Life Sciences Commons^™

Restoring Enriched Grasslands: Effects Of Mowing On Species Richness, Productivity, And Nitrogen Retention, John L. Maron, Robert L. Jefferies

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Species-rich grasslands that become enriched with nitrogen often suffer decreases in species richness, increases in plant biomass, and invasion by weedy exotic species. Suitable techniques to restore enriched grasslands and reestablish native communities are increasingly needed. Here we report results of a 5-yr experiment in enriched coastal prairie grasslands (Bodega Marine Reserve, Bodega Bay, California, USA), to determine the combined effects of mowing and biomass removal on total soil nitrogen, net rates of mineralization, nitrogen retention, and species richness and biomass. We mowed and removed plant biomass from plots in areas where the N-fixing shrub, bush lupine (Lupinus arboreus …