grasslands, prescribed burns are a method to manage species composition by preventing crowding by bunch grasses and woody encroachment. While dormant-season (spring) burns are routinely performed, managers have recently introduced growing-season (late summer/fall) burns to prairies in east-central Illinois. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of dormant-season and growingseason burns on vegetation structure and associated avian diversity. Specifically, objectives were to determine if: (1) Growing-season burns increase bird diversity or density of rare/declining species relative to dormant season burns; (2) Growing-season burns cause more bare ground to open and reduce litter and woody species …

Checklist Of The Vascular Flora, Restoration Plans, And Educational Interpretive Signs For A Remnant Prairie At The Lakewood Memorial Cemetery, Hinds County, Mississippi, Olivia Shelton

Honors Theses

A floristic survey was conducted on the eastern margin of the Lakewood Memorial Park Cemetery, located between Jackson and Clinton, Mississippi, near the western edge of the Jackson Prairie ecoregion. From soil map data and preliminary observations of the landform and flora, the eastern part of the cemetery was hypothesized to be remnant prairie now mostly covered by exotic grasses (pasture) and woodland. Plant specimens were collected, identified, and preserved in the herbarium of The University of Southern Mississippi (USMS). The survey yielded 119 species of vascular plants, of which 98 (82%) were native and 21 (18%) were non-native. Indicative …

Plant Community Response To Disturbances In Nebraska Sandhills Upland Prairie, Josiah D. Dallmann

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Historically, disturbances shaped prairie ecosystems both directly through events like fire and soil moving by animals, as well as indirectly through dynamic rainfall patterns and periodic flux in seed availabilities. We hypothesized that the implementation of several distinct disturbance events in Nebraska Sandhills upland prairie would have measurable effects on plant community composition. We implemented mid-spring fire, soil disturbance in the form of disking, seed addition of native forbs on disked plots, as well as early summer supplemental watering (to mimic minor rainfall events during abnormally dry periods) during 2016 and 2017. Plant community response during the first and second …

Avian Diversity, Abundance, And Nest Success Among Managed Prairies And Agricultural Plots In Oklahoma And Texas, Phillip J. Leonard, Douglas R. Wood, Wayne E. Meyer

The Prairie Naturalist

Over the last 50 years, grassland birds experienced rapid declines due to habitat loss and degradation as a result of agricultural practices. Our objective was to document the diversity, abundance, and nest success of bird communities using managed prairie and agricultural plots at the Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in southern Oklahoma and Hagerman NWR in northern Texas. From April 1 to July 15, 2013–2014, point count surveys, nest searches, nest monitoring, and vegetation sampling were conducted among three habitat treatments: managed prairie, unharvested wheat, and fallow agricultural plots. Species richness values for potential nesting species were higher in managed …

13. History And Management Of The Churchill Prairie In Du Page County, Illinois, Scott N. Kobal

North American Prairie Conference Proceedings

The Churchill Prairie was purchased by the Forest Preserve District of Du Page County, Illinois, in 1969 and dedicated as an Illinois State Nature Preserve in 1993. The site includes wet prairie and sedge meadow that grade into mesic prairie and oak savanna. The prairie was actively managed since its purchase through prescribed burning, removal of woody plants, and the reconstruction of 4 ha (10 acres) of former agricultural land. Several outside events, including the construction of I- 355, a nursery operation, and a drastic reduction in the drainage boundary, had negative effects on the vegetation and led to numerous …

16. A Comparison Of Soil Biodiversity In Restored Prairie Plots And Agricultural Fields At A Biomass Production Farm In Southeastern Minnesota, Bruno Borsari, Neal Mundahl, Malcolm Vidrine

North American Prairie Conference Proceedings

Communities of soil-dwelling organisms contribute to soil fertility and nutrient cycling, but conventional farming practices can disturb and reduce these communities. In southeastern Minnesota, some farmers are planting simplified prairie vegetation to produce biomass fuels. Our study was designed to assess the species abundance and diversity of soil invertebrates in plantings of mixed grasses only (MG) and mixed grasses with forbs (MGF) that were planted for use as a biomass fuel source on a farm in southeastern Minnesota in 2007. Abundance and diversity of soil invertebrates also were examined in soils of corn (Zea mays L.) fields grown on the …

05. Bird Communities Within A Prairie/Wetland Complex: Restoration Of Former Wastewater Treatment Ponds In Southeastern Minnesota, Neal Mundahl, Bruno Borsari

