Seasonal Factors Affecting First-year Field Survival of Artemisia tridentata Seedlings
Additional Funding Sources
The project described was supported by the Bureau of Land Management under Grant No. L16AC00377.
Abstract
An experiment was started to assess the effect of herbivory and climatic conditions on the survival of Artemisia tridentata spp. wyomingensis (Wyoming big sagebrush) seedlings. Approximately 900 seedlings were transplanted to a site at Kuna butte, Idaho (43° 26’ 47.32” N, 116° 26’ 48.61” W) on October 2017. To assess the effect of herbivory, some seedlings were planted without tree protectors and others with tree protectors. The effect of summer drought on seedling mortality is being quantified by comparing the survival of seedlings under natural precipitation versus seedlings supplemented with additional water. Mortality was negligible during the fall and winter, but increased during spring. This appeared to be due to herbivory; by May 2018 seedlings without and with tree protectors had a survival rate of 15 and 73% respectively. Based on pellet analysis and observed activity, mortality due to herbivory was largely attributed to ground squirrels. In the surviving seedlings, the watering treatments were started on June 1, 2018. Analysis of the effect of these treatments is in progress.
Seasonal Factors Affecting First-year Field Survival of Artemisia tridentata Seedlings
An experiment was started to assess the effect of herbivory and climatic conditions on the survival of Artemisia tridentata spp. wyomingensis (Wyoming big sagebrush) seedlings. Approximately 900 seedlings were transplanted to a site at Kuna butte, Idaho (43° 26’ 47.32” N, 116° 26’ 48.61” W) on October 2017. To assess the effect of herbivory, some seedlings were planted without tree protectors and others with tree protectors. The effect of summer drought on seedling mortality is being quantified by comparing the survival of seedlings under natural precipitation versus seedlings supplemented with additional water. Mortality was negligible during the fall and winter, but increased during spring. This appeared to be due to herbivory; by May 2018 seedlings without and with tree protectors had a survival rate of 15 and 73% respectively. Based on pellet analysis and observed activity, mortality due to herbivory was largely attributed to ground squirrels. In the surviving seedlings, the watering treatments were started on June 1, 2018. Analysis of the effect of these treatments is in progress.
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