Grassland Restoration at KNZ LTER: Current research and ... Ecology.pdf · 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 Non-cultivar Cultivar Root Length in Surface 10 cm of Soil Species A. gerardii

Grassland Restoration at KNZ LTER: Current research and future initiativesSara G. Baer, Department of Plant Biology & Center for Ecology

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

Integration of LTER Research at KNZ

Fire

Grazing

Climate

Spatial and TemporalHeterogeneity

Tallgrass Prairie• Genes• Organisms• Populations• Communities• Ecosystems• Landscapes

Plot-LevelMechanistic Studies

BelowgroundExp. Plots

Irrigation Transects

P AdditionExperiment

Mycorrhizae &Soil C Exp $

LINX IIStudies $

Climate Change

Climate GradientStudies

Flux TowersCO2, H20 $

ExperimentalStream Studies $

RainfallManipulations $

Management IssuesBison/Cattle Grazing $

Restoration $

Land Use / LandCover Change $

Water Quality $

Invasive Species

Extending the InferenceOf Konza Studies

Cross-Site, Network & International Studies $

New LTER Initiatives

Season of Fire

Fire Reversal Exp.

Insect Biodiversityand Ecology $

Bud BankDemography $

EcologicalGenomics $

Integration of RestorationRestoration Research at KNZ

Fire

Grazing

Climate




BelowgroundExp. Plots

Irrigation Transects

P AdditionExperiment

Mycorrhizae &Soil C Exp $

LINX IIStudies $

Climate Change






Restoration $


Water Quality $

Invasive Species


Cross-Site, NetworkInternational Studies


Season of Fire

Fire Reversal Exp.




LongLong--term Restorationterm Restoration Research at KNZ

Fire

Grazing

Climate




HeterogeneityPlots$ NSF

Climate Change






Restoration $


Water Quality $

Invasive Species




Season of Fire

Fire Reversal Exp.




Stone

+C (sawdust)

+N

Control

+C + Stone

+N + Stone

PRAIRIE RESTORATIONExperimental DesignEstablished 19986 m

6 m

6 m

6 m

6 m

6 m 6 m 6 m6 m

Prairie Restoration: No Treatments10 m

50 m6 m

Block

62 m

70 m

2

6 m

2

Ric

hnes

s

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

28

Year

19981999

20002001

20022003

20042005

2006

Div

ersi

ty

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

2.2

2.4

2.6

Control PlotsMaximum HeterogeneityA test of the A test of the

“Environmental “Environmental Heterogeneity Heterogeneity Hypothesis”Hypothesis”

Land UseChanges

ClimateChange

NutrientEnrichment

BiologicalInvasions

Tallgrass Prairie EcosystemsStructureFunction

• Fire• Grazing• Land use legacies

• Rainfall timing and amount

• Temperature

• Elevated N deposition

• Species introductions

LTER V: Global Change and Grassland Dynamics

Contributions:

Diversity-Productivity Theory (Baer et al. 2003, Ecology)

Dominance-Diversity Relationships (Baer et al. 2004, Oecologia; Baer et al. 2005, Restoration Ecology)

Test Positive & Negative Feedback Hypotheses (Baer and Blair, sub. Ecology)

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Rel

ativ

e C

over

Pani

cum

virg

atum

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

Nutrient x Time, P < 0.05

Changes in Dominance over TimeChanges in Dominance over Time

Changes in Dominance over TimeChanges in Dominance over Time

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10P. v

irgat

um R

elat

ive

Cov

er (0

.25

m2 )

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8Ambient N Enriched NReduced N

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

A. g

erar

dii R

elat

ive

Cov

er (0

.25

m2 )

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

Years Restored

Changes in Richness and DiversityChanges in Richness and Diversity

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Shan

non'

s D

iver

sity

(0.2

5 m

2 )0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0Ambient N Enriched NReduced N

Years Restored

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ric

hnes

s (S

peci

es/0

.25

m2 )

2

4

6

8

10

12

Years Restored

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Tota

l Soi

l C, 0

-10

cm (g

/m2 )

