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
  • Other Publications
    • UWP

User menu

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
Ecological Restoration
  • Other Publications
    • UWP
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
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
  • Follow uwp on Twitter
  • Visit uwp on Facebook
Research ArticleArticle
Open Access

Plant, Avian, and Butterfly Response to a Native-Grassland Restoration in Southern Texas

Geron Gowdy, Fidel Hernández, Timothy Fulbright, Eric Grahmann, David Wester, Ellart Vreugdenhil, Anthony Henehan, Forrest Smith and Michael Hehman
Ecological Restoration March 2022, 40 (1) 44-52; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/er.40.1.44
Geron Gowdy
USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service,10330 Hill Country Land, Corpus Christi, TX 78410
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: [email protected]
Fidel Hernández
Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Kingsville, TX.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Timothy Fulbright
Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Kingsville, TX.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Eric Grahmann
Eric Grahmann, El Coyote Ranch, Riviera, TX.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
David Wester
Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Kingsville, TX.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Ellart Vreugdenhil
Canvas Natural Resource Solutions, Longview, TX.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Anthony Henehan
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Weslaco, TX.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Forrest Smith
Texas Native Seeds, Kingsville, TX.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Michael Hehman
Hixon Ranch, Cotulla, TX.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF
Loading

ABSTRACT

Non-native, invasive grasses can pose a threat to biodiversity in the southern U.S. Pennisetum ciliare (buffelgrass) is an example of an introduced invasive grass that has established in southwestern rangelands and negatively influenced biodiversity. Since its introduction, millions of hectares in the southwestern U.S. have been planted with, or invaded by, buffelgrass. Buffelgrass can form monocultures that not only reduce biodiversity but can also change ecosystem processes. Native-grassland restorations may be able to mitigate such negative impacts of non-native grasses. We conducted a study to document the response of herbaceous plants (grasses and forbs) and wildlife (grassland breeding birds, grassland wintering birds, and butterflies) to a 118-ha grassland restoration (involving prescribed fire, multiple discing and herbicide applications, and native-plant seeding) in La Salle County, Texas during 2013–2019. In general, we documented a numerical increase for all three taxa (native plants, birds, and butterflies) in species richness and relative abundance on the restoration site compared to a control. Our results suggest that native-grassland restoration is possible in a landscape dominated by buffelgrass. These restoration efforts can increase plant and wildlife diversity, although the time and expense required to achieve such responses are great.

Keywords:
  • biodiversity
  • buffelgrass
  • butterfly diversity
  • grassland bird diversity
  • non-native grasses
  • © 2022 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.

This open access article is distributed under the terms of the CC-BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0) and is freely available online at: http://er.uwpress.org

PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Ecological Restoration: 40 (1)
Ecological Restoration
Vol. 40, Issue 1
March 2022
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by author
  • Back Matter (PDF)
  • Front Matter (PDF)
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.
Plant, Avian, and Butterfly Response to a Native-Grassland Restoration in Southern Texas
(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
Plant, Avian, and Butterfly Response to a Native-Grassland Restoration in Southern Texas
Geron Gowdy, Fidel Hernández, Timothy Fulbright, Eric Grahmann, David Wester, Ellart Vreugdenhil, Anthony Henehan, Forrest Smith, Michael Hehman
Ecological Restoration Mar 2022, 40 (1) 44-52; DOI: 10.3368/er.40.1.44

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Plant, Avian, and Butterfly Response to a Native-Grassland Restoration in Southern Texas
Geron Gowdy, Fidel Hernández, Timothy Fulbright, Eric Grahmann, David Wester, Ellart Vreugdenhil, Anthony Henehan, Forrest Smith, Michael Hehman
Ecological Restoration Mar 2022, 40 (1) 44-52; DOI: 10.3368/er.40.1.44
Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
Bookmark this article

Jump to section

  • Article
  • 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

  • Biotic and Abiotic Factors Important for Palmer’s Agave Restoration in Lehmann Lovegrass Dominated Areas
  • Nurse Rocks as a Minimum-Input Restoration Technique for the Cactus Opuntia basilaris
Show more Article

Similar Articles

Keywords

  • biodiversity
  • buffelgrass
  • butterfly diversity
  • grassland bird diversity
  • non-native grasses
UWP

© 2023 Ecological Restoration

Powered by HighWire