The effects of management treatments on Tennessee coneflower, Echinacea tennesseensis (Beadle) Small ; Wilson County, Tennessee

The Tennessee coneflower, Echinacea tennesseensis (Beadle) Small, is an endangered, endemic composite of the cedar glades and barrens of middle Tennessee. As part of the recovery plan for the species as laid out by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, experiments were conducted to determine the effects of various management treatments on the species. Treatments included mowing, burning, discing, and all combinations of these treatments, as well as herbicidal removal of grasses and a trample treatment designed to test the impact of standing on plants during research. Results indicate that E. tennesseensis is not significantly impacted by mowing, discing, burning, or combinations of these habitat disturbances. Herbicidal removal of grasses produced a negative effect on density of E. tennesseensis adults. Trampling produced a negative effect on density of E. tennesseensis juveniles, but a positive effect on density of E. tennesseensis seedlings and on the mean number of flower heads per adult. Several other members of the cedar glade community were also impacted by the treatments, including Croton spp. and Schizachyrium scoparium. Effects on E. tennesseensis were limited due to the timing of the treatments and to the root system of the plant, which is often protected within cracks in the surface limestone. Significant effects of treatments on E. tennesseensis and other species were likely due to microsite changes in light penetration and moisture retention. Recovery of the species will depend upon continued habitat protection and development of new populations.