Assessment of Prairie Restoration and Vegetation Change at the Buffalo Beats Research

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Assessment of Prairie Restoration and Vegetation Change at the Buffalo Beats Research Assessment of Prairie Restoration and Vegetation Change at the Buffalo Beats Research Natural Area, Athens County, OH A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Corey K. Kapolka May 2014 © 2014 Corey K. Kapolka. All Rights Reserved. 2 This thesis titled Assessment of Prairie Restoration and Community Change at the Buffalo Beats Research Natural Area, Athens County, OH by COREY K. KAPOLKA has been approved for the Department of Environmental and Plant Biology and the College of Arts and Sciences by Brian C. McCarthy Professor of Environmental and Plant Biology Robert Frank Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 ABSTRACT KAPOLKA, COREY K., M.S., May 2014, Plant Biology Assessment of Prairie Restoration and Community Change at the Buffalo Beats Research Natural Area, Athens County, OH Director of Thesis: Brian C. McCarthy The regionally rare remnant prairie ‘Buffalo Beats’ has been managed with a controlled burn regime since evidence of forest encroachment in the 1980’s prompted restoration efforts. Comparisons of vegetation samples from the prairie from 1984 and 2012 show an increase in diversity of non-prairie species, a stabilization of frequency and vegetative cover of prairie species, and a decrease in the community importance of woody species. Within the surrounding forest, abundance of small trees decreased, total tree DBH increased, and the importance of Quercus alba increased among most size and age categories. Comparison by NMDS of the prairie community in 1986, 1996, and 2012 showed no apparent directional shift in community composition. The Buffalo Beats prairie has been effectively preserved by implementation of controlled fires and woody removal, and continued restoration efforts are likely necessary to preserve the community into the future. 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The research presented here was made possible by the work and assistance of the Wayne National Forest, Athens Unit, and Forest Service Botanist Cheryl R. Coon. I am grateful for the abundant advice offered by my advisor, Dr. Brian C. McCarthy, as well as from Dr. Harvey E. Ballard and Dr. Jared L. DeForest, all of whom served as members of my thesis committee. My research was also improved from conversations with Dr. Alex A. Anning, Stephen J. Murphy, and Joseph Moosbrugger. Historical information and data from previous work at Buffalo Beats were provided by E. Dennis Hardin. This research was funded by a Small Research Grant provided by the Ohio Natural History Survey and by the Ohio University Department of Environmental and Plant Biology. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract .............................................................................................................................3 Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................4 List of Tables ....................................................................................................................6 List of Figures ...................................................................................................................8 Introduction .....................................................................................................................10 Buffalo Beats Research Natural Area .........................................................................14 Methods...........................................................................................................................22 Statistical Methods ......................................................................................................26 Results .............................................................................................................................27 Prairie Community ......................................................................................................27 Southern Lens .............................................................................................................35 Shrubs and Vines ........................................................................................................38 Seedlings, Saplings, and Trees....................................................................................39 Soil Conditions............................................................................................................46 Soil Seedbank..............................................................................................................52 Discussion .......................................................................................................................55 Prairie Community ......................................................................................................55 Southern Lens .............................................................................................................58 Forest Community ......................................................................................................59 Soil Conditions............................................................................................................62 Soil Seedbank..............................................................................................................63 Conclusions .....................................................................................................................65 References .......................................................................................................................68 Appendix .........................................................................................................................75 6 LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Timeline of publications and reports referring to Buffalo Beats, as well as important management events at or concerning the site .............................................15 Table 2. Plant species identified in Buffalo Beats prairie during biweekly floristic surveys from March through October 2012 ......................................................30 Table 3. Herbaceous and graminoid species mean vegetative cover and plot frequency within prairie, transition, and forest zones at Buffalo Beats Research Natural Area in September 2012.....................................................................................31 Table 4. Importance values (IV) for plant species present within permanent plots of the Buffalo Beats prairie during sampling in the late summers of 1986, 1996, and 2012 ..........................................................................................................................34 Table 5. Herbaceous and graminoid species mean vegetative cover and plot frequency within permanent plots in the 'southern lens' habitat at Buffalo Beats Research Natural Area in September 2012 .....................................................................36 Table 6. Shrub and vine species mean vegetative cover and plot frequency within the southern lens community at Buffalo Beats Research Natural Area in September 2012 .............................................................................................................37 Table 7. Shrub and vine species mean vegetative cover and plot frequency within prairie, transition, and forest zones at Buffalo Beats Research Natural Area in September 2012 .................................................................................................37 Table 8. Seedling cover and frequency of tree species observed in permanent plots of the northern prairie and southern lens of Buffalo Beats RNA in September 2012 .............................................................................................................39 Table 9. Density and frequency of tree seedlings and saplings (DBH < 2.5cm) and density (D) and basal area (BA) of mature trees per ha, and frequency (F) and importance values (IV) of three diameter classes of mature trees (DBH > 2.5cm) within the transition zone of the Buffalo Beats Research Natural Area in September 2012. .............................................................................................................42 Table 10. Density and frequency of tree seedlings and saplings (DBH < 2.5cm) and density (D) and basal area (BA) of mature trees per ha, and frequency (F) and importance values (IV) of three diameter classes of mature trees (DBH > 2.5cm) within the forest zone of the Buffalo Beats Research Natural Area in 7 September 2012 ..............................................................................................................43 Table 11. Total count and percent plot frequencies of germinated seedlings observed from seedbank samples gathered from herbaceous plots in the prairie, transition, forest, and southern lens zones at Buffalo Beats in March 2013 ..................50 Table 12. Total count and percent plot frequencies of germinated seedlings observed from seedbank samples gathered from herbaceous plots in the prairie, transition, forest, and southern lens zones at Buffalo Beats in late May 2013 ..............51 Table 13. Shorthand labels of plant species observed at Buffalo Beats during 50 years of study for use in graphical visualizations of community structures ..................75 8 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. Buffalo Beats prairie. Photograph taken by the author facing north on August 23, 2012 ..............................................................................................................16 Figure
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