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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Reno, Nevada » Great Basin Rangelands Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #295973
Title: Using Annual Forbs and Early Seral Species in Seeding Mixtures for Improved Success in Great Basin Restoration

Author
item USELMAN, SHAUNA - University Of Nevada
item Snyder, Keirith
item LEGER, ELIZABETH - University Of Nevada
item Duke, Sara

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/5/2013
Publication Date: 4/8/2013
Citation: Uselman, S.M., Snyder, K.A., Leger, E.A., Duke, S.E. 2013. Using Annual Forbs and Early Seral Species in Seeding Mixtures for Improved Success in Great Basin Restoration [abstract]. National Native Seed Conference, April 8-11, 2013, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Use of native annual and early sera! species in Great Basin rangeland reseeding efforts may increase invasion resistance, facilitate succession to desired vegetation, and improve restoration/rehabilitation success. Because they occupy a similar ecological niche, due to functional trait similarities (e.g., growth rates, resource acquisition strategies), theory predicts that early serals would compete more strongly against exotic annual grasses. We compared seedling emergence and early survival of two native seed mixes when growing in the presence of Bromus tectorum or Taeniatherum caput-medusae in soils of contras6ng texture (sandy loam and clay loam), using a common garden with sunken soil-filled treepots. Natives were also seeded without exotics. Performance of an early seral mix (annual forbs, early seral grasses and shrubs) was compared with that of a late sera! mix representative of species commonly used in restoration. Early seral species generally outperformed late sera! species when growing with exotics, for emergence probabilities (P