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At least 667 records · Page 37Linked to original sources
USGS2018

“Naturalness” in designated Wilderness: Long-term changes in non-native plant dynamics on campsites, Boundary Waters, Minnesota

Wilderness areas in the United States are preserved for their untrammeled naturalness and opportunities for unconfined recreation. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has these qualities, but long-term recreation visitation pressures on campsites can cause significant ecological changes. This article explores changes on campsites, specifically examining non-native plant ecology over 3 decades. The research replicates a 1982 study analyzing vegetation composition and cover on campsites and environmentally paired controls. Camping activities have removed substantial tree cover on campsites, altering their ecological conditions and perceived wilderness character. Over the span of 32 years, the number of non-native plant species found on campsites has not risen, although their mean relative cover has increased significantly and they have spread to more sites. Of the 23 non-native herbs and grasses found on the campsites, only Cirsium arvense is considered a noxious weed by the state of Minnesota. Other noninvasive, non-native plants fall into a gray area in the context of "naturalness" for an area protected as Wilderness because they provide some positive ecological services even as they degrade wilderness character. Thus, wilderness managers face a difficult challenge in coping with the long-term impacts of visitor use on wilderness conditions and character.

Minnesota↗
USGS2003

Plant community patterns in unburned and burned blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) shrublands in the Mojave Desert

The blackbrush vegetation type is dominated by Coleogyne ramossisima, which is thought to preclude the coexistence of many other plant species. Fire can remove blackbrush cover and possibly increase plant species richness and evenness. Fire also may increase the frequency and cover of alien annual grasses, thereby intensifying landscape flammability. We tested these predictions in unburned and burned (6-14 years postfire) blackbrush at 3 sites spanning the range of this vegetation type in the Mojave Desert. Species richness in unburned blackbrush was similar to published values for other vegetation types in western North America, but richness varied significantly among the 3 sites and 4 spatial scales (1, 10, 100, and 1000 m2). Richness values declined in order from annual forbs, woody perennials, herbaceous perennials, annual grasses, cacti, to perennial grasses. Fire reduced Coleogyne cover, thus boosting species evenness. In contrast, species richness decreased after burning, although the results varied among spatial scales. Total cover was unaffected by fire because cover of woody perennials decreased, while cover of annual forbs, annual grasses, herbaceous perennials, and perennial grasses increased. Native species richness and cover decreased, whereas alien richness and cover increased after burning, especially where the alien forb Erodium cicutarium was present. Fire had no effect on frequency and variable effects on cover of alien annual grasses. These results indicate that in blackbrush species richness can vary among sites and local spatial scales, and effects of fire can vary among plant life-forms and between natives and aliens.

Western North American Naturalist↗
USGS2001

New approaches for sampling and modeling native and exotic plant species richness

We demonstrate new multi-phase, multi-scale approaches for sampling and modeling native and exotic plant species to predict the spread of invasive species and aid in control efforts. Our test site is a 54,000-ha portion of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA. This work is based on previous research wherein we developed vegetation sampling techniques to identify hot spots of diversity, important rare habitats, and locations of invasive plant species. Here we demonstrate statistical modeling tools to rapidly assess current patterns of native and exotic plant species to determine which habitats are most vulnerable to invasion by exotic species. We use stepwise multiple regression and modified residual kriging to estimate numbers of native species and exotic species, as well as probability of observing an exotic species in 30 × 30-m cells. Final models accounted for 62% of the variability observed in number of native species, 51% of the variability observed in number of exotic species, and 47% of the variability associated with observing an exotic species. Important independent variables used in developing the models include geographical location, elevation, slope, aspect, and Landsat TM bands 1-7. These models can direct resource managers to areas in need of further inventory, monitoring, and exotic species control efforts.

Western North American Naturalist↗
USGS1973

A preliminary classification of wetland plant communities in north-central Minnesota

A classification of wetland plant communities was developed for a study area in north-central Minnesota in order to analyze data on waterfowl use of habitat that were gathered by radio telemetry. The classification employs features of several earlier classifications in addition to new classes for bogs and lakeshore communities. Brief descriptions are given for each community, and the important plant species are listed. Discriminant function analysis was used for 40 plant species. Seventy-five percent of the stands studied were classified correctly by this technique. Average probabilities of assignment to communities were calculated and helped to identify distinct and poorly defined communities as well as the relationship among communities.

