ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION, SEED SOURCING AND CLIMATE CHANGE

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: TERMINATED
• Funding Source: MCINTIRE-STENNIS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1002850
• Project No.: WYO-529-14
• Project Start Date: Apr 19, 2014
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2018

Project Director
Hufford, KR.

Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
1000 E UNIVERSITY AVE DEPARTMENT 3434
LARAMIE,WY 82071-2000

Performing Department
Ecosystem Science and Management

Non Technical Summary
Ecological restoration commonly requires the reintroduction of plants to degraded sites, and long-term vegetation establishment is a critical component of restoration success. In recent years, restoration protocols have experienced a shift in emphasis from non-native to native seed sources. However, native plant seeds are scarce, and when supplies are available, seeds are often derived from plant populations either hundreds of kilometers distant or with unknown origin. Non-local seeds may not be suited to site conditions due to adaptive variation among populations within a plant species. As a result, the geographic origin of selected seed sources can have significant consequences for restoration outcomes. Investigations are needed to identify site-adapted plant materials to improve restoration success, both in contemporary conditions and future climates.

Animal Health Component

0%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

30%

Applied

70%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
136	0799	1070	30%
202	0799	1080	30%
205	0799	1070	40%

Knowledge Area
136 - Conservation of Biological Diversity; 205 - Plant Management Systems; 202 - Plant Genetic Resources;

Subject Of Investigation
0799 - Rangelands and grasslands, general;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology; 1080 - Genetics;

Keywords

restoration

seed sourcing

climate change

Goals / Objectives
The major goals of this project are to investigate and define the features of adaptive differentiation in native plant species that are critical for restoration success.Objectives:1. Increase opportunities for vegetation establishment by exploiting natural traits that improve soil quality, lower reclamation costs, and increase the likelihood of plant community recovery;2. Test adaptive differentiation in light of exotic species invasions;3. Test adaptive differentiation in light of changing climates.

Project Methods
Methods will include:1. field studies of plant establishment in restoration settings2. germination studies across latitudinal and elevational gradients to learn more about the properties that influence establishment of native plants3. genetic marker analyses of target species and seed sources4. laboratory and greenhouse research to compare seed sources and species grown in present and future, predicted climate conditions5. field and computer simulated generation of data to develop restoration seed zones within which practitioners can be reasonably assured of planting success

Progress 04/19/14 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:During 2018, the target audience reached by this research program included state and federal agency personnel, industry professionals and landowners with interests in land reclamation and restoration. Contact occurred via three UW Extension (Discover Native Plants) workshops, manuscripts underway, informal discussions, and interactions through the Seeds of Success program, the Southern Rockies Seed Network, and the Wyoming Reclamation and Restoration Center. Primary contacts occurred in Wyoming withadditional audiences reached in the states of Colorado and Montana. Agencies included Wyoming Game and Fish, the Bureau of Land Management, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and the US Forest Service. Changes/Problems:Problems have arisen in field plantings of forbs in the arid environment of Wyoming. We have compensated for field losses with genetic and greenhouse studies of resources and continue with plans for improved field management. In addition, some delays to the original project resulted in ongoing field and laboratory research. We've accommodated delays and are continuing proposed work. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has contributed to the training of three graduate students in the Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management program at the University of Wyoming. Students have had opportunities to present their work at either national conferences or smaller research symposia. In 2018, two undergraduate students fulfilled either UW internship or work study requirements through work on elements of this project, including efforts to contribute to the Seeds of Success program, and two graduate students continued work to study restoration seeding outcomes in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results of this project have been disseminated to landowners, reclamation practitioners and agency and industry personnel via UW Extension workshops, bulletins and popular articles. In addition, publication of peer-reviewed journal articles is ongoing and informal discussions and meetings also occur with members of the native seed industry, state and city park services, and personnel at local and regional offices of the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and state agencies. In 2018, work on this project contributed to the Southern Rockies Seed Network technical committee, the American Socity of Mining & Reclamation annual conference, the Discover Native Plants UW Extension workshops and program and two journal publications. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The following was accomplished in 2018: 1) Continuation of field studies to test intraspecific variation and seed germination characteristics with the goal to increase seed availability and improve restoration outcomes. 2) Greenhouse, field and lab studies of cultivar and wild sources of native grasses to determine efficacy and ecosystem impacts of large-scale cultivar plantings. 3) Greenhouse studies of sagebrush ecosystem plant species to test priority effects in seeding with potential impacts on restoration success in western rangelands. 3) Two presentations, two journal publications. 4). Successful completion of new UW Extension workshop series titled, "Discover Native Plants" for 2018 year (3 workshops total). 5) Submission of proposal to department of transportation to examine native roadside plantings and weed outcomes, funded and pilot study completed summer 2018.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Poelman, M.E., A. M. Pilmanis, and K. M. Hufford. 2018. Testing the cultivar vigor hypothesis: comparisons of the competitive ability of wild and cultivated populations of Pascopyrum smithii along a restoration chronosequence. Restoration Ecology doi: 10.1111/rec.12822
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Crow, T.M., S.E. Albeke, C.A. Buerkle, and K.M. Hufford. 2018. Provisional methods to guide species?specific seed transfer in ecological restoration. Ecosphere 9(1):e02059. 10.1002/ecs2.2059
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Pennino, A., K. Fleisher, K. Hufford, and K. Vaughan. Geomorphic Reclamation: A pioneer method on the frontier of the Wild West. 35th ASMR June 3-7 St. Louis, Mo.

Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:During 2017, the target audience reached by this research program included state and federal agency personnel, industry professionals and landowners with interests in land reclamation and restoration. Contact occurred via UW Extension workshops, manuscripts, informal discussions, and interactions through the Seeds of Success program, the Southern Rockies Seed Network, and the Wyoming Reclamation and Restoration Center. Primary contacts occurred in Wyoming with additional audiences reached in the states of Colorado and Montana. Agencies included Wyoming Game and Fish, the Bureau of Land Management, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and the US Forest Service. Changes/Problems:Problems have arisen in field plantings of forbs in the arid environment of Wyoming. We have compensated for field losses with genetic and greenhouse studies of resources and continue with plans for improved field management. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has contributed to the training of three graduate students in the Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management program at the University of Wyoming. Students have had opportunities to present their work at either national conferences or smaller research symposia. In 2017, two undergraduate students fulfilled either UW internship or work study requirements through work on elements of this project, including efforts to contribute to the Seeds of Success program. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results of this project have been disseminated to landowners, reclamation practitioners and agency and industry personnel via UW Extension workshops, bulletins and popular articles. In addition, publication of peer-reviewed journal articles is ongoing and informal discussions and meetings also occur with members of the native seed industry, state and city park services, and personnel at local and regional offices of the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and state agencies. In multiple years, including 2017, work on this project contributed to the Southern Rockies Seed Network annual conference and also the SRSN technical committee. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Future plans include the completion of a study to determine the fate of large-scale introductions of non-local, cultivated seeds over time; newly proposed research to study germination tolerance range in native and introduced grass species; newly funded research to determine seed mix outcomes for roadside plantings; and continued research to describe intraspecific variation in native plant species and opportunities to incorporate adaptive differentiation into restoration programs to improve planting success and conserve local biodiversity. New proposals for funding to continue this research are submitted each year.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The following was accomplished in 2017: 1) Continuation of field studies to test intraspecific variation and seed germination characteristics with the goal to increase seed availability and improve restoration outcomes. 2) Greenhouse, field and lab studies of cultivar and wild sources of native grasses to determine if there are differences in germination time, particularly in comparison with introduced, invasive grass species. 3) Two presentations, one journal publication and one manuscript in review. 4). Submission of UW Extension proposal to fund a new workshop series titled, "Discover Native Plants", funded. 5) Submission of proposal to department of transportation to examine native roadside plantings and weed outcomes, funded.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2017 Citation: Crow, T.M., Albeke, S.E.,Buerkle, C.A., and Hufford, K.M. Provisional methods to guide species-specific seed transfer in ecological restoration. Ecosphere
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2017 Citation: Poelman, M.E., A. M. Pilmanis, and K. M. Hufford. Testing the cultivar vigor hypothesis: comparisons of the competitive ability of wild and cultivated populations of Pascopyrum smithii along a restoration chronosequence.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Hufford, K. M, and L. O. Schmidt. 2017. Using Botanical Collections to Inform Conservation and Restoration of Threatened Plant Communities. Natural Areas Conference, October 10-12, Fort Collins, CO.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Burns, S. D. and K. M. Hufford. 2017. Evaluating Revegetation Outcomes at Reclaimed Well Sites in the Powder River Basin. Natural Areas Conference, October 10-12, Fort Collins, CO. (Poster)

Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:During 2016, the target audience reached by this research program included state and federal agency personnel, industry professionals and landowners with interests in land reclamation and restoration. Contact occurred via UW Extension workshops, bulletin and magazine articles, informal discussions, and interactions through the Seeds of Success program, the Southern Rockies Seed Network, and the Wyoming Reclamation and Restoration Center. Primary contacts occurred in Wyoming with additional audiences reached in the states of Colorado and Montana. Agencies included Wyoming Game and Fish, the Bureau of Land Management, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and the US Forest Service. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has contributed to the training of three graduate students in the Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management program at the University of Wyoming. Students have had opportunities to present their work at either national conferences or smaller research symposia. In 2016, one undergraduate student fulfilled UW internship requirements through work on elements of this project, including efforts to contribute to the Seeds of Success program through the BLM. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results of this project have been disseminated to landowners, reclamation practitioners and agency and industry personnel via UW Extension workshops, bulletins and popular articles. In addition, publication of peer-reviewed journal articles is ongoing and informal discussions and meetings also occur with members of the native seed industry, state and city park services, and personnel at local and regional offices of the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and state agencies. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Future plans include the completion of a study to determine the fate of large-scale introductions of non-local, cultivated seeds over time; newly proposed research to study germination tolerance range in native and introduced grass species; and continued research to describe intraspecific variation in native plant species and opportunities to incorporate adaptive differentiation into restoration programs to improve planting success and conserve local biodiversity. New proposals for funding to continue this research are submitted each year.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The following was accomplished in 2016: 1) Continuation of field studies of three forb species relevant for sage grouse habitat in order to test intraspecific variation and seed germination characteristics with the goal to increase seed availability and improve restoration outcomes. 2) Greenhouse, field and lab studies of cultivar and wild sources of native grasses to determine if there are differences in germination time, particularly in comparison with introduced, invasive grass species. 3) One presentation, one journal publication and one publication via an Extension magazine. 4). Submission of proposals to continue work with species relevant for sage grouse and other sagebrush obligate habitat conservation measures, two of which were successfully funded.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Mummey, D.L, M. E. Herget, K. M. Hufford, and L. Shreading . 2016. Germination Timing and Seedling Growth of Poa secunda and the Invasive Grass, Bromus tectorum, in Response to Temperature: Evaluating Biotypes for Seedling Traits that Improve Establishment. Ecological Restoration 34: 200208
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Hufford, K. M. 2016. Cultivar vigor and ecological restoration: What do we know? Southern Rockies Seed Network, Annual Conference. December 7
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Hufford, K.M. 2016. What will you plant? USDA PLANTS database, an online landowner resource. Barnyards & Backyards Magazine: Rural Living in Wyoming: Summer ed.

Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:During 2015, the target audience reached by this research program included state and federal agency personnel, industry professionals and landowners with interests in land reclamation and restoration. Contact occurred via UW Extension workshops, bulletin and magazine articles, informal discussions, and interactions through the Seeds of Success program and the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative. Primary contacts occurred in Wyoming with additional audiences reached in the states of Colorado and Montana. Agencies included Wyoming Game and Fish, the Bureau of Land Management, and the US Forest Service. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has contributed to the training of three graduate students in the Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management program at the University of Wyoming. Students have had opportunities to present their work at either national conferences or smaller research symposia. In 2015, one undergraduate student fulfilled UW internship requirements through work on elements of this project, including efforts to contribute to the Seeds of Success program through the BLM. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results of this project have been disseminated to landowners, reclamation practitioners and agency and industry personnel via UW Extension workshops, bulletins and popular articles. In addition, publication of peer-reviewed journal articles is underway and informal discussions and meetings also occur with members of the native seed industry, state and city park services, and personnel at local and regional offices of the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and other agencies. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Future plans include the initiation of a study to determine the fate of large-scale introductions of non-local, cultivated seeds over time; completion of work to determine the consequence of seed source for reestablishment at sites impacted by biological invasion; and continued research to describe intraspecific variation in native plant species and opportunities to incorporate adaptive differentiation into restoration programs to improve planting success and conserve local biodiversity. New proposals for funding to continue this research are submitted each year.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The following was accomplished in 2015: 1) Initiation of field studies of three forb species relevant for sage grouse habitat in order to test intraspecific variation and seed germination characteristics with the goal to increase seed availability and improve restoration outcomes. 2) Greenhouse, field and lab studies of cultivar and wild sources of native grasses to determine if there are differences in germination time. 3) Acceptance of two manuscripts for publication in a scientific journal and an Extension publication. 4). Submission of proposals to continue work with species relevant for sage grouse and other sagebrush obligate habitat conservation measures.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Herget, M.E., K.M. Hufford, D.L. Mummey and L. Shreading. 2016. Germination Timing and Seedling Growth of Poa secunda and the Invasive Grass, Bromus tectorum, in Response to Temperature: Evaluating Biotypes for Seedling Traits that Improve Establishment. Ecological Restoration
• Type: Other Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2016 Citation: Hufford, K.M. 2016. What will you plant? USDA PLANTS database: an online landowner resource. Barnyards and Backyards Magazine, UW Extension

