Faculty Scholarly Dissemination Grants

Initial Results from a Michigan Sand Prairie Restoration Experiment: Nature or Nurture?

Department

Biology

College

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Date Range

2011-2012

Abstract

Sand prairie in Michigan, USA was a primary component of the state's historical oak-pine barrens ecosystem. However, sand prairie has been all but eliminated in the state and few attempts at restoring this ecosystem have been conducted. Our sand prairie restoration experiment, established in 2009 in the Manistee National Forest, seeks to develop a successful approach to restoring this ecosystem. Specifically, we examine the influence of variable seeding rates of native plant functional groups (graminoids, early season forbs, late season forbs, legumes) on plant community restoration success. Here we present data from 2011 that examines the impact of seeding on community variables since the initiation of the experiment and determine if seeded plots exhibit significant changes over and above changes expected in non-seeded (control) plots. Here we differentiate between changes due to succession (i.e. nature) from changes due to our restoration efforts (i.e. nurture).

Conference Name

Re-establishing the Link Between Nature and Culture

Conference Location

Merida, Yucatan, Mexico

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