Species biodiversity is well known to enhance a variety of ecosystem services, such as the presence of wildlife habitat, the encouragement of pollinator visitation, and the reduction of invasion by non native species. In many cases, species diversity is required by the federal government in reclamation projects ^[1]. Enhancing biodiversity can be facilitated across a variety of organizational levels. For example, functional group (grasses, shrubs, and forbs) diversity can be as important as species level diversity. Moreover, providing diversity in phenology (when plants green up and flower), and topography (planting species of different sizes and shapes), provides better wildlife habitat and can facilitate greater cover overall. Generally, differences in vegetation type and look cultivate different animal types by providing a greater number of resources. For example, vegetation dwelling phytophagous arthropods tend to respond to different kinds of plants while predatory bugs and birds are more attune to plant height ^[2]. Managers should keep in mind that more biodiverse seed mixes are almost always better for restoration outcomes, however, there are instances where this approach does not provide a more robust buffer to non-ideal weather conditions ^[3].

Resources

• What is biodiversity?
• Xeriscape with native plants
• Shrub selection for Utah landscapes
• Utah Native Plant Society
• The Bio/Diversity Project Manual
• Taking care of streams and rivers in Cache Valley
• Range Plants of Utah
• Native Grasses - Wild About Utah
• Western Forbs: Biology, Ecology, and Use in Restoration | Great Basin Fire Science Exchange

References