García-Cancel, Juan G.

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    Effects of native and non-native grasses on woody species regeneration in a Puerto Rican subtropical dry forest
    (2013) García-Cancel, Juan G.; Chinea-Rivera, Jesús D.; College of Arts and Sciences - Sciences; Thaxton, Jarrod; Kolterman, Duane; Department of Biology; Robles, Wilfredo
    Invasive non-native species can reduce native species diversity, alter ecosystem structure and produce barriers to restoration. However little is known about how native and non- native grasses may differ in their effects on woody species diversity or seedling regeneration in a subtropical dry forest. I surveyed randomly selected patches dominated by native grasses or non–native grasses throughout randomly selected 1-km2 cells within the Guánica Dry Forest in Puerto Rico. There I assessed the effects of grass type and patch size on woody species diversity, stem diameter and stem density. Afterwards I conducted a field experiment to assess possible facilitation or inhibition effects of two grasses, one non- native (Megathyrsus maximus) and the other native (Uniola virgata), on native woody seedlings for six months. Thirty vascular families were sampled, with 58 species identified to the species level. Grass species presence was observed to correlate with woody stem density. Once this was observed I wanted to check if woody stem density was consistently different between native grasses and non-native grasses. For the native grass Uniola virgata woody stem density was associated with patch size. No patterns could be discerned for the other native and non-native grasses. Native woody species richness inside sampled plots was linearly related to grass patch size only for Uniola virgata patches. Seedlings planted near the edges of native or non-native grass clumps had a higher percentage survival than seedlings planted in bare exposed soil in the same sites. Between the two grass species, woody seedling survival was higher near native grass clumps than near non-native grass clumps, perhaps due to differences in phenology and root development that produced a more suitable microclimate near the native grass clumps. These results suggest that native grasses may be used during dry forest restoration to mitigate the negative effects of non- native grasses.