North American Prairie Conference Proceedings

Our 12-mo study examined the bird communities associated with three habitat types at differing stages of restoration within a prairie/wetland complex in southeastern Minnesota. The 25-ha site previously consisted of three municipal wastewater treatment ponds that were taken off-line in 2002. One pond was retained as a shallow wetland; the others were reconfigured and restored by planting with prairie vegetation (one pond in 2003 and the other pond in 2013) to provide habitat for both wetland and grassland birds. Timed walking surveys of birds in each habitat were made monthly from June 2014 through May 2015. We observed 48 bird …

12. Results From Four Decades Of Successional Prairie Restoration And An Update On Ecological Land Management At Fermilab In Batavia, Illinois, Ryan E. Campbell, Jacques L. Hooymans

North American Prairie Conference Proceedings

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) is a 2,573-ha (6,800-acre) Department of Energy site located in Batavia, Illinois, USA. Tucked among the particle accelerators are nearly 1,619 ha (4,000 ac) of natural areas including remnant and restored grasslands, woodlands, and wetlands. Dr. Robert F. Betz began his large-scale prairie restoration project on the Fermilab site in 1975. During the course of that work, he defined 4 successional stages of prairie restoration and listed species occurring in each of the stages. We present results after 40 y of successional prairie restoration and summarize current ecological land management efforts at Fermilab. Ninety-five percent …

06. Pilot Study: Limitations To Pollination And Ovary Development In The Small White Lady’S-Slipper (Cypripedium Candidum), Marie Faust, John A. Harrington

North American Prairie Conference Proceedings

The small white lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium candidum) is threatened or endangered in 10 or more of the approximately 20 U.S. states and Canadian provinces in which it is found. Our pilot study revealed a lack of pollination occurring in Wisconsin’s wild populations of this orchid. We also speculate from observations taken during the study that animal browse contributes to the state threatened status of this orchid. The results of this 1-year study are taken from three sites of low prairie in southern Wisconsin. Orchids were counted at each site; a subset of flowering plants was hand pollinated and mapped as to …

17. Prairie Reverie: What Does The Word Prairie Mean In Postprairie Illinois?, Jack Shouba

North American Prairie Conference Proceedings

The meaning of the word ‘‘prairie’’ seems to have changed in recent years, as the Silicon Prairie replaced the Silphium prairie. There are bewildering uses of prairie that have nothing to do with native grasslands. The word is often used in a generic way, such as calling farmland, a vacant lot, or other open space a prairie. It is frequently used evocatively, as in Lakewood Prairie, a subdivision without a lake, a wood, or a prairie; a shopping center with no prairie for miles around is called Prairie View. Oxymorons like prairie golf or prairie fishing are common. Prairie reverie …

A Floristic Study Of The Oak Leaf Lake Unit Of The Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area In Nicollet County, Minnesota, Heidi Rauenhorst

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Prairies play an integral ecological role, protecting biodiversity and providing habitat for fauna. The number of prairie acres has significantly declined in Minnesota, making the existing prairies that much more valuable. The Oak Leaf Lake Unit of the Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area in Nicollet County, Minnesota (latitude 44.311050, longitude -94.015577) was purchased by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in 1994 and is being managed as tallgrass prairie. Floristic surveys were performed during the 2011 and 2012 growing seasons to gather baseline data. These data were used to assess the quality of the site through calculation of various indices …

Production, Persistence And Diversity Of Species In Temperate Grasslands, Meredith L. Mitchell, Brendan P. Christy

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Temperate grassland areas are considered to be semi-arid, with rainfall typically between 250 and 500 mm, much of it occurring in the late spring and early summer. Grazing plays an important role in all these grasslands with impacts on diversity and persistence. Against this assumption that seasonal productivity would be more uniform within a pasture that was diverse, the research suggested that species rich pastures were less stable, because this species richness was composed of non-perennial, volunteer and weed species. This paper explores the concept that systems diversity of temperate grassland does not always equate to production. In these systems …

Potential Impacts Of Bison Wallows On A Restored Tallgrass Prairie Community, Kimran Miller, Johanna Foster, Kristen Nielsen, Mary O'Loughlin

The Prairie Naturalist

When bison (Bos bison) repeatedly roll on the ground, they denude vegetation and create wallows (semi-permanent bare areas) that alter the native prairie plant community. Responses to these wallow-related disturbances are not as well documented in restored prairies. From 1 June to 1 September 2010 and from 3 June to 6 August 2011, we examined potential responses at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, a restored prairie with resident bison. We hypothesized that plants and beetles would vary along a disturbance gradient. Our predictions were: (1) near wallows, plants with weedy lifestyles would have highest cover and biomass compared …

