Effects of Flood Inundation and Invasion by Reed Canarygrass on Nitrogen Cycling in an Upper Mississippi River Floodplain Forest
Effects of Flood Inundation and Invasion by Reed Canarygrass on Nitrogen Cycling in an Upper Mississippi River Floodplain Forest

Author: Whitney Swanson

Publisher:

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 90

ISBN-13:

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Floodplain forests provide ecosystem services such as nutrient storage and rapid biogeochemical cycling which may reduce transport of nitrogen (N) downstream. Invasion by nuisance plant species, however, may modify a floodplain's ability to capture N by altering soil properties, litter decomposition rates, N availability, and rates of N cycling. I examined the effect of flooding on soil properties and N cycling at a floodplain site in Pool 8 of the Upper Mississippi River with two different plant communities: mature native forest (Acer saccarinum) and patches of an invasive grass (Phalaris arundinacea). Plots were established within each vegetation type along an elevation gradient and sampled throughout the summers of 2013 and 2014. Spatial trends in flooding resulted in better conditions for microbial activity in low elevations. Nutrient processes and NH4 and NO3− availability, however, were best explained by vegetation type and time after flooding. Phalaris plots maintained higher rates of nitrification and higher concentrations of available NH4+ and NO3−. These results suggest that invasion by Phalaris may make nitrogen more readily available and could help to reinforce this species' persistence in floodplain wetlands. They also raise the possibility that Phalaris may decrease floodplain N storage capacity.

Controlling Reed Canarygrass (Phalaris Arundinacea ) and Restoring Floodplain Forest in the Upper Mississippi River Valley
Controlling Reed Canarygrass (Phalaris Arundinacea ) and Restoring Floodplain Forest in the Upper Mississippi River Valley

Author: Maria DeLaundreau

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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Floodplain forest loss in the Upper Mississippi Valley is concerning because of the habitat these forests provide, especially for birds. Native floodplain forest systems are increasingly susceptible to reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinaceae; RCG) establishment and spread. Once invaded by RCG, ecological restoration of floodplain requires integrated treatments that reduce the existing RCG population, along with additional long-term control measures. A common secondary measure is tree or shrub plantings to provide shade and reduce the competitive ability of this shade-intolerant invader.

Suppression of Reed Canarygrass for Large-scale Floodplain Forest Restoration Across Four Sites in Southeast Minnesota, USA
Suppression of Reed Canarygrass for Large-scale Floodplain Forest Restoration Across Four Sites in Southeast Minnesota, USA

Author: William R. Kiser

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 114

ISBN-13:

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Experiments can provide insight on whether invasive plant dominance is caused by superior competitive ability (driver) or by environmental changes that facilitate plant invasion (passenger). Reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea, hereafter RCG) displaces native plants and forms near-monocultures in North American wetlands. In the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) system, floodplain forests are negatively impacted by RCG invasion. We tested two RCG control techniques on a reforestation project at four sites in SE Minnesota. Treatments consisted of (1) applying glyphosate (Rodeo) herbicide and (2) mulching followed by applying sulfometuron methyl (Oust XP) herbicide. Treatments were applied in Fall 2016. We monitored herbaceous plant response and RCG performance over the 2017 and 2018 growing seasons. We also calculated the number of days flooded in each plot for the 2017 growing season using linear interpolation of river gauge data. Both treatment methods significantly reduced RCG performance relative to controls during the 2017 growing season; however, RCG performance in treatment plots was similar to control plots during the 2018 growing season. Herbaceous plants increased in species richness and cover relative to control plots, although volunteer plant diversity varied among sites. These results indicate that follow-up herbicide applications are necessary to control RCG to facilitate tree establishment. Further, flooding and lack of native propagules may be factors in RCG invasions. Our results indicate that RCG may behave as a driver in some parts of the UMR and as a passenger in parts of the UMR that are more affected by hydrologic alteration.

Forest Response to High Duration and Intensity Flooding Along Pool 26 of the Upper Mississippi River
Forest Response to High Duration and Intensity Flooding Along Pool 26 of the Upper Mississippi River

Author: Robert J. Cosgriff

Publisher:

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 2

ISBN-13:

