Grassland Vegetation Response to a Decade of Ecological Restoration in an Urban Park in Central Texas

Abstract

Great Plains grasslands of North America have been significantly impacted by conversion to agriculture, overgrazing, and reduced fire frequency, leading to declines in biodiversity and ecosystem services. Restoration of these threatened ecosystems in urban and suburban areas is complicated by additional pressure from habitat fragmentation. Here, we present a case study focused on a long-term urban prairie restoration project at Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park outside of Austin, Texas. Over the last decade, herbicide treatments, prescribed fires, woody plant removal, and native plant seeding were used on a 40-acre grassland to reduce cover of Prosopis glandulosa and invasive grasses and increase cover of native herbaceous species. We monitored plant community composition before restoration began (2010), during initial restoration activities (2012), and annually thereafter from 2013–2023 across nine 10m long transects using the line-intercept method. We found that non-native plant cover was reduced (from 87% in 2010 to 11–38% between 2013–2023) and herbaceous species diversity was increased with restoration (species richness, Simpson’s diversity, and Shannon diversity; p < 0.0001 in all cases). Most of the > 75 seeded species were observed in our plots (~80%), and native species dominance was maintained over the 10-yr study period. Emerging issues with invasive grasses highlight the need for ongoing monitoring and maintenance. Projects like this, which achieve restoration goals in urban parks, can provide cultural benefits to nearby residents, increase habitat for wildlife, and inform future conservation and restoration efforts in the context of an increasingly urbanized world.