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PF Peoria Talk

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Perspectives on Prairie Restoration

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PF Peoria Talk

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  1. Perspectives on Prairie Restoration: Creating More Diverse Functioning Habitat Shawn Schottler, Senior Scientist. St. Croix Watershed Research Station Science Museum of Minnesota

  2. Cup Plant, Micro Habitat - “life in the cup” Alga + organic detritus Rotifer, Zooplankton = “critter”, eats alga Cup Plant Silphium perfoliatum Ecological Function ~Habitat Habitat is more than bison, pheasants, and fox.

  3. What is good habitat (ecosystem function)? - Depends… - Variable - Don’t always know - Hard to Define Therefore…Strive for * Authenticity * High Floristic Diversity Assumption…If we maximize floristic (plant) diversity, we will maximize function

  4. … floristic diversity, a reference point Commonness Index Species CI Wild Rose 4850 Smooth Aster 4732 Yellow Coneflower 4003 Stiff Goldenrod 3685 Heath Aster 3680 Big Bluestem (grass) 3316 Flowering Spurge 3182 Showy Sunflower 2393 Needle Grass 2368 Wild Strawberry 2288 Panic Grass 1850 Bergamot 1818 Veiny Pea 1659 Coreopsis 1645 Little Bluestem 1360 15 most “common” species in Mesic Prairie (Henderson, 1998--compiled from Curtis)

  5. Many Restorations are Not Very Authentic And Not Very Diverse Our view 20 years ago. Native grasses are better than non-native grasses Brome Grass (non-native) Mix of Native Prairie Grasses Photo: Paul Bockenstedt Are they good habitat, Are our recipes good enough, Can we do better?

  6. How do we make this... …look (and function) like this ? Objectives of SCWRS Prairie Reconstruction Research 1. How do we maximize floristic (plant) diversity So what…does it matter (what is good habitat) 3. What is affordable?

  7. If we maximize diversity we will improve function …how do we maximize diversity?

  8. Singerous xcellensis, Patsy Cline Thumperous hardii, M. Ali A = Big Bluestem B = Blue-eye grass Andropogon gerardii Big Bluestem 6’ 4”; Aggressive Sisyrinchium campestre Blue-eye Grass. 6” tall, Sweet, tough, small stature Competition: The battle for the square foot. Who wins depends on … • Number seeds/ft2 • Ratio of A:B • Species: B A 1 ft2

  9. Singerous xcellensis, Patsy Cline But how far…? What if we seeded only conservative species Drawback: We need Ali to help keep the weeds out and conservative forbs expensive $ Munchious Earoff; M. Tyson W = Nasty Weeds, - Knapweed - Thistle - Parsnip B = Conservative Species $ 1 ft2 $ $ $ $ A = Aggressive Species $ $ So we could simply reduce the aggressive species? A B

  10. Hypothesis: There is an optimum seeding rate (seeds/ft2) ratio of competitive to conservative species planting technique that will maximize diversity.

