Get reliable rangeland science

In the northern Great Plains,�the resilience of perennial grasslands largely depends on successful tiller recruitment and establishment from belowground bud banks.�However, over the decades, these grasslands are rapidly invaded by introduced perennial grasses�Bromus�inermis�and transforming larger tracts of native prairies by replacing native perennial grasses, such as�Pascopyrum�smithii, reducing biodiversity and quality of habitats, and increasing vulnerability of grasslands to other environmental disturbances.�Therefore, this study aimed to understand effects of�intra-and inter-specific competition between native�P. smithii�and invasive�B. inermis�on belowground bud banks and tiller demography under frequent water and constant temperature condition.��A greenhouse experiment was consisted of five treatments including single�B. smithii, single�P. smithii, pairwise mono of�B. inermis, pairwise mono of�P. smithii, and pairwise mixed of�B. inermis�and�P. smithii�with 30 replications for each treatment. Double-leaf seedlings of each species were transplanted to individual potting-soil filled pot (16.5-cm dia.) based upon designated treatments. Each pot was watered every other day with 72-ml tap water for 98 days after transplanting. At the end of 98 days,�plants within each pot were carefully harvested and underground structures were washed free of soil. Each plant was dissected and classified into different generations. Within each generation, crown tillers, rhizome tillers, and buds were counted, and rhizome lengths were measured. Relative interaction index (Rii) of bud and tiller demography was used to calculate the competitive effect of the intra-and inter-specific competition between two species. Results from this study will enhance our understanding the potential utilizing reproduction and demography traits as important attributes of plant in response to disturbance. It will provide insights for developing strategies for sustainably manage non-native invaded perennial grasslands in remnant prairies of northern Great Plains.