Selecting native plants for restoration using rapid screening for adaptive traits: methods and outcomes in a Great Basin case study

Abstract

Partnerships between researchers and restoration practitioners can improve restoration outcomes, which is especially important for restoration in challenging settings. Here, we describe one such partnership in the Great Basin, United States, which used trait-based methods and practitioner knowledge to identify the most promising seed sources for restoration. Managers in this region can either use widely available commercial seeds, which are often sourced from far outside the seeding area, or take extra steps to use locally collected seeds. We asked whether local, wild-collected seeds of two native plants, Elymus elymoides and Poa secunda, had traits more conducive to seedling establishment in degraded sites, relative to commercial sources. Seeds were collected from four remnant native populations within lands managed by the Winnemucca Bureau of Land Management. Collections were screened for seed and seedling characteristics previously identified as associated with increased seedling performance in degraded Great Basin systems, and we provide a detailed methodology for these measurements. Relative to commercial seeds, wild-collected seeds had more characteristics identified as beneficial for seedling establishment, including phenology, root allocation, root form, and overall size characteristics that suggest locally sourced populations would be likely to establish better than commercial sources. Using phenotypic traits as criteria, the most promising wild populations were selected for agronomic production to increase the quantities of seeds available for restoration, and field trials are ongoing using these field-increased seeds. These results provide support for collaborative efforts to identify, collect, screen, and increase the availability of local seed sources to improve restoration success.