Using phenological niche separation to improve management in a Northern Glaciated Plains grassland

Bennett, Joe; Smart, Alexander J.; Perkins, Lora B.

doi:10.1111/rec.12932

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(42 reference statements)

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“…Our results are supported by a growing body of evidence suggesting that the timing of seeding can be a factor in determining seedling establishment success (e.g. James et al 2011, 2012; Richardson et al 2018; Bennett et al 2019). The growing season is changing for much of the Great Basin ecoregion (Tang et al 2015) and changes in precipitation timing can affect sagebrush systems (Bates et al 2006; Prevéy et al 2010), with important implications for restoration practices.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Postfire restoration seeding success increases with early fall seeding and simulated precipitation in the Great Basin Desert of North America

Bishop

Molinari

Clair

2022

Restoration Ecology

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Climate forecasts and disturbance mapping increasingly inform strategies for ecological restoration practices. Our study objectives were to understand how a postfire rehabilitation seed mix responds to fire, seeding timing, and changes in fall precipitation timing due to climate change. We planted seeds commonly used in the Great Basin Desert of North America on soil cores in a randomized block design. We imposed two experimental treatments, experimental fire (burned seedbeds or unburned seedbeds) and timing of seeding with simulated precipitation (early September vs. mid‐October) in a two‐way factorial design. We measured seedling emergence (1 month posttreatment), plant density, biomass, and seed production. Early seeding and precipitation reduced seedling emergence over 2‐fold but increased total plant density (3‐fold), biomass (13‐fold), and seed production (140‐fold) compared to delayed seeding and precipitation applications. Antelope bitterbrush was the only species with a negative response to early seeding and precipitation, with a decrease in both density and biomass (over 2‐fold) by the end of the study. Burned seedbeds overall had little effect on measured outcomes for the total plant community. Burned seedbeds decreased forb seedling emergence 2‐fold and alfalfa and Lewis blue flax density almost 3‐fold but increased overall forb seed production 7‐fold while other species and functional groups had minimal responses. Earlier seeding and precipitation interacted with the effects of burned seedbeds to increase biomass of Wyoming big sagebrush and western yarrow. The positive response of species to earlier fall seeding and precipitation underscores the importance of adapting our restoration practices for changing climate conditions.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Postfire restoration seeding success increases with early fall seeding and simulated precipitation in the Great Basin Desert of North America

Bishop

Molinari

Clair

2022

Restoration Ecology

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“…Although prescribed burning is typically timed to suppress invasive species by targeting the early growth period relative to the full growing season of cool-season grasses (Bennett et al, 2019;Willson & Stubbendieck, 2000), we found no collateral effects from burning on either native cool-or native warm-season grasses (Appendix S3: Table S1). These results differ from a nearby study in a mixed grass prairie in South Dakota, USA that showed that both invasive and native cool-season grasses were harmed by burning (Engle & Bultsma, 1984, but see Anderson & Bailey, 1980) for a counter example.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Invasive species do not exploit early growing seasons in burned tallgrass prairies

Ratcliffe

Ahlering

Carlson

et al. 2022

Ecological Applications

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Invasive species management is key to conserving critically threatened native prairie ecosystems. While prescribed burning is widely demonstrated to increase native diversity and suppress invasive species, elucidating the conditions under which burning is most effective remains an ongoing focus of applied prairie ecology research. Understanding how conservation management interacts with climate is increasingly pressing, because climate change is altering weather conditions and seasonal timing around the world. Increasingly early growing seasons due to climate change are shifting the timing and availability of resources and niche space, which may disproportionately advantage invasive species and influence the outcome of burning. We estimated the effects of burning, start time of the growing season, and their interaction on invasive species relative cover and frequency, two metrics for species abundance and dominance. We used 25 observed prairie sites and 853 observations of 267 transects spread throughout Minnesota, USA from 2010 to 2019 to conduct our analysis. Here, we show that burning reduced the abundance of invasive cool-season grasses, leading to reduced abundance of invasive species as a whole. This reduction persisted over time for invasive cover but quickly waned for their frequency of occurrence. Additionally, and contrary to expectations that early growing season starts benefit invasive species, we found evidence that later growing season starts increased the abundance of some invasive species. However, the effects of burning on plant communities were largely unaltered by the timing of the growing season, although earlier growing season starts weakened the effectiveness of burning on Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) and smooth brome (Bromus inermis), two of the most dominant invasive species in the region. Our results suggest that prescribed burning will likely continue to be a useful conservation tool in the context of earlier growing season starts, and that changes to growing season timing will not be a primary mechanism driving increased invasion due to climate change in these ecosystems. We propose that future research seek to better understand abiotic controls on invasive species phenology in managed systems and how burning intensity and timing interact with spring conditions.

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“…Phenology is an Essential Biodiversity Variable (EBV) that has been elected among the key traits to evaluate the health of the natural system worldwide (Morellato et al 2016;Kissling et al 2018). Therefore, the consideration of traits such as flowering and fruiting times associated with seed dispersal, seasonal germination strategies and pollination will certainly have positive implications for restoration practice (Viani et al 2015;Buisson et al 2017;Bennett et al 2019;Fisk et al 2019;Escobar et al 2021).…”

Section: Phenological Patterns In Restored Areas and Forest Fragmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing the potential reproductive phenology between restored areas and native tropical forest fragments in Southeastern Brazil

Rother

Sousa

Gressler

et al. 2021

Restoration Ecology

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Plant phenology is rarely considered when selecting species used in restoration actions. However, considering the potential flowering and fruiting phenologies of species is a key point to: (1) evaluate the capacity of restoration actions in reestablishing ecological interactions (pollination and seed dispersal) and ecosystem functions (early germination and plant establishment to reduce soil erosion); (2) determine which species are most suitable to the target site, and (3) identify when and where locally adapted seeds can be harvested and purchased. Here, we evaluate the potential reproductive phenology of species occurring in restored and forest fragments in Southeastern Brazil. We asked whether flowering and fruiting phenological patterns differed among type areas. For such, we compared 14 restored areas and 18 nearby forest fragments and compiled phenological data from the literature for 267 species (84% of species sampled). Despite their low floristic similarity, restored and forest fragments showed close similarity of general potential flowering and fruiting periods year-round, peaking in the dry-to-rainy season. There were only slight differences in seasonality of two out of the eight parameters evaluated. Nonzoochorous species' fruiting was seasonal, while zoochorous species fruiting onset occurred year-round but was slightly seasonal in forest fragments. Comparing potential phenological patterns between restored and forest fragments using a compilation from secondary sources are unprecedented in Brazil at this scale. Our results highlight that applying phenological information, even from literature, is essential to improve the science and practice of future restoration actions, enhancing the likelihood of successful restoration of ecosystem functions and species interactions.

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Using phenological niche separation to improve management in a Northern Glaciated Plains grassland

Cited by 8 publications

References 36 publications

Postfire restoration seeding success increases with early fall seeding and simulated precipitation in the Great Basin Desert of North America

Postfire restoration seeding success increases with early fall seeding and simulated precipitation in the Great Basin Desert of North America

Invasive species do not exploit early growing seasons in burned tallgrass prairies

Comparing the potential reproductive phenology between restored areas and native tropical forest fragments in Southeastern Brazil

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