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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Evaluating The Success Of Seed Sowing In A New England Grassland, Chad C. Jones, Glenn D. Dreyer, Nels Barrett
Evaluating The Success Of Seed Sowing In A New England Grassland, Chad C. Jones, Glenn D. Dreyer, Nels Barrett
Botany Faculty Publications
Grassland habitat is declining in the northeastern United States, leading to a decline in associated native species. Consequently, there is considerable interest by land managers in conserving and restoring grassland habitats in the Northeast. However, unlike the Great Plains and Europe, quantitative monitoring of restoration sites is uncommon, making it difficult to improve new restoration projects. Here we evaluate a grassland restoration in Waterford, Connecticut to determine if mechanical clearing of woody vegetation combined with sowing 23 native grasses and forbs led to successful establishment of these species. We also compared cover, diversity, and colonization by exotic and woody species …
Plant Succession On Gopher Mounds In Western Cascade Meadows: Consequences For Species Diversity And Heterogeneity, Chad C. Jones, Charles B. Halpern, Jessica Niederer
Plant Succession On Gopher Mounds In Western Cascade Meadows: Consequences For Species Diversity And Heterogeneity, Chad C. Jones, Charles B. Halpern, Jessica Niederer
Botany Faculty Publications
Pocket gophers have the potential to alter the dynamics of grasslands by creating mounds that bury existing vegetation and locally reset succession. Gopher mounds may provide safe sites for less competitive species, potentially increasing both species diversity and vegetation heterogeneity (spatial variation in species composition). We compared species composition, diversity and heterogeneity among gopher mounds of different ages in three montane meadows in the Cascade Range of Oregon. Cover of graminoids and forbs increased with mound age, as did species richness. Contrary to many studies, we found no evidence that mounds provided safe sites for early successional species, despite their …