Theme 1-2: Rangeland/Grassland Ecology--Poster Sessions
Description
"It will be noticed that invasions most often come to cultivated land, or to land much modified by human practice." This quote was published in 1958 by Charles Elton, and holds true today, backed by empirical evidence suggesting mechanisms of disturbance, plant functional traits and propagule pressure can push a cultivated system towards an invaded state. 17 farms, with either a current or previous history of grazing and land modification, within the Snowy Monaro Region, NSW, Australia, were surveyed to explore the relationship between the non-native C4 perennial tussock grass Eragrostis curvula [Schrad.] Nees. and species richness. As E. curvula increases above-ground biomass and proportion cover, we observed species richness declined within survey quadrats. E. curvula has the potential to outcompete desirable pasture species for vital resources, leading to a build-up of above-ground biomass and a decline in species richness. Impacts of E. curvula extent to the agricultural sector as graziers invest time, money and resources in management and supplementary feed. The data from this study was collected in 2019, a year impacted by drought leading to the onset of the "black summer" bushfires of early 2020. Therefore, this study's findings need to be interpreted in the context of drought and may not accurately represent "normal" Snowy Monaro Region conditions. Nevertheless, E. curvula can be an undesirable pasture species that negatively impact agricultural and ecological values. The development of practical solutions to manage E. curvula has been shown to prevent secondary invasion of undesirable species through appropriate fire use, fertilizer application, appropriate grazing, and herbicide application. However, widespread adoption of these solutions needs to be implemented at a community scale instead of at an individual scale for effective long-term management.
Included in
Increased Above-Ground Biomass and Plant Species Decline Related to the Presence of Eragrostis curvula across Multiple Grazing Grasslands in the Snowy Monaro Region of Australia
"It will be noticed that invasions most often come to cultivated land, or to land much modified by human practice." This quote was published in 1958 by Charles Elton, and holds true today, backed by empirical evidence suggesting mechanisms of disturbance, plant functional traits and propagule pressure can push a cultivated system towards an invaded state. 17 farms, with either a current or previous history of grazing and land modification, within the Snowy Monaro Region, NSW, Australia, were surveyed to explore the relationship between the non-native C4 perennial tussock grass Eragrostis curvula [Schrad.] Nees. and species richness. As E. curvula increases above-ground biomass and proportion cover, we observed species richness declined within survey quadrats. E. curvula has the potential to outcompete desirable pasture species for vital resources, leading to a build-up of above-ground biomass and a decline in species richness. Impacts of E. curvula extent to the agricultural sector as graziers invest time, money and resources in management and supplementary feed. The data from this study was collected in 2019, a year impacted by drought leading to the onset of the "black summer" bushfires of early 2020. Therefore, this study's findings need to be interpreted in the context of drought and may not accurately represent "normal" Snowy Monaro Region conditions. Nevertheless, E. curvula can be an undesirable pasture species that negatively impact agricultural and ecological values. The development of practical solutions to manage E. curvula has been shown to prevent secondary invasion of undesirable species through appropriate fire use, fertilizer application, appropriate grazing, and herbicide application. However, widespread adoption of these solutions needs to be implemented at a community scale instead of at an individual scale for effective long-term management.