Special Scientific Report - Wildlife↗
USGS1981

DDE residues in young wood ducks (Aix sponsa) near a former DDT manufacturing plant

Breast muscle DDE residues were as high as 5.8 ppm wet-weight basis and 280 ppm lipid-weight basis in young wood ducks (Aix Sponsa) collected on Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge near a former DDT manufacturing plant in northern Alabama. The average DDE residue in wood ducks collected nearest the plant was 46 times background levels 74 km from the plant.

Pesticides Monitoring Journal↗
USGS2009

The lost micro-deserts of the Patuxent River using landscape history, insect and plant specimens, and field work to detect and define a unique community

Historical and recent records of both plants and insects are synthesized for uplands along the eastern edge of Maryland?s Patuxent River from the edge of the Piedmont south to Jug Bay. This strip is characterized by deep sandy soils found in the Evesboro and Galestown sandy loams soil series. Within this narrow strip there exists a unique flora and fauna adapted to open dry sandy soils and occurring in small remnant patches associated with old sand mining operations and scattered protected areas. We illustrate the uniqueness of these sites using four groups, vascular plants, tenebrionid beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), and bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila). Within each of these groups, rare species were detected whose populations were locally restricted to this soil type and whose nearest known populations were often hundreds of kilometers away. In addition to documenting the direct conservation importance of these small sandy openings along the Patuxent, we contrast the lack of any indication from vertebrate inventories that this region is unique. The combination of plant and insect inventories appears to be a better means of clarifying a site?s importance than does any survey of a single taxonomic group.

Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washin↗
USGS2001

A rule-based model for mapping potential exotic plant distribution

Wildland managers need a method to predict which portions of the lands under their stewardship are susceptible to invasion by exotic plants. We combined a database listing exotic plant species known to occur in major environmental types (habitat types) throughout the northern Rocky Mountains with a digital vegetation map of environmental types for a major national park in the region (Yellowstone National Park) to produce maps of areas potentially threatened by major exotic species. Such maps should be helpful to managers concerned with monitoring and controlling exotic plants.

Western North American Naturalist↗
USGS1999

Use Of limestone resources in flue-gas desulfurization power plants in the Ohio River Valley

In 1994, more than 41 of the approximately 160 coal-fired, electrical- power plants within the six-state Ohio River Valley region used flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) units to desulfurize their emissions, an approximately 100% increase over the number of plants using FGD units in 1989. This increase represents a trend that may continue with greater efforts to meet Federal Clean Air Act standards. Abundant limestone resources exist in the Ohio River Valley and are accessed by approximately 975 quarries. However, only 35 of these are believed to have supplied limestone for FGD electrical generating facilities. The locations of these limestone suppliers do not show a simple spatial correlation with FGD facilities, and the closest quarries are not being used in most cases. Thus, reduction in transportation costs may be possible in some cases. Most waste generated by FGD electrical-generating plants is not recycled. However, many FGD sites are relatively close to gypsum wallboard producers that may be able to process some of their waste.

Alabama;Illinois;Indiana;Kentucky;New York;Ohio;No↗
USGS2007

Monitoring alpine plants for climate change: The North American GLORIA Project

Alpine Environments Globally, alpine environments are hotspots of biodiversity, often harboring higher diversity of plant species than corresponding areas at lower elevations. These regions are also likely to experience more severe and rapid change in climate than lowlands under conditions of anthropogenic warming (Theurillat & Guisan 2001; Halloy & Mark 2003; Pickering & Armstrong 2003). Such climatic effects are already being documented by instrumental monitoring in the few places in western North America where long-term climate stations are available at high elevations. New sites are being planned (see GCOS article, pg 15). Climate Change is augmenting concern for alpine vegetation because available habitat diminishes at increasingly higher elevations. This creates an “elevational squeeze,” whereby the geometry of mountain peaks means that escape routes to cooler environments uphill are dead ends for migrating alpine species. While monitoring and modeling efforts have begun to elucidate climate of alpine environments in North America, very little is known about corresponding responses of alpine plant species to changing climate. Indeed, for many mountain regions in the West, little information exists even about alpine plant distribution and abundance.

