Plant Succession at the Edges of Two Abandoned Cultivated Fields on the Arid Lands Ecology Reserve

Journal Article · Sun Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 2002 · Northwest Science

OSTI ID:15002937

Simmons, Sally A ^[1]; Rickard, William H ^[1]

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1. OFFICE OF FELLOWSHIP PROG

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.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Department of Energy (US)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 15002937
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-36611; EW02J1370; TRN: US200420%%182
• Journal Information: Northwest Science, Vol. 76, Issue 1; Other Information: PBD: 1 Dec 2002
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ARID LANDS
CEREALS
DISTURBANCES
ECOLOGY
GRAMINEAE
MICROCLIMATES
PLANTS
RYE
SOILS