Germination and establishment of the native plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides Marshall subsp. monilifera) and the exotic Russian-olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.)

Product Type: Journal Article

Year: 1995

Author(s): Shafroth, P.B., G.T. Auble, and M.L. Scott

Suggested Citation:
Shafroth, P.B., G.T. Auble, and M.L. Scott. 1995. Germination and establishment of the native plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides Marshall subsp. monilifera) and the exotic Russian-olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.). Conservation Biology 9(5): 1169-1175.

Abstract

Russian-olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) is a small Eurasian tree that has escaped from cultivation and become naturalized, primarily along watercourses throughout the western United States. We examined germination and establishment of Russian-olive and plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides), the principal native riparian tree of the Great Plains, under a range of experimental moisture and light conditions. The fewest seedings established under the driest conditions; seedling biomass was predictably lower in the shade; root-to-shoot ratios were higher for cottonwood, higher in the sun, and higher under drier conditions...