科研之友
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摘要
Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and other exotic winter-active plants can be persistent invaders in native grasslands, growing earlier in the spring than native plants and pre-empting soil resources. Effective management strategies are needed to reduce their abundance while encouraging the reestablishment of desirable native plants. In this 4-year study, we investigated whether mowing and seeding with native perennial grasses could limit growth of exotic winter-actives, and benefit growth of native plants in an invaded grassland in Colorado, United States. We established a split-plot experiment in October 2008 with 3 mowing treatments: control, spring-mowed, and spring/summer-mowed (late spring, mid-summer, and late summer), and 3 within-plot seeding treatments: control, added B. tectorum seeds, and added native grass seeds. Cover of plant species and aboveground biomass were measured for 3 years. In March and June of 2010, 2011, and March of 2012, B. tectorum and other winter-annual grasses were half as abundant in both mowing treatments as in control plots; however, cover of non-native winter-active forbs increased 2-fold in spring-mowed plots and almost 3-fold in spring/summer-mowed plots relative to controls. These patterns remained consistent 1 year after termination of treatments. Native cool-season grasses were most abundant in spring-mowed plots, and least abundant in control plots. There was higher cover of native warm-season grasses in spring/summer-mowed plots than in control plots in July 2011 and 2012. The timing of management can have strong effects on plant community dynamics in grasslands, and this experiment indicates that adaptive management can target the temporal niche of undesirable invasive species.
- 出版日期2014-11
