Terrestrial Plant Invasion onto a Drained Lake Bed

Abstract

Terrestrial plants were collected frown the drained lake bed of Lyon Countsr Stane Lakes Kansas9 during the 1963 and 1965 growing seasons. Plants of the first year growth consisted of annual species of grasses and herbs. The species making up the plant community on the lake bed during the second year consisted of 40 per cent perennial plants. A six-fold increase in number of species was observed after two years. Trans. Kans. Acad. Sci., 76 (4), 1973. Introduction This study serves as a documentation of the plant species comprising the first subseral stage of a tall grass prairie association in east-central Kansas. Description of the Study Area Lyon County State Lake is located approximately 12 miles northeast of Emporia, Kansas (R12E, T17, SEC 26, 27). The Kansas Forestry, Eiish and Game Commission purchased 600 acres of prairie for its site in 1931; its final construction was completed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934. A park surrounding the lake and a shelter house of native limestone were added in 1950 (Grove, 1951). Fo 26 years the lake served as a fishing and recreational resource receivine, runoff from a grassland drainage (1,400 acres) predominated by plants belonging to the Andsopogosz xcoparizls, Andropogov (gerardi, Sosghaxtsgm slgtans, Panirzlon risgcgtzassz and Bogtelogcz cgrtipewzdzzla association. During the summer of 1962 the lake was drained by the State Fisherie3 Division to restore its spcrts isheries. By October of that year the drasvdown had -educed the lake surface to approximately 2 acres. Refilling commenced in the spring of 1963 and by midsummer water covered a surface of approximately 25 acres. The amount of exposed lake Transactions of the Kansas Academy of S,cience, Vol. 76, No, 4, 1973. Published September 20, 1974