Abstract
Interactions among component plant species during establishment can affect restoration outcomes. In a seven-year study, I tested the effect of seed mixes of varied species identity and richness on the rate of establishment and spread of four native prairie species: little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis), purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea), and purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia). Percentage cover of species differed among years, but there were no effects of seeding as monocultures vs. treatments of 1–15 additional native prairie species. By the sixth year, mean cover of little bluestem peaked at 39 percent and Canada wildrye cover peaked at 25 percent, but purple prairie clover and purple coneflower never exceeded 4 percent cover. Canada wildrye, however, showed a treatment by year interaction in which its cover was lower within the most species-rich treatments in years five through seven. For some prairie species, the number of species added to the seed mix may make no apparent difference to establishment and persistence. For others, Canada wildrye, for example, sowing the species in species-rich mixtures may negatively effect establishment.
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