Browsing by Subject "Prairie restoration"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Biological Control of Canada Thistle in Wetland Prairie Restoration
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2007-10) Eichstaedt, Kari; Wyse, Donald; Johnson, Gregg
    Pseudomonas syringae pv. tagetis (Pst), a phytopathogenic bacterium, was evaluated as natural biological control agent for Canada thistle [Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.]. Canada thistle patches exhibiting symptoms of Pst infection commonly occur along roadsides in association with perennial grasses and a grass litter layer. Field experiments were conducted to determine if grass and litter provide an environment that supports Pst infection of Canada thistle or if grass, litter, and soil collected from infected Canada thistle patches act as inoculum sources for Pst infection of Canada thistle. This experiment provides evidence that grass and litter are important components of the landscape that support the natural Pst infection of Canada thistle, and perennial grass competition has potential to manage Canada thistle in roadside rights-of-way and wetland restoration sites. A previously published Pst specific primer set was determined to require high Pst populations for detection.
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    Culture and Re-introduction of Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizae in a Prairie Restoration
    (1994-08) Stenlund, Dwayne; Jacobson, Robert; Charvat, Iris D.
    This project sought to examine whether it was possible to re-introduce naturally occurring soil fungi called vesicular arbuscular (VA) mycorrhizae back into disturbed soils as part of a normal seeding operation for restoring a prairie. The project consisted of three phases; 1) a survey to determine the types of VA mycorrhizae occurring in different soils and vegetation types (i.e. general roadside, prairie remnant, prairie planting); 2) collect from the wild and then grow prairie VA mycorrhizae species in a greenhouse at the University of Minnesota; 3) install the VA mycorrhizae along with seed from a conventional native seed drill and monitor whether the cultured VA mycorrhizae formed mycotrophic associations with prairie species in the field. This project was a preliminary feasibility study and was not intended to answer long term questions regarding the possible benefits VA mycorrhizae may confer to roadside plantings or other prairie restorations. All phases of the project were successful. The survey indicated that differences in VA mycorrhizae composition exist between different sites. It is possible to produce VA mycorrhizae in a greenhouse by culturing on living plant hosts. The VA mycorrhizae produced was successfully installed along with seed into field plots and did form mycotrophic associations with newly planted prairie species. Preliminary results obtained from this project indicate that further investigation is warranted.
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    Reintroduction of Soil Mycorrhizae into Roadside Prairie Planting
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 1995-12) Charvat, Iris; Pawlowska, Teresa; Smith, Michael; Stenlund, Dwayne; Nichols, Kristine
    The three objectives of this project were as follows: (1.) to survey the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi from the prairies, wetlands, and Mn/DOT experimental sites in anticipation of using data as indicators of the sites' health, (2.) to produce mycorrhizal inocula by different methods and (3.) to incorporate the inoculum into a Mn/DOT restoration site. This project was the first year of a three year study that seeks to define the variability in the mycorrhizal spores and other structures present in different ecosystems and determine if these fungi can be used as indicator species. All phases of the project were successful. The preliminary results suggest the mycorrhizal fungal spore numbers will be useful health indicators of restoration sites. General and single spore mycorrhizal inocula were generated using primarily native grasses and forbs as plant hosts. The general inoculum was then incorporated into a Mn/DOT experimental site. Future evaluations of this site will help to answer long-term questions regarding the possible benefits of amending disturbed roadway plantings or other prairie restorations with mycorrhizal inoculum.
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    The Role of Prairie Restorations in the Conservation of Native Bee Communities Across a Gradient of Agricultural Land Use
    (2021-05) Lane, Ian
    Ecological restoration is an important tool in the conservation of tallgrass prairies and native bees in intensively farmed regions. However, these same agricultural landscapes may alter the types of bees that can colonize and persist in prairie restorations due to fragmentation and biotic homogenization. My dissertation explores how bee community diversity, heterogeneity, and composition in prairie restorations change in response to an increasing gradient of agricultural land cover in Western Minnesota. In an effort to better understand if agricultural land cover impacts the ability of prairies restorations to conserve at-risk bee species, I utilize this gradient to compare native bee communities in prairie restorations to those in prairie remnants, and attempt to compare differences in rare and declining species. Bee communities in prairie restorations were surprisingly diverse and heterogeneous despite high levels of agricultural land cover. While there were differences in bee community composition between restored and remnant prairies, these differences were related to dramatically different floral communities. Overall, my results show that bee communities in prairie restorations are surprisingly resilient to high proportions of surrounding agricultural land, and suggest that highly agricultural landscapes should not deter restoration and conservation practitioners from restoring degraded land in these regions.