Publication Date

2025

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Luo, Wei

Second Advisor

Goldblum, David

Degree Name

Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)

Legacy Department

Department of Geographic and Atmospheric Sciences

Abstract

Evidence supports the idea that tallgrass prairie restoration has the potential to sequester carbon, but the influences of site age and quality on restored tallgrass prairie carbon dynamics are not well known. This dissertation characterizes a multidecadal tallgrass prairie chronosequence and evaluates the influence of both restoration quality and time since restoration on biomass and soil carbon dynamics using both remotely sensed and field data collected from Nachusa Grasslands tallgrass prairie restorations. It also expands on the traditional aspatial analyses using geographically weighted data to examine the spatiotemporal variation in environmental variables that influence restored tall grass prairie carbon dynamics. This investigation reveals that as restored tallgrass prairies age (e.g., multiple decades), greater biomass is observed at lower elevations, but only in high-quality restorations, indicating high-quality restorations may promote greater biomass predictability with age. Greater predictability of biomass has the potential to translate to greater carbon sequestration, which supports the prioritization of high-quality restorations over low-quality. Examination of factors contributing to biomass production within restored sites revealed that soil, topographic, and plant community factors may have a more pronounced or reduced role in biomass production. This body of work encourages the establishment of high-quality tallgrass prairie restorations over low-quality restorations, as they may provide greater predictability of biomass. Furthermore, considering the role individual factors are having at any one time within the restoration, may further enhance the value of establishing high-quality tallgrass prairie restorations.

Extent

134 pages

Language

en

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

Download

Share

COinS