2000

2200

2400

2600

2800

3000

3200

3400Ambient NAmbient N SLR, r2 = 0.63, P<0.001Enriched-NEnriched N SLR, r2 = 0.80, P<0.001

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 82000

2200

2400

2600

2800

3000

3200

3400

3600

3800C-amended, SLR n.s.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8180

200

220

240

260

280

300C amendedAmbient N SLR, r2 = 0.79, P<0.001

Years of Grassland Establishent0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

180

200

220

240

260

280

300Ambient NAmbient N SLR, r2 = 0.65, P<0.001Enriched NEnriched N SLR, r2 = 0.72, P<0.001

Tota

l Soi

l N, 0

-10

cm (g

/m2 )

Total Soil C and N Accrual RatesTotal Soil C and N Accrual Rates

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Legu

me

Cov

er (%

)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Reduced-N Ambient-N Enriched-N

aa

b

a

b

c

Growing seasons1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Ln (L

egum

e C

over

+ 1

)

0

1

2

3

4

Reduced-N Soil

r2 = 0.73

P<0.0001

Interactions with Community StructureInteractions with Community Structure

New Initiatives during LTER VNew Initiatives during LTER V

Fire

Grazing

Climate





Seed SourceDominanceGradient $ LTER$ SIUC$ NSF

Climate Change






Restoration $


Water Quality $

Invasive Species




Season of Fire

Fire Reversal Exp.




Potential Species Pool

Species in Community

Abiotic Filters

Biotic Filters

Socio-Economic or Human Filter

Hobbs & Norton 1999

FilterFilter--Model of Community Assembly Model of Community Assembly

Human filters unique to restoration in community and Human filters unique to restoration in community and ecosystem assemblyecosystem assembly

Population source selection

(local vs. selected genotypes)

Seed compositionselection(grass:forb)

DesignDesignPool 2Pool 2

CultivarCultivar(selected)(selected)

NativeNative(non(non--selected)selected)

Spe

cies

Poo

lS

peci

es P

ool



Embedded dominance Embedded dominance removal treatmentsremoval treatments NSF $

Hierarchical Approach:MorphologyPhysiologyMutualismCompetitionDiversityProductivity Nutrient cycling

Intraspecific VariationCytologyRiley & Vogel 1982Keeler & Davis 1999

Genetic structureGustafson et al. 1999, 2001, 2004

EcophysiologySkeel & Gibson 1996,1998Baer et al. 2005

Population source selectionPopulation source selection(local vs. selected genotypes)(local vs. selected genotypes)

5 m

Seeds/m2

Grasses (3):Other spp. (15):

58515

52575

450150

300300

150450

97% 87% 75% 50% 25%

Native source population

Cultivar sourcepopulation

25 m

NSF $ & LTER $

Source Population Selection XSeed composition selection

Across a precipitation gradient

S p e c ie sA . g e ra rd ii S . n u ta n s S . s c o p a r iu m

BN

PP

(g/p

lant

/yr.)

0 .0

0 .2

0 .4

0 .6

0 .8 N o n -c u lt iv a r C u lt iv a r

Source: P= 0.043

IntraspecificIntraspecific Variation in BNPPVariation in BNPPKonza vs. Cultivar SourcesKonza vs. Cultivar Sources

R. Klopf

R oot V o lum e in S urface 10 cm o f S o il

S pec iesA . ge ra rd ii S . nu tans S . scopa rium

cm3

0 .0

0 .2

0 .4

0 .6

0 .8

1 .0

1 .2

1 .4

1 .6

1 .8

2 .0

N on-cu ltivar C u ltiv a r

R oot Length in S urface 10 cm o f S o il

S peciesA . gerard ii S . nu tans S . scoparium

cm

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

N on-cu ltivar C u ltivar

Root Surface A rea in Surface 10 cm of Soil

SpeciesA. gerard ii S . nutans S. scoparium

cm2

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Non-cultivar Cultivar

P = 0.03P = 0.03P = 0.04

IntraspecificIntraspecific Variation in Root ArchitectureVariation in Root ArchitectureKonza vs. Cultivar SourcesKonza vs. Cultivar Sources

