Biology subjects

Barga, S. C.

Publications and source records attributed to Barga, S. C..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Not all seed transfer zones are created equal: Using fire history to identify seed needs in the Cold Deserts of the Western US

Restoration planning requires a reliable seed supply, yet many projects occur in response to unplanned events. Identifying regions of greater risk could help guide seed procurement. Using fire perimeters (2000-2019), we investigated differences in fire occurrence (frequency, area burned, percent of area burned) among seed transfer zones within Cold Deserts of the US. We considered both provisional seed transfer zones (PSTZs), created using climate and stratified by ecoregion, and empirical seed transfer zones (ESTZs) for two species commonly used in restoration. Finally, we present a case study on fire occurrence within Northern Basin and Range greater sage-grouse Priority Areas for Conservation (PACs). Historic fire was effective for prioritizing seed zones: 23 of 132 PSTZs burned every year, and, within each ecoregion, two PSTZs comprised [greater double equals] 50% of the total area burned across all years. Similarly, fire disproportionately occurred in some ESTZs; in the Northern Basin and Range, one (Artemisia tridentata - 83%) or two zones (Pseudoroegneria spicata - 65%) made up a majority of total area burned. Fire occurrence within PACs largely reflected the PSTZ and ESTZ priorities found for the ecoregion, with small exceptions. Imperiled PSTZs (high proportion burned) in PACs largely reflected the patterns found across the ecoregion, while imperiled ESTZs departed from ecoregional patterns. Considering historic disturbance can focus seed procurement efforts on regions that encounter regular disturbance, experience large disturbances, or have particular conservation value. This information can guide seed production, purchase, and storage, create more certainty for growers and managers, and ultimately increase restoration success. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICEO_LIAvailable data on past disturbance patterns may inform strategies for prioritizing seed procurement decisions, especially as geospatial information becomes more widely available C_LIO_LIThe methods presented here illustrate an approach for using historic disturbance data to identify regions that are of greatest need for seed collection and conservation, using seed transfer zones within US Cold Desert ecoregions as an example C_LIO_LIIdentifying regions that experience disturbance over large areas or are likely to be imperiled due to disturbance at a high proportion can guide the collection and conservation of plant materials and better align available plant material with future restoration needs C_LI

ecology↗

bioRxiv2020

Using seedling phenotypic traits to select local seed sources for large-scale restoration: methods and outcomes in a Great Basin case study

Establishing plants from seed is often a limitation to restoration success in semi-arid systems. For restoration purposes, managers can either use widely-available commercial seeds, which are often sourced from far outside the seeding area, or take extra steps to use locally collected seeds. If local seeds have traits more conducive to seedling establishment in degraded sites, they could increase restoration success. Here, we asked whether wild-collected seeds of two native perennial grasses, Elymus elymoides and Poa secunda, had more favorable characteristics than commercial sources. Seeds were collected from four populations within the Winnemucca District of the Nevada Bureau of Land Management, which manages lands within the Great Basin, US. Collections were screened for seed and seedling characteristics associated with increased plant performance in invaded Great Basin systems, and we provide a detailed methodology for these measurements. Relative to commercial seeds, wild-collected seeds had more characteristics identified as beneficial for seedling establishment including earlier emergence, higher specific root length, more root tips, and smaller overall size (E. elymoides), and earlier emergence, longer roots, higher root mass ratio, and more root tips (P. secunda). Commercial sources had significantly larger seeds than wild populations, a trait that had mixed effects on performance in previous research, and one that may change as wild collections are increased in agronomic conditions. These results suggest that locally-sourced populations are more likely to perform well in invaded areas, providing support for efforts to collect, screen, and increase local sources of seeds to improve restoration success. Implications for PracticeO_LICollecting and increasing local seeds requires more time and effort than purchasing commercially-available seeds, but if these sources have a greater chance at surviving in restoration sites, this effort is warranted C_LIO_LIIn our study, remnant local populations possessed more potentially adaptive traits than commercially-available alternatives, indicating they may be superior sources for the restoration of disturbed sites in their local regions C_LIO_LIScreening multiple seed sources for potentially adaptive seed and seedling traits can be a relatively quick and effective way to select the most promising seeds for increase C_LI

ecology↗