Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Archive
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Index/Abstracts
  • Connect
    • Feedback
    • Help
  • Alerts
  • Free Issue
  • Call for Papers
  • Other Publications
    • UWP
    • Land Economics
    • Landscape Journal
    • Native Plants Journal

User menu

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Ecological Restoration
  • Other Publications
    • UWP
    • Land Economics
    • Landscape Journal
    • Native Plants Journal
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
Ecological Restoration

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Archive
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Index/Abstracts
  • Connect
    • Feedback
    • Help
  • Alerts
  • Free Issue
  • Call for Papers
  • Follow uwp on Twitter
  • Visit uwp on Facebook
Research ArticleResearch Articles

Can a Mesic Grassland Mosaic Recover from Thicketization? Insights from Seven Years Monitoring Species Abundance

John B. Taft, Connie Carroll-Cunningham, Zachary P. Kron and Hannah L. Grant
Ecological Restoration, March 2019, 37 (1) 8-24; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/er.37.1.8
John B. Taft
Corresponding author, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, 1816 S. Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820, .
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: jtaft{at}illinois.edu
Connie Carroll-Cunningham
Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, 1816 S. Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Zachary P. Kron
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation, 3911 Fish Hatchery Rd, Fitchburg, WI 53711.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Hannah L. Grant
Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd, Glencoe, IL 60022.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF
Loading

