OOS 39

Native Plant Materials Development Research: Synthesis, Cutting Edge and Use Implications

Hundreds of thousands of terrestrial acres are disturbed annually via fire or development. Each year hundreds of thousands of pounds of seed are produced (or collected) and then applied to those areas for restoration or reclamation. Numerous ecological questions and research topics arise given this situation, including the direct evolutionary implications of plant materials research and development over time, as well as the indirect interspecific interactions and cumulative effects of those materials (typically seed) on the systems to which they are applied. This session gives insight into a variety of approaches and philosophies in past, current and future plant materials research & development and use. The massive scale of plant materials use across both public and private lands ensures that these presentations will be of interest to Applied, Evolutionary, Policy, Rangeland, Soil, Population and Agroecology ecologists, among others. We’ll hear a historical perspective to tie to the annual meeting theme, then proceed to current plant materials research, policy and action as per the US Forest Service. Quantified effects of directed selection on genetic diversity in commercially available cultivars will be presented by for grass species. The use by USGS of species distribution models in native plant materials development research will be introduced along with presentation of new results, followed by USFS research into geographic variation in adaptation and the development of population movement guidelines for restoration species. A next presentation will give an overview of the Logan ARS facility’s body of work plus present new results obtained using an empirical trait-based approach to develop ecologically appropriate native plant materials. A following speaker will then contrast agricultural vs. ecological perspectives on plant materials development, while producing new results of several research projects with BLM. Plant materials use effectiveness analyses using Utah Wilderness Restoration Initiative’s project database monitoring results will follow: “Using the past to inform future seed sourcing in the Colorado Plateau”. And we’ll hear results of a new ARS & BLM partnership: “Hitting moving restoration targets: using plant traits and geographic origin to predict population-level climate (high CO2 & temperature) responses”. These presentations alone and en masse will be of broad interest to ecologists concerned with stewardship of earth’s resources, and should include a breadth of perspectives and approaches to plant materials development, use, and effectiveness sufficient to stimulate dynamic discussions.