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First-Year Establishment, Biomass and Seed
Production of Early vs. Late Seral Natives in
Two Medusahead (
Taeniatherum caput-
medusae
) Invaded Soils
Shauna M. Uselman, Keirith A. Snyder, Elizabeth A. Leger, and Sara E. Duke*
Re-seeding efforts to restore or rehabilitate Great Basin rangelands invaded by exotic annual grasses are expensive and
have generally achieved limited success. There is a need to identify new strategies to improve restoration outcomes. We
tested the performance of a native early seral seed mix (annual forbs, early seral grasses and shrubs) with that of a native
late seral mix representative of species commonly used in restoration when growing with medusahead in soils of
contrasting texture (sandy loam and clay loam) through the first growing season after seeding. Natives were also seeded
without medusahead. We found that the grasses and forbs in the early seral mix established significantly better than
those in the late seral mix, and the early seral mix significantly reduced aboveground biomass and seed production of
medusahead by 16 and 17%respectively, likely because of competition with the early seral native forb, bristly
fiddleneck. Medusahead performance was reduced in both soil types, suggesting utility of bristly fiddleneck in
restoration is not limited to only one soil type. In contrast, the late seral mix did not suppress medusahead
establishment, aboveground biomass or seed production. Although the native perennial grasses, particularly early seral
species, were able to establish with medusahead, these grasses did not appear to have a suppressive effect on medusahead
during the first growing season. Medusahead was able to establish and produce seeds on both soil types, demonstrating
an ability to expand its current range in the Intermountain West, though aboveground biomass and seed production
was higher in the clay loam. Our results suggest that certain species may play a key role in restoration, and that targeting
early seral species in particular to find additional native species with the ability to suppress exotic annual grasses is an
important next step in improving restoration outcomes in desert ecosystems.
Nomenclature: Medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae (L.) Nevski); bristly fiddleneck (Amsinckia tessellata A.
Gray).
Key words: Exotic annual grass, first-year establishment, functional traits, native plants, restoration, plant-soil
relationships.
Exotic annual grasses have invaded the Great Basin of
the western U.S. and altered the fire regime across millions
of hectares of rangeland ecosystems (D’Antonio and
Vitousek 1992; Pellant and Hall 1994). As a result,
extensive areas of sagebrush steppe, once dominated by
shrubs and perennial grass, have been converted or are at
risk to conversion to exotic annual grasslands (Bradley and
Mustard 2005). Restoration or rehabilitation to a more
diverse native plant community is desirable to improve
wildlife and livestock habitat and forage quality, increase
native species biodiversity, and reduce soil erosion and fire
risk, but efforts to re-seed burned and otherwise degraded
rangeland ecosystems often have only limited success
(Eiswerth and Shonkwiler 2006; Epanchin-Niell et al.
2009). The propagules of exotic annual grasses are
introduced by dispersal from nearby invaded sites and/or
remain sufficiently present in the seedbank to permit
reestablishment after fire (West and Young 2000), and it is
DOI: 10.1614/IPSM-D-13-00068.1
* First and second authors: Postdoctoral Research Associate and
Research Ecologist, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Great
Basin Rangeland Research Unit, Reno, NV 89512; third author:
Associate Professor, Department of Natural Resources and Envi-
ronmental Science, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV 89557;
fourth author: Statistician, USDA-Agricultural Research Service,
Southern Plains Area Office, College Station, Texas 77845. Current
address of first author: Department of Natural Resources and
Environmental Science, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV
89557. Corresponding author’s E-mail: s.uselman@sbcglobal.net
Invasive Plant Science and Management 2014 7:291–302
Uselman et al.: Use of early seral natives in restoration N291
thought that competition with exotics is a major barrier to
the re-establishment of natives during restoration efforts
(Brown et al. 2008).
Most seed mixtures used in rangeland re-seeding efforts
have traditionally relied on mid- to late-seral species
(Brown et al. 2008; Eiswerth and Shonkwiler 2006). Early
seral species and exotic annual grasses like medusahead
(Taeniatherum caput-medusae (L.) Nevski) are adapted to
post-disturbance conditions and share many similarities in
functional traits such as growth and resource acquisition
strategies. Research done in Idaho found that the early seral
native species squirreltail (Elymus elymoides (Raf.) Swezey)
is capable of invading and persisting in sites dominated
by exotic annual grasses (Hironaka and Sindelar 1973;
Hironaka and Tisdale 1963). Similar to exotic annual
grasses, early seral native species may be fast growing and/
or they may complete their growth cycle and reproduce
earlier in the growing season. Because of this greater niche
overlap, early seral species may compete more strongly
against exotic annual grasses than do later seral species
(Funk et al. 2008). As a result, seeding early seral species
may improve restoration success (Abella et al. 2012; Leger
et al. 2014).
In particular, differences in functional traits of early vs.
late seral species, such as accelerated growth phenologies,
may confer advantages to native early seral species during
the establishment phase when growing in the presence of
exotic annual grasses like medusahead. Although studies
have found that mature adults of some perennial plant
species can effectively compete with and may even suppress
exotic annual grasses (Blank and Morgan 2012; Booth et al.