Mountain Views↗
USGS2003

Predicting rare plant occurrence in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA

We investigated the applicability of biometric habitat modeling to rare plant inventory and conservation by developing and field testing a geographically explicit model for Cardamine clematitis Shuttleworth ex A. Gray (mountain bittercress), an endemic plant of the southern Blue Ridge Mountains, USA. For each of 187 confirmed coordinates for C. clematitis in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 13 habitat variables were measured with a geographic information system. These data were used to calculate Mahalanobis distances for each 30-m x 30-m pixel within the study area; small values of Mahalanobis distance represented site conditions similar to those of known locations of C. clematitis , whereas larger distance values represented dissimilar conditions. Following model development, we tested model performance by sampling 120 randomly distributed plots for C. clematitis presence. Logistic regression showed that Mahalanobis distance values were strongly related to C. clematitis occurrence (P = 0.039). Overall, 75% of all known occurrences of C. clematitis had associated Mahalanobis distance values below 17.7, and 95% of all occurrences were below 33.8; the median Mahalanobis distance value for the study area as a whole was 40.0. A habitat suitability cutoff value was defined which identified roughly 23,640 ha (19.5% of the study area) as suitable habitat. Although the model successfully predicted species absence in test plots with high Mahalanobis distance values, many sites with low values did not contain C. clematitis . Only 16.2% of test plots below the habitat suitability cutoff contained C. clematitis . The absence of C. clematitis from sites with low Mahalanobis distance values (low specificity) is not necessarily indicative of a poor model; metapopulation processes (e.g., recolonizations, local extinctions) have been shown to play a major role in presence or absence of many plant species. That may be partially the case with our model as evidenced by a relationship between C. clematitis presence and habitat patch size.

North Carolina, Tennesse↗
USGS2008

Fire management and invasive plants- A handbook

Fire management can help maintain natural habitats, increase forage for wildlife, reduce fuel loads that might otherwise lead to catastrophic wildfire, and maintain natural succession. Today, there is an emerging challenge that fire managers need to be aware of: invasive plants. Fire management activities can create ideal opportunities for invasions by nonnative plants, potentially undermining the benefits of fire management actions. This manual provides practical guidelines that fire managers should consider with respect to invasive plants.

Report↗
USGS1999

Atlantic white cedar plantings in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, and the Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge, Mississippi

Populations of Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) B.S.P.) growing at the extreme western range of the species are in danger of being lost, and information on the ecology of these populations is limited. Seeds and seedlings ("wildlings") were collected near Vancleave, MS. The wildlings were transplanted to bay-head sites on Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge where canopy gaps had been created in early 1989. Seeds were germinated, grown in a greenhouse, and transplanted a year later to three locations within a slash pine plantation: a bedded and fertilized site, the margin of a cypress pond, and a wet gap, in St. Tammany Parish, Lousiana. These plantings were established to study survival and growth in different habitat types, to compare seedlings grown from seed versus transplanted wildlings, and to attempt to generate some interest in planting Atlantic white-cedar in the extreme western portion of its natural range. Overall seedling survival averaged 94 percent after five growing seasons, although significant differences were detected among sites. Mean height per site in 1994 was significantly greater at the bedded and fertilized site (233 centimeters), and lowest at the slash pine site (91 centimeters). Growth at the cypress pond site was intermediate (158 centimeters). Wildlings at the bay-head sites had lower survival rates (75 and 64 percent), but average heights for the two sites were similar to those of the seedlings (265 and 165 centimeters). These results show that plantings involving either local seed or wildlings are viable choices for regenerating Atlantic white-cedar in southern Mississippi and eastern Louisiana.

