Aristida beyrichiana (wiregrass) is a foundation bunchgrass species in many southeastern U.S. native pine communities, but it has been dramatically reduced in extent. The potential for reintroduced wiregrass to reproduce and spread is not well studied because of its slow growth and limited conditions for successful reproduction. We present a case study where tussocks of wiregrass were transplanted and recensused 18 and 37 years later to study their population dynamics. We remeasured a subset of tussocks to estimate diameter growth over 2 years. With frequent prescribed fires (1–3 year intervals, about half in April–July when flowering is induced), the initial population of 160 tussocks increased to 1,199 through seed dispersal and clonal fragmentation, and the total basal area approximately tripled. Relationships among tussock density, diameter, and basal area per m² and their changes over time suggest density-dependent regulation of population structure, possibly from intraspecific competition and competitive exclusion. Tussock diameter growth averaged 0.9 cm per year over a 2-year period and was independent of initial diameter. This study, the longest of a wiregrass population to date, suggests that a low-density population established in native soil types has a slow but robust tendency to reproduce by seed and expand if provided frequent fire, including April–July burns, in a high light environment without soil disturbance. Wiregrass can be characterized as a competitive, late-successional, dominant species in stable, climax-like native savannas, promising long-term success under appropriate conditions as part of restoration efforts.

中文翻译：

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移植的 Aristida beyrichiana (wiregrass) 草丛的扩展和种群结构：37 年研究的结果

阿里斯蒂达·拜里奇亚纳(wiregrass) 是美国东南部许多原生松树群落中的基础丛草物种，但其数量已大大减少。由于其生长缓慢和成功繁殖的条件有限，重新引入的线草繁殖和传播的潜力尚未得到很好的研究。我们提出了一个案例研究，其中移植了 18 年和 37 年之后的线草丛，以研究它们的种群动态。我们重新测量了草丛的一个子集，以估计 2 年内的直径增长。随着频繁的规定火灾（1-3 年间隔，大约一半在 4-7 月开花时），通过种子传播和克隆破碎，最初的 160 株草丛增加到 1,199 株，总基部面积大约增加了两倍。草丛密度、直径和每平方米基面积的关系²及其随时间的变化表明种群结构的密度依赖性调节，可能来自种内竞争和竞争排斥。Tussock 直径在 2 年期间平均每年增长 0.9 厘米，并且与初始直径无关。这项研究是迄今为止最长的线草种群，表明在原生土壤类型中建立的低密度种群具有缓慢但强大的通过种子繁殖的趋势，并且如果提供频繁的火灾（包括 4 月至 7 月的烧伤）在高没有土壤干扰的光环境。Wiregrass 可以被描述为一种在稳定的、类似高潮的原生稀树草原中的竞争性、后继性、优势物种，作为恢复工作的一部分，在适当的条件下有望取得长期成功。