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Many natural resource managers could not anticipate the effects that the flood of 1993 would have on floodplain forests of the Upper Mississippi River. Previous experience suggested that floodplain forests were adapted to such events and should only experience removal of upland a non-native species. However, when trees considered highly flood tolerant did not leaf out in the spring of 1994, natural resource managers began to realize the serious impact that a large-scale flood could have on floodplain forest communities. To better understand these impacts, researchers with the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program at Pool 26 of the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) began describing forest community response to the large-scale flood of 1993. The floodplain forests of the UMRS are some of the most productive ecosystems worldwide. These communities provide habitat and forage for many species of wildlife, produce timber, and provide a valuable carbon dioxide sink. Like many other plant communities, floodplain forest successional patterns are largely driven by disturbance events (e.g., fire, wind-throw, flooding, drought, and physical erosion/deposition). Black willow and eastern cottonwood regenerate on recent deposits of substrate (mainly sand) created by the river. As a result of annual floods, fine sediment drops out of suspension and the low landform occupied by the willow/cottonwood community develops into a low terrace. At the same time, the willow/cottonwood community is gradually being replaced by silver maple and green ash. The process of terrace building continues and communities of mixed forests and oak forests develop as elevation increases and the frequency of flooding decreases. Understanding how these communities respond to the various disturbance events, particularly large scale flooding, is important to natural resource managers who are trying to manage for specific or diverse floodplain forest communities.

Forest Response to High Duration and Intensity Flooding Along Pool 26 of the Upper Mississippi River
Forest Response to High Duration and Intensity Flooding Along Pool 26 of the Upper Mississippi River

Author: Robert J. Cosgriff

Publisher:

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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Many natural resource managers could not anticipate the effects that the flood of 1993 would have on floodplain forests of the Upper Mississippi River. Previous experience suggested that floodplain forests were adapted to such events and should only experience removal of upland a non-native species. However, when trees considered highly flood tolerant did not leaf out in the spring of 1994, natural resource managers began to realize the serious impact that a large-scale flood could have on floodplain forest communities. To better understand these impacts, researchers with the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program at Pool 26 of the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) began describing forest community response to the large-scale flood of 1993. The floodplain forests of the UMRS are some of the most productive ecosystems worldwide. These communities provide habitat and forage for many species of wildlife, produce timber, and provide a valuable carbon dioxide sink. Like many other plant communities, floodplain forest successional patterns are largely driven by disturbance events (e.g., fire, wind-throw, flooding, drought, and physical erosion/deposition). Black willow and eastern cottonwood regenerate on recent deposits of substrate (mainly sand) created by the river. As a result of annual floods, fine sediment drops out of suspension and the low landform occupied by the willow/cottonwood community develops into a low terrace. At the same time, the willow/cottonwood community is gradually being replaced by silver maple and green ash. The process of terrace building continues and communities of mixed forests and oak forests develop as elevation increases and the frequency of flooding decreases. Understanding how these communities respond to the various disturbance events, particularly large scale flooding, is important to natural resource managers who are trying to manage for specific or diverse floodplain forest communities.

Breaking the Cycle
Breaking the Cycle

Author: Michael Paul Merriman

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 86

ISBN-13:

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Restoring invaded ecosystems requires the reduction of any positive feedbacks created by the invader. Feedbacks created by reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) in theUpper Mississippi River floodplain include early season growth, a thick canopy and an extensive belowground rhizome system. We tested a novel restoration strategy designed to reduce these feedbacks by applying broad spectrum herbicide (glyphosate) in late fall 2012 and 2013, and by planting willows as a native competitor. We conducted the experiment in a site dominated by reed canarygrass in the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) floodplain south of La Crosse, WI over two growing seasons. In the first year of the experiment, glyphosate reduced reed canarygrass percent cover early in the growing season. At the end of the second year, glyphosate reduced reed canarygrass belowground biomass. Willow stakes that were planted in fall resulted in poor establishment. Stakes that were planted in spring exhibited higher height and canopy spread in glyphosate- treated plots. Ground-level light availability was higher in plots that had surviving willows than in plots without willows. Thus, results demonstrate the potential for willow stakes to establish in dense reed canarygrass, but additional information on how to maximize the success of the approach is still needed.

Flooding and Plant Growth
Flooding and Plant Growth

Author: Bozzano G Luisa

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2012-12-02

Total Pages: 373

ISBN-13: 0323139116

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Flooding and Plant Growth covers the state of knowledge and opinion on the effects of flooding of soil with fresh or salt water on the metabolism and growth of herbaceous and woody plants. The book discusses the extent, causes, and impacts of flooding; the effects of flooding on soils and on the growth and metabolism of herbaceous plants; and the responses of woody plants to flooding. The text also describes the effect of flooding on water, carbohydrate, and mineral relations, as well as the effects of flooding on hormone relations and on plant disease. The adaptations to flooding with fresh water and the adaptations of plants to flooding with salt water are also encompassed. Agronomists, biochemists, plant ecologists, engineers, foresters, horticulturists, plant anatomists, meteorologists, geneticists, plant breeders, plant physiologists, and landscape architects will find the book invaluable.