Louisiana; Mississippi↗
USGS2003

Survival and growth of Atlantic white cedar plantings in Louisiana and Missisippi

Atlantic white cedar (cedar) is a native forest dominant in isolated areas throughout the Atlantic Coastal Plain and in a portion of the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain. Although the range of this species extends west to southern Mississippi, stands are uncommon in this area. In addition, most of the existing Mississippi stands are privately owned and afforded little long-term protection. To examine the feasibility of planting cedar at the western edge of its range and to determine if the species is a viable replacement for pine in wet areas, one-year-old seedlings were planted at three pine plantation sites in Louisiana and wildings at two bay-head locations in Mississippi. Overall, survival was high (87%), especially in the Louisiana sites, and after 10 growing seasons the trees averaged 5.3 m in height and 6.1 cm in diameter. This growth rate compared favorably with cypress and slash pine of other studies. The results of this study have shown that cedar can be a viable choice for restoration efforts or forest product plantings.

Louisiana, Mississippi↗
USGS2008

Fire and nonnative invasive plants in the central bioregion

The Central bioregion is a vast area, stretching from Canada to Mexico and from the eastern forests to the Rocky Mountains, dominated by grasslands and shrublands, but inclusive of riparian and other forests. This bioregion has been impacted by many human induced changes, particularly relating to agricultural practices, over the past 150 years. Also changed are fire regimes, first by native peoples who used fire for a variety of purposes and then by European settlers, who directly and indirectly contributed to a great reduction in the frequency of fire on the landscape. Perhaps of even greater importance has been the introduction of nonnative plant species, which have come to impact every community type to some degree. Nonnative plants have a wide array of impacts on native ecosystems and populations in the Central bioregion, and these impacts continue to mount and evolve. Many long-time invaders, such as smooth brome (Bromus inermis), and leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula), have already spread to large areas, and their ranges may still be expanding. Others, such as tamarisk or saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) and buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare), are rapidly spreading at the present time, while still others have likely not yet shown their full potential for expansion. In this volume, as well as in this chapter, our emphasis is on the interaction of nonnatives with fire, how it affects them and how they affect it. The ecosystems of the Central bioregion have been shaped by fire, including fires associated with natural ignitions and those deliberately set by humans. Both grasslands and shrublands in this bioregion experienced frequent and widespread fires during their evolution (Stewart 2002). Prescribed fire is now widely used to manage some areas for their natural characteristics. Thus, while changed in character, both by conditions that now limit wildfire occurrence and spread and by prescribed burning, the Central bioregion remains one with a high fire frequency (Wade and others 2000). Fire interactions with nonnative plants can have important impacts. In some cases, fire can be a means of reducing impacts of nonnative species (chapter 4). In other cases, fire may facilitate the establishment and spread of nonnatives (chapter 2). Some nonnative species can radically change the fire regime itself (chapter3). Because of the widespread use of prescribed fire in this bioregion, it is important to know how nonnative species interact with fire and whether there are means whereby these interactions can be controlled.

Great Plains↗
USGS2011

Biomass and diversity of dry alpine plant communities along altitudinal gradients in the Himalayas

A non-linear relationship between phytodiversity and altitude has widely been reported, but the relationship between phytomass and altitude remains little understood. We examined the phytomass and diversity of vascular plants along altitudinal gradients on the dry alpine rangelands of Ladakh, western Himalaya. We used generalized linear and generalized additive models to assess the relationship between these vegetation parameters and altitude. We found a hump-shaped relationship between aboveground phytomass and altitude. We suspect that this is engendered by low rainfall and trampling/excessive grazing at lower slopes by domestic livestock, and low temperature and low nutrient levels at higher slopes. We also found a unimodal relationship between plant species-richness and altitude at a single mountain as well as at the scale of entire Ladakh. The species-richness at the single mountain peaked between 5,000 and 5,200 m, while it peaked between 3,500 and 4,000 m at entire Ladakh level. Perhaps biotic factors such as grazing and precipitation are, respectively, important in generating this pattern at the single mountain and entire Ladakh.

