Commercial native plant varieties grow larger aboveground but underperform in invasion resistance relative to wild-collected natives
- Andy Zundel
- Aug 6
- 2 min read
Author contributions: EAL conceived of and funded the study; ACA designed and conducted the experiments, with assistance from EAL; ACA led the analysis, with assistance from EAL; both authors wrote and crafted the final manuscript.
Coordinating Editor: Judit Sonkoly
Date: April 2026
Introduction
In large-scale restoration, cultivated native plant varieties (cultivars) are often used as cost-effective alternatives to wild-collected seed. However, many cultivars are selected for agronomic traits such as seed yield, seed retention, or biomass production, while ecological functions such as invasion resistance are secondary.
Objectives
We planted communities of wild-collected and commercially available native Great Basin species to evaluate productivity, species evenness, and ability to suppress the invasive annual grass Bromus tectorum.
Methods
Using an outdoor mesocosm experiment with seven community types (six wild mixtures and one commercial) composed of native grasses and Artemisia tridentata, we tracked growth and invasion resistance over two growing seasons.
Results
Both commercial and wild mixtures suppressed B. tectorum relative to control mesocosms without native plants. The commercial mixture produced more aboveground volume than wild mixtures in both seasons, but was less effective at suppressing B. tectorum, which accumulated 67% more biomass in commercial mesocosms than in wild ones. Commercial communities shrank following invasion. In contrast, several wild communities had near-complete B. tectorum suppression, despite smaller aboveground volume, and all wild communities increased in size in the second season.
Conclusion
Highly competitive wild mixtures are promising for restoration and suggest a potential trade-off between rapid aboveground growth and invasion resistance. Commercially available native plants selected for agronomic traits like large size and high seed yield may lack characteristics desirable in invaded dryland restoration settings, such as weed suppression and low biomass production to reduce fuel for wildfires.
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