Achyranthes japonica (Miq.) Nakai (Japanese chaff flower) is a relatively new, invasive species to the United States, with limited information on its life history characteristics. The purpose of this study was to assess the importance of seed survivorship in the soil of A. japonica and to compare survivorship, fecundity, and morphological characteristics within populations at two different sites, Chestnut Hills Nature Preserve (CH) and Bellrose Waterfowl Reserve (BWR), in southern Illinois. Plots were established at each site to determine seed viability by burying seed bags over each of three winters (2012 to 2014) to quantify seedling emergence in the latter 2 yr (2013 and 2014) and to monitor survival of three cohorts of 50 seedlings per site starting in 2012, 2013, and 2014. In addition, 20 reproductive adults were selected outside of the plots to determine average fecundity and to measure a suite of morphological characteristics. Environmental factors had a significant effect on seed viability, which decreased from 2012 to 2013 during a drought year and rebounded from 2013 to 2014 following flooding. On average, individuals at the CH site had higher performance and fecundity when compared with individuals at BWR, regardless of year. Additional differences among the sites, such as dryness, disturbance, and species composition, most likely affected plant performance (i.e. plant height, number of nodes and stems, and inflorescence length). Regardless of high between-population variability, this invasive species has high fecundity, high seed viability, and high propagule pressure that allow rapid spread and expansion of its invasive range. More research is needed on the soil seedbank, seed dormancy, and the effects of stress, which will allow more-informed methods of control.

The vine Euonymus fortunei (Turcz.) Hand.-Mazz. is invading forests of the eastern United States; as a result, removal of E. fortunei has become a priority of resource managers. This study examined the effectiveness of five techniques for eliminating E. fortunei, restoring plant species richness, and enhancing recolonization by woody species. In 2003, the following five treatments were applied: burn with a propane torch, light exclusion by plastic tarp, burn and glyphosate application, cut (simulated grazing) and glyphosate application, mow and glyphosate application, plus an untreated control. Each treatment was replicated four times in a randomized block design located in a heavily E. fortunei–invaded forest remnant in Lexington, KY. Vegetation was surveyed in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2013. Across years, most treatments were associated with reduced E. fortunei cover and increased total species richness. Over time, E. fortunei cover increased across treatments, such that by 2013, no difference in E. fortunei cover was detectible among treatments. Some differences in total and native species richness among treatments were still perceptible by 2013. Increased E. fortunei cover was correlated with decreased ground-layer species richness, native species richness, sapling richness, and sapling density. Light exclusion by plastic tarp, a method absent from many management recommendations, was unique in its long-term reduction of E. fortunei cover and its association with increased total species richness, but use of plastic tarps may have drawbacks. This study quantified the long-term community effects of removing an established invasive species from a mature, urban forest. Removal allowed native plants, notably woody species, to reestablish. Because richness continues to decline as E. fortunei reinhabits plots, land managers seeking to conserve biodiversity under conditions similar to those within our study site should maintain proactive E. fortunei removal plans.

Pityopsis ruthii is a federally endangered plant, endemic to riparian areas of the Hiwassee and Ocoee rivers in southeastern Tennessee. The population size and spatial distribution of this species along the Ocoee River has been documented since 1985, yet about 90% of P. ruthii plants are recorded within a portion of the Hiwassee River. Our ongoing population census of these localities delineates 57 discrete site occurrences and constitutes the first population baseline for P. ruthii along the Hiwassee River. Evidence indicates that P. ruthii populations are either stable or increasing along the Ocoee River. Augmentation of natural flow and subsequent invasion of competing vegetation are frequently cited as a threat to the species; however, historical aerial photography suggests significant portions of P. ruthii habitat are resistant to succession. We discuss recent evidence that a number of natural and anthropogenic stressors are challenging population sustainability, including: invasive plants, insect pests, plant pathogens, genetic incompatibility, hybridization, inbreeding depression, and habitat disruption. It remains unclear how these stressors are currently affecting plant populations.

The South Atlantic Coastal Plain Limestone Forest is a globally imperiled (G2) association in the upper Coastal Plain of central Georgia. This calcareous forest, comprising several diverse plant communities, is floristically unique among Coastal Plain forests but its composition and structure have not been subjected to detailed study. Formal vegetation sampling and multivariate community analyses were conducted for seven sites in Bleckley, Houston, and Twiggs counties. The data generally support the current NatureServe definition of the South Atlantic Coastal Plain Limestone Forest but suggest replacing Chasmanthium sessiliflorum with Carex superata as a better representative species for the herbaceous stratum. Cluster and canonical correspondence analyses revealed two floristically defined domains (Bottomland and Upland/Slope), delimited mainly by moisture content and degree of inclination. These domains were each further divided into two subdomains and a total of 12 floristic entities defined by characteristics such as indicator species and soil variables. Communities delineated by the analyses allowed evaluation of some incongruities between several sites designated as the South Atlantic Coastal Plain Limestone Forest association by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and provided an objective review of overall site quality. This study also resulted in the discovery of two new high-quality sites of this forest association, and these data may further serve as a baseline for identification of additional areas to target for conservation and monitoring.

