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Laura L Jackson
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ResearchI have two main areas of research under the umbrella of conservation biology: restoration ecology and sustainable agriculture Restoration ecology. Since 1998, I have worked with UNI students and staff of the Native Roadside Vegetation Center to understand the process of seedling establishment in mature stands of native, warm season grasses. Experiments demonstrated that overseeding followed by mowing can increase forb diversity and abundance. We are now beginning to study the requirements for germination of spring-flowering species and whether they can be successfully added using overseeding and mowing techniques. Recent investigations (2005-2007) reveal that seed predators such as rodents and ants may remove 95-99% of all broadcast seeds before they have a chance to become incorporated into the soil. Graduate student Craig Hemsath has tested whether this can be reduced by the use of feeding deterrents or supplemental food; a manuscript is in progress. Sustainable Agriculture. In 2002 Dana Jackson and I published an edited volume, The Farm as Natural Habitat: Reconnecting Food Systems with Ecosystems to explore how farmers can incorporate greater native biological diversity into into their agricultural production systems. I have collaborated with farmers in northeast Iowa who are introducing native, warmseason grass pasture into their rotational grazing systems. We are also interested in addition of native plants to add diversity, value and sustained productivity to these pastures. |
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Selected publicationsSelected Publications Jackson, L. L. 2008. Who designs the agricultural landscape? Landscape Journal 27:23-40. Special issue on Metropolitan Ecology. Williams, D.W., L. L. Jackson and D. D. Smith. 2007. Effects of frequent mowing on survival and persistence of forbs seeded into a species-poor grassland. Restoration Ecology 50:24-33. Jackson, L. L., D. Keeney and E. Gilbert. 2000. Swine manure management plans in North-Central Iowa: nutrient loading and policy implications. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 55:205-212 Jackson, L. L. and P. W. Comus. 1999. Ecological consequences of agricultural development in a Sonoran Desert Valley. In R. H. Robichaux, ed. Ecology and Conservation of Sonoran Desert Plants: A tribute to the Desert Laboratory. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. Jackson, L. L. 1999. Establishing tallgrass prairie species on a rotationally grazed permanent pasture in the Upper Midwest: remnant plant assessment and seeding and grazing regimes. Restoration Ecology 7: 127-138. Jackson, L. L., N. Lopoukhine, and D. Hillyard. 1995. Ecological restoration: A definition and comments. Restoration Ecology 3:71-75. Jackson, L. L. and C. L. Dewald. 1994. Predicting evolutionary consequences of greater reproductive effort in Tripsacum dactyloides, a perennial grass. Ecology 75: 627-641. |
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Recently taught coursesEcology Conservation Biology Environment, Technology and Society Courses in Ecosystem Management graduate program Development of ecology labs suitable for high school instruction |
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