Research Project: Biological Control and Community Restoration Strategies for Invasive Weed Control in the Northern Great Plains Rangelands

Location: Pest Management Research

2021 Annual Report

Objectives
Objective 1: Identify and bridge critical knowledge gaps in the taxonomy, native origin, population structure, and reproductive strategies of key invasive weeds, as necessary to support the successful development of classical biological control programs. [NP304, Component 1, Problem Statements 1A, 1B, and 1C; Component 2, Problem Statement 2B2] Subobjective 1.A: Determine the correct taxonomy and extent of hybridization of invasive weeds. Subobjective 1.B: Determine the origins, population structure and reproductive mode of invasive weeds. Objective 2: Develop novel, effective biological weed control and rangeland restoration methods that synergize ecological interactions, such as herbivory, weed population heterogeneity, invasion-dynamics, competition between weeds and native vegetation, and plant-soil interactions. [NP304, Component 2, Problem Statements 2B2, 2B3 and 2B4] Subobjective 2.A: Understand insect community composition and assembly in response to restoration and prior to the release of Russian olive biological control. Subobjective 2.B: Determine plant population, community and soil characteristics that contribute to the control of invasions.

Approach
Weeds in pastures and croplands in the U.S. result in billions of dollars per year in lost production and control costs. The goal of our project is to decrease weed abundance by increasing the efficacy of biological control agent development and improving the establishment success of plant community restorations that resist invasion. Our team’s research spans multiple aspects of weed control, from the taxonomy required for effective development of weed management strategies, demographic and ecological research to optimize biological control management efficacy, and identification of the inputs required in restoration that support productive invasion-resistant landscapes. We will address critical gaps in genotype-specific information regarding the reproductive strategies, origin and invasiveness of some of the most important invasive weeds in the U.S., thus guiding effective control methods including effective biological control agents. We will identify ecological, demographic, and biological factors limiting invasion potential for weeds with different life histories. This will generate strategies that limit the spread of target weeds and provide a general framework of biologically- and ecologically-based weed control methods. We will also create realistic targets for restoration that benefit landscapes. This work develops science-based, economical weed management that reduces costs, promotes food security and minimizes negative environmental impacts of weed control. We focus on rangeland weeds in the Northern Great Plains and extend this research nationally across a range of habitats. By communicating our results through on-going relationships with land management agencies, farmers and ranchers, academic societies, industry and state extension services, this research supports innovative strategies vital to the sustainability and health of U.S. agroecosystems.

Progress Report
This is the final report for the project 3032-21220-002-00D which terminated in December 2020. Substantial results were realized over the 5 years of the project. Critical knowledge gaps in our understanding of populations, biogeography, and taxonomy of invasive weeds were addressed (Objective: 1). A new exotic thistle invading North America was identified with molecular testing and is now on the Early Detection and Rapid Response list for many states. A meta-analysis of hybridization in tree invasion was performed and provides a comprehensive overview of the factors that promote and mitigate the invasive success of tree species in many parts of the world (Sub-objective: 1.A). Origins of invasive weeds from Eurasia were found to assist in biological control testing (Sub-objective: 1.B). This genetic and taxonomic work on invasive weeds is continued in the new research project, but with different target weeds that are now top priorities of land managers and agricultural systems in the United States. Deeper understanding of the ecological interactions affecting management outcomes supported development of improved methods for weed control and rangeland restoration (Objective: 2). Multiple surveys of plant, soil, insect, and nematode communities that demonstrated the indirect impacts of invasive weed removal (Sub-objective: 2.A) and energy development (Sub-objective: 2.B) continue to aid in identifying critical targets for strategies to restore natural communities. Additionally, studies on how sources for restoration materials can increase success provided vital information to practitioners and stakeholders. This restoration work is continued in the new research project, as such strategies and recommendations are implemented and tested in the field. Integrating remote sensing and predictive models of hydrologic dynamics into population projections for Russian olive have identified a promising new tool for predicting future spread and prioritizing management, and this work will be extended beyond the pilot scale and validated in the field under the new research project. Experiments and surveys to identify links between habitat conditions and the relative importance of seed versus clonal reproduction and seed limitation in weed persistence have provided information on gaps in our management of weeds, and will improve our recommendations for biocontrol practitioners. This research project offered valuable insights that will help ranchers and land managers improve the productivity and health of rangeland communities, and provided extensive baselines ecological data that form the foundation for future implementation and applications being explored in the new project 3032-22000-003-00D.

