Amy J. Symstad
2004
<p><span>I investigated the effect of </span><i>Coronilla varia</i><span><span> </span>invasion and subsequent reduction on the plant community and soil nitrogen availability in a degraded Illinois sand prairie. The presence of<span> </span></span><i>C. varia</i><span><span> </span>significantly increased soil nitrogen availability and significantly decreased native species richness and cover, but neither helped nor hindered a common non-native grass,<span> </span></span><i>Poa pratensis</i><span>. One year after the drastic reduction of<span> </span></span><i>C. varia</i><span>, soil nitrogen remained somewhat elevated and native species richness and cover low, but<span> </span></span><i>P. pratensis</i><span><span> </span>cover increased nearly six-fold. These results suggest that<span> </span></span><i>C. varia</i><span>'s impact might be continued through altered soil nitrogen. More important, however, was the strong response of<span> </span></span><i>P. pratensis</i><span>, which could hinder restoration efforts by competing with native species.</span></p>
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10.1674/0003-0031(2004)152[0183:SIFTRO]2.0.CO;2
en
University of Notre Dame
Secondary invasion following the reduction of Coronilla varia (Crownvetch) in sand prairie
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