EVALUATING EXOTIC SPECIES ASSEMBLAGES ACROSS A CHRONOSEQUENCE OF RESTORED FLOODPLAIN FORESTS

TL;DRAbstract

Exotic plant species pose a great risk to restoration success in post-agricultural bottomlands, but little information exists on their dynamics during early succession of actively restored sites. Compositional trends of exotic plants may be similar to those published for natives in other systems, with an early peak in herbaceous richness followed by a decline as woody species establish. I established 16 sites in an 18-year chronosequence (1991-2008) of restored forests, with an additional four mature sites for comparison, within the Cypress Creek NWR, Illinois. Within each site, I identified all vascular plant species and quantified soil texture, total soil C, total soil N, and canopy openness at three strata (1.5m, 1.25m, & 0.75m). Trends in exotic assemblages were significantly correlated with canopy openness at all strata (all p < 0.0001). Richness of exotic herbaceous species and native herbaceous species were related to stand age consistent with a non-linear Weibull regression mod

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