How vegetation recovers from disturbances is an important question for land managers. We examined 500 m2 plots to determine the progress made by native herbaceous plant species in colonizing the edges of abandoned cultivated fields at different elevations and microclimates, but with similar soils in a big sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass steppe. Alien species, especially cheatgrass and cereal rye, were the major competitors to the natives. The native species with best potential for restoring steppe habitats were sulphur lupine, hawksbeard, bottlebrush squirreltail, needle-and-thread grass, Sandberg's bluegrass, and several lomatiums.
Revised: January 24, 2003 |
Published: December 1, 2002
Citation
Simmons S.A., and W.H. Rickard. 2002.Plant Succession at the Edges of Two Abandoned Cultivated Fields on the Arid Lands Ecology Reserve.Northwest Science 76, no. 1:85-89.PNNL-SA-36611.