Habitat Restoration and Conservation in Texas Page: Habtiat
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Often monocultures develop as a direct result of the introduction of an invasive plant. This is generally
the result of one of two mechanisms. The first mechanism is the introduction of a non-native plant
or animal species that has few or no natural population controls, such as predators. The check and
balance system that naturally occurs among native species is lacking with exotic plants or animals.
Alternatively, a monoculture may result from the lack of human interference in a system that controls
an invasive species This lack of control invites the non-native species to simply take over and out-
compete all other species, and this can occur with native or non-native species. INVASIVE PLANTS
are often difficult to control and may persist regardless of efforts to eliminate them. Most, though not
all, invasive plants are exotic species, species not native to the local region.
The safest and most effective way to protect biodiversity and prevent a monoculture is by using
native plants in your habitat. A good guide for native plants can be found on the Texas Wildscapes
DVD available through Texas Parks and Wildlife Department or in the book Texas Wildscapes Garden-
ing for Wildlife. On larger properties, maintaining an appropriate grazing and stocking program and
the proper use of controlled burning will also help.
The question then arises, "How can I protect and restore shelter?" A key to shelter is the structure
of plants within your landscape, and how they fit together to provide cover that the animals can move
through easily and in which they will be protected from predators and other threats. This is achieved
by combining plants that grow to diverse heights within the landscape so that these plants "layer" on
top of one another. This generally means a mixture of tall trees that reach to the tops of the typical
canopy for the area, short trees that fill in the understory, brush and shrubs, wildflowers, grasses and
native vines. BRUSH is an important feature of this shelter, and combined with grasses is the most
common layer in which birds and other wildlife nest. Removing brush, a common practice in building
and preparing a lot for development, removes a significant layer of shelter for wildlife.
In some areas too much brush is not a natural or desirable feature. PRAIRIES are composed primarily
of grasses that grow in clumping patterns interspersed with wildflowers and forbs (non-woody green
plants). Bunch grasses provide the critical shelter that birds, small mammals, reptiles and other prairie
animals require. Historically, brush encroached into this area for three to seven years, and then it
was burned out by a periodic wildfire. Today, with the suppression of fire, brush grows uncontrolled in
some of our historically prairie regions.
It is often necessary to look at historical records and pictures to see what the region looked like prior
to extensive human intervention. Habitat restoration efforts should strive to re-create and maintain
this native ecosystem. The greatest benefit for wildlife would be achieved if the historic nature of the
land could be restored.
The reintroduction of plants that are native to your local ecoregion will provide FOOD resources
within your habitat. Quality food resources include the materials produced directly by the plants and
the animals that are attracted by the plant resources. All parts of the plant - the fruit or nuts, the
leaves, the stems, the roots, the nectar, etc., are food for some wildlife species. If we realize this, and
do not run for the pesticides every time we see something chewing up our milkweed or other plants,
we will be rewarded with a diversity of insect and bird species in our habitat. As the number and typeof wildlife increases in your habitat, more and different kinds of animals will now be attracted to the
surroundings, leading to even greater diversity in our gardens and pastures. A good mixture of qualitya,. :.
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Texas. Parks and Wildlife Department. Habitat Restoration and Conservation in Texas, pamphlet, 2012; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth654101/m1/3/: accessed June 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.