Abstracts, Reviews, and Meetings

Grasslands

Gypsum Amendment of Alkaline Bauxite Residue—Plant Available Aluminum and Implications for Grassland Restoration. 2012. Courtney, R. (Department of Life Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland, ronan.courtney@ul.ie), and L. Kirwan. Ecological Engineering 42:279–282.

During the extraction of alumina from bauxite ores, bauxite residue is generated as a byproduct. Grassland plants, which are commonly used to stabilize industrial sites, are inhibited by the high levels of plant available aluminum. In this paper, Courtney and Kirwan discuss the addition of gypsum to bauxite residue, which is typically done to reduce pH and sodicity. However, the authors found that gypsum also decreases the concentration of plant available aluminum. They suggest adding calcium and other nutrients as well to encourage proper nutrient cycling.

Enhancing Plant Biodiversity in Species-Poor Grassland Through Plant Material Transfer—The Impact of Sward Disturbance. 2012. Schmiede, R. (Department of Landscape Ecology and Resource Management, Interdisciplinary Research Centre, Justus-Leibig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany), A. Otte, and T.W. Donath. Applied Vegetation Science 15(2):290–298.

Schmiede and colleagues examine the effectiveness of transplanting plant material into species-poor alluvial grasslands in southwest Germany to enrich biodiversity. The authors used 2 methods of sward disturbance, both rotovation and plowing the land prior to transplanting, and tracked plant community development for 3 yr. At the close of the study period, 101 species had successfully re-established within the planted areas, and there were no significant differences in establishment between the 2 planting methods. There were differences in resident grassland species cover, with lowest cover in plowed plots and highest cover in the undisturbed control plots. Based on their results, the authors conclude that transplanting plants into species-poor grasslands after plowing is the most appropriate restoration method.

Woodlands

Changes in Soil Chemical and Biological Properties After Thinning and Prescribed Fire for Ecosystem Restoration in a Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir Forest. 2012. Switzer, J.M., G.D. Hope, S.J. Grayston, and C.E. Prescott (Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 2005–2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4, cindy.prescott@ubc.ca). Forest Ecology and Management 275:1–13.

Prescribed burning is a common ecosystem restoration practice; however, methods of reducing fuel loads may have negative consequences on soil biological and chemical properties. Switzer and others tested 5 surface fuel management treatments (large piles, small piles, cut and leave, slash-free areas around mature leave-trees, and an unburned control) to determine which method is most effective at reducing fuel loads without increasing fire temperatures. They found that large piles resulted in the highest temperatures (>300°F), but the most severe fire effects occurred around mature-leave trees at temperatures above 200°F. In all treatments, soil microbial groups were reduced, and soil pH increased. Soil carbon and nutrient levels also varied by treatment. Based on the results, the authors suggest that forest-floor moisture content may be as critical as fuel loading in determining impacts of prescribed burns.

A Comparison of Invasive Acer platanoides and Native A. saccharum First-Year Seedlings: Growth, Biomass Distribution and the Influence of Ecological Factors in a Forest Understory. 2012. Lapointe, M., and J. Brisson (Institut de Recherche en Biologie Vegetale, Department de Sciences Biologiques, Universite de Montreal, 4101 Sherbrooke East, QC H1X 2B2, Canada, Jacques.brisson@umontral.ca). Forests 3(2):190–206.

Norway maple (Acer platanoides) is a shade-tolerant invasive species of North American forests, and it has been shown to displace the native sugar maple (Acer saccharum). Lapointe and Brisson transplanted Norway and sugar maple seedlings in an urban sugar maple forest and compared their growth and survival over 1 growing season to understand the relative importance of various ecological factors on plant establishment. Although seedlings did not differ in height, Norway maples exhibited twice the biomass growth and assimilation rates of sugar maples, with ecological variables not greatly contributing to the observed variation in growth. Results were likely due to Norway maples capturing light more efficiently and being less susceptible to herbivory than sugar maples.

Wetlands

Control of Reed Canarygrass Promotes Wetland Herb and Tree Seedling Establishment in an Upper Mississippi River Floodplain Forest...