2024 Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium
Location
John Deere Auditorium, Curris Business Building, University of Nothern Iowa
Presentation Type
Open Access Poster Presentation
Document Type
poster
Keywords
ecosystem services, pollinator habitat, tallgrass prairie, agricultural intensification, Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), seed mix design
Abstract
In Iowa, over 99% of tallgrass prairie has been converted to agricultural land. Intensive farming practices have been linked to habitat decline and reduced ecosystem services, which have severely impacted pollinator populations. The USDA Farm Services Agency established the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to provide incentives for landowners who enroll farmland to be restored to prairie. This study examined the effectiveness of CRP initiatives concerning the availability of floral resources throughout the season. We specifically wanted to know the effect of seed mix and planting time on the quantity and richness of floral resources, interactions between treatments, and the contributions of sown and unsown species for each treatment. The experiment followed a 3x2 factorial design comparing prairie plots planted with three different seed mixes at two dates (dormant and spring). The seed mixes included Economy (21 species, 3:1 grass:forb), Pollinator (38 species, 1:3), and Diversity (71 species, 1:1). From 26 June to 3 July 2024, we quantified floral resources in a quadrat survey and species richness in a perimeter walk. We expected to see greater floral resources in Pollinator and fewer in Economy, but due to high variation, there were no significant differences between the treatments or any interactions. Seed mix had the only significant impact on total and sown floral richness (p
Start Date
26-7-2024 11:00 AM
End Date
26-7-2024 1:30 PM
Event Host
Summer Undergraduate Research Program, University of Northern Iowa
Faculty Advisor
Laura Jackson
Department
Department of Biology
Department
Tallgrass Prairie Center
Copyright
©2024 Rachel G. Lursen, Madison Carleton, Laura Jackson
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Lursen, Rachel G.; Carleton, Madison; and Jackson, Laura, "Effects of Seed Mix Design and Planting Time on Mid-Summer Floral Resources in CRP Plantings" (2024). Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium. 30.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/surp/2024/all/30
Effects of Seed Mix Design and Planting Time on Mid-Summer Floral Resources in CRP Plantings
John Deere Auditorium, Curris Business Building, University of Nothern Iowa
In Iowa, over 99% of tallgrass prairie has been converted to agricultural land. Intensive farming practices have been linked to habitat decline and reduced ecosystem services, which have severely impacted pollinator populations. The USDA Farm Services Agency established the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to provide incentives for landowners who enroll farmland to be restored to prairie. This study examined the effectiveness of CRP initiatives concerning the availability of floral resources throughout the season. We specifically wanted to know the effect of seed mix and planting time on the quantity and richness of floral resources, interactions between treatments, and the contributions of sown and unsown species for each treatment. The experiment followed a 3x2 factorial design comparing prairie plots planted with three different seed mixes at two dates (dormant and spring). The seed mixes included Economy (21 species, 3:1 grass:forb), Pollinator (38 species, 1:3), and Diversity (71 species, 1:1). From 26 June to 3 July 2024, we quantified floral resources in a quadrat survey and species richness in a perimeter walk. We expected to see greater floral resources in Pollinator and fewer in Economy, but due to high variation, there were no significant differences between the treatments or any interactions. Seed mix had the only significant impact on total and sown floral richness (p