2003; Borman et al. 1991; Chambers et al. 2007; Davies
2008; Humphrey and Schupp 2004), natives should have
the ability to perform well in the first year after seeding for
improved restoration outcomes. In this study, we compare
the performance of early seral natives with that of late seral
natives to examine whether early serals are able to establish
and perform better than late serals in the presence of
medusahead in the first year after seeding.
Soil type appears to be important in the invasion success
of medusahead, and may thus affect interactions between
medusahead and native species. It appears that medusahead
invasion is most closely associated with fine-textured to
moderately fine-textured soils, including clays and clay
loams (Dahl and Tisdale 1975; Young and Evans 1970),
which may be related to differences in water holding
capacity. However, limited observations have suggested
that medusahead is capable of expanding its current range
into more coarse-textured soils (Dahl and Tisdale 1975;
Young 1992), demonstrating the need for restoration
studies that compare plant performance in different soil
types.
Our overall goal was to evaluate the performance (i.e.,
establishment, aboveground biomass production, and seed
production) of the exotic annual grass medusahead and
native species mixtures, each composed of grass, forb, and
shrub functional groups, during first-year plant growth in a
common garden with two different soil types (a clay loam
and a sandy loam). Our first objective in this study was to
assess the potential suppressive effect of two native seed
mixes, one composed of early seral species versus a
representative traditional seed mix composed of late seral
species. We hypothesized that the early seral seed mix
would have a greater suppressive effect on medusahead
relative to the late seral seed mix, and that this effect would
be strongest in a sandy loam where medusahead is
presumed to be least well adapted based on anecdotal
observations. Our second objective was to compare the
relative performance of the two seed mixes when growing
in the presence of medusahead. We hypothesized that the
early seral seed mix would be more successful when
growing in the presence of medusahead. Our third
objective was to examine differences in medusahead
performance in the two soil types. We hypothesized that
medusahead would be most successful on a clay loam where
it is presumed to be most well adapted.
Materials and Methods
Selection of Species for Seed Mixes. Each seed mix was
composed of two species of perennial grasses, two forbs,
and one shrub. For the traditional seed mix, we chose
species that are representative of seeding mixes that have
been commonly used in past restoration seedings in the
Great Basin. We have termed this seed mix the late seral
seed mix because it is composed of species that are later
Management Implications
Medusahead is an exotic annual grass that that has invaded into
the Intermountain West of the U.S., reducing native species
biodiversity and increasing fire frequency. In a study of native and
medusahead performance, we found that the early seral native
annual forb, bristly fiddleneck, was an effective competitor with
medusahead in two soil types, significantly reducing biomass and
seed production by 16 to 17%. Given that this effect was relatively
small, further research to examine whether the use of increased
seeding density of bristly fiddleneck and/or whether greater
diversity of species in the seeding mix would enhance exotic
suppression is warranted. Native perennial grasses, particularly
early seral grasses, established in higher numbers than native forbs
and shrubs, demonstrating their importance in restoration
seedings. Although they did not appear to have a suppressive
effect on medusahead during their first growing season, perennial
grasses have been found to be effective competitors with exotic
annual grasses once mature. Our findings suggest that efforts to
find additional novel candidate species for seed mixtures may be
best focused on early successional species, similar to bristly
fiddleneck, to improve restoration/rehabilitation outcomes in
disturbed rangeland ecosystems.
292 NInvasive Plant Science and Management 7, April–June 2014
seral relative to the species in the early seral seed mix. The
following species were included: Palmer’s penstemon
(Penstemon palmeri A. Gray), gooseberryleaf globemallow
[Sphaeralcea grossulariifolia (Hook. & Arn.) Rydb.], Snake
River wheatgrass (Elymus wawawaiensis J. Carlson &
Barkworth ‘Secar’), Indian ricegrass [Achnatherum hyme-
noides (Roem. & Schult.) Barkworth ‘Rimrock’], and
Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ssp.
wyomingensis Beetle and Young). The early seral seed mix was
composed of the following species: bristly fiddleneck
(Amsinckia tessellata A. Gray), Veatch’s blazingstar (Mentzelia
veatchiana Kellogg), squirreltail [Elymus elymoides (Raf.)
Swezey], Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda J. Presl), and
rubber rabbitbrush [Ericameria nauseosa (Pall. ex Pursh) G.L.
Nesom & Baird]. Table 1 shows a comparison of functional
traits for the species in the early and late seral seed mixes.
Experimental Design and Implementation. Seeds of the
early seral native species and medusahead were hand-
collected from multiple wild populations in northern
Nevada, USA in 2010. Seeds of the late seral seed mix were
purchased from a commercial vendor (Comstock Seeds,
Gardnerville, NV, USA), following the procedure for a
typical restoration seeding. We tested seeds for viability
using tetrazolium staining (Association of Official Seed
Analysts 1988), as detailed in Forbis (2010).
