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Drivers of Prairie Establishment During Post-Agricultural Ecosystem Restoration in Southwestern Ohio, USA

Thurston, Valerie
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1721901273035183

Abstract Details

2024, Master of Science (M.S.), University of Dayton, Biology.
Ecological restoration of degraded lands, such as abandoned agricultural fields, often requires establishing native species in challenging environmental conditions. The interruption of this process by invasive species poses a significant obstacle to native plant reestablishment. Woody invasive species like Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) outcompete native plants, creating favorable conditions for invasion and rendering post-agricultural fields unsuitable for native species establishment. Traditional methods for controlling invasive species require consistent upkeep and observation, but in tallgrass prairies, increasing the diversity and abundance of plants has shown some ability to decrease the number of invasive species in the area. In collaboration with community partners at Five Rivers Metroparks, our laboratory initiated an experiment on a 30-acre parcel of post-agricultural land in Trotwood, Ohio. Twenty 50 x 50m plots were established, each receiving one of four prairie seed mixes with varying levels of species diversity and legume content (n = 5 / seed treatment). These plots were further subdivided and treated with one of four soil amendments: mulch, whole soil, mulch & whole soil, and a control with no amendment. In this thesis I describe the findings of my botanical assessment of prairie establishment that was based on a vegetation survey conducted in the summer of 2023. I found that there is still a significantly smaller presence of invasive species compared to native species. The site is comprised of mainly native species (~80%), although this is mainly driven by species that were not seeded on the site. There is also a higher species richness in the higher diversity seed mix plots than the lower diversity seed mix plots, which shows some success in the different seed mixes. There was no correlation in the presence of legumes and the applied seeding treatments or soil amendments, and the legume species were primarily spontaneous species such as Trifolium repens. While there was success in establishing some of the species from the seeding treatments and the resulting plant community is native and diverse, there was still pressure from species in the surrounding areas colonizing the site. The research conducted continues to help gain a better understanding of the complex problem surrounding native restoration projects, particularly in the Midwest, and our ability to defend landscapes against invasion.
Ryan McEwan (Advisor)
Mariela Gantchoff (Committee Member)
Chelse Prather (Committee Member)
62 p.
Conservation; Ecology; Environmental Science
restoration; prairie restoration; old field restoration; post-agriculture; native prairie; biodiversity; seed treatments; soil amendments; callery pear; pyrus calleryana

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Thurston, V. (2024). Drivers of Prairie Establishment During Post-Agricultural Ecosystem Restoration in Southwestern Ohio, USA [Master's thesis, University of Dayton]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1721901273035183

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Thurston, Valerie. Drivers of Prairie Establishment During Post-Agricultural Ecosystem Restoration in Southwestern Ohio, USA. 2024. University of Dayton, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1721901273035183.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Thurston, Valerie. "Drivers of Prairie Establishment During Post-Agricultural Ecosystem Restoration in Southwestern Ohio, USA." Master's thesis, University of Dayton, 2024. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1721901273035183

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

dayton1721901273035183
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© 2024, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Dayton and OhioLINK.