  11. 1 D-03 NT 20 75:25 2 G-03 NT 40 75:25 3 N-03 NT 80 25:75 4 O-03 NT 80 50:50 10 C-03 NT 10 50:50 5 K-03 NT 60 25:75 6 I-03 NT 40 50:50 Control 8 H-03 NT 40 25:75 9 L-03 NT 60 50:50 11 A-03 NT 10 75:25 12 M-03 NT 80 75:25 13 J-03 NT 60 75:25 19 I-03 NT 40 50:50 14 H-03 NT 40 25:75 15 E-03 NT 20 25:75 16 B-03 NT 10 25:75 17 F-03 NT 20 50:50 18 K-03 NT 60 25:75 20 0-03 NT 80 50:50 21 N-03 NT 80 25:75 22 G-03 NT 40 75:25 23 D-03 NT 20 75:25 24 M-03 NT 80 75:25 30 J-03 NT 60 75:25 25 F-03 NT 20 50:50 26 K-03 NT 60 25:75 27 C-03 NT 10 50:50 28 I-03 NT 40 50:50 29 B-03 NT 10 25:75 31 E-03 NT 20 25:75 32 A-03 NT 10 75:25 33 M-03 NT 80 75:25 Control 35 J-03 NT 60 75:25 36 L-03 NT 60 50:50 37 C-03 DSp10 50:50 38 I-03 DSp 40 50:50 Control 41 H-03 NT 40 25:75 45 O-03 NT 80 50:50 54 L-03 DSp 60 50:50 40 B-03 NT 10 25:75 42 E-03 NT 20 25:75 43 A-03 NT 10 75:25 44 C-03 NT 10 50:50 46 G-03 NT 40 75:25 Control 48 L-03 NT 60 50:50 49 F-03 NT 20 50:50 50 N-03 NT 80 25:75 51 D-03 NT 20 75:25 52 0-03 DSp 80 50:50 53 F-03 DSp 20 50:50 90 C-03 DF 10 50:50 91 F-03 DF 20 50:50 92 I-03 DF 40 50:50 93 L-03 DF 60 50:50 94 O-03 DF 80 50:50 95 F-03 DF 20 50:50 96 O-03 DF 80 50:50 97 L-03 DF 60 50:50 99 F-03 DF 20 50:50 100 C-03 DF 10 50:50 101 I-03 DF 40 50:50 Control Control 103 C-03 DF 10 50:50 104 O-03 DF 80 50:50 105 I-03 DF 40 50:50 Control 107 L-03 DF 60 50:50 Seeding Rate /ft2 109 L-03 DSp 60 50:50 Control 112 F-03 DSp 20 50:50 113 C-03 DSp 10 50:50 111 O-03 DSp 80 50:50 108 I-03 DSp 40 50:50 88 F-03 DSp 20 50:50 89 C-03 DSp 10 50:50 85 I-03 DSp 40 50:50 86 O-03 DSp 80 50:50 87 L-03 DSp 60 50:50 10 20 40 60 80 Grass : Forb Ratio 75:25 50:50 25:75 Experimental Design: 10m x 10m Study Plots Level Topography, Uniform Soil Type (Sandy Loam) Broadcast seeded, and lightly dragged. Fall -- No Till Spring -- Tilled Fall, Tilled Spring -- Tilled

  12. Diversity as a Function of Forb seeds/ft2 Diversity controlled by forb seeding rate… As Forb Seed Rate Increase 2X… …Diversity Increase 50% Diversity ( H’) Forb Seeds / ft2

  13. Floristic Diversity and Number of Species As forb seeding rate increase 3X… …Diversity and richness increase 30-60% *If you plant more forbs you get more forbs…diversity

  14. But Not all Diverse plots look the same…? Why? High Diversity but high weeds -- 67 species -- 40 s/ft2 75% forbs -- weeds ~ 2.5/ft2 High Diversity and low Weeds -- 65 species -- 55 s/ft2 75% forbs -- weeds ~0.3/ft2 Higher ratio of aggressive forbs (e.g. yellow coneflower, bergamot…) Equal number of each species

  15. Forb Density vs. Weed Density Increasing Seeding rate by 4X… …decreased weeds by 2X. - when you plant more forbs, you get more forbs, …and fewer weeds

  16. Need aggressive forbs (yellow coneflower, bergamot, B.E. Susan) to compete with weeds Long-lived species Satis factionense Aggressive Forb brothers Fraternious hansonii var. hirsutus Need long lived forbs to maintain diversity …of Forb Seeding Rate, Weeds and Diversity Increasing Seeding rate by 4X, decreased weeds by 2X.

  17. Hypothesis: (Revised) There is an optimum seeding rate (seeds/ft2), ratio of competitive to conservative species W = Nasty Weeds, A = Aggressive Grasses In the battle for the square foot Long-lived species B = Conservative Forbs Satis factionense Aggressive Forb brothers Fraternious hansonii var. hirsutus and threshold amount of aggressive forbs and long-lived species that will maximize diversity

  18. Different groups of species fill different niches and create function …. you get what you plant!

  19. Conclusion: Plant more forbs + more species + high seeding rate = less weeds, greater floristic diversity Not totally wrong, but Not Quite Right Objective: Maximize Habitat/Function (we are not landscaping for plants)

  20. Floristic Diversity…..so what… does it really matter??? What is good habitat ? If we had restorations with different types of plant diversity we could compare and see which ones the critters prefer And plots need to be side-by-side