Soils used for the experiments were collected from 0 to
15 cm (0 to 6 in) at multiple field locations in Wyoming
big sagebrush communities in northern Nevada, and
included a Wylo series (clayey, smectitic, mesic, Lithic
Argixeroll; hereafter referred to as the ‘‘clay loam’’) and a
Wedertz series (fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic
Durinodic Xeric Haplargid; hereafter referred to as the ‘‘sandy
loam’’) (Soil Survey Staff, NRCS). We collected the clay loam
soil from three sites along a 3-km (2-mi) transect off Buffalo
Meadows Road, north of the Smoke Creek Desert (approx-
imately 130 km N of Reno, 40u439N, 119u489W; 1,435 to
1,465 m (approximately 4700 to 4800 feet) elevation, and we
collected the sandy loam soil from three sites along a 5-km
transect at Bedell Flat (approximately 35 km N of Reno,
39u519N, 119u499W; 1,525 to 1,585 m elevation). For each
soil type, soil was collected from several locations at each of the
three sites and coarse sieved (12.5 mm; 0.5 in) in the field. For
each soil type, the soil collections were homogenized and filled
into pots by weight to approximate field bulk density.
A common garden approach was used to test exotic and
native plant performance in the two different soil types
while controlling for environmental conditions. Soil-filled
treepots (41 cm deep, 15 cm by 15 cm surface area;
TPOT2, Stuewe and Sons, Inc., Tangent, OR, USA)
containing either of the two soil types were sunk into the
ground at the University of Nevada Agricultural Experi-
ment Station in Reno, NV, USA. The two soil types
were randomly distributed across a 650 m
2
field, with
a minimum distance of 45 cm between pots, and the
study area was fenced to exclude small mammals. Two
experiments were performed concurrently, using complete-
ly randomized designs. First, we designed a 2 by 3 factorial
experiment to assess the performance of medusahead when
growing with and without the early seral and late seral
native seed mixes. This experiment was also designed to test
the relative performance of the early seral versus the late
seral seed mix when growing in the presence of the exotic.
There were two levels of soil type (clay loam and sandy
Table 1. Comparison of functional traits among species in the early vs. late seral seed mixes.
Species Functional traits Citations
Early seral seed mix:
Bristly fiddleneck Facultatively fall-emerging, annual,
disturbance-oriented
Forbis 2010
Veatch’s blazingstar Spring emerging, annual, disturbance-oriented Forbis 2010
Squirreltail Facultatively fall-emerging, perennial, earlier
maturing, disturbance-oriented
Hardegree et al. 2010; Hironaka and Tisdale
1972
Sandberg bluegrass Facultatively fall-emerging, perennial, earlier
maturing, disturbance-oriented
Blaisdell 1958; Hardegree et al. 2010
Rubber rabbitbrush Spring emerging, perennial, disturbance-oriented,
faster growing
Meyer et al. 1989
Late seral seed mix:
Palmer’s penstemon Spring emerging, perennial Meyer and Kitchen 1992
Gooseberryleaf globemallow Spring emerging, perennial Jorgensen and Stevens 2004
Snake River wheatgrass Facultatively fall-emerging, perennial, later maturing Ray-Mukherjee et al. 2011
Indian ricegrass Facultatively fall-emerging/spring-emerging,
perennial, later maturing
Jones 2009
Wyoming big sagebrush Spring emerging, perennial, slower growing Meyer et al. 1990
Uselman et al.: Use of early seral natives in restoration N293
loam) crossed with three levels of seed mix (early seral mix,
late seral mix, and no mix). Treatments that were composed
of only exotics were replicated 15 times (2 by 1 by 15 530),
while treatments that were composed of exotics with natives
were replicated 23 times (2 by 2 by 23 592), for a total of
122 experimental units. Because we anticipated greater
variation in treatments composed of a combination of
exotics and natives, we increased the replication for those
treatments. We designed a second fully randomized ‘No
Exotic’ experiment to evaluate the performance of the native
seed mixes when growing in the absence of medusahead.
Two levels of soil type (clay loam and sandy loam) were
crossed with two levels of seed mix (early seral mix and late
seral mix), and treatments were replicated 9 times (2 by 2 by
9) for a total of 36 experimental units. This experiment was
seeded at the same time, and performed concurrently with
the medusahead experiment.
In the medusahead experiment, 10 or 20 seeds were
sown by hand into randomized locations within each pot
using a 20-location fixed grid in October 2010. This
experiment used an additive design because we were
interested in testing the effect of the natives on medusa-
head. This is best achieved by maintaining a constant
density of the target exotic and varying the presence/
absence of the potential competitor, rather than using a
replacement series, which can confound potential effects of
intraspecific competition among medusahead seedlings
with effects of interactions with native species (Snaydon
1991). We used three species combinations: (1) exotic only
(10 seeds), (2) exotic (10 seeds) and early seral natives (10
seeds, consisting of two of each species), and (3) exotic (10
seeds) and late seral natives (10 seeds, consisting of two of
each species). In the ‘No Exotic’ experiment, 10 native
seeds were sown into randomized locations within each
pot, using two species combinations: (1) early seral natives
only (10 seeds, consisting of two of each species) and (2)
late seral natives only (10 seeds, consisting of two of each
species). For both experiments, we used seeding rates (i.e.,
10 native seeds pot
21
, or 444 seeds m
22
) that were within
the range of recommended seeding rates suggested for
rangelands (Monsen and Stevens 2004). All species
combinations were randomly assigned to pots containing
each of the two soil types (i.e., clay loam or sandy loam, see
above). Grasses were sown to a depth of 1.27 cm (0.5 in) to
simulate the use of a rangeland drill with a 0.5 in. depth
band. Forbs and shrubs were sown to a depth of 0.32 cm
(0.125 in) to achieve surface to near-surface seeding and
ensure seed-to-soil contact in seed placement, simulating
usage of a surface seeder or seed dribbler in large-scale
rangeland restoration/rehabilitation seedings (Stevens and
Monsen 2004). Seeds were placed by hand at the specified
depths and the soil surface was pressed closed.