Accomplishments

Review Publications
Gaskin, J.F., Endriss, S.B., Fettig, C., Hufbauer, R., Norton, A., Sforza, R. 2021. One genotype dominates a facultatively outcrossing plant invasion. Biological Invasions. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-021-02480-0.
Heirs, Q.A., Treadwell, M.L., Dickinson, M.B., Kavanagh, K.L., Lodge, A.G., Starns, H.D., Tolleson, D.R., Twidwell, D., Wonkka, C.L., Rogers, W.E. 2021. Grass bud bank responses to fire in a semi-arid savanna system. Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7516.
West, N.M., Reinhold, A., Poole, G.C., Espeland, E.K. 2020. Flood dynamics dictate distributions of Elaeagnus angustifolia L. (Russian olive) on a riverine floodplain. Biological Invasions. 22:3493-3499. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-020-02352-z.
Hinojosa, A., Urs, K.P., Wonkka, C.L. 2020. Liability and the use of prescribed fire in the Southern Plains, USA: A survey of district court judges. Land. 9(9):318. https://doi.org/10.3390/land9090318.
Stroman, D.A., Kreuter, U.P., Wonkka, C.L. 2020. Landowner perceptions of woody plants and prescribed fire in the Southern Plains, USA. PLoS ONE. 15(9):e0238688. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238688.
Gaskin, J.F., Andreas, J., Grewell, B.J., Haefliger, P., Harms, N.E. 2021. Diversity and origins of Butomus umbellatus (flowering rush) invasion in North America. Aquatic Botany. 173:103400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2021.103400.
Donovan, V.M., Roberts, C.P., Wonkka, C.L., Uden, D.R., Angeler, D.G., Allen, C.R., Wedin, D.A., Drijber, R.A., Twidwell, D. 2021. Collapse, reorganization, and regime identity: breaking down past management paradigms in a forest-grassland ecotone. Ecology and Society. 26(2):27. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12340-260227.
Jabro, J.D., Allen, B.L., Rand, T.A., Rana Dangi, S., Campbell, J.W. 2021. Effect of previous crop roots on soil compaction in 2 yr rotations under a no-tillage system. Land. 10(2):202. https://doi.org/10.3390/land10020202.
Abbate, A.P., Campbell, J.W., Vinson, E.L., Williams, G.R. 2021. The pollination and fruit quality of two kiwifruit cultivars (Actinidia chinensis var. chinensis- ‘AU Golden Sunshine’ and ‘AU Gulf Coast Gold’) (Ericales: Actinidiaceae) grown in the southeastern United States. Journal of Economic Entomology. 114(3):1234-1241. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toab075.
Campbell, J.W., Grodsky, S.M., Monroe, A.P., Martin, J.A. 2021. Bee (Apoidea) community response to perennial grass treatments managed for livestock production and conservation. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 313:107391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2021.107391.
Mcdaniel, T.W., Wonkka, C.L., Treadwell, M.L., Kreuter, U.P. 2021. Factors influencing County Commissioners’ decisions about burn bans in the Southern Plains, USA. Land. 10(7):686. https://doi.org/10.3390/land10070686.
Braman, C.A., Lambert, A.M., Ozsoy, Z.A., Hollstein, E., Sheehy, K., McKinnon, T., Moran, P.J., Gaskin, J.F., Goolsby, J., Dudley, T.L. 2021. Biology of an adventive population of the armored scale Rhizaspidiotus donacis, a biological control agent of Arundo donax in California. Insects. 12(7):588. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12070588.