PARENT SESSION
Contributed Oral Session 141: Restoration and Adaptive Management: Soils and Nutrients
Thursday, August 11, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM, Meeting Room 520 C, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal
Impact of selected environmental parameters on Arundinaria gigantea canebrake establishment and reintroduction.
Cirtain, Margaret*,1, Franklin, Scott1, 1 University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, 38152
ABSTRACT- The reintroduction of a declining population requires a systematic approach and a thorough understanding of the parameters most greatly affecting establishment. The Arundinaria gigantea (Walt.) Muhl. canebrake, once a dominate southeastern ecosystem, provided habitat for a number of animal species. A greater than 98% decline in the A. gigantea population has resulted in a critically endangered ecosystem, impacting many species. Thus, canebrake restoration is necessary for maintaining and enhancing biodiversity in the southeastern United States. The goal of this study is to facilitate reestablishment of A. gigantea canebrakes by comparing propagation methods and examining environmental parameters critical to establishment (competition, light levels, soil moisture and nutrients). My hypotheses for critical environmental parameters are 1) reducing the forest canopy, 2) limiting competition, and 3) fertilizing could improve restoration efforts. Field studies using transplants and laboratory experiments are being conducted to determine conditions necessary for establishment and growth. Thinning sites have been established at two locations with forest canopy reduced by girdling overstory trees. Transects have been established to monitor population growth for both control and treatment sites. Competition and nutrient experimentation plots have been established at two locations. Plots of transplanted cane have been treated with landscape fabric for competition studies and applications of fertilizer for nutrient studies. Results indicated thinning the forest canopy and reducing competition may increase A. gigantea population density; plant growth was increased in moist, well-drained soil with fertilizer supplementation.
Key words: Arundinaria gigantea, Restoration, Canebrake, Forest management