Our purpose was to find a practical, easy, and economical method to break physical dormancy (PY) in seeds of Sophora moorcroftiana var. moorcroftiana from the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau of China and thus to facilitate use of this species in restoration. Mechanically-scarified seeds germinated to 100%, but neither dry heat, wet heat, chilling in ice water, nor freezing broke PY. However, 90–100% of the seeds were made water-permeable by subjecting them to wet heat (90 or 100 °C)/ice water (0 °C) cycles. Water uptake in wet heat/ice water-treated seeds was through the lens in 86% of the seeds that imbibed. Seeds made permeable by wet heat/ice water cycles and then stored dry at 22–24 °C for 69 wk germinated to 79%. Thus, seeds can be made water-permeable, stored dry, and then sown later at a restoration site. In trying to germinate seeds of other legumes with PY, wet heat/ice water cycles should be tried when neither wet nor dry heat treatments will make seeds water-permeable.

In forests of the eastern United States, exotic plant invasions can reduce native plant diversity and change ecosystem processes. Many invasive plants colonize forest edge habitat, but little is known about the ability of the exotic annual grass Microstegium vimineum to invade edges compared to interior forest. In particular, the extent of invasion and impact on resident plants might change along the environmental gradient from edge to interior sites. A common garden study was used to test how Microstegium invasion affected six forest understory graminoid species across three experimental light treatments. Contamination of the Microstegium seed stock with seed of the dominant native perennial grass Dichanthelium clandestinum provided the opportunity to study the interaction between the two species across the light treatments. The light treatments shifted the competitive balance between Microstegium and Dichanthelium, with Dichanthelium dominating in full sun, Microstegium dominating in full shade, and the two species producing more similar biomass in part shade. Invasion of resident communities by these two species resulted in a significant reduction in resident community biomass in part shade but not in full sun or full shade. Three of the six resident graminoid species produced significantly less biomass under invaded conditions. Successful management of Microstegium will require that land managers monitor partly shaded and fully shaded forests to locate invading populations. Invasions should be treated quickly to minimize impacts on resident community species.

The initial purpose of this study was to ascertain the species abundance of snakes inhabiting a 371 ha reconstructed marsh, the Marais Temps Clair Conservation Area in St. Charles County, Missouri. This flood-prone refuge is surrounded by agricultural lands and is upstream from the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Only eight species inhabit the study area. The abundance of all eight species declined dramatically after major flooding of both rivers in 1993. Subsequent major flooding in 1995 had little additional effect. The proportion of pre-flood resident species at our site to the number of non-resident species known to occur in the surrounding county was significantly lower than similar ratios at other conservation areas in nearby Missouri and Illinois. Resident species at our site were more likely to be semi-aquatic and arboreal than species found in the surrounding county, and post-flood survivors were significantly larger than pre-flood individuals. We attribute two mechanisms for the unexpectedly low species diversity: (1) the effects of major flooding, and (2) the reduction of immigration access from the area surrounding the study area following Euro-American settlement. We recommend that isolated flood-prone refuges should be provided with internal or peripheral islands that would mitigate the effect of flooding upon local species diversity by serving as a “lifeboat” to increase survivorship of resident populations and as a “landfall” for flood-borne individuals swept downstream from upstream sources.

Paeonia suffruticosa var. spontanea, distributed in a very small area in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces of China, is an endemic, endangered, and nationally protected species. To assist the protection of this species, the biological and ecological characteristics of its populations were investigated and analyzed. There are eight communities (TWINSPAN result) in which this species is found. It prefers forest communities dominated by Quercus liaotungensis in the warm-temperate climate zone. Its spatial distribution pattern is clumped in all communities. Its populations are expanding in all study areas. Biomass and productivity are closely related to plant age, density, and environmental conditions. The level of sexual reproduction is low, and the main method of reproduction of this species is vegetative propagation. Canopy gaps may be important for the establishment, growth, and reproduction of this species. Based on these characteristics, some suggestions for the conservation management of Paeonia suffruticosa var. spontanea and its environment are discussed.

American marten (Martes americana) and fisher (M. pennanti) are susceptible to overharvest. National Park Service policies require managers to ensure long-term population viability of native wildlife while concurrently provide recreation opportunities, which can include harvest of wildlife. I investigated human-caused mortality factors of American martens and fishers in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (PRNL), Michigan, from May-December 2001-2005. Thirty-five martens and 14 fishers were captured and survival was monitored using radio telemetry. Four martens were legally trapped, one marten was killed by a vehicle collision within PRNL, and three martens died of natural causes. The only fisher mortality was through legal trapping within PRNL. In addition, vehicles in the study area killed an uncollared marten and fisher. Greatest marten mortality occurred during the harvest season in December, with only males reportedly harvested. Overall, marten and fisher survival from June-December was 0.803 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.689 to 0.882) and 0.812 (95% CI: 0.374 to 0.977), respectively. Using survival rates from this study and reported rates of fecundity, I estimated that current marten mortality rates are sustainable and that the population was increasing at a rate of 16%/year. Survival data and harvest records suggest that the fisher population is stable or increasing. Human-caused mortality appears to be the greatest source of mortality for martens and fishers at PRNL. Although current harvest rates are comparatively low, continued monitoring of harvest within and adjacent to PRNL, in addition to monitoring vehicle collisions, is warranted to ensure viable populations are maintained.

