California's native wildflowers are being smothered by layers of dead, invasive grasses. A new study shows that simply raking these layers can boost biodiversity and reduce fire danger.
California's native wildflowers are being smothered by layers of dead, invasive grasses. A new study shows that simply raking these layers can boost biodiversity and reduce fire danger.
In grasslands near the UCR campus, researchers used a grid of paired plots -- one raked and one untouched -- to measure plant community changes over the course of three years. Results showed raking increased plant diversity overall, reducing invasive grasses like ripgut brome while increasing both native and exotic wildflowers, known as forbs.
"Raking boosted native wildflowers by about 5% and exotic forbs by 7 to 10%," said Advyth Ramachandran, who co-led the project as a UCR undergraduate and now studies plant ecology at the University of Colorado Boulder."This doesn't mean raking isn't worthwhile. It's a simple, low-cost method that could be a first step for restoring these systems."
Spasojevic credits the project's success to its accessibility."The research site is on campus, so students could sample between classes. It lowered barriers for involvement and became a rich mentorship opportunity," he said. The SEEDS initiative remains active, with students continuing to collect data for a fifth consecutive year.
"This project shows how small actions -- like raking -- can make meaningful differences in our ecosystems," Ramachandran said."It's a promising step toward restoring California's native landscapes."Advyth Ramachandran, Caryn D. Iwanaga, Michael Fugate, Jared D. Huxley, Annika Rose‐Person, Rhea Amatya, Thuy‐Tien Bui, Marko J. Spasojevic.
Ecology Research Seeds Nature Exotic Species Ecology Ecosystems Rainforests
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