Seeds were planted in October 2010 prior to significant
precipitation inputs and the onset of freezing temperatures
which is commonly required for stratification and/or
germination of cold desert plants, including species used
in this study (Table 1 citations). Seed viability testing
based on tetrazolium staining was completed after seed-
ing (Supplemental Appendix 1; http://dx.doi.org/10.1614/
IPSM-D-13-00068.SA1). Because of the low seed viability
of the two shrubs (rubber rabbitbrush, 25%; Wyoming big
sagebrush, 56%), we re-seeded both species in January of
2011. For rubber rabbitbrush, each grid location received
an additional three seeds; and for Wyoming big sagebrush
each grid location received an additional one seed, to bring
the final addition of viable seed to approximately 100%.
Beginning in late spring/early summer 2011, we began
intensively monitoring and collecting seeds once they
matured, by species and by pot. This was done as often as
daily during peak seed production. As an added precaution
against seed loss, we placed mesh screening material
(1.5 mm) around the pots as needed. This mesh size was
adequate to trap seeds with their reproductive structures, as
the species with the smallest seeds (Palmer’s penstemon and
Veatch’s blazingstar) did not produce flowers during the
study. At the termination of seed production, we counted
the number of surviving individuals and collected
aboveground biomass by species and by pot. Annuals were
senescent at the time of biomass collection. Because of
differences in growth and reproductive phenologies of the
species, collections spanned through the end of fall (Dec.
2011). Biomass samples were oven-dried at 65 uC (149 uF)
to constant mass, then weighed. Biomass of seeds produced
during the experiment was separated from non-reproduc-
tive biomass for seed count.
Total precipitation was collected continuously using a
tipping bucket rain gauge fitted with a precipitation
adapter for snowfall in winter months. Air temperature
data was collected adjacent to the study site (Western
Regional Climate Center, DRI). We included several
additional pots of each soil type with no plants (4 by 2) in
order to evaluate the behavior of the two soil types under
the same environmental conditions during the study
period. One pot of each soil type was instrumented for
continuous soil volumetric water content (VWC) using
Campbell CS616 Water Content Reflectometer probes
(Campbell Scientific, Inc., Logan, UT, US), installed
vertically to integrate soil VWC (%) over a depth of 0 to
30 cm. In addition, we used a hand-held probe (CD620,
CS620, Campbell Scientific, Inc.) to measure soil VWC
every 1 to 3 wk in the other pots (n53 for each soil type).
We took measurements integrating 0 to 12 cm (October
2010 to January 2012) and 0 to 20 cm (March 2011 to
January 2012). Soil VWC data was summarized as daily
averages or point measurements by depth increment. We
determined the permanent wilting point (21.5 MPa by
convention) for both soil types (n53) using a WP4
Dewpoint Potentiameter (Decagon Devices, Inc.).
294 NInvasive Plant Science and Management 7, April–June 2014
Data Analysis. ANOVA was used to assess differences
among seed mix and soil type for establishment (plants
pot
21
), aboveground biomass (g pot
21
) and seed produc-
tion (seeds pot
21
). For medusahead, models included the
following factors: seed mix (early mix, late mix, no seed
mix) and soil type (clay loam, sandy loam). For natives,
models included the following factors: seed mix (early mix,
late mix), soil type (clay loam, sandy loam), and functional
group (grass, forb, shrub). We did not directly compare
native species in the context of our treatment structure,
instead focusing on functional groups and the overall
effects of the early/late seral mix. Tukey-Kramer HSD tests
were performed to compare means when model effects
were significant. Prior to statistical analysis, biomass and
seed production of medusahead data and establishment of
natives growing with medusahead data were log-trans-
formed (i.e., log
10
[X+1]) to meet assumptions of homo-
geneity of variance and normal distribution of residuals. As
expected, there was greater variation in native establishment
among our replicates with both natives and medusahead.
We initially considered the inclusion of natives data (e.g.,
native establishment) as covariates in the medusahead
models, but this failed to improve model fits and did not
change results. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to
assess differences in point measurements of soil VWC
between the two soil types for each depth increment.
Differences between the moisture content of the two soil
types were determined for each sampling date by testing the
one degree of freedom hypothesis of difference between
treatments (slice tests). Prior to analysis, VWC data was
arcsine-transformed (i.e., transformed by the arcsine of the
square root of the proportion) (Zar 1996). All data were
analyzed using JMP 9.0 statistical analysis software (SAS
Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA), with a50.05 set as the
significance level. Figures and tables show mean 61 SE.
