Publication Type: Abstract
Abstract: The majority of the High Plains region is comprised of shortgrass prairie. Within this shortgrass prairie region, playas are the dominant wetland type and hydrological feature. Playas are shallow depressional recharge wetlands, each existing within their individual catchments. The High Plains is also one of the most intensively cultivated regions in the western hemisphere. Therefore, playas are directly influenced by agricultural practices and USDA conservation programs. The primary ecosystem services provided by playas include biotic habitat, flood-water storage, and groundwater recharge. Because playas occur at the terminus of individual catchments, they have received large amounts of eroded sediments when surrounded by cultivated watersheds. Therefore, our study focuses on the effects of sediments on recharge, surface water storage, and biotic habitat of playas and how conservation practices influence those services by examining playas in watersheds of native grassland, cropland, and those containing USDA conservation practices. The primary conservation practices in the region were implemented under the Conservation Reserve Program. These practices were mainly aimed at planting and maintenance of introduced and native grasses in playa watersheds. We hypothesize that introduced grasses have a much different influence on playa hydrology and ecology than native grasses. The only practices within the Wetland Reserve Program directly related to playas in the High Plains have occurred in Nebraska. Sediments have altered the hydrology, biotic community, and water storage potential in playas; therefore, we will present the existing data relative to those services (i.e., frequency and effects), as well as providing insight into future conservation practices.