  21. St. Croix Study Site, Somerset Township North 1/4 acre WSG MP >80% Warm Season Grass, typical CRP, D’= 2.8 MP CSG CSG >70% Cool Season Grass, (non-native) D’= 3.5 MP WSG MP Mixed Prairie planting, high diversity >65% Forbs D’= 11 - 30 acre site, enrolled in CRP 1986

  22. Somerset Site- Grassland Reconstructions Compare pheasant and songbird nesting preferences, and small mammal abundances in side- by-side plots

  23. Post-burn pheasant nest survey method Use of prescribed fire to conduct surveys of previous years nesting attempt sites

  24. MP MP CSG MP WSG North 1/4 acre Pheasant Nest Attempts WSG >80% Warm Season Grass, typical CRP 2002 2004 2006 CSG >70% Cool Season Grass, typical pasture mix (non-native) MP Mixed Prairie planting, high diversity >65% Forbs

  25. I’m choosy If given a choice Pheasant and Duck Nests (or nest attempts) per acre Kruskal Wallis p =0.17 Nests / acre

  26. More plant species = more bird species SONGBIRD FEEDING AND USE PREFERENCES Individuals per hectare CSG WSG MP CSG = Cool Season Grass WSG = Warm Season Grass MP = High Diversity Mixed Prairie

  27. A bigger study site… Austin MN-- in partnership with Mower Co. Pheasants Forever Chapter • -planted fall 2005 • -compare starting in 2008 • pheasants • songbirds • small mammals • - Each plot = 11 acre • Uniform size and shape • (and flat) • -Much bigger than WI site Warm Season Grass High Diversity Tall, High Div. High Diversity Cool Season Grass Cool Season Grass Warm Season Grass Tall, High Div. Warm Season Grass High Diversity High Diversity Tall, High Div. Cool Season Grass Warm Season Grass High Diversity

  28. Mower County Study Site: Summer 2008

  29. Forb Rich Patches (high floristic diversity) Dicksissels Red Wing Blackbirds Clay-colored Sparrow Almost Exclusively High Diversity, Forb Patches Compare Songbird Habitat Preferences With side-by-side options

  30. Small Mammal Habitat Preferences With side-by-side options Grass Dominated Patches (lower floristic diversity) Meadow Vole (burned years) Strong Preference WSG-Patches

  31. Cool Season Grass Patches (low floristic diversity) Almost Exclusively Cool Season Grass, Short, (Brome) Songbird Habitat Preferences With side-by-side options Bobolinks Meadow Larks Henslow Sparrow

  32. …the moment of knowing, what we could have know all along Structural Diversity is just as important as Floristic Diversity Maximize habitat(s) types and function will increase

  33. Different plant combinations create different habitat It’s not the number of plant species it’s the number and type of habitats Different Plants Do Different Things

  34. Plant and structural diversity are nice, but it’s too expensive…

  35. Typical CRP/NRCS Mix We plant grasses because they are inexpensive and easy to grow! i.e. Forbs are expensive and Small seeded species don’t grow as well ???

  36. Big Bluestem 8,200 s/oz $5/lb $ 0.38 0.38 Yellow Coneflower 30,000 s/oz $45/lb 0.45 Grt. St. John Wort 190,000 s/oz $60/lb 0.20 Culvers Root 800,000 s/oz $375/lb 0.29 Wool Grass 1,700,000 s/oz $60/lb 0.02 White Indigo 1700 s/oz $120/lb $213.07 Forbs are expensive ? … what’s a good buy??? Price $ per 10,000 seeds Grt. Blue Lobelia 500,000 s/oz $300/lb

  37. An Alternative Mix---with lots of forbs $63 37 25 86 Same low cost More species 86% forbs More seeds/ft2 If we design by number of seeds…..

  38. Huge Cost Saving 15% more seed $60 40 0 100 0% Grass Forbs are Cheaper than Grass. All Forb Mix

  39. Don’t plant one big mix of all species, Make different plantings of different plant combinations Floristic (Plant) diversity is nice.. But habitat diversity is “better”… And affordable Practical, Take-home message

  40. Think Habitat… Think Habitat Structure Think Diversity of Habitat Types Common Ground Habitat (Structural Diversity) benefits…. Pheasant, Songbirds, Pollinators, Butterflies Ecological function Unites different groups as allies for conservation

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