Results
Environmental Variables. Although the study site received
somewhat regular inputs of precipitation during the winter
and spring, there was an extended dry period after early
June of 2011 (Figure 1a). For the 2011 water year, total
precipitation (253 mm) was above average for Reno, NV
(178 mm, Western Regional Climate Center, DRI), but it
was within the average range for the Wyoming big
sagebrush zone of sagebrush steppe in the Great Basin
(Goodrich et al. 1999). Although soil moisture was
relatively high during most of the cold wet season, the
period of drought during the summer and fall resulted in
an extended and severe dry down of soil moisture. This is
reflected in very low soil VWC values by late summer that
continued into the fall of 2011 (Figure 1b). Soil VWC
differed significantly between the two soil types over the
course of the study for the 0 to 12 cm (F5239.90
1,5.776
,
P,0.0001) and for the 0 to 20 cm depth increments (F5
315.05
1,4.86
,P,0.0001), for all sampling dates (P ,
0.0001, all dates, both depth increments). Both soil types
began approaching critically low levels of soil moisture in
July (sandy loam) or August (clay loam). For the sandy
loam, the soil VWC did not differ between the 0 to 12 cm
and 0 to 20 cm depth increments after mid-July onwards
(P .0.05, all dates). However, for the clay loam it was
higher in the 0 to 20 cm vs. 0 to 12 cm depth increment
from 24 June through 19 September (P ,0.05, all dates).
Initially as the soils began to dry down in early summer, the
clay loam maintained higher water availability longer than
the sandy loam, particularly in the deeper depth increment.
Establishment (plants pot
21
). Establishment of medusa-
head was not affected by seed mix (F50.25
2,115
,P5
Figure 1. Environmental conditions at the study site from
October 1, 2010 through January 1, 2012. In (a), total daily
precipitation (mm) and average daily air temperature (uC) are
shown. In (b), soil volumetric water content (VWC, %) is shown
for both soil types. Note that VWC was measured periodically
using a handheld probe for the 0 to12 cm and 0 to 20 cm depths
(n53), while VWC was measured continuously for the 0 to
30 cm depth (daily average values shown, n51). The
permanent wilting point (21.5 MPa by convention; PWP) is
indicated with a colored reference line (blue 5clay loam and red
5sandy loam). Below the PWP, soil water is unavailable for
plant uptake. See text for methods details.
Uselman et al.: Use of early seral natives in restoration N295
0.78), but it was significantly higher in sandy loam than
clay loam (F59.38
1,115
,P50.003) (Figure 2a).
However, establishment was overall very high in all
treatments and ranged from 83 to 93%.
When growing with medusahead, establishment of early
seral natives was higher than that of late seral natives for
grasses and forbs but not for shrubs (seed mix by functional
group interaction; F54.04
2,261
,P50.02) (Figure 2a).
Additionally, native grasses generally exhibited higher
establishment than forbs and shrubs. Establishment of
grasses was higher in sandy loam than clay loam, while
establishment of forbs and shrubs was not significantly
affected by soil type (soil type by functional group
interaction; F531.50
2,261
,P,0.0001).
When growing alone, native establishment varied with
seed mix, soil type, and functional group (seed mix by soil
type by functional group interaction; F53.96
2,96
,P5
0.02) (Figure 2b). Early seral grasses exhibited higher
establishment than late seral grasses in sandy loam but not
in clay loam, while the other functional groups did not
differ significantly by seed mix or soil type. Additionally,
early seral grasses had higher establishment in sandy loam
than clay loam, but late seral grasses were not affected by
soil type. For the most part, establishment of native grasses
was higher than forbs and shrubs, except for early seral
grasses growing in clay loam.
Aboveground Biomass Production (g pot
21
) and Seed
Production (seeds pot
21
). Aboveground biomass produc-
tion and seed production of medusahead were significantly
affected by seed mix (F54.84
2,115
,P50.01 and F5
3.69
2,115
,P50.03, respectively) and soil type (F5
41.82
1,115
,P,0.0001 and F524.78
1,115
,P,0.0001,
respectively) (Figures 3a and 4a). Both biomass and seed
production of medusahead were significantly suppressed by
the early seral seed mix relative to when the exotic was
growing alone, although this effect was relatively small.
Averaged across both soil types, the reduction in exotic
aboveground biomass and seed production was 16 and
17%, respectively. The exotic biomass and seed production
were more strongly reduced in the sandy loam (21 and
22%, respectively) than in the clay loam (13 and 14%,
respectively). In contrast, biomass and seed production of
medusahead were not suppressed by the late seral seed mix.
Additionally, biomass and seed production of the exotic
were 66 and 59%higher in the clay loam than the sandy
loam, respectively.
When growing with medusahead, native aboveground
biomass production and seed production varied by seed
mix, soil type, and functional group (seed mix by soil type
by functional group interaction; F53.83
2,261
,P50.02
and F54.21
2,261
,P50.02, respectively) (Figures 3a and
4a). Both biomass and seed production of early native forbs
was higher in clay loam than sandy loam: all other native
treatment group means were zero or near zero.
When growing alone, native aboveground biomass and
seed production varied by seed mix and functional group
(seed mix by functional group interaction; F57.55
2,96
,P
50.0009 and F56.04
2,96
,P50.003, respectively)
(Figures 3b and 4b). Early seral native production was
higher than late seral native production for forbs, but not
for grasses and shrubs. In the early seral mix, production of
native forbs exceeded that of the other functional groups.