Progress 04/19/14 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: During 2014, the target audience reached by this research program included state and federal agency personnel, industry professionals and landowners with interests in land reclamation and restoration. Contact occurred via UW Extension workshops, bulletin and magazine articles, informal discussions, and interactions through the Seeds of Success program and the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative. Primary contacts occurred in Wyoming with additional audiences reached in the states of Colorado and interaction with stakeholders in Montana, Tennessee and Illinois. Agencies included Wyoming Game and Fish, the Bureau of Land Management, and the US Forest Service. Changes/Problems: Currently, we are investigating new methods for molecular marker analysis that have potential to better characterize genetic variation among populations of native plant species. If successful, we will incorporate new methods into the current program of study. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? This project has contributed to the training of three graduate students in the Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management program at the University of Wyoming. Students have had opportunities to present their work at either national conferences or smaller research symposia. In 2014, two undergraduate students fulfilled UW internship requirements through work on a team funded by the Seeds of Success program ( Bureau of Land Management) via UW. Internships are offered each year if funding is available through the BLM. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results of this project have been disseminated to landowners, reclamation practitioners and agency and industry personnel via UW Extension workshops, bulletins and popular articles. In addition, publication of peer-reviewed journal articles is underway and informal discussions and meetings also occur with members of the native seed industry, state and city park services, and personnel at local and regional offices of the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and other agencies. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Future plans include the initiation of a study to determine the fate of large-scale introductions of non-local, cultivated seeds over time; completion of work to determine the consequence of seed source for reestablishment at sites impacted by biological invasion; and continued research to describe intraspecific variation in native plant species and opportunities to incorporate adaptive differentiation into restoration programs to improve planting success and conserve local biodiversity. If invited, a new grant proposal to examine the consequences of climate change for seed germination will be submitted in 2015.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The following was accomplished in 2014: 1) Completion of field collections of seeds of three forb species relevant for sage grouse habitat in order to test intraspecific variation and seed germination characteristics with the goal to increase seed availability and improve restoration outcomes. 2) Greenhouse studies of the consequence of seed source for growth of two different native grass species. We tested variation in cultivated and wild seed sources relevant for competition with invasive species and survival in arid climates. 3) Analyses of data for field and greenhouse studies to determine the consequence for revegetation success of seed source (cultivar or wild) of native Sandberg bluegrass when planted at sites invaded by Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass). We tested hypotheses that selected cultivars are better able to establish in the presence of invasive weeds. 4). Submission of a new preliminary proposal to the National Science Foundation to study seed germination and intraspecific variation among 5 North American native plant species relative to changing climate conditions.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Hufford, K. M. 2014. Seed issues and seed sourcing in Sage Grouse habitat restoration. WY Sage Grouse Habitat Restoration Workshop. Wyoming Reclamation and Restoration Center (March 26-27, 2014)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Hufford, K. M. 2014. Seeding and seed mixes. Weed Awareness and the Energy Industry, workshop. Converse County Weed & Pest (March 6, 2014)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Hufford, K.M. 2014. Best management practices in selection of plant species and seed sources for restoration. Pinedale Reclamation Best Management Practice (BMP) Workshop, Wyoming Reclamation and Restoration Center (June 12, 2014)
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Hufford, K.M. and R.D. Mealor. 2014. Native plants and adapted seeds for reclamation. WRRC Successful Restoration of Severely Disturbed Lands Series. UW Extension Bulletin B-1256
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Hufford, K.M. 2014. Seed source matters when reclaiming land with native seed. UW Barnyards & Backyards Magazine: Rural Living in Wyoming: Winter ed.