Ladakh region↗
USGS2023

Tidal restriction likely has greater impact on the carbon sink of coastal wetland than climate warming and invasive plant

Aims Coastal salt marshes are productive ecosystems that are highly efficient carbon sinks, but there is uncertainty regarding the interactions among climate warming, plant species, and tidal restriction on C cycling. Methods Open-top chambers (OTCs) were deployed at two coastal wetlands in Yancheng, China, where native Phragmites australis ( Phragmites ) and invasive Spartina alterniflora ( Spartina ) were dominant, respectively. Two study locations were set up in each area based on difference in tidal action. The OTCs achieved an increase of average daytime air temperature of ~ 1.11–1.55 °C. Net ecosystem CO 2 exchange (NEE), ecosystem respiration ( R eco ), CH 4 fluxes, aboveground biomass and other abiotic factors were monitored over three years. Results Warming reduced the magnitude of the radiative balance of native Phragmites , which was determined to still be a consistent C sink. In contrast, warming or tidal flooding presumably transform the Spartina into a weak C source, because either warming-induced high salinity reduced the magnitude of NEE by 19% or flooding increased CH 4 emissions by 789%. Remarkably, native Phragmites affected by tidal restrictions appeared to be a consistent C source with the radiative balance of 7.11–9.64 kg CO 2 -eq m –2 yr –1 because of a reduction in the magnitude of NEE and increase of CH 4 fluxes. Conclusions Tidal restrictions that disconnect the tidal hydrologic connection between the ocean and land may transform coastal wetlands from C sinks to C sources. This transformation may potentially be an even greater threat to coastal carbon sequestration than climate warming or invasive plant species in isolation.

Plant and Soil↗
USGS2017

The influence of soil resources and plant traits on invasion and restoration in a subtropical woodland

It has been shown in some cases that nitrogen (N) addition to soil will increase abundance of plant invaders because many invaders have traits that promote rapid growth in response to high resource supply. Similarly, it has been suggested, and sometimes shown, that decreasing soil N via carbon (C) additions can facilitate native species recovery. Yet all species are unlikely to respond to resource supply in the same way. We asked how soil nutrients and competition affect native and exotic woody species in a restoration experiment where we added N or C, and crossed soil manipulation with the manipulation of dominant exotic grass abundance in a Hawaiian subtropical woodland. We related changes in survival and growth of outplanted individuals to native/exotic status and plant traits. As a group, N-fixers showed reduced survival compared to non-fixers in response to added N, with Morella faya (exotic) and Acacia koa (native) having dramatic negative responses. Among non-fixers, species with greater foliar %N had more positive survival responses to increasing soil N. Specific leaf area was not predictive of responses to nutrients or competition. In general, responses to carbon addition were weak, although reducing competition from existing exotic grasses was beneficial for all outplanted species, with N-fixers showing the most positive response. We conclude that commonly used restoration strategies to clear exotic species or lower soil resources with C addition will most greatly benefit N-fixing species, which themselves may be unwanted invaders. Thus statements about the influence of increased soil N on invasions should be carefully dissected by considering the traits (such as N-fixation status) of the regional species pool.

Hawai'i↗
USGS2025

Reproductive output of the rare plant Arctomecon californica does not appear to be limited by its floral visitor community

The majority of plants rely on animal-mediated pollination for reproduction. Reductions in pollinator visitations can lead to pollen limitation and declines in seed production. Arctomecon californica, the Las Vegas bearpoppy, is a rare plant native to the northeastern Mojave Desert. It is pollinator dependent for reproduction as it is self-incompatible, but associated pollinator populations can fluctuate greatly year to year. We therefore investigated if the reproductive output of A. californica is reduced in a year with lower pollinator visitation (2022) compared to a year when visitors were more abundant (2023). We documented the visiting bee community across both years and compared rates of A. californica seed fertilization and development across populations and between the two years. We collected and identified bees from 18 genera visiting A. californica flowers over the two years, with significant differences in the bee communities between years. There were significantly fewer overall bee visits to A. californica flowers in 2022 compared to 2023, but we found no impact on reproductive output, with overall high rates of seed production in both years.

Nevada↗