Assessing diversity to Improve soil health, pollinator habitat through prairie restoration

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Associate professor Lora Perkins of South Dakota State University’s Department of Natural Resource Management surveys her wildflower plots. She is part of a team of researchers examining how enriching mixtures of native grasses and flowering plants used for prairie restoration may help improve soil health and pollinator habitat through a three-year, more than $650,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service grant.

« Assessing diversity to Improve soil health, pollinator habitat through prairie restoration

Credit: Ian Gilman

Assistant professor Maribeth Latvis of South Dakota State University’s Department of Natural Resource Management, points out a species of Castilleja, also known as paintbrush, that is endemic to the high elevation plateau in Utah. Latvis will work on improving prairie restoration through a new U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service research project.

« Assessing diversity to Improve soil health, pollinator habitat through prairie restoration

Credit:

Plots are being prepared in a brome hay meadow at South Dakota State University’s Oak Lake Field Station near Astoria that will help associate professor Lora Perkins and assistant professor Maribeth Latvis of the Department of Natural Resource Management assess how increasing the biodiversity of prairie restoration mixes, specifically species richness, genetic composition and relatedness, may impact soil health and pollinator habitat. Planting will begin in May.

« Assessing diversity to Improve soil health, pollinator habitat through prairie restoration

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