Diane Larson, PhD
Diane Larson is a Research Wildlife Biologist with the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center and is stationed at the St. Paul, Minnesota duty station.
What is a functional prairie ecosystem? Where can we begin to address such a huge question? With only a tiny fraction of the once vast prairies remaining, understanding their key functions and how to best preserve or reconstruct these functions is of utmost importance. Questions may begin with vegetation, but quickly propagate downward into soil communities and processes and upward to pollinators and herbivores. These are the motivations for my research.
My goals are to assist resource managers in ways that improve sustainability. Prairie reconstructions that both express the range of species planted and are resistant to noxious weeds, thereby minimizing subsequent management inputs, are more sustainable than those that degenerate into weedy fields in need of repeated herbicide applications. Can we improve planting methods and seed mixes to better achieve sustainable prairies?
Functioning ecosystems support mutualists, herbivores, commensals, predators. How will legacies of prior land use and vegetation impinge on these functions? Can we mitigate negative legacies? Create positive legacies to improve outcomes? What roles do invasive plant species play? If they support mutualists such as pollinators, how will we sustain these mutualists while controlling weeds?
Professional Experience
Research Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Discipline (formerly Fish and Wildlife Service), Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, 1991 to present
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. (Biology) University of Illinois, Chicago
B.A., M.A. (Environmental, Population, and Organismic Biology) University of Colorado, Boulder
Affiliations and Memberships*
Adjunct Associate Professor, Dept. of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, January 1998 to present
Science and Products
Evidence of qualitative differences between soil-occupancy effects of invasive vs. native grassland plant species
Can prescribed fire be used to control Yellow Sweetclover (Meliotus officinalis) in a cool-season mixed-grass prairie?
Seeding method influences warm-season grass abundance and distribution but not local diversity in grassland restoration
Control of one invasive plant species allows exotic grasses to become dominant in northern Great Plains grasslands
Nitrogen-limitation and invasive sweetclover impacts vary between two Great Plains plant communities
Seeding Method Influences Warm-Season Grass Abundance and Distribution but not Local Diversity in Grassland Restoration
The Saga of Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula) in the Northern Great Plains
Evaluation of Restoration Methods to Minimize Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense) Infestation
Role of invasive Melilotus officinalis in two native plant communities
The Restoration Rapid Assessment Tool: An Access/Visual Basic application
Soil modification by invasive plants: Effects on native and invasive species of mixed-grass prairies
Long-term dynamics of leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) and its biocontrol agent, flea beetles in the genus Aphthona
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 70
Evidence of qualitative differences between soil-occupancy effects of invasive vs. native grassland plant species
Diversified grasslands that contain native plant species are being recognized as important elements of agricultural landscapes and for production of biofuel feedstocks as well as a variety of other ecosystem services. Unfortunately, establishment of such grasslands is often difficult, unpredictable, and highly vulnerable to interference and invasion by weeds. Evidence suggests that soil-microbialAuthorsNicholas R. Jordan, Diane L. Larson, Sheri C. HuerdCan prescribed fire be used to control Yellow Sweetclover (Meliotus officinalis) in a cool-season mixed-grass prairie?
This report summarizes the results of a study on the effects of early- versus late-season fire on yellow sweetclover. The study was motivated by a desire to develop realistic management methods for yellow sweetclover at Badlands National Park. Limitations imposed by an inability to apply fire treatments at the times required made it impossible to test the hypothesis that late summer fires would beAuthorsDiane L. LarsonSeeding method influences warm-season grass abundance and distribution but not local diversity in grassland restoration
Ecological theory predicts that the arrangement of seedlings in newly restored communities may influence future species diversity and composition. We test the prediction that smaller distances between neighboring seeds in drill seeded grassland plantings would result in lower species diversity, greater weed abundance, and larger conspecific patch sizes than otherwise similar broadcast seeded plantAuthorsKathryn A. Yurkonis, Brian J. Wilsey, Kirk A. Moloney, Pauline Drobney, Diane L. LarsonControl of one invasive plant species allows exotic grasses to become dominant in northern Great Plains grasslands
Decline of leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) in the northern Great Plains of the US is generally viewed as a success story for biological control, but quality of the vegetation that survived the infestation is key to recovery of ecosystem function. In addition, effects of other invasive species, notably cool-season exotic grasses, must be taken into account. Objectives of this study were (1) to evaluAuthorsD. L. Larson, J.L. LarsonNitrogen-limitation and invasive sweetclover impacts vary between two Great Plains plant communities
Yellow sweetclover is an exotic herbaceous legume common in the Great Plains of the US. Although woody legumes have been shown to affect ecosystem processes through nitrogen (N) fixation (i.e., they can be considered "transformers" sensu Richardson et al. (2000)), the same has not been shown for short-lived herbaceous species. The objectives of this study were to (1) quantify the effects of yellowAuthorsLaura C. Van Riper, Diane L. Larson, Jennifer L. LarsonSeeding Method Influences Warm-Season Grass Abundance and Distribution but not Local Diversity in Grassland Restoration
Ecological theory predicts that the arrangement of seedlings in newly restored communities may influence future species diversity and composition. We test the prediction that smaller distances between neighboring seeds in drill seeded grassland plantings would result in lower species diversity, greater weed abundance, and larger conspecific patch sizes than otherwise similar broadcast seeded plantAuthorsK.A. Yurkonis, B.J. Wilsey, K.A. Moloney, P. Drobney, D. L. LarsonThe Saga of Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula) in the Northern Great Plains
Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.) is an invasive Eurasian perennial introduced into the United States as a contaminant of crop seed in the 1880s and 1890s. It typically forms monocultures in rangeland and natural areas of the northern Great Plains where, because of the latex that occurs in all parts of the plant, it is not consumed by naturally occurring herbivores. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) sAuthorsDiane L. LarsonEvaluation of Restoration Methods to Minimize Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense) Infestation
The National Wildlife Refuge System has an active habitat restoration program and annually seeds thousands of hectares with native plant species. The noxious weed, Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), plagues these restorations. This study evaluates planting methodology and seed mixes with the goal of recommending optimal methods to reduce infestation of noxious weeds, especially Canada thistle, in nAuthorsDiane L. LarsonRole of invasive Melilotus officinalis in two native plant communities
This study examines the impact of the exotic nitrogen-fixing legume Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam. on native and exotic species cover in two Great Plains ecosystems in Badlands National Park, South Dakota. Melilotus is still widely planted and its effects on native ecosystems are not well studied. Melilotus could have direct effects on native plants, such as through competition or facilitation. AAuthorsLaura C. Van Riper, Diane L. LarsonThe Restoration Rapid Assessment Tool: An Access/Visual Basic application
Managers of parks and natural areas are increasingly faced with difficult decisions concerning restoration of disturbed lands. Financial and workforce resources often limit these restoration efforts, and rarely can a manager afford to address all concerns within the region of interest. With limited resources, managers and scientists have to decide which areas will be targeted for restoration and tAuthorsRon Hiebert, D. L. Larson, K. Thomas, N. Tancreto, D. Haines, A. Richey, T. Dow, L. DreesSoil modification by invasive plants: Effects on native and invasive species of mixed-grass prairies
Invasive plants are capable of modifying attributes of soil to facilitate further invasion by conspecifics and other invasive species. We assessed this capability in three important plant invaders of grasslands in the Great Plains region of North America: leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula), smooth brome (Bromus inermis) and crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum). In a glasshouse, these three invasivAuthorsN.R. Jordan, D. L. Larson, S.C. HuerdLong-term dynamics of leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) and its biocontrol agent, flea beetles in the genus Aphthona
Three flea beetle species (Aphthona spp.), first introduced into North America in 1988, have come to be regarded as effective biological control organisms for leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula). The black flea beetles (Aphthona lacertosa and A. czwalinae) in particular have been shown to cause reductions in leafy spurge stem counts in the northern Great Plains, while the brown flea beetle (A. nigriscuAuthorsDiane L. Larson, James B. Grace, Jennifer L. Larson - Science
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*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