Marquel Ann Begay

Mentor:

Dr. Elise Gornish and Dr. Karletta Chief

Department:

School of Natural Resources and Environment

Abstract:

Previous studies have reported that seedballs (a mixture of clay, soil, water and seed) improve seed distribution, protect seeds from predation and other disturbances, and enhance germination and establishment. However more research is needed to understand the efficacy of seedballs for restoration on degraded landscapes in arid and semi-arid regions. Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. This study will assess plant establishment and survival of warm and cool-season native grasses and forbs for seedball and broadcast seeding treatments on fenced and unfenced areas at a disturbed semi-arid rangeland and farmland on the Navajo Nation, located in Northern Arizona on the Colorado Plateau. This study may inform the effectiveness of seedballs and broadcast seeds and provide a drought-tolerant native seed mix prescription for rangeland and agricultural restoration on the Navajo Nation.

marquel_visualabstract.jpeg