In addition, both biomass and seed production of natives
were higher in clay loam relative to sandy loam (F5
3.84
1,96
,P50.05 and F54.29
1,96
,P50.04,
respectively).
Discussion
We found that the early seral seed mix had higher
establishment than the late seral mix because of the
Figure 2. Establishment (%of seeded) of the exotic and natives
for each functional group, shown by soil type and by seed mix for
the (a) Medusahead experiment, and (b) ‘No Exotic’ experiment
with only natives. Mean 6SE. Statistical analyses were
performed on establishment as
#
plants pot
21
, but establishment
is shown as %for ease of viewing.
296 NInvasive Plant Science and Management 7, April–June 2014
performance of grasses and forbs, and that the early seral
mix resulted in small but significant reductions in
aboveground biomass and seed production of the exotic
medusahead in both soil types. In contrast, the late seral
seed mix did not suppress establishment, aboveground
biomass or seed production of the exotic. Although native
grasses established in the presence of medusahead, native
grass aboveground biomass and seed production was
negligible during the first year after seeding with the
exotic. However, it should be noted that seed production of
perennial grasses would not be expected to be high in the
first year of growth. Only the native early seral forb
functional group was able to produce any substantive
aboveground biomass or seeds (Figures 3a and 4a). Because
one of the early seral forbs (Veatch’s blazingstar) had no
establishment (Table 2), biomass and seed production of
the early seral forbs was due entirely to the other species,
bristly fiddleneck. As the native grasses remained very
small, using few resources for growth and reproduction
during the first year of growth, it seems unlikely that
they negatively impacted medusahead. Thus, our findings
suggest that bristly fiddleneck was mostly responsible for
the suppression of medusahead biomass and seed produc-
tion during this first growing season.
Performance of invaders is reduced when resident
communities include natives that overlap in resource-use
functional traits (Brown and Rice 2010; Fargione et al.
2003; Young et al. 2009), and certain native species in
particular may be especially effective competitors with
exotics (Abella et al. 2012; Thomsen and D’Antonio
2007). Similar to medusahead, bristly fiddleneck is a fast-
growing winter annual capable of establishing and thriving
in post-disturbance conditions. Seedlings of bristly fiddle-
neck had an earlier emergence phenology than all other
native species in this study, except grasses, and although
they did emerge later than medusahead, bristly fiddleneck
Figure 3. Aboveground biomass production (g pot
21
) of the
exotic and natives for each functional group, shown by soil type
and by seed mix for the (a) Medusahead experiment, and (b) ‘No
Exotic’ experiment with only natives. Biomass is distinguished
between reproductive (i.e., seeds; no hash marks) and non-
reproductive biomass (hash marks). Mean 6SE. Note that
native grasses do not appear in (a) because their biomass was
,0.1 g pot
21
in all treatment combinations.
Figure 4. Seed production (seeds pot
21
) of the exotic and
natives for each functional group, shown by soil type and by seed
mix for the (a) Medusahead experiment, and (b) ‘No Exotic’
experiment with only natives. Mean 6SE.
Uselman et al.: Use of early seral natives in restoration N297
Table 2. Establishment, shown as number of individuals (and as percentage of seeded
a
), for each species by treatment (mean 6SE).
Treatment
Species
b
Exotic Native Grasses Native Forbs Native Shrubs
TACA ELEL POSE ELWA ACHY AMTE MEVE PEPA SPGR ERNA ARTR
Establishment as no. individuals
(and as %of seeded)
Medusahead expt.
Clay loam
No Mix 8.3 60.3——————————
(83 63)——————————
Early Mix 8.6 60.3 0.7 60.2 0.7 60.1 — — 0.5 60.2 0 — — 0 —
(86 63) (35 68) (35 67) — — (26 68) (0) — — (0) —
Late Mix 8.7 60.3 — — 0.7 60.2 0.3 60.1 — — 0 0 — 0
(87 63) — — (33 68) (17 66) — — (0) (0) — (0)
Sandy loam
No Mix 9.3 60.2——————————
(93 62)——————————
Early Mix 9.0 60.2 1.4 60.2 1.5 60.1 — — 0.2 60.1 0 — — 0 —
(90 62) (70 68) (75 66) — — (9 65) (0) — — (0) —
Late Mix 9.2 60.2 — — 1.5 60.1 0.6 60.1 — — 0 0 — 0
(92 62) — — (76 65) (30 67) — — (0) (0) — (0)
No Exotic expt.
Clay loam
Early Mix 0.9 60.3 0.3 60.2 — — 0.9 60.3 0 — — 0.3 60.2 —
(44 615) (17 68) — — (44 615) (0) — — (17 612) —
Late Mix — — 1.0 60.3 0.4 60.2 — — 0.2 60.1 0 — 0.1 60.1
— — (50 614) (22 69) — — (11 67) (0) — (6 66)
Sandy loam
Early Mix 1.4 60.2 1.4 60.2 — — 0.2 60.1 0 — — 0.9 60.3 —
(72 69) (72 69) — — (11 67) (0) — — (44 613) —
Late Mix — — 1.2 60.2 0.6 60.2 — — 0 0 — 0
— — (61 611) (28 69) — — (0) (0) — (0)
a
100%establishment of the exotic species is equivalent to 10 plants established (out of 10 seeded), while 100%establishment of native species is equivalent to 2 plants
established (out of 2 seeded).
b
Species codes are as follows: TACA (T. caput-medusae; medusahead), ELEL (E. elymoides; squirreltail), POSE (P. secunda; Sandberg bluegrass), ELWA (E.
wawawaiensis; Snake River wheatgrass), ACHY (A. hymenoides; Indian ricegrass), AMTE (A. tessellata; bristly fiddleneck), MEVE (M. veatchiana; Veatch’s blazingstar),
PEPA (P. palmeri; Palmer’s penstemon), SPGR (S. grossulariifolia; gooseberryleaf globemallow), ERNA (E. nauseosa; rubber rabbitbrush), and ARTR (A. tridentata ssp.
wyomingensis; Wyoming big sagebrush).
