Many plant species exhibit strong seed dormancy. This attribute benefits the species’ long-term survival but can impede restoration when rapid establishment is required. Soaking seeds in gibberellic acid (GA₃) can overcome dormancy and increase germination but this treatment may not be effective outside the laboratory. An easier and potentially more effective method to apply this hormone is to coat seeds with a GA₃-impregnated polymer. Seed dormancy can also be mitigated by creating a favorable microsite with increased soil moisture. We compared the emergence and establishment of penstemon seeds coated with GA₃ to those of uncoated seeds planted in shallow drill rows versus deep, U-shaped furrows. Overall, 6 times more Palmer’s penstemon (Penstemon palmeri; p < 0.01) and 21 times more thickleaf penstemon (P. pachyphyllus; p < 0.001) established when coated with GA₃, but GA₃ coating did not affect the establishment of firecracker penstemon (P. eatonii; p = 1). Establishment was higher from deep furrows than shallow rows (p < 0.001). These results indicate that GA₃ seed coating and deep, U-shaped furrows may improve the restoration success of some native forbs by breaking dormancy and providing a favorable microsite. Land managers could use these techniques to restore native forbs in dry, disturbed areas.

Pathogenesis from soil- and seed-borne fungi can limit the survival and growth of native seeds and seedlings. Fungicides can combat fungal pathogens, but in some studies, fungicide treatments were ineffective at improving seedling emergence over untreated seed. Such studies suggest that low fungal presence due to dry conditions may be the cause of fungicide ineffectiveness in some years and sites. This study tested whether a fungicide treatment’s effectiveness is indeed related to the amount of fungi in the soil. We compared the emergence and biomass produced from Pseudoroegneria spicata seed that was uncoated, coated with no active ingredient, and fungicide-coated, across five soil treatments promoting different levels of fungal biomass. For uncoated seed, both percent emergence and total biomass of seedlings were highest in autoclaved soil and declined when fungi were present, but the level of fungus did not impact emergence or biomass for fungicide-coated seed. When grown in autoclaved, untreated, or low-fungus soils, percent emergence and total biomass from fungicide-coated seeds were not significantly different from uncoated seeds. However, in medium- and high-fungus soils, the percent emergence and total biomass from fungicide-coated seeds were more than two times greater than uncoated seed (p < 0.05). These results indicate that fungicide treatments can be effective at increasing restoration success for P. spicata, but the effectiveness of the fungicide treatment depends on the microbial environment of the planting site.

El urogallo Centrocercus urophasianus es motivo de preocupación para la conservación en todo el oeste de América del Norte. Poco se sabe sobre la fidelidad de las aves individuales a las áreas de invernada a lo largo de los años para esta especie. Utilizamos datos de GPS de 31 hembras de urogallo mayor para analizar el comportamiento migratorio y la fidelidad a las áreas de invernada de 2015–2021 en el sureste de Idaho. La duración media de los movimientos entre las zonas de cría y las zonas de invernada fue de 11.2 d (DE = 10.5 d). La distancia media trasladada de las zonas de cría a las zonas de invernada fue de 61.5 km (DE = 22.0 km); la distancia media trasladada de las zonas de invernada a las zonas de cría fue de 54.6 km (DE = 29.6 km). Nueve hembras no regresaron a las mismas áreas de invernada durante años consecutivos y los centroides de las distribuciones de utilización de esas aves cambiaron en una media de 35.5 km (DE = 11.7 km) entre los inviernos. Veintidós de las 31 hembras regresaron a la misma área de invernada a lo largo de 2 años. Pudimos calcular las distribuciones de utilización para 19 de esas 22 aves, y 15 de esas aves tenían distribuciones de utilización superpuestas entre años. Además, 6 de cada 10 hembras regresaron a las mismas áreas de invernada a lo largo de 3 años, y 4 de 5 hembras regresaron a las mismas áreas de invernada a lo largo de 4 años. Nuestros datos cuantifican la duración de la migración del urogallo y destacan la importancia de áreas de invernada consistentes para el urogallo individual a lo largo de varios años. Los biólogos pueden utilizar estos datos para facilitar la planificación del uso de la tierra y la conservación del hábitat invernal de esta especie. Palabras clave: distribución de uso, migración, uso de hábitat, uso del suelo