References

  1. ↵
    1. Anderson M.J.,
    2. Gorley R.N.,
    3. Clarke K.R.
    2008. PERMANOVA+ for PRIMER: Guide to Software and Statistical Methods.
  2. ↵
    1. Ansley R.J.,
    2. Wiedemann H.T.,
    3. Castellano M.J.,
    4. Slosser J.E.
    2006. Herbaceous restoration of juniper-dominated grasslands with chaining and fire. Rangeland Ecology and Management 59:171–178.
    OpenUrl
  3. ↵
    1. Alford A.L.,
    2. Hellgren E.C.,
    3. Limb R.L.
    2012. Experimental tree removal in tallgrass prairie: Variable responses of flora and fauna along a woody cover gradient. Ecological Applications 22:947–958.
    OpenUrlPubMed
  4. ↵
    1. Allen C.D.,
    2. Savage M.,
    3. Falk D.A.,
    4. Suckling K.F.,
    5. Swetnam T.W.,
    6. Schulke T.,
    7. et al
    . 2002. Ecological restoration of southwestern ponderosa pine ecosystems: A broad perspective. Ecological Applications 12:1418–1433.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  5. ↵
    1. Barbaro L.,
    2. Dutoit T.,
    3. Cozic P.
    2001. A six-year experimental restoration of biodiversity by shrub-clearing and grazing in calcareous grasslands of the French Prealps. Biodiversity and Conservation 10:119–135.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  6. ↵
    1. Bates J.D.,
    2. Miller R. F.,
    3. Svejcar T.J.
    2000. Understory dynamics in cut and uncut western juniper woodlands. Journal of Range Management 53:119–126.
    OpenUrl
  7. ↵
    1. Bond W.,
    2. Midgley G.
    2000. A proposed CO2-controlled mechanism of woody plant invasion in grasslands and savannas. Global Change Biology 6:865–869.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  8. ↵
    1. Bowles M.L.,
    2. Jones M.D.
    2013. Repeated burning of eastern tallgrass prairie increases richness and diversity, stabilizing late successional vegetation. Ecological Applications 23:464–478.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  9. ↵
    1. Briggs J.M.,
    2. Knapp A.K.,
    3. Blair J.M.,
    4. Heisler J.L.,
    5. Hoch G.A.,
    6. Lett M.L.,
    7. McCarron J.K.
    2005. An ecosystem in transition: causes and consequences of the conversion of mesic grassland to shrubland. Bioscience 55:243–254.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  10. ↵
    1. Brown S.,
    2. Lugo A.E.
    1994. Rehabilitation of tropical lands: a key to sustaining development. Restoration Ecology 2:97–111.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  11. ↵
    1. Brye K.R.,
    2. Norman J.M.,
    3. Gower S.T.
    2002. Assessing the progress of a tallgrass prairie restoration in southern Wisconsin. American Midland Naturalist 148:218–235.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  12. ↵
    1. Clarke K.R.,
    2. Goreley R.N.
    2015. PRIMER v7: User Manual/Tutorial, Plymouth, UK.
  13. ↵
    1. Clarke K.R.,
    2. Green R.H.
    1988. Statistical design and analysis for a “biological effects” study. Marine Ecology Progress Series 46:213–226.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  14. ↵
    1. Dornbush M.E.
    2004. Plant community change following fifty-years of management at Kalsow Prairie Preserve, Iowa, U.S.A. American Midland Naturalist 151:241–250.
    OpenUrl
  15. ↵
    1. Espeland E.K.,
    2. Perkins L.B.
    2013. Annual cover crops do not inhibit early growth of perennial grasses on a disturbed restoration soil in the Northern Great Plains, USA. Ecological Restoration 31:69–78.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  16. ↵
    1. Fagan K.C.,
    2. Pywell R.F.,
    3. Bullock J.M.,
    4. Marrs R.H.
    2008. Do restored calcareous grasslands on former arable fields resemble ancient targets? The effect of time, methods and environment on outcomes. Journal of Applied Ecology 45:1293–1303.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  17. ↵
    1. Foster B.L.,
    2. Murhpy C.A.,
    3. Keller K.R.,
    4. Aschenback T.A.,
    5. Questad E.J.,
    6. Kindscher K.
    2007. Restoration of prairie community structure and ecosystem function in an abandoned hayfield: A sowing experiment. Restoration Ecology 15:652–661.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  18. ↵
    1. Grant H.L.
    2015. Evaluation of shrub removal effects on understory richness and diversity in a native grassland. MS thesis. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
  19. ↵
    1. Heneghan L.,
    2. Fatemi F.,
    3. Umek L.,
    4. Grady K.,
    5. Fagen K.,
    6. Workman M.
    2006. The invasive shrub European buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica, L.) alters soil properties in midwestern U.S. woodlands. Applied Soil Ecology 32:142–148.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  20. ↵
