Native Habitat Restoration In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas

Anthony D. Falk *Masters candidate, Texas A&M University Kingsville, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Kingsville, TX. 78363

Forrest Smith Coordinator, South Texas Natives, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Kingsville, TX. 78363

Timothy Fulbright Regents Professor, Texas A&M University Kingsville, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Kingsville, TX. 78363

Stephen Benn Urban Biologist, Texas Parks and Wildlife 154B Lakeview Dr. Weslaco, TX. 78596

Introduction• Millions of acres lost to non-native species

annually– Detrimental to wildlife

• With the costs of productive wildlife habitat ↑ there is an ↑ in the need for restoration

Goal

• Planting a diverse mix of locally adapted native species would produce a native prairie– Prevent invasion from non-native species

• Areas that were seeded would have higher species diversity and more suitable bunch grass clumps for nesting

Site Description

• Temperature averages 23 C • 65 cm rain annually however highly variable• Harlingen Clay • South Texas Plains ecoregion• Previously managed for White wing dove and

Bobwhite quail • agricultural production

Methods

• Control– Nothing done

• Prepared– trees removed, mowed, disked, moldboard

plowed, disked, leveled • Prepared and seeded– trees removed, mowed, disked, moldboard

plowed, disked, leveled, seeded with a Truax™ seed drill and a tube spreader

Seed mix

• Seed mix made up of 31 locally adapted– Seeded according to NRCS rangeland guidelines

• 8:2 ratio of grasses to forbs• Even distribution of succesional groups• Developed to completely repopulate seed

bank• All land preparation and seeding was

completed in March 2008

Vegetation Sampling

• 20 cm X 50 cm frame• 1m belted transects• Estimate suitable bunch

grass clumps• ≥25.4cm x ≥25.4cm

Statistical Analysis

• Experiment is a Randomized Complete block design with 4 blocks

• Analyzed using repeated measures analysis SAS 9.1

• α ≤0.05• Independent variable– Treatment and Time

• Dependent variable– Cover

Results• Establishment of 83% planted species

• Several species have increased – Slender Grama (Bouteloua repens) – Plain Bristle Grass (Setaria spp.)

• Establishment of several species that were ≤1% of the seed mix

Results• Mean of 3,457suitable bunchgrass clumps/ha

in seeded treatments• 0 in control and prepared treatments

Treatment

Control Prepared Seeded

Mea

n #

of S

peci

es/

2 ha

0

5

10

15

20

25

30Mean Species Richness

A

A

BP = 0.0012

Sample Date

oct. 08 jan. 09 Mar. 09 Jun. 09 Aug. 09 Oct. 09

% C

over

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Mean % Cover of Perennial Native Species in each Treatment for each Sample Date

Legend

Control PreparedSeeded

Time*Treatment P= 0.0091

Sample Date

oct. 08 jan. 09 Mar. 09 Jun. 09 Aug. 09 Oct. 09

% C

over

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Mean % Cover of Perennial Non-Native Species in each Treatment for each Sample Date

Legend

Control

Prepared

Seeded

Time*Treatment P < 0.0001

Discussion

• Without seed any disturbance will end up as a non-native community

• Little native seed bank – Nothing left to fill the void– Can not compete

• Creates simplified plant community

Discussion

• Planting a diverse mix of native species prevents non-native species from establishing

• A diverse mix competes with non-natives– Provides good early competition– Provides year round competition– Potentially fills all available

• Falls within the published limits for quality nesting habitat– ≥730 nest clumps/ha

• Prepared and controls treatments have higher non-native species cover

• Only one part of the quail equation

Conclusions

• Are able to get native species established• Increase the species richness• Planting appears to prevent invasion• Able to produce suitable nesting habitat

For The Future

• Continued monitoring of this project• Adding management– Herbicide – Grazing– Burning

Acknowledgements

• Texas Parks and Wildlife• South Texas Natives• South Texas Chapter Quail Unlimited• Everyone that helped with data collection• Coauthors and committee members

Questions ?