Restoration of Danthonia californica, Elymus glaucus, and Nassella pulchra at Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve

Restoration of Danthonia californica, Elymus glaucus,
and Nassella pulchra at Elkhorn Slough National
Estuarine Research Reserve
Courtney Angelo
Department of Ecology and Evolution
University of California, Santa Cruz
May 23, 2005

California grasslands are one of the most invaded, endangered, and altered ecosystems in the world. Seven of the 10 million hectares of California’s grasslands are now dominated by exotic annual grasses of Mediterranean origin, replacing the native perennial bunchgrasses. Of all California grasslands, coastal grasslands remain the most intact floral assemblages, in which native species dominate in remnant patches. Thus, coastal grasslands have high potential for restoration and conservation purposes. We designed an experiment to evaluate at which life stages native perennial bunchgrasses need the most assistance for survival when competing with exotic annual grass species. In addition, our experiment evaluated which native perennial bunchgrass species and treatment are the most appropriate for restoration efforts. We used three plots, three native perennial bunchgrass species (Danthonia californica, Elymus glaucus, and Nassella pulchra), and three treatment types (weeding, mulching, and initial clearing). The three bunchgrass species responded differently, with D. californica growing the largest in terms of basal area and E. glaucus growing the tallest. Species also differed in survival and reproduction, with E. glaucus having the highest percent survival and D. californica reproducing the least. Species responded differently to the three treatments; however; weeding led to better establishment for all three bunchgrass species.

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