    1. Howe H.F.
    2011. Fire season and prairie forb richness in a 21-y experiment. Ecoscience 18:317–328.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  21. ↵
    1. IBM SPSS
    2016. Statistics. Version 24.
  22. ↵
    1. Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
    . 2009. Contract requirements for compensatory wetland mitigation plan for the North Chicago Mitigation Site. iltollwaygis.egnyte.com/dl/a1G5JjUWjx.
  23. ↵
    1. Klionsky S.M.,
    2. Amatangelo K. L.,
    3. Waller D.M.
    2011. Above- and below-ground impacts of European buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) on four native forbs. Restoration Ecology 19:728–737.
    OpenUrl
  24. ↵
    1. Legendre P.,
    2. Anderson M.J.
    1999. Distance-based redundancy analysis: testing multispecies responses in multifactorial ecological experiments. Ecological Monographs 69:1–24.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  25. ↵
    1. Lett M.S.,
    2. Knapp A.K.
    2003. Consequences of shrub expansion in mesic grassland: resource alterations and graminoid responses. Journal of Vegetation Science 14:487–496.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  26. ↵
    1. Lett M.S.,
    2. Knapp A.K.,
    3. Briggs J.M.,
    4. Blair J.M.
    2004. Influence of shrub encroachment on aboveground net primary productivity and carbon and nitrogen pools in a mesic grassland. Canadian Journal of Botany 82:1363–1370.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  27. ↵
    1. Lett M.S.,
    2. Knapp A.K.
    2005. Woody plant encroachment and removal in mesic grassland: production and composition responses of herbaceous vegetation. The American Midland Naturalist 153:217–231.
    OpenUrl
  28. ↵
    1. Limb R.F.,
    2. Engle D.M.,
    3. Alford A.L.,
    4. Hellgren E.C.
    2014. Plant community response following removal of Juniperus virginiana from tallgrass prairie: Testing for restoration limitations. Rangeland Ecology and Management 67:397–405.
    OpenUrl
  29. ↵
    1. McArdle B.H.,
    2. Anderson M.J.
    2001. Fitting multivariate models to community data: a comment on distance-based redundancy analysis. Ecology 82:290–297.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
  30. ↵
    1. Milbauer M.L.,
    2. Leach M.K.
    2007. Influence of species pool, fire history, and woody canopy on plant species density and composition in tallgrass prairie. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 134:53–62.
    OpenUrl
  31. ↵
    1. Mohlenbrock R.H.
    2014. Vascular Flora of Illinois. A Field Guide. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.
  32. ↵
    1. Moran R
    . 1978. Presettlement vegetation of Lake County, Illinois. Pages 12–18 in Glenn-Lewin D.C., Landers R.Q. (eds), Fifth Midwest Prairie Conference Proceedings. Ames, IA: Iowa State University.
  33. ↵
    1. Paschke J.E.,
    2. Alexander J.D.
    1970. Soil survey, lake County, Illinois. Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station Soil Report No. 88. United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service in cooperation with Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station.
  34. ↵
    1. Ratajczak Z.,
    2. Nippert J.B.,
    3. Ocheltree T.W.
    2014. Abrupt transition of mesic grassland to shrubland: evidence for thresholds, alternative attractors, and regime shifts. Ecology, 95:2633–2645.
    OpenUrl
  35. ↵
    1. Robertson K.R.,
    2. Anderson R.C.,
    3. Schwartz M.W.
    1997. The tallgrass prairie mosaic. Pages 55–87 in Schwartz M.W. (ed) Conservation in Highly Fragmented Landscapes. New York, NY: Chapman & Hall.
  36. ↵
    1. Rowe H.,
    2. Fargione J.,
    3. Holland J.
    2013. Prairie restorations can protect remnant tallgrass prairie plant communities. The American Midland Naturalist 170:26–38.
    OpenUrl
  37. ↵
    1. Saixiyala D.Y.,
    2. Zhang S.,
    3. Liu G.,
    4. Yang X.,
    5. Huang Z.,
    6. Ye X.
    2017. Facilitation by a spiny shrub on a rhizomatous clonal herbaceous in thicketization-grassland in northern China: increased soil resources or shelter from herbivores. Frontiers in Plant Science 8:1–9.
    OpenUrl
  38. ↵
    1. Schwartz M.W.,
    2. Robertson K.R.,
    3. Dunphy B.K.,
    4. Olson J.W.,
    5. Trame A.M.
    1997. The biogeography of and habitat loss on hill prairies. Pages 267–285 in Schwartz M.W. (ed) Conservation in Highly Fragmented Landscapes. New York, NY: Chapman and Hall.
  39. ↵
    1. Sivicek V.A.,
    2. Taft J.B.
    2011. Functional Group Density as an index for assessing habitat quality in tallgrass prairie. Ecological Indicators 11:1251–1258.
    OpenUrl
  40. ↵
    1. Smith R.S.,
    2. Shiel R.S.,