298 NInvasive Plant Science and Management 7, April–June 2014
seedlings grew very quickly (Uselman et al., personal
observation). In February, newly emerged seedlings were
slightly smaller, if not already comparable in size to
medusahead seedlings, and by mid-April they exceeded the
size of medusahead seedlings. Bristly fiddleneck are tap-
rooted plants that can ultimately achieve a larger stature
than medusahead plants, and like medusahead, can
produce a copious number of seeds. Both species actively
grow during an overlapping time period and compete for
limiting resources. These similarities in functional traits
could explain why medusahead biomass and seed produc-
tion was significantly lower when growing with bristly
fiddleneck. Strong suppressive effects of bristly fiddleneck
have been observed with the exotic annual grass downy
brome (Bromus tectorum L.) when the forb was seeded at
higher densities (Leger et al. 2014), indicating it may have
potential as a restoration species in invaded habitats.
Unexpectedly, we found similar responses in the two soil
types; this is promising because it suggests that the use of
this native species for restoration may be possible in a
variety of sites.
Although the performance of medusahead was signifi-
cantly reduced by the presence of bristly fiddleneck, the
rates of medusahead seed production were high in all
treatments (Figure 4), so the magnitude of this reduction
would likely not result in a large biological effect. An
increased seeding density of bristly fiddleneck or inclusion
of different native species in the early seral seed mix may
further reduce the performance of medusahead. In this
study, we used a seeding rate of two seeds pot
21
for bristly
fiddleneck because it was one of five native species included
in the early seral seed mix. While the total native seeding
rate (i.e., 10 native seeds pot
21
, or 444 seeds m
22
) was
within the range of rates typically used in semiarid
rangeland seedings, this rate was effectively lowered because
some species had low or negligible establishment, including
Veatch’s blazingstar, gooseberryleaf globemallow, and
Wyoming big sagebrush (Table 2). Higher native seeding
rates may result in increased establishment for native
species in general (Hardegree et al. 2011; Mazzola et al.
2011; Seabloom 2011), though it is important to consider
the biology of specific species, forbs in particular, in order
to minimize potential negative interactions between the
desired seeded species when designing restoration seed
mixtures (Parkinson et al. 2013). Greater diversity of native
species, including native annuals, may also result in
increased establishment in restoration seedings, especially
given differences among species in environmental cues
required for germination and other growth stages. For
example, in an assessment of seven native annual forbs over
the past .100 yr in the Great Basin, Leger (2013) found
that species performance differed with climate variables
related to temperature and precipitation and suggested that
this type of information could be used to design a native
species mix for restoration with species that would perform
well in differing climate years. Thus, inclusion of a greater
diversity of seeded native species as a form of community
‘bet-hedging’ against inter-annual climate variability, in
addition to higher seeding rates of bristly fiddleneck, may
result in better suppression of medusahead and improved
restoration outcomes. Testing in multiple years would be
informative.
The capacity of bristly fiddleneck to reduce aboveground
biomass and seed production of medusahead suggest that it
may play a role in facilitating succession to a more desirable
late seral vegetation state, though bristly fiddleneck is not a
forage species itself. In a greenhouse study, the inclusion of
native annuals with desirable native perennial species
reduced downy brome biomass without reducing the desired
species biomass (Perry et al. 2009). Bristly fiddleneck has
been found to facilitate the growth rate of the native grass
squirreltail when growing in the presence of downy brome
(Leger et al. 2014). In the Mojave Desert, Abella et al.
(2012) found that early successional communities were more
effective at limiting the establishment of exotic grasses. An
early successional forb community (largely driven by a single
forb species) substantially reduced biomass production of
red brome (Bromus rubens L.) and was least invasible by this
invasive annual grass (Abella et al. 2012). Taken together,
our results and those of Abella et al. (2012) suggest that
certain species may play a key role in restoration, and that
identification of additional early seral native species with the
ability to suppress exotic annual grasses is an important next
step in improving restoration outcomes in desert ecosystems.
Native grasses had higher first-year establishment than
either the native forb or shrub species in this study, and the
early seral native grasses had higher establishment than
late seral native grasses when seeded with medusahead
(Figure 2a). Although the native grasses remained very
small during the first growing season when seeded with
medusahead, they may be capable of persisting within a
mixed native-exotic community and may later become
competitive with exotics in the second year of growth
(e.g., Ferguson 2012; Humphrey and Schupp 2004). In
comparison to exotic annual grasses, native perennial
grasses have been found to be at a competitive disadvantage
in the seedling stage (Aguirre and Johnson 1991; James et
al. 2011) and juvenile mortality can be very high during the
first growing season (Mazzola et al. 2011; Pyke 1990).
