(Press-News.org) The HUN-REN, CER-IEB Restoration Ecology Research Group monitored vegetation changes over 17-25 years across eight restoration sites, subject to different restoration interventions: seeding with native species, mowing, and carbon amendment. The goal was to understand how these treatments influence the abundance of annual and perennial invasive alien plants over time, and how abundance of invasive species in a 100 m buffer affects invasion dynamics at restoration sites.
The results were promising for annual invaders. In most cases, their cover declined over time, especially when native seeding was applied. Seeding proved to be the most effective treatment in suppressing these fast-spreading, short-lived species. However, the picture was different for perennial invaders. These species continued to increase in cover over the decades, regardless of which restoration techniques were applied or the abundance of invasive species within a 100-meter radius of the sites.
Surprisingly, the study found that immediate local invasion pressure had little explanatory power—suggesting that broader landscape-scale processes and long-distance dispersal may play a more important role in shaping invasion outcomes. Mowing, although often used in restoration to control shrub, weeds or invasive species, was found to potentially facilitate the establishment of invasives by opening "colonisation windows" for opportunistic species already present in the landscape.
The authors emphasize that current restoration approaches are not enough to address the long-term threat posed by perennial invaders. Once established, these species are notoriously difficult to eradicate, and their increasing dominance can undermine biodiversity and the success of ecological restoration. This highlights an urgent need for more proactive, species-specific strategies that address the life history traits and dispersal mechanisms of problematic perennials.
Ultimately, the study calls for a shift in restoration planning—from a site-based perspective to a more integrated, landscape-level approach. Effective grassland restoration must consider not only what happens within the target area, but also the broader ecological context: the availability of native and invasive propagules, the disturbance regime, and the long-term resilience of native communities.
END
Long-term study reveals Native seeding controls annual, but not perennial, invasive plants in sand grassland restoration
2025-06-16
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Printed energy storage charges into the future with MXene inks
2025-06-16
Researchers at Boise State University have developed a stable, high-performance Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene ink formulation optimized for aerosol jet printing—paving the way for scalable manufacturing of micro-supercapacitors, sensors, and other energy storage and harvesting devices. This work, recently published in Small Methods —part of the prestigious Wiley Advanced portfolio — marks a significant advance in the additive manufacturing of two-dimensional (2D) materials for energy storage applications [1].
MXenes, a family of 2D transition metal carbides, nitrides, ...
Exposure to low levels of arsenic in public drinking water linked to lower birthweight, preterm birth, study finds
2025-06-16
Babies born to mothers potentially exposed to low levels of arsenic in public drinking water—even at levels below the federal safety standard—were more likely to be born preterm, with lower birthweight, or be smaller than expected, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health’s Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program.
While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets a maximum contaminant level of 10 micrograms per liter for arsenic in public water systems, this study examines how even lower-level arsenic exposures may still affect pregnancy outcomes in a large population. Previous research ...
AMS Science Preview: Gun violence & weather; NOAA flights improve hurricane forecasts; atmospheric rivers and radio waves
2025-06-16
The American Meteorological Society continuously publishes research on climate, weather, and water in its 12 journals. Many of these articles are available for early online access–they are peer-reviewed, but not yet in their final published form. Below are some recent examples.
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Exploring The Role of Air Mass Type and Weather on Shooting Incidents in New York City
Weather, Climate, and Society
Hot, dry air masses=increased gun violence in NYC. Previous studies have suggested that shootings increase ...
New strategy for the treatment of severe childhood cancer
2025-06-16
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Lund University in Sweden have identified a new treatment strategy for neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer. By combining two antioxidant enzyme inhibitors, they have converted cancer cells in mice into healthy nerve cells. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Neuroblastoma is a type of childhood cancer that affects the nervous system and is the leading cause of cancer-related death in young children. Some patients have a good prognosis, but ...
Krill fishing in the Antarctic: overlaps with consequences
2025-06-16
Antarctic krill is a key species in the Antarctic marine ecosystem: it is an important food source for many species, such as whales, seals and penguins. However, the small crustaceans are increasingly becoming the focus of fishing, which can incur significant consequences for the entire Southern Ocean ecosystem. Therefore, concepts that minimize the negative effects of fishing on the krill themselves and on the animals that feed on krill are required urgently. A research team from the Alfred Wegener Institute and the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research in Bergen has now been able to use acoustic recordings, that ...
Link found between mitochondria and MS brain damage
2025-06-16
RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects an estimated 2.3 million people worldwide. Approximately 80% of people with MS have inflammation in the cerebellum, the part of the brain that helps control movement and balance, potentially leading to tremors, poor coordination, and trouble with motor control. These problems often persist and can worsen over time, as the cerebellum gradually loses healthy brain tissue.
A University of California, Riverside study, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy ...
More family doctors near retirement, raising concern about future of primary care
2025-06-16
Kingston, ON, June 16, 2025 – A new ICES study has found that 1.74 million patients in Ontario are attached to family physicians aged 65 or older, and that many of those patients are elderly and have complex medical needs.
The study, published in Canadian Family Physician, explored key trends in the characteristics of comprehensive family physicians (FPs)—those providing care for a broad range of ages and health needs—and the patients attached to them.
The researchers found that for the first time, there was no growth of the comprehensive FP workforce, and an overall decline in the number of early career physicians (under 35 years old.)
“A ...
Feeding smarter: mannanase improves broiler growth even with less soy and energy
2025-06-16
Researchers tested the enzyme’s effectiveness in a 3×2 factorial experiment, combining different SBM concentrations and mannanase doses under low-energy conditions. The findings show that mannanase improved feed conversion ratios, reduced gut inflammation, and enhanced microbial balance, especially in diets containing 17.83% or more SBM.
Soybean meal (SBM) is a primary protein source in poultry diets, but it contains anti-nutritional factors—particularly mannans—that hinder digestion and stimulate immune responses, leading to energy loss. Mannanase, an enzyme that breaks down β-1,4-mannosidic bonds in ...
Sports arenas — the importance of politics, fan response and public money
2025-06-16
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Since World War II, professional baseball, football, basketball and hockey teams in the United States have commonly used public money to help build new venues or to facilitate teams moving to a new city. Onlookers sometimes speculate about why tax dollars are being used to build a stadium for a team that is privately owned, often by billionaires. Questions about the appropriateness of public funding have swirled in public discourse for decades.
Politicians and residents who support tax funding for sports-venue projects often point to the culturally unifying nature of sports teams and the ...
Mapping the genetic landscape of yellow catfish for sustainable aquaculture
2025-06-16
Researchers used ten microsatellite markers to evaluate the genetic structure of six populations from the Yangtze, Huaihe, and Ussuri River basins. The northern Ussuri population stood out for its lower diversity and significant genetic separation from southern populations.
Yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) is a widely farmed freshwater fish species in China, prized for its high nutritional value and boneless flesh. Annual production exceeds 600,000 tons, making it a key species in China's aquaculture sector. However, challenges such as slow ...