Influence of an exotic species, Acroptilon repens (L.) DC. on seedling emergence and growth of native grasses

Our objective was to evaluate the effects of an invasive perennial forb, Acroptilon repens (Russian knapweed), on seed emergence and seedling survival of four native grass species that are important in semiarid grasslands of North America. Greenhouse experiments and field studies conducted at three sites in Colorado, USA were used to examine the response by four perennial grasses: Bouteloua gracilis, Koelaria cristata, Sporobolus cryptandrus, and Agropyon smithii to A. repens. In the greenhouse, seeds of each species were sown in pots that contained either live A. repens roots, A. repens litter on the soil surface, or both roots and litter. Field transects were placed inside stands of A. repens with adjacent control transects in the surrounding grass-dominated community. Emergence and initial survival were decreased by the presence of A. repens roots for K. cristata (35%), B. gracilis (31%), and S. cryptandrus (44%) in the greenhouse, and 57, 32, and 36%, respectively, in the field. Root weight was decreased by the presence of A. repens roots for both B. gracilis and K. cristata by more than 55% in the greenhouse. A. smithii survival and growth were unaffected by A. repens in either the greenhouse or the field. These species-specific responses to the presence of A. repens may explain, at least in part, differences in susceptibility and recovery of sites with different native grass species composition.