Wet Floodplain Prairie

Description

The reference plant community is categorized as a wet meadow community, dominated by hydrophytic and mesophytic vegetation. The three community phases within the reference state are dependent on seasonal flooding and precipitation as well as an average fire return interval of three years (LANDFIRE 2009; Nelson 2010). Each phase has different dominant vegetation.

The amount and duration of floodwater alters species composition, cover, and extent, while regular fire intervals keep woody species from encroaching. Animal herbivory from large ungulates have more localized impacts in the reference phases, but do contribute to overall species composition, diversity, cover, and productivity (Nelson 2010).

Submodel

Description

Fire suppression can transition the reference herbaceous wet meadow community into a shrub-dominated community. Historically, hot replacement fires occurred on a two to five year cycle and helped to reduce woody encroachment and thatch build-up (LANDFIRE 2009). Over the past 150 years, however, fire suppression policies have allowed shrubs and trees to succeed into areas they did not historically occur.

Submodel

Description

The cool-season pasture state occurs when the reference state has been anthropogenically-altered for livestock production. Early settlers harvested the trees for timber and fuel and seeded such non-native cool-season species as Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), converting the woodland to pasture (Smith 1998; IDNR 2013). Over time, as lands were continually grazed by large herds of cattle, the non-native species were able to spread and expand across the site, reducing the native species diversity. However, these sites are difficult to maintain due to frequent flooding and low available water capacity.

Submodel

Description

The Midwest is well-known for its highly-productive agricultural soils, and as a result, much of the MLRA has been converted to cropland, including portions of this ecological site. The continuous use of tillage, row-crop planting, and chemicals (i.e., herbicides, fertilizers, etc.) have effectively eliminated the reference community and many of its natural ecological functions in favor of crop production. Corn (Zea mays L.) and soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) are the dominant crops for the site. These areas are likely to remain in crop production for the foreseeable future.

Submodel

Description

Prairie reconstructions have become an important tool for repairing natural ecological functioning and providing habitat protection for numerous grassland-dependent species. The historic plant community of wet prairie was extremely diverse and complex, and prairie replication is not considered to be possible once the native vegetation has been altered by post-European settlement land uses. Therefore ecological restoration should aim to aid the recovery of degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems. A successful restoration will have the ability to structurally and functionally sustain itself, demonstrate resilience to the natural ranges of stress and disturbance, and create and maintain positive biotic and abiotic interactions (SER 2002). The reconstructed wet prairie state is the result of a long-term commitment involving a multi-step, adaptive management process. Diverse, species-rich seed mixes are important to utilize as they allow the site to undergo successional stages that exhibit changing composition and dominance over time (Smith et al. 2010). On-going post-planting management will help the site progress from an early successional community dominated by annuals and some weeds to a later seral stage composed of native perennial grasses, sedges, and forbs.

Submodel