Population extinctions driven by climate change, population size, and time since observation may make rare species databases inaccurate.

Loss of biological diversity through population extinctions is a global phenomenon that threatens many ecosystems. Managers often rely on databases of rare species locations to plan land use actions and conserve at-risk taxa, so it is crucial that the information they contain is accurate and dependable. However, small population sizes, long gaps between surveys, and climate change may be leading to undetected extinctions of many populations.

Nutrient limitation of native and invasive N2-fixing plants in northwest prairies.

Nutrient rich conditions often promote plant invasions, yet additions of non-nitrogen (N) nutrients may provide a novel approach for conserving native symbiotic N-fixing plants in otherwise N-limited ecosystems. Lupinus oreganus is a threatened N-fixing plant endemic to prairies in western Oregon and southwest Washington (USA). We tested the effect of non-N fertilizers on the growth, reproduction, tissue N content, and stable isotope δ(15)N composition of Lupinus at three sites that differed in soil phosphorus (P) and N availability.

Ability of matrix models to explain the past and predict the future of plant populations.

Uncertainty associated with ecological forecasts has long been recognized, but forecast accuracy is rarely quantified. We evaluated how well data on 82 populations of 20 species of plants spanning 3 continents explained and predicted plant population dynamics. We parameterized stage-based matrix models with demographic data from individually marked plants and determined how well these models forecast population sizes observed at least 5 years into the future.

(±)-catechin, a root exudate of the invasive centaurea stoebe lam. (Spotted knapweed) exhibits bacteriostatic activity against multiple soil bacterial populations.

Understanding the effects of allelopathic plant chemicals on soil microorganisms is critical to understanding their ecological roles and importance in exotic plant invasion. Centaurea stoebe Lam. (spotted knapweed), an aggressive invasive weed in North America, secretes a racemic mixture of (±)-catechin as a root exudate.