Plant recruitment, coexistence and community assembly in developing prairie restorations

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Intellectual Merit: Understanding species coexistence continues to be a fundamental goal in ecology with direct relevance to applied fields such as biodiversity conservation, resource management and restoration. For the practitioner of prairie restoration, knowledge of the different modes of coexistence and their relative importance in developing prairies would be valuable for guiding restoration prescriptions pertaining to site preparation, planting methods, invasive species control and management of disturbance regimes. This project initiates a long-term manipulative field experiment in eastern Kansas designed to evaluate multiple modes of species coexistence and plant community development, including the contributions of niche differentiation, functional similarity of species, spatial structure and initial community states in regulating native species establishment, diversity and species turnover in developing prairie restorations.Broader Impacts: The project will contribute to the development of the University of Kansas Field Station (KUFS) and complement ongoing research and education initiatives at KUFS in grassland ecology. The PI will continue to facilitate involvement of underrepresented groups through participation in KU student minority programs and provide training for two new PhD students. Undergraduates will participate as student hourly field assistants, KU independent study researchers and REU students. The project will also be utilized by students enrolled in KU Ecology courses and by AP Biology students at Lawrence High School.