North America, prairie and savanna remnants suffer from increased habitat degradation and structural changes (e.g., woody encroachment). Plant populations in remnant habitats may be threatened over time as a result of this degradation. Past studies have explored plant responses to such changes by focusing primarily on vegetative characteristics rather than reproductive ones. Our research uses a rare Midwestern endemic, Synthyris bullii, to determine if the morphology of reproductive structures is associated with habitat quality. Study populations were visited and categorized according to the level of observed woody encroachment: shaded, semishaded, and open. From each population, 20 individuals were selected to measure inflorescence size (i.e., inflorescence height and flower number) and flower size (e.g., lengths of petals, stamens, carpels). Data were explored by canonical discriminant analysis to determine if traits were associated with particular habitat types and then analyzed by MANOVA and univariate ANOVAs to determine differences in traits among habitats. Results showed that floral morphometrics differed in open and shaded habitats, though semishaded habitats did not generally differ from the other two categories. Specifically, shaded habitats produced smaller inflorescences (e.g., fewer flowers) with larger flowers (e.g., increased lengths of petals and carpels), while the inverse pattern was observed in open habitats. Although we initially predicted consistent reductions in size across reproductive traits, we found instead inverse size patterns at the inflorescence level versus the flower level in different habitats. Our study highlights the impact of habitat changes that could ultimately affect the reproductive success of S. bullii and contribute to its decline.

Coastal beaches often harbor a relatively small number of specialized herbaceous species that are locally abundant, providing stabilization of sediments regularly subjected to wind and sand movement. However, rare storm events can cause water surges that completely wash over the beach and cause a major disturbance to the plant community. This study examines frequencies and densities of key herbaceous species on Miller Field Beach, Staten Island, New York, before and after major storm surges caused by Hurricane Irene (August 2011) and Superstorm Sandy (October 2012). Changes in vegetation were documented by surveys of the same 45–75-m section of beach, using quadrats (33 cm diameter) placed at 3-m intervals along transects, in mid-September of 2007, 2009, 2011 (2 wk after Irene), 2012 (1 mo before Sandy), and 2013. Native annual species, including Cenchrus tribuloides L. (dune sandbur), Heterotheca subaxillaris (Lam.) Britton & Rusby (camphorweed), and Triplasis purpurea (Walter) Chapm. (purple sandgrass) abundance was reduced by the first surge, but the latter two species were able to recover to presurge levels by autumn 2012. However, after the second surge in 2012, H. subaxillaris and C. tribuloides were no longer found in quadrats sampled in autumn 2013, unable to recover their population densities to presurge levels. In contrast, most of the native perennials (e.g., Ammophila breviligulata Fernald [American beachgrass]) were able to maintain ramet populations at their presurge densities, and one species (Panicum amarum Elliott [bitter panicgrass]) showed a dramatic increase in abundance the year after Superstorm Sandy. Seedlings of seaside goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens L.) contributed to an increase in its density in the season after the first surge. The two rhizomatous grasses A. breviligulata and P. amarum have growth forms that are adapted to partial burial by sand and are vitally important to vegetation reestablishment following beach disturbance by storm surges along the northeastern Atlantic coast.

The Jalapão region lies within the State of Tocantins, in north Brazil. It is located within the Cerrado biome, characterized by a rainy season (October to April) and a dry season (May to September). The traditional communities of Jalapão use the scape of two morphotypes of Syngonanthus nitens (golden grass), called douradão and douradinho, to make handicrafts. The douradão type is taller and grows on the wet, clay soils of closed grasslands (campos fechados), while the douradinho is found on the wet and sandy soils of open grasslands (campos abertos). The artisans seem to favor the douradão morphotype for its longer scapes. Root, leaf, and scape anatomy of S. nitens were studied to identify environmental adaptations and structures that influence the choice of the artisans. The following characteristics are adaptive responses of S. nitens to wet soils: roots that store air, leaf epidermis and hypodermis composed of thin-walled cells, and mesophyll containing air canals. The douradão type has a broader root cortex than the douradinho type, endodermis cells with thickened outside walls, leaves with thin-walled epidermal cells and lax chlorenchyma cells, and scapes with fewer sclerenchyma cell layers and more collenchyma cell layers than the douradinho type. Because of these characteristics, douradão is more malleable and preferred by the artisans for making baskets and other large craft products.

Extensive fieldwork in the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain led to the discovery of many new populations that seemed referable to Trichothelium angustisporum, a crustose lichen originally described from South America and the United States. Review of that taxon revealed North American populations are uniformly isidiate and represent a distinct, evidently allopatric species which is described as Trichothelium americanum. The circumscription of T. angustisporum is discussed; the types are shown to be lost, necessitating selection of a lectotype, and the lectotype is illustrated to provide comparison with T. americanum.