Lack of Native Vegetation Recovery Following Biological Control of Leafy Spurge |
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| Authors: | Jack L Butler Stefanie D Wacker |
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| Institution: | 1. Supervisory Ecologist, US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Forest and Grassland Research Laboratory, Rapid City, SD 57702, USA;2. Ecologist, US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Forest and Grassland Research Laboratory, Rapid City, SD 57702, USA;1. Assistant Professor, State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.;2. Associate Professor, Agriculture and Ecology Research Department, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China.;3. Visiting Scholar, School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA.;4. Professor, School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA.;1. Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, R3B 2E9;2. Undergraduate Student, Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, R3B 2E9;3. Ecologist Team Leader, Parks Canada Agency, Inuvik, NT, Canada, X0E 0T0;1. Graduate Research Assistant, School of Natural Resource Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102, USA;2. Assistant Professor, School of Natural Resource Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102, USA;1. Authors are Research Assistant, Department of Animal and Rangeland Sciences, Oregon State University, La Grande, OR 97850, USA;2. Associate Professor, Department of Agriculture, Veterinary, and Rangeland Science, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89512, USA;3. Associate Professor, Eastern Oregon Agriculture and Natural Resources Program, Oregon State University, La Grande, OR 97850, USA;4. Affiliate Associate Professor, University of Idaho, Department of Forest, Range and Fire Sciences, Moscow, ID 83844;5. Geographer, Pacific Northwest Research Station Forestry and Range Sciences Lab, USDA Forest Service, La Grande, OR 97850, USA.;1. Powder Basin Watershed Council, Baker City, OR 97814, USA;2. Department of Animal and Rangeland Sciences, Oregon State University, Agriculture and Natural Resources Program, Eastern Oregon University, La Grande, OR 97850, USA;3. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Forage and Range Research Lab, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA |
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| Abstract: | Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.) is an aggressive exotic species that has been successfully suppressed in a variety of situations using classical biological control (flea beetles; Aphthona spp.). This 9-yr study investigated patterns of vegetation responses following significant reductions in leafy spurge cover and density by flea beetles in southeastern Montana. We hypothesized that the vegetation following leafy spurge suppression would be dominated by species and plant functional groups able to persist through heavy infestations. Flea beetles were first released in 1998, and by 2006 leafy spurge foliar cover was reduced 80% to 90% compared to 1998 values on both release and nonrelease plots. Although total cover of the resident vegetation, excluding leafy spurge, increased 72% to 88%, relative cover of the functional groups (native forbs, native sedges, native grasses, and non-native species) was similar among years and between release and nonrelease plots. Mean diversity and mean species richness values did not differ among years or between release and nonrelease plots (P < 0.05), but mean diversity on both release and nonrelease plots was significantly less than noninfested plots, although richness was similar (P < 0.05). Indicator species analysis revealed that non-native Poa spp. replaced leafy spurge as the dominant species on release and nonrelease plots. Conversely, noninfested plots contained a variety of native species with high indicator values. Although total abundance of the resident vegetation in 2006 was significantly greater than 1998, plant species composition and relative cover showed little change for the duration of the study. Failure of the native vegetation to recover to a community that approached nearby noninfested conditions may be attributed to a variety of interacting scenarios, some of which may be ameliorated by treating infestations as soon as possible to avoid long-term residual effects. |
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