When white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann) become overabundant within a park they disrupt park operations, reduce deer health, and threaten natural vegetative communities. At a heavily visited state park in Georgia, where deer were protected from hunting for >15 years, we used spotlight and camera surveys to estimate deer population density before and after a major herd reduction. We measured deer health and abundance of understory plants before and after the reduction. We compared these results to similar data from an adjacent wildlife management area (WMA) where deer were managed for 47 years by hunting. Only one year after removing 172 deer, plant species at the park increased 31% in spite of stable environmental conditions. In addition, before reduction, differences (P = 0.006) in number of plant species at the park versus the WMA became similar (P>0.05) after the removal. Live body weights of adult females and fawns (P<0.0001), physical condition scores (P = 0.0003) of tagged deer, and reproductive status of females (P<0.0001) improved. Although live body weights of deer killed at the park before the reduction were lower (P ≤0.05) than those killed on the adjacent WMA, by the next year, weights of adult females and fawns were similar (P>0.05) at both properties. Although our study demonstrated the viability of lethal removal of deer from a park and measured post-reduction benefits (i.e., density-dependant responses by plants and deer) of that removal, increased reproduction by the residual deer population highlighted the need for continued deer management, including subsequent removals.

We describe the long-term regeneration dynamics of the maritime holly forest, a plant community restricted to two known locations on Atlantic barrier islands: the Sunken Forest, part of Fire Island National Seashore, New York, and the Sandy Hook holly forest, part of Gateway National Recreation Area, New Jersey. In order to assess the short-term changes in vegetation apparent at one location, we examined the long-term dynamics of these two forests. Analysis of permanent plots in the Sunken Forest indicated the overstory structure and composition had changed minimally, but the understory decreased in cover and diversity over a period of 35 years (1967–2002). Patterns differed at Sandy Hook, with little change in the forest understory evident in permanent plots monitored over a period of 14 years (1989–2003). The age distributions indicate that both forests are uneven aged, but the trees at the Sunken Forest are older than those at Sandy Hook. While there has been an overall lack of establishment of any species since the 1970s at the Sunken Forest, several stems were present in the smallest age and size classes within the Sandy Hook holly forest. Release patterns in the tree cores reveal responses to frequent moderate disturbances including hurricanes, tropical storms, and northeasters. No recent changes in the frequency of canopy disturbances were evident in the tree core analysis, but herbivory has likely increased with the dramatically rising Odocoileus virginianus population at the Sunken Forest since the 1970s. The maritime holly forest relies on new individuals establishing in openings created by moderate disturbances; the current high level of herbivory at the Sunken Forest is disrupting the long-term regeneration patterns of this critically imperiled maritime holly forest.

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), a common species in North America, is a minor species in the Sierra Nevada of California. However, the limited coverage of aspen in this area appears to carry a disproportionate biodiversity load: numerous species are dependent on the unique components of aspen forests for habitat. Land managers in the region believe the species is declining due to fire suppression policies of the past century. Recent research from other regions shows mixed results when assessing the extent of decline. This review focuses on the crossroads between human and natural history to describe a broader picture of aspen ecology in the Sierra Nevada. The method used here combines a review of the ecological literature with historical synthesis. A central conclusion is that the current “decline” in aspen must be placed in the context of an unusual regeneration pulse brought on by intensive Euro-American resource extraction activities of the late 19th century. We address unique features of the Sierra aspen population, the interface of climate change and human-caused disturbance, and conservation strategies for restoration of an aspen community more closely aligned with contemporary climate-disturbance cycles. Conservation recommendations include reintroduction of mixed-severity natural fires and complimentary wildlife, such as top predators, where practical, plus allowance for local flexibility where deviations are appropriate based on ecology and social concerns.

Traditional monitoring approaches may have the objective of gathering data to estimate population size for a given species, but often lack the context of hypothesis testing. As such, many natural areas managers (responsible for ecological monitoring) and scientists have shared little common ground. The goal of monitoring should be to inform managers so that they can insure that the species, communities, and ecosystems under their charge are able to persist in the face of stressors, often from anthropogenic sources. The inherent complexity of natural systems makes this a daunting task, a task that requires a renewed partnership between managers and conservation biologists. The non-equilibrium paradigm of population dynamics establishes a theoretical framework for shifting monitoring objectives from only population estimates to understanding the processes that drive the dynamics of those populations. Using a hypothesis-driven scientific approach, monitoring designs can embrace the scientific method, provide insights into the ecological processes at work within natural systems, and importantly, point directly to if, when, and how active management may need to be employed in order to prevent the loss of biodiversity. This approach provides a common ground for conservation biologists and natural areas managers to forge partnerships to better understand the complexity of ecological systems and our ability to sustain those systems for future generations.