Faculty Publications
Effects Of Frequent Mowing On Survival And Persistence Of Forbs Seeded Into A Species-Poor Grassland
Document Type
Article
Keywords
Forb enhancement, Gap, Mowing, Prairie reconstruction, Recruitment, Seedling establishment, Species richness, Species-poor grassland, Tallgrass prairie
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Restoration Ecology
Volume
15
Issue
1
First Page
24
Last Page
33
Abstract
Many early attempts at tallgrass prairie reconstruction failed to achieve the high species diversity of remnant prairies, and instead consist primarily of C4 grasses. We hypothesized that frequent mowing of established prairie grasses could create sufficient gaps in the aboveground and belowground environment to allow for the establishment of native forbs from seed. We studied forb seedling establishment in a 25-year-old prairie planting in northern Iowa that was dominated by native warm-season grasses. In winter 1999, 23 species of native forbs were broadcast into the recently burned sod at a rate of 350 viable seeds/m2. Treatment plots were mowed weekly for either one or two growing seasons, and control plots were unmowed. Mowed plots had greater light availability than controls, especially when warm-season grasses began to flower. Overwinter seedling mortality was 3% in mowed treatments compared to 29% in the controls. Forbs in mowed plots had significantly greater root and shoot mass than those in control plots in the first and second growing seasons but were not significantly more abundant. By the fourth growing season, however, forbs were twice as abundant in the mowed treatments. No lasting negative impacts of frequent mowing on the grass population were observed. Mowing a second year influenced species composition but did not change total seedling establishment. Experimental evidence is consistent with the idea that mowing reduced competition for light from large established grasses, allowing forb seedlings the opportunity to reach sufficient size to establish, survive, and flower in the second and subsequent years. © 2007 Society for Ecological Restoration International.
Department
Department of Biology
Original Publication Date
3-1-2007
DOI of published version
10.1111/j.1526-100X.2006.00186.x
Recommended Citation
Williams, Dave W.; Jackson, Laura L.; and Smith, Daryl D., "Effects Of Frequent Mowing On Survival And Persistence Of Forbs Seeded Into A Species-Poor Grassland" (2007). Faculty Publications. 2642.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/facpub/2642
