Propagation of Shinnery Oak as a Framework for Restoration

Abstract

Shinnery oak (Quercus havardii) is a native clonal shrub that contributes to an imperiled biotic community in the southern Great Plains of North America. Nevertheless, there is little information on shinnery oak ecology and this lack of information hinders potential restoration of shinnery oak in areas where it has been eliminated. We provide findings from a study conducted to assess emergence and seedling survival from acorns collected in western Oklahoma in 2016. We observed that cold stratification treatments (i.e., acorns stored at 2°C for 2 weeks) and greater acorn size resulted in higher emergence. Although we found no effect of acorn size on seedling survival, we observed that shade reduced seedling survival (P < 0.005). Our study provides previously unknown information on several fundamental aspects of shinnery oak ecology and offers a baseline for restoration efforts by documenting successful shinnery oak emergence and factors associated with seedling survival.