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Browsing Presentations by Author "Betz, Dani-Ella, author"

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    Dynamics of exotic species and their establishment in the Pawnee National Grasslands
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2000) Lauenroth, William K., author; Betz, Dani-Ella, author; SGS-LTER, Colorado State University, publisher
    We investigated the distribution of plant species in the shortgrass steppe to determine if the roadsides were acting as corridors, increasing the susceptibility of the open steppe to exotic species establishment. We surveyed 45 paired roadside and open steppe sites and found few exotic species in the the open steppe (.36/m2), whereas the roadsides contained significantly more (5.42/m2). We examined the soil seed bank along a transect from roadsides to 25 meters into the open steppe to investigate the range of seed dispersal and abundance of roadside exotic seeds. We found that a significantly greater number of exotic seeds in the roadsides (873 seeds per m2) versus the open steppe (109 seeds per m2). To investigate the dynamics of exotic species establishment we planted two exotic species, downy brome (Bromus tectorum) and Dalmation toadflax (Linaria dalmatica), into the open steppe. A matrix of 5 treatments was applied and after one field season Bromus tectorum germinated and established in many plots. The nitrogen and nitrogen plus water treatments were the most successful in promoting the growth of Bromus. Linaria dalmatica did not establish in any of the research plots. The open steppe has few exotic species and we found that few exotic seeds exist in the seed bank. Furthermore, our work indicates that even if exotic species seeds were numerous, they may have difficulty germinating and establishing in the native communities.