Data indicates that in the US, 53% of wetlands have been lost primarily due to agricultural practices (USACE 2008). The success of converting back to functioning wetlands is rife with accounts of exotic wastelands. These observations have been difficult to explain because agricultural practices may change nearly every aspect of an ecosystem (Kulmatiski et al. 2006). Initiating a starting point of simply establishing an appropriate species assemblage only begins a trajectory in restoring wetland functionality. Knowledge of the viable seed bank in conjunction with species specific responses to common agricultural practices such as grazing and ground water fluctuations due to changes in meadow hydrology can provide valuable information in predicting potential species composition. Seed viability can range from days to decades. The existing species composition in agricultural wetlands is often different from the associated seed bank because many species reproduce vegetatively, often in response to haying or grazing. Consequences of an altered community structure may include weed invasion or the suppression of species that may have historically been present and/or important components of the ecosystem. We hypothesize that resistance to weed invasion is a function of the maintenance of community structure, meadow hydrology, and biomass management. The purpose of this study is to compare the seed bank composition with depth to ground water data, biomass accumulation, and existing species composition within three dominant wetland communities to help determine the resiliency of the current state to weed invasion or the risk of transitioning to another state or phase. Knowledge of the seed bank can give insight about potential risks associated with management options such as irrigation manipulation, biomass removal, fire or other restoration techniques.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.