This project leverages a long-term, highly replicated field experiment in native plant restoration to study how sustainable communities of species assemble and why they disassemble. Vernal pools, which are temporary wetlands that are inundated in spring and dry in summer, represent discrete, high diversity habitat patches for plants that are able to tolerate extreme physical conditions. The project examines naturally occurring and restored pools that vary in size, connectivity, and seeding treatment in order to identify the relative importance of local and regional factors affecting local species composition. Over the next five years, data collected on the abundance of all observed species, pollinator dynamics, seed set, germination rates, and pool hydrology will be integrated into mathematical models to determine factors that significantly influence plant species composition, community dynamics, and long-term stability.
To restore and manage natural communities effectively, ecologists must understand processes affecting their formation and dynamics. When restored ecosystems reach alternative states that do not match conservation priorities, active management is necessary to modify factors controlling the structure and composition of these communities. This field study will generate data critical to inform conservation and restoration efforts. These results will also mitigate endangered species losses on Department of Defense lands. Rural school students will participate in the project by designing and implementing their own research. Graduate and undergraduate students will also receive direct research experience through participation in the proposed field studies.
