A tractor using a grass-seed drill to plant a tallgrass prairie site in Minnesota.
Diane Larson, PhD (Former Employee)
Science and Products
Sourcing plants for conservation and restoration: developing a risk assessment framework
Tallgrass prairie species are planted in a variety of settings for a variety of reasons. Much of the seed used for these plantings is produced commercially in agricultural-like conditions and can be contaminated by “weed seeds.” In this study, we are creating an analytical tool to assess the risk of inadvertently introducing weed seeds into a prairie planting. We purpose that increasing the...
Developing evaluation and monitoring frameworks for tallgrass prairie reconstruction
Thousands of hectares of retired farmland are planted with tallgrass prairie species each year. If the methods used and resulting characteristics of these prairies are recorded, compiled, and analyzed, they can provide a valuable resource for evaluating seed mixes, planting methods, and post-planting management. Toward this end, collaborators in the Prairie Reconstruction Initiative, funded by the...
Evaluation of tallgrass prairie restoration methods to improve resistance to invasive species and maintenance of plant species diversity over time
When reconstructing native tallgrass prairie from abandoned farmland, patience can pay off. In this research effort, we observed that as reconstructions matured, Canada thistle cover declined even though herbicides were not applied. There is no single best planting method for all situations. Ten years after planting, cover of planted, native non-planted, and exotic species varied little among...
Evaluation of conservation grazing versus prescribed fire to manage tallgrass prairie remnants for plant and pollinator species diversity
With scarcely 2% of native tallgrass prairie remaining today, it is imperative that we wisely manage what little remains to conserve prairie-dependent plants, pollinators, other animals and ecosystem processes. Two commonly used methods of prairie management are prescribed fire and conservation grazing. Either method may present trade-offs with respect to conservation of vulnerable plant, bee or...
Effects of invasive plant species on reproduction of the rare endemic plant Dakota buckwheat (Eriogonum visheri) at Badlands National Park
Endemism in plants is extremely uncommon in the Great Plains. Dakota buckwheat is a rare, endemic plant found in only a few locations at Badlands National Park and sites with similar soils outside the park. In an earlier study, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center inferred that of two common, co-flowering invasive plants, Russian thistle was more likely than yellow sweetclover to interfere...
To control or not to control: response of pollinator communities to invasive plant management
If invasive plants are producing pollen and nectar used by native pollinators, what happens when a manager decides to control the invasive plant? Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center is addressing this question and has found that pollinators are adept at changing their resource acquisition strategies as abundantly flowering invasive species decline. In addition, it appears that the invasive...
Relocating Plants for Conservation and Restoration: Developing a Risk Assessment Framework
There is growing interest in the facilitated movement of plants as a means of conserving or restoring species and habitats, as climate conditions and management goals change. For example, plants might be relocated to support pollinator conservation or the restoration of prairies. Some land managers, in an effort to be proactive in the face of changing environmental conditions, are also...
A Tallgrass Prairie Planting Being Seeded
A tractor using a grass-seed drill to plant a tallgrass prairie site in Minnesota.
Sphecid wasp nectaring on Canada thistle
Image of a Sphecid wasp, Specidae sp. nectaring on Canada thistle, (Cirsium arvense).
Image of a Sphecid wasp, Specidae sp. nectaring on Canada thistle, (Cirsium arvense).
Early establishing species in a prairie reconstruction
Typical early establishing species in a prairie reconstruction planted with a low-diversity seed mix.
Typical early establishing species in a prairie reconstruction planted with a low-diversity seed mix.
Science and Products
Sourcing plants for conservation and restoration: developing a risk assessment framework
Tallgrass prairie species are planted in a variety of settings for a variety of reasons. Much of the seed used for these plantings is produced commercially in agricultural-like conditions and can be contaminated by “weed seeds.” In this study, we are creating an analytical tool to assess the risk of inadvertently introducing weed seeds into a prairie planting. We purpose that increasing the...
Developing evaluation and monitoring frameworks for tallgrass prairie reconstruction
Thousands of hectares of retired farmland are planted with tallgrass prairie species each year. If the methods used and resulting characteristics of these prairies are recorded, compiled, and analyzed, they can provide a valuable resource for evaluating seed mixes, planting methods, and post-planting management. Toward this end, collaborators in the Prairie Reconstruction Initiative, funded by the...
Evaluation of tallgrass prairie restoration methods to improve resistance to invasive species and maintenance of plant species diversity over time
When reconstructing native tallgrass prairie from abandoned farmland, patience can pay off. In this research effort, we observed that as reconstructions matured, Canada thistle cover declined even though herbicides were not applied. There is no single best planting method for all situations. Ten years after planting, cover of planted, native non-planted, and exotic species varied little among...
Evaluation of conservation grazing versus prescribed fire to manage tallgrass prairie remnants for plant and pollinator species diversity
With scarcely 2% of native tallgrass prairie remaining today, it is imperative that we wisely manage what little remains to conserve prairie-dependent plants, pollinators, other animals and ecosystem processes. Two commonly used methods of prairie management are prescribed fire and conservation grazing. Either method may present trade-offs with respect to conservation of vulnerable plant, bee or...
Effects of invasive plant species on reproduction of the rare endemic plant Dakota buckwheat (Eriogonum visheri) at Badlands National Park
Endemism in plants is extremely uncommon in the Great Plains. Dakota buckwheat is a rare, endemic plant found in only a few locations at Badlands National Park and sites with similar soils outside the park. In an earlier study, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center inferred that of two common, co-flowering invasive plants, Russian thistle was more likely than yellow sweetclover to interfere...
To control or not to control: response of pollinator communities to invasive plant management
If invasive plants are producing pollen and nectar used by native pollinators, what happens when a manager decides to control the invasive plant? Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center is addressing this question and has found that pollinators are adept at changing their resource acquisition strategies as abundantly flowering invasive species decline. In addition, it appears that the invasive...
Relocating Plants for Conservation and Restoration: Developing a Risk Assessment Framework
There is growing interest in the facilitated movement of plants as a means of conserving or restoring species and habitats, as climate conditions and management goals change. For example, plants might be relocated to support pollinator conservation or the restoration of prairies. Some land managers, in an effort to be proactive in the face of changing environmental conditions, are also...
A Tallgrass Prairie Planting Being Seeded
A tractor using a grass-seed drill to plant a tallgrass prairie site in Minnesota.
A tractor using a grass-seed drill to plant a tallgrass prairie site in Minnesota.
Sphecid wasp nectaring on Canada thistle
Image of a Sphecid wasp, Specidae sp. nectaring on Canada thistle, (Cirsium arvense).
Image of a Sphecid wasp, Specidae sp. nectaring on Canada thistle, (Cirsium arvense).
Early establishing species in a prairie reconstruction
Typical early establishing species in a prairie reconstruction planted with a low-diversity seed mix.
Typical early establishing species in a prairie reconstruction planted with a low-diversity seed mix.
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government