    3. Bardgett R.D.,
    4. Millward D.,
    5. Corkhill P.,
    6. Rolph G.,
    7. Hobbs P.J.,
    8. Peacock S.
    2003. Soil microbial community, fertility, vegetation and diversity as targets in the restoration management of a meadow grassland. Journal of Applied Ecology 40:51–64.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  41. ↵
    1. Taft J.B.
    2006. Floristic survey and assessment of the North Chicago Mitigation Site, Lake County, Illinois. Center for Wildlife and Plant Ecology. Illinois Natural History Survey Technical Report. Submitted to the Illinois Department of Transportation, Bureau of Location and Environment, 28 September 2006.
  42. ↵
    1. Taft J.B.
    2016. Are small, isolated prairie remnants effectively smaller than they look and getting smaller? Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 143:207–223.
    OpenUrl
  43. ↵
    1. Taft J.B.,
    2. Wilhelm G.S.,
    3. Ladd D.M.,
    4. Masters L.A.
    1997. Floristic Quality Assessment for vegetation in Illinois, a method for assessing vegetation integrity. Erigenia 15:3–95.
    OpenUrl
  44. ↵
    1. Taft J.B.,
    2. Hauser C.,
    3. Robertson K.R.
    2006. Estimating floristic integrity in tallgrass prairie. Biological Conservation 131:42–51.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  45. ↵
    1. Taft J.B.,
    2. Kron Z.,
    3. Plocher A.
    2010. Baseline quantitative vegetation monitoring in terrestrial and wetland communities in the North Chicago Mitigation Site, Lake County, Illinois. INHS Technical Report 2010(07). Report submitted to the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, Downers Grove, Illinois. 2 February 2010.
  46. ↵
    1. Taft J.B.,
    2. Kron Z.P.
    2014. Evidence of species and functional group attrition in shrub-encroached prairie: implications for restoration. American Midland Naturalist 172:252–265.
    OpenUrl
  47. ↵
    1. VanDyke F.,
    2. VanKley S.E.,
    3. Page C.E.,
    4. VanBeek J.G.
    2004. Restoration efforts for plant and bird communities in tallgrass prairies using prescribed burning and mowing. Restoration Ecology 12:575–585.
    OpenUrl
  48. ↵
    1. von Ende C.N.
    1993. Repeated-measures analysis: growth and other time-dependent measures. Pages 113–137 in Scheiner S.M., Gurevitch J. (eds). Design and Analysis of Ecological Experiments. New York, NY: Chapman and Hall.
  49. ↵
    1. Wilhelm G.,
    2. Rericha L.
    2017. Flora of the Chicago Region. Indianapolis, IN: Indiana Academy of Science.
  50. ↵
    1. Yannarell A.C.,
    2. Menning S.E.,
    3. Beck A.M.
    2014. Influence of shrub encroachment on the soil microbial community composition of remnant hill prairies. Microbial Ecology 67:897–906.
    OpenUrl
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Ecological Restoration: 37 (1)
Ecological Restoration
Vol. 37, Issue 1
1 Mar 2019
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by author
  • Back Matter (PDF)
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Ecological Restoration.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Can a Mesic Grassland Mosaic Recover from Thicketization? Insights from Seven Years Monitoring Species Abundance
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Ecological Restoration
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Ecological Restoration web site.
Citation Tools
Can a Mesic Grassland Mosaic Recover from Thicketization? Insights from Seven Years Monitoring Species Abundance
John B. Taft, Connie Carroll-Cunningham, Zachary P. Kron, Hannah L. Grant
Ecological Restoration Mar 2019, 37 (1) 8-24; DOI: 10.3368/er.37.1.8

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Can a Mesic Grassland Mosaic Recover from Thicketization? Insights from Seven Years Monitoring Species Abundance
John B. Taft, Connie Carroll-Cunningham, Zachary P. Kron, Hannah L. Grant
Ecological Restoration Mar 2019, 37 (1) 8-24; DOI: 10.3368/er.37.1.8
Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
Bookmark this article

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Methods
    • Results
    • Ground-Layer Vegetation
    • Discussion
    • Acknowledgments
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Testing Seed Dormancy of Commercially Available Native Forb Species in the Northern Great Plains
  • The Effect of Active versus Passive Interventions on Riparian Rehabilitation Success
  • Seed Mix and Prescribed Fire Impact Soil Conditions
Show more Research Articles

Similar Articles

Keywords

  • predictor variables
  • profile analysis
  • restoration
  • shrub removal
  • tallgrass prairie
UW Press logo

© 2025 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

Powered by HighWire