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Plant Biology

University of Nebraska at Omaha

1989

Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Effect Of Burning On Germination Of Tallgrass Prairie Plant Species, Sherry R. Rohn, Thomas B. Bragg Jan 1989

Effect Of Burning On Germination Of Tallgrass Prairie Plant Species, Sherry R. Rohn, Thomas B. Bragg

Biology Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Seeds from 10 prairie plant species of burned and unburned portions of three tallgrass prairies were collected and tested for germinability. Germination of big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) consistently averaged higher with burning. Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans L.) and sideoats grama [Bouteloua curtipendula (Michx.) Torr.] averaged 5% higher with burning on two of the three sites, although for indiangrass average germination for all three sites was 7% lower. Species for which germination declined with burning were false sunflower [Heliopsis helianthoides (L.) Sweet var. scabra (Dun.) Fern.], -13%; whole leaf rosinweed (Silphium integrifolium Michx.), -10%; and white …

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Effect Of Eastern Red Cedar On Seedling Establishment Of Prairie Plants, Dan J. Stipe, Thomas B. Bragg Jan 1989

Effect Of Eastern Red Cedar On Seedling Establishment Of Prairie Plants, Dan J. Stipe, Thomas B. Bragg

Biology Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

To test the hypothesis that eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) is allelopathic, seedling establishment of five herbaceous prairie species was evaluated by growing seeds in soil collected beneath and adjacent to a stand of this tree species. While four species showed no significant effect, the germination of one species, finger coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata Nutt.), was significantly reduced. Since eastern red cedar is an early invader of unburned prairie, such an allelopathic effect, even on only a few species, is of particular concern in that it has the potential to hasten degradation of invaded prairie sites.

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Tallgrass Prairie Remnants Of Eastern Nebraska, Judith F. Boettcher, Thomas B. Bragg Jan 1989

Tallgrass Prairie Remnants Of Eastern Nebraska, Judith F. Boettcher, Thomas B. Bragg

Biology Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Ten eastern Nebraska tallgrass prairie remnants were evaluated up to four times during the 1979 growing season to assess vegetative composition and the effects of mowing, topographic and size differences, and season of evaluation. Frequent mowing resulted in a reduced canopy cover of some species, such as big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) (21% lower with frequent mowing), but increased cover of others, particularly the introduced species smooth brome (Bromus inermis Leyss. subsp. inermis) (35% higher cover with frequent mowing). In addition, frequent mowing resulted in a higher proportion of disturbance species. Comparing the time of mowing, canopy …

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Establishing Warm-Season Grasses And Forbs Using Herbicides And Mowing, Thomas B. Bragg, David M. Sutherland Jan 1989

Establishing Warm-Season Grasses And Forbs Using Herbicides And Mowing, Thomas B. Bragg, David M. Sutherland

Biology Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

The objective of this study was to provide a preliminary assessment of the use of selected herbicides in establishing a diverse stand of prairie grasses and forbs. An upland and a lowland site in eastern Nebraska, consisting of well-drained, fine-silty clay, loess-derived soils, were seeded with 23 native prairie grass and forb species and subsequently mowed or treated at rates of 0.6, 1.1, 1.7, and 2.2 kg/ha with atrazine [6-chloro-Nethyl- N' -(l-methylethyl)-l ,3,S-triazine-2,4-diamine] or 2,4-0 (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid). Treatments were applied at one and two-year intervals. Canopy cover in unreplicated treatment areas (12 x 30 m) was evaluated in ten randomly …

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Woody-Plant Succession In An Eastern Nebraska Bluff Forest, Douglas E. Borland, Thomas B. Bragg, David M. Sutherland Jan 1989

Woody-Plant Succession In An Eastern Nebraska Bluff Forest, Douglas E. Borland, Thomas B. Bragg, David M. Sutherland

Biology Faculty Publications

Woody plant composition of ridgetop old-fields abandoned at various times since 1800 suggest a successional pattern for an eastern Nebraska bluff forest. Sites abandoned for 24 years were dominated by elm (Ulmus spp.) and rough-leaved dogwood (Comus drummondii). Other sites, abandoned for76 years, were dominated by bitternut hickory (Cwya cordijormis), American linden (Tilia americana), and hop-hombeam (Ostrya virginiana), and those abandoned for 186 years were predominantly bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) and hop-hornbeam. Based on species importance values, we conclude that the composition of this forest is still changing.

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An Annotated List Of The Vascular Plants Of Keith County, Nebraska, David M. Sutherland, Steven B. Rolfsmeier Jan 1989

An Annotated List Of The Vascular Plants Of Keith County, Nebraska, David M. Sutherland, Steven B. Rolfsmeier

Biology Faculty Publications

This study provides an annotated list of the vascular plants known to exist outside of cultivation in Keith County, Nebraska. Listed are a total of 599 species, subspecies and varieties belonging to 302 genera of 87 families. Notes are included about frequency and habitat for each of the taxa. 264 (44.1 %) of the taxa listed were previously unreported for Keith County. Additionally, the paper discusses vegetation regions in the county and gives information in tabular form about numbers of the flora in different taxa, the ten largest families, numbers of taxa of different growth habits, and numbers of taxa …

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