R. Klopf

Date

July 23 July 31 August 13

Net P

hoto

synt

hesi

s ( µ

mol

CO

2 m

-2 s

-1)

0

5

10

15

20

25 DeSoto MO Ecotype Aldous Camper

Date


Net

Pho

tosy

nthe

sis

( µm

ol C

O2

m-2

s-1

)

0

5

10

15

20

25 DeSoto MO Ecotype Rumsey Osage

a

bab

b

Date


Net P

hoto

synt

hesi

s ( µ

mol

CO

2 m

-2 s

-1)

0

5

10

15

20

25 DeSotoMO EcotypeKawRountree

a

bab

b

IntraspecificIntraspecific Variation in Net PhotosynthesisVariation in Net Photosynthesis

A. gerardii S. nutans S. scoparium

Allison Lambert

Seeded Dominance of C4 Grasses20 40 60 80 100R

ichn

ess

of S

eede

d S

peci

es (n

o./m

2 )

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16Kansas P<0.001 r2=0.53Illinois P<0.001 r2=0.71

Seeded Dominance of C4 Grasses20 40 60 80 100

Tota

l Cov

er o

f Pla

nted

Spe

cies

(%)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60KS, P<0.001, r2=0.47 IL, P=0.0201, r2=0.09

CrossCross--site Variation in Community Assemblysite Variation in Community Assembly

Ryan Campbell & Ryan Klopf

New Initiatives for LTER VINew Initiatives for LTER VI

Fire

Grazing

Climate






Climate Change






Restoration $


Water Quality $

Invasive Species




Season of Fire

Fire Reversal Exp.




MAINTAIN


Fire

Grazing

Climate






Climate Change






Restoration $


Water Quality $

Invasive Species




Season of Fire

Fire Reversal Exp.




INCREASE

MAINTAIN


Fire

Grazing

Climate






Climate Change






Restoration $


Water Quality $

Invasive Species




Season of Fire

Fire Reversal Exp.




INCREASE

MAINTAININITIATE

Google Earth

Establish large-scale restoration plots with fire and grazing treatments TO:

1) Broaden tests of ecological drivers and community assembly theory.

2) Expand inference from WS studies to restored grasslands.

3) Further contribute to the managementobjective of KNZ LTER.

4) Foster collaboration, as larger plots more conducive to studying higher trophic levels.

5) Increase education and outreach.

6) Initiate cross-site studies along a climate gradient using the Grassland Grassland Restoration NetworkRestoration Network…

New Restoration InitiativeNew Restoration Initiative

Grassland Restoration Network“A consortium of restoration practitioners, scientists, and land managers interested in integrating the best science and management practices into large scale grassland restoration projects. “

Kankakee Sands(7,200 ac)

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

(19,165ac)

Nachusa(2,500 ac)

Sauk Prairie(77,000 ac)

Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge

(8,000 ac)

Rocky Mountain Arsenal

(8,000 ac)

Grand River Grasslands(70,000 ac)

Central Platte(1,000 ac)

Glacial Ridge(35,000 ac)

Nickel Preserve(15,000 ac)

1500 mm

1000 mm

635 mm

430 mm

Expanding Our Perception of RestorationExpanding Our Perception of Restoration

Degraded IntactEcosystem State

THRESHOLD

THRESHOLD

Ecos

yste

m A

ttrib

ute

FullyFunctional

Non-Functional

Requires physical modification

Requires biological modification

Requires improved management

Modified from Hobbs and Harris (2001)

Woodyremoval

Inter-seeding

PrescribedFire

WoodyEncroachment

Grassland

Grassland

Graduate StudentsRyan Klopf

Ryan CampbellAllison Lambert

Lewis Reed

Past & Current UndergraduatesRobin Garcia

David DalzottoLuke Koett

Dana CarverMeredith MendolaStephanie Welsh

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

Documents

Grassland Restoration at KNZ LTER: Current research and ... Ecology.pdf · 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 Non-cultivar Cultivar Root Length in Surface 10 cm of Soil Species A. gerardii