During the early establishment of perennial seedlings that
germinate and emerge in the fall, slowed root growth
relative to exotics during cold winter months (i.e., winter
dormancy) is thought to be an important reason for failure
of some natives to establish in stands of exotic annual
grasses (Harris 1977). Although native grasses demonstrat-
ed an ability to persist through the first year of growth, data
from our study do not indicate whether native perennials
will suppress medusahead in a second year of growth.
Uselman et al.: Use of early seral natives in restoration N299
Notably though, bristly fiddleneck seed production was
comparable to that of medusahead in the first year (in
terms of seeds individual
21
, data not shown), and presence
of this native annual in the second year may facilitate native
grasses, as has been observed with downy brome (Leger et
al. 2014). Additional study is needed to determine the
longer term outcome.
Our data support observations and suggestions that
medusahead is a highly competitive plant (Davies and
Svejcar 2008; Young 1992; Young and Mangold 2008),
capable of expanding its current range (Dahl and Tisdale
1975; Johnson and Davies 2012; Young 1992). Establish-
ment of medusahead was slightly but significantly higher on
the sandy loam, but it was high in all treatments (ranging
from 83 to 93%; Figure 2a). Medusahead roots have a well-
developed endodermis, protecting them against water loss
during periods of very low soil moisture (Harris 1977;
Hironaka 1961). This is an important adaptation that may
help explain the very low rates of attrition for this species.
Although medusahead was able to successfully establish in
both soil types, the exotic’s production of aboveground
biomass and seeds were, as predicted, 66 and 59%higher on
the clay loam, respectively (Figures 3a and 4a). In addition,
the suppressive effect of the early seral mix on the exotic was
weaker in the clay loam relative to the sandy loam, suggesting
that medusahead is better adapted to the finer textured soil.
The clay loam maintained higher water availability longer
than the sandy loam, particularly in deeper depths, as the soils
began to dry down in summer (Figure 1b). Medusahead was
likely able to benefit from this greater availability of water for
growth and reproduction during its maturation in July.
Although differences in water holding capacity between the
two soil types can help explain the observed differences in
plant performance, we cannot rule out the possibility that
other factors (e.g., pathogens) may have also affected
performance. Medusahead average per capita seed produc-
tion was 282 614 seeds plant
21
in the sandy loam compared
to 477 620 seeds plant
21
in the clay loam, so although seed
production was lower in the sandy loam it was still relatively
high. It should be noted that medusahead-invaded sites that
are severely degraded would likely require weed control prior
to seeding natives (e.g., Kyser et al. 2013).
Our key findings were that early seral grasses and forbs
were better at establishing with medusahead than were late
seral species, and that the early seral native annual forb
bristly fiddleneck was an effective competitor with the
exotic annual grass medusahead, reducing biomass and seed
production of the exotic by a small but significant amount.
Results of our study point to a promising line of new
potential studies. It would be informative to examine the
response of medusahead to differing seeding densities of
bristly fiddleneck to establish an optimal rate that would
provide the greatest suppressive effect on medusahead
biomass and seed production. Additionally, a greater
number of species in the seeding mix may enhance
medusahead suppression and improve restoration success.
Notably, native perennial grasses, especially early seral
species, were able to establish in the presence of medusa-
head in higher numbers than native forbs or shrubs,
demonstrating their importance in restoration, though they
did not appear to have a suppressive effect on the exotic
during the first growing season. Additional research is
needed to assess the impact of native perennial grasses
seeded with medusahead over a longer time frame to
discover whether these species may suppress the exotic
during later stages of community development. Of utmost
importance, future research identifying novel candidate
species for seed mixtures will be instrumental for
improving the success of native plant community restora-
tion in desert ecosystems. Results of this study and others
(Abella et al. 2012; Leger et al. 2014) suggest that efforts
focusing on early successional species in particular may be
most likely to result in improved restoration outcomes in
disturbed arid and semi-arid systems.
Acknowledgments
This research was partially supported by the Great Basin
Native Plant Selection and Increase Project, U.S. Forest
Service. We thank Nancy Shaw, who made the completion of
this project possible. This research was conducted at the
Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station, University of
Nevada-Reno (UNR), and we thank Bo Kindred and his
staff. Dr. T. Forbis contributed to the initial design of this
study. We also thank Dr. E. Goergen for many helpful
conversations. We appreciate the assistance of S. Lencioni and
S. Li in data collection; C. Bacher, M. Newell, A. Smith, M.
Stout, B. Wehan, and J. Whipple also helped collect data. S.
Swim, B. Raitter, T. Jones, D. Harmon, and T. Bobo assisted
with seed and/or soil collection. T. Jones, C. Clements, S. Li,
B. Raitter, and D. Harmon helped in implementing the
common garden. We thank A.J. Tiehm of the UNR
Herbarium for verifying plant identification. We also thank
the editor and anonymous reviewers for comments on an
earlier version of this manuscript.
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Received September 13, 2013, and approved January 8, 2014.
302 NInvasive Plant Science and Management 7, April–June 2014
