| In this experiment I examined the role of mycorrhizae, seeding rate, and fertilizer in promoting growth of native plants at a reclaimed mine site in central Arkansas. Permanent field plots were established to examine effects of treatments on native plant cover, nonnative plant cover, and bare ground. By the final year of data collection, 18 native species had been newly established at the experimental site. Compared to plots without mycorrhizae, plots with mycorrhizae had significantly higher native plant cover in the first sampling year only. The addition of native seed was important---plots without added seed had significantly lower native plant cover in the second and third sampling years. Overall, mean native plant cover increased significantly over the three years of the study, with a 500% increase from year one to year three. This experiment demonstrates that native plants can be established on areas previously reclaimed with aggressive, nonnative species. |