Association Of Soil Conditions And Grass Species With Variable Cover Of Leafy Spurge, Terence P. Mcgonigle, Jeremy L. Timmer

The Prairie Naturalist

Variation in soil conditions and grass cover was assessed across a range of leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.) cover values on a sandy rangeland in Manitoba, Canada. Soil conditions varied by site but not in relation to cover of leafy spurge. We observed a significant negative relationship between total grass cover and increasing cover of leafy spurge. Only porcupine grass (Hesperostipa spartea [Trin.] Barkworth) had a negative relationship with leafy spurge, falling from high cover at low weed occurrence to only trace levels at the highest leafy spurge abundance. Neither prairie Junegrass (Koeleria macrantha [Ledeb.] Schult.), rough …

Soil Bulk Density Variability In A Restored Prairie Ecosystem, Andy Johnson, Emilee Kurtz, Andrea Martinson, Steve Mccown, Mark A. Gathany

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Soils act as the foundation for all terrestrial biotic activity. Given this it is important to consider the factors that influence the physical makeup of soil as well as the management practices that can lead to changes and significant biological implications. Beginning in 1999 Cedarville University established a Prairie Restoration Site. In the past fifteen years work has been to done to reseed the area with native prairie grasses as well as to introduce regular disturbances that are common to prairie grasslands, such as fire. The goal of this work the goal has been to aid a system in ecological …

North American Bioactive Plants For Human Health And Performance, Maria Pontes Ferreira, Fidji Gendron, Katrina C. Mcclure, Kelly Kindscher

Nutrition and Food Science Faculty Research Publications

Native and naturalized bioactive plants of the Canadian and American temperate biome are examined for their health and performance enhancement properties. Some of these plants are now being used as natural health products, and many have a long history as traditional foods and/or medicines with indigenous groups. This paper reviews the medicinal/cultural uses and bioactive properties of selected plant families: the Holly family (Aquifoliaceae) as stimulants, the Celery family (Apiaceae) as normoglycemic aids and analgesics, the Ginseng family (Araliaceae) as energy- boosting aids, the Sunflower family (Compositae) as anti-inflammatory aids, and the Legume family (Fabaceae) and Nightshade family (Solanaceae) as …

An Ecological, Genetic, And Reproductive Study Of Big Bluestem (Andropogon Gerardii) Populations In The Carolinas, Robert Tompkins

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT
AN ECOLOGICAL, GENETIC, AND REPRODUCTIVE STUDY OF BIG BLUESTEM (ANDROPOGON GERARDII) POPULATIONS IN THE CAROLINAS
Andropogon gerardii (Big Bluestem) is a dominant grass of the North American tallgrass prairie and is also found in remnant populations in the eastern U.S., including North and South Carolina. This research included a systematic study of the ecology, genetics, and reproductive potential within and among A. gerardii populations in the Carolinas. Floristic composition and edaphic (soil) features were characterized for eight A. gerardii populations across various physiographic regions of North and South Carolina. A total of 362 quadrats (1 m x 1 m) …

Carbon Exchange By Establishing Biofuel Crops In Central Illinois, Marcelo Zeri, Kristina Anderson-Teixeira, George Hickman, Michael Masters, Evan Delucia, Carl J. Bernacchi

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Perennial grass bio-fuels may contribute to long-term carbon sequestration in soils, thereby providing a broad range of environmental benefits. To quantify those benefits, the carbon balance was investigated over three perennial grass bio-fuel crops – miscanthus (Miscanthus×giganteus), switch-grass (Panicum virgatum) and a mixture of native prairie plants – and a row crop control (maize–maize–soy) in Central Illinois, USA, during the establishment phase of the perennial grasses (2008–2011). The eddy covariance technique was used to calculate fluxes of carbon dioxide and energy balance components, such as latent and sensible heat fluxes. Whereas maize attained the highest maximal …

Capturing Genetic Variation During Ecological Restorations: An Example From Kankakee Sands In Indiana, Rebecca W. Dolan, Deborah L. Marr, Andrew Schnabel

Rebecca W. Dolan

Genetic variation in populations, both natural and restored, is usually considered crucial for response to short term environmental stresses and for long term evolutionary change. To have the best chance of successful long-term survival, restored populations should reflect the extant variation found in remnants, but restored sites may suffer from genetic bottlenecks as a result of founder effects. Kankakee Sands is a large-scale restoration being conducted by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in northwestern Indiana. Our goal was to test for loss of genetic variation in restored plant populations by comparing them with TNC’s seed source nursery and with local remnant …