Consequences of seed origin and biological invasion for early establishment in restoration of a North American grass species.

ABSTRACT: Local, wild-collected seeds of native plants are recommended for use in ecological restoration to maintain patterns of adaptive variation. However, some environments are so drastically altered by exotic, invasive weeds that original environmental conditions may no longer exist. Under these circumstances, cultivated varieties selected for improved germination and vigor may have a competitive advantage at highly disturbed sites. This study investigated differences in early establishment and seedling performance between wild and cultivated seed sources of the native grass, Poa secunda, both with and without competition from the invasive exotic grass, Bromus tectorum. We measured seedling survival and above-ground biomass at two experimental sites in western Montana, and found that the source

SUBMITTER: Herget ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4351099 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature