Prairie grasses for ecological restoration and biofuels
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Prairies once dominated the landscapes of much of the Midwest, but these ecosystems were rapidly converted to agriculture and altered due to fire suppression. However, today people are trying to increase the presence of prairies in the landscape. Benefits of native prairie include sequestering carbon, soil-building, and providing habitat for animal species--from grassland nesting birds to beneficial insects. Prairie species, either as single species stands or in diverse plantings, are also being considered for use to produce cellulosic ethanol.
My specific research projects have primarily focused on questions related to the seed sources used for prairie restoration. You might wonder, when an area is restored from an agricultural field to a tallgrass prairie, where do the plants or seeds come from? Sometimes seeds are collected from local remnant prairies, but in many cases seeds are purchased from large seed suppliers--which may be very distant from the restoration site and produce seeds in propagation fields. Is it more beneficial to use wild-collected seed? Or are there advantages to using cultivars, even if they are not local to the restoration area? Are cultivars able to deal with environmental stresses that may be found in restoration sites, such as poor soils or disease pressure?
This project fits into my larger scholarly interest in human interactions with native species. God calls us to be stewards of His creation, and one way we can do this is to conserve native species. One potential avenue to greater conservation can be through working landscapes with native species—for example, biofuel production fields that also provide a home for diverse native species and provide services such as water quality improvement. My hope is for my contributions to provide information alongside a variety of work being done to understand and appreciate the potential for restoring and appreciating potential uses for native landscapes.
My specific research projects have primarily focused on questions related to the seed sources used for prairie restoration. You might wonder, when an area is restored from an agricultural field to a tallgrass prairie, where do the plants or seeds come from? Sometimes seeds are collected from local remnant prairies, but in many cases seeds are purchased from large seed suppliers--which may be very distant from the restoration site and produce seeds in propagation fields. Is it more beneficial to use wild-collected seed? Or are there advantages to using cultivars, even if they are not local to the restoration area? Are cultivars able to deal with environmental stresses that may be found in restoration sites, such as poor soils or disease pressure?
This project fits into my larger scholarly interest in human interactions with native species. God calls us to be stewards of His creation, and one way we can do this is to conserve native species. One potential avenue to greater conservation can be through working landscapes with native species—for example, biofuel production fields that also provide a home for diverse native species and provide services such as water quality improvement. My hope is for my contributions to provide information alongside a variety of work being done to understand and appreciate the potential for restoring and appreciating potential uses for native landscapes.
Publications
Schrotenboer AC, Allen MS, Malmstrom CM (2011) Modification of native grasses for biofuel production may increase virus susceptibility. Glob Chang Biol Bioenergy 3: 360–375.
Werling BP, Dickson TL, Isaacs R, Gaines H, Gratton C, et al. (2014) Perennial grasslands enhance biodiversity and multiple ecosystem services in bioenergy landscapes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 111: 1652–1657.
Schrotenboer AC, Allen MS, Malmstrom CM (2011) Modification of native grasses for biofuel production may increase virus susceptibility. Glob Chang Biol Bioenergy 3: 360–375.
Werling BP, Dickson TL, Isaacs R, Gaines H, Gratton C, et al. (2014) Perennial grasslands enhance biodiversity and multiple ecosystem services in bioenergy landscapes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 111: 1652–1657.
