The effect of standing litter and bird predation on the germination of a rare forb, Amsinckia grandiflora
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, CA (United States)
In the fall of 1993, we investigated the effect of litter on the germination of the federally-listed endangered plant, Amsinckia grandiflora. Nutlets were sown into plots established in both an area that had been manually cleared of all litter, as well as in an uncleared area. Within the uncleared area, three plots contained standing litter, and three plots had the litter clipped and left lying on the plot. Within the cleared area, three plots were covered with aviary netting, and three plots were left bare. All plots except those covered with aviary netting were instrumented with thermocouples. Germination rates, as well as diurnal surface soil temperatures, were obtained between November 19 and November 30, 1993. There was a significant difference between cleared and uncleared plots, with plots containing litter averaging more than five times the germination rate of cleared plots. There was no significant difference between the germination rates of the plots with standing or clipped litter, or between the bare and aviary netting treatments. Temperature data showed that, compared to plots with litter, cleared plots were warmer during the day and cooler at night. Little is known about the seed bank dynamics of Amsinckia grandiflora, and such a difference in germination success could have implications on restoration strategies for this rare annual forb.
- OSTI ID:
- 7273276
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940894-; CODEN: BECLAG
- Journal Information:
- Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America; (United States), Vol. 75:2; Conference: Annual Ecological Society of America (ESA) meeting: science and public policy, Knoxville, TN (United States), 7-11 Aug 1994; ISSN 0012-9623
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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