Dissertation Research: The Roles of Disturbance in the Persitence of Two Rare Plants in the Sandhills Community, Central Coastal California

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Disturbance often enhances diversity by creating a refuge allowing the persistence of fugitive native plants. Many exotic species are also successful colonizers of disturbances and may compete with native taxa. Thus, the effects of disturbance on native species in invaded communities are difficult to predict without an understanding of the differential responses of natives and exotics to disturbance. Within this context, the proposed research focuses on the effects of three soil disturbances (mounds, trails, and slides) on native plant species. Previous research indicates that fire facilitates rare native plants by removing accumulated leaf litter and exotic plants. Similarly, soil disturbances are hypothesized to facilitate natives, although exotic species may mitigate this beneficial effect. The response of native plants to disturbance, the presence of exotic species, and their interaction will be quantified through a series of manipulative experiments. The proposed research will document how plant life history traits and population dynamics interact with disturbance characteristics to determine temporal patterns within invaded communities.