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Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons™
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Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Effects Of Short-Term Soil Conditioning By Cheatgrass And Western Wheatgrass, James J. O'Connor, Janet S. Prevey
Effects Of Short-Term Soil Conditioning By Cheatgrass And Western Wheatgrass, James J. O'Connor, Janet S. Prevey
The Prairie Naturalist
The exotic grass Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) is a ubiquitous invader in the western USA. Cheatgrass is a proficient competitor, frequently displacing native plants, forming monotypic stands and reducing biodiversity in ecosystems it invades. Our experiment tested whether short-term soil modification by cheatgrass and a predominant native grass, Pascopyrum smithii (western wheatgrass), affected subsequent growth of both species. We compared productivity of cheatgrass and western wheatgrass by harvesting aboveground biomass of plants grown in either cheatgrass- or western wheatgrass-conditioned soils over two simulated growing seasons. Results indicated that cheatgrass soils do not inhibit the productivity of the native grass, but do …
Tolerance Of The Invasive New Zealand Mud Snail To Various Decontamination Procedures, Christopher N. Acy
Tolerance Of The Invasive New Zealand Mud Snail To Various Decontamination Procedures, Christopher N. Acy
Lawrence University Honors Projects
In an attempt to stop the spread of invasive species, state governments have established decontamination procedures for use on contaminated equipment. However, different species can tolerate various procedures depending on their morphology and physiology. The New Zealand mud snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) is invasive to the United States and may alter the food web of streams due to the snail’s high reproductive ability, causing potential problems for native trout populations and local economies. We collected mud snails from the recently invaded Black Earth Creek, WI and tested their tolerance to decontamination protocols being considered by the Wisconsin Department of …