Phylogenetic diversity is maintained despite richness losses over time in restored tallgrass prairie plant communities

Barber, Nicholas A.; Jones, Holly P.; Duvall, Melvin R.; Wysocki, William P.; Hansen, Michael J.; Gibson, David J.

doi:10.1111/1365-2664.12639

Cited by 51 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Native species in control plots likely declined as trees recruited and grew larger, and light availability was reduced (Halpern & Spies ; Howard & Lee ; Barber et al . ). Application of fire reduced tree density and size, thereby increasing light availability and temporarily promoting Microstegium and herbaceous plant species, particularly forbs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Effects of a non‐native grass invasion decline over time

et al. 2017

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Summary Most research on dynamics and impacts of plant invasions has evaluated patterns and effects over brief time periods (i.e. <4 years). As such, little is known about the persistence of invasions and their long‐term impacts on native species. To experimentally evaluate longer‐term effects of invasions, we established field plots with native tree and herbaceous species and then invaded half of the plots with the most widespread invasive grass in the eastern United States (Microstegium vimineum). Over 8 years, we quantified invader and native plant biomass, native plant diversity, and tree density and size. Microstegium was dominant during the first 4 years of the experiment, constituting more than 60% of herbaceous plant biomass in the plots, and native herbaceous biomass was 57% lower and diversity was 44% lower in invaded vs. control plots. However, both Microstegium and herbaceous native species declined in later years. By the end of the experiment, Microstegium was only 2% of community biomass, and there was no difference in native herbaceous biomass in invaded and control plots. We applied a fire treatment in years 6 and 7 to test if repeated disturbance is required to maintain invader dominance and to evaluate how this common management practice in eastern US forests affected invasive and native plants. Tree density was 65% lower and tree diameters were 28–51% smaller on average in fire‐treated compared with control quadrants, resulting in significantly greater light availability in fire‐treated areas. Consequently, Microstegium and native herbaceous species biomass increased significantly where fire was applied. However, only native species were persistent, and after 8 years, Microstegium was nearly absent, regardless of the fire treatment. Synthesis. The invasive grass was initially abundant and suppressed native species, but invader decline over time corresponded with succession to native herbaceous species dominance when fire was applied, and to native tree dominance without fire such that after 8 years, the initial effects of invasion were no longer apparent. Thus, our data provide some of the first experimental evidence that while the initial effects of plant invasions can be dramatic, invaders and their impacts may decline over time.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Effects of a non‐native grass invasion decline over time

et al. 2017

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“…; Barber et al . ). This observation highlights that monitoring phylogenetic diversity is a useful tool in restoration ecology to understand the effect of intraspecific genetic variation on community composition and how species competition (through divergence of traits among closely related species) could control macroevolution of the local species pool (Gerhold et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…) and extinction rates of species from the regional species pool over a sustained restoration period (Barber et al . ). Species mixtures used in restoration that are similar in taxonomic diversity and functional group representation may harbour hidden differences in phylogenetic diversity, as we found with our three sown species pools.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Phylogenetic diversity reveals hidden patterns related to population source and species pools during restoration

Khalil

Gibson

Baer

2016

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Summary A phylogenetic perspective of community assembly can reveal new insights into how variation within dominant species interacts with the local species pool to influence the structure of restored plant communities. Many studies have examined the effect of dominant species in structuring plant communities, but few have investigated their effect on phylogenetic diversity (PD). We established grassland in a post‐agricultural field using two population sources (cultivars and local ecotypes) of three dominant grasses (Sorghastrum nutans, Andropogon gerardii and Schizachyrium scoparium) with three unique pools of subordinate species that varied in PD but not taxonomic or life‐form diversity. We tested the effect of the population source treatment on two metrics of community PD (net relatedness index [NRI] and nearest taxon index [NTI]) during the first 4 years of restoration. The NRI measures the overall pairwise phylogenetic distance between all pairs of taxa in a community. By contrast, NTI measures the pairwise distance between closely related taxa in a community. Population sources had a transitory effect on community phylogenetic structure over time. Local ecotypes decreased the abundance of closely related eudicots, monocots (low +NRI and +NTI values) and volunteer species (−NTI) more than cultivars. However, population sources did not affect ecologically conservative species (i.e. species with intermediate‐to‐poor ecological tolerance and a high degree of fidelity to prairie habitats). Thus, cultivars might have a positive effect on community phylogenetic diversity more than local ecotypes by decreasing the abundance of a phylogenetically diverse community of less closely related volunteer species. Differences in PD of seed mixes were maintained in the community of high‐fidelity species, but did not affect PD of the unsown (volunteer) species in the assembling community. Synthesis and applications. This is the first experiment to show consequences of using different seed sources on phylogenetic diversity (PD) in grassland restoration. Phylogenetics can reveal the effects of population sources on the abundance of volunteer species not evident through traditional analyses of species diversity. The PD of seed mixes or establishing communities, or other assessments of phylogenetic relationships, by restoration practitioners is recommended as a metric to allow consequences of the evolutionary patterns among species to be included in conservation planning. Increased accessibility of phylogenetic tools will allow the application of PD in restoration monitoring.

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“…Shannon index and mpd also varied by site, but there were no significant associations between these metrics and hemiparasite cover. PD has recently garnered attention as a potentially valuable metric of the evolutionary diversity contained within a restored community that explains dimensions of biodiversity beyond traditional ecological measures (Hipp et al ; Larkin et al ; Barber et al ) and may help reveal plant community assembly mechanisms (Gerhold et al ). If hemiparasite effects are host specific, as suggested by our mesocosm experiment below, they might increase mpd by eliminating particularly vulnerable species across the community phylogeny.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of hemiparasitic plants: influencing tallgrass prairie quality, diversity, and structure

DiGiovanni

Wysocki

Burke

et al. 2016

Restoration Ecology

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Wood betony, Orobanchaceae (Pedicularis canadensis) and bastard toadflax, Santalaceae (Comandra umbellata) are two root‐hemiparasitic plant species found in tallgrass prairie communities. Natural resource managers are interested in utilizing these species as “pseudograzers” in grasslands to reduce competitively dominant grasses and thereby increase ecological diversity and quality in prairie restorations and urban plantings. We performed an observational field study at 5 tallgrass prairie sites to investigate the association of hemiparasite abundance with metrics of phylogenetic and ecological diversity, as well as floristic quality. Although no reduction in C4 grasses was detected, there was a significant association between hemiparasite abundance and increased floristic quality at all 5 sites. Hemiparasite abundance and species richness were positively correlated at one restoration site. In a greenhouse mesocosm experiment, we investigated response to parasitism by P. canadensis in 6 species representing different plant functional groups of the tallgrass prairie. The annual legume partridge pea, Fabaceae (Chamaecrista fasciculata) had the greatest significant dry biomass reduction among 6 host species, but the C4 grass big bluestem, Poaceae (Andropogon gerardii) had significantly greater aboveground biomass when grown with the hemiparasite. Overall, host species biomass as a total community was significantly reduced in mesocosms, consistent with other investigations that demonstrate influence on community structure by hemiparasitic plant species. Although hemiparasites were not acting as pseudograzers, they have the potential to influence community structure in grassland restorations and remnants.

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Phylogenetic diversity is maintained despite richness losses over time in restored tallgrass prairie plant communities

Cited by 51 publications

References 57 publications

Effects of a non‐native grass invasion decline over time

Effects of a non‐native grass invasion decline over time

Phylogenetic diversity reveals hidden patterns related to population source and species pools during restoration

The role of hemiparasitic plants: influencing tallgrass prairie quality, diversity, and structure

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