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Does removal of Baby’s Breath from Lake Michigan sand dunes restore native plant diversity and ecosystem function? A collaboration between Dr. Sarah Emery of the University of Louisville, the National Park Service, and The Nature Conservancy in Michigan works to monitor the effects of removing Gypsophila paniculata (baby’s breath) from the Conservancy’s Zetterberg Preserve at Point Betsie and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. Project leader Sarah Emery became interested in this work through her related research on the role of plant-fungus mutualisms in the restoration of Great Lakes sand dunes (funded through a National Parks Ecological Research Fellowship).

Great Lakes sand dunes represent the most extensive freshwater dunes in the world and contain more endemic species than any other Great Lakes ecosystem. These dune systems create a shifting landscape with Lake Michigan’s strong winds blowing waves of sand just like waves of water. Wind and wave erosion continually force dunes to move covering and uncovering vegetation along the way. Because of their dynamic nature, dune systems can be particularly vulnerable to invasions by exotic species.

Baby’s breath is a serious invader of sand dune systems in the greater Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore region. In some areas, baby’s breath comprises 80% of all vegetation, over-stabilizing habitat and making it unsuitable for native species, such as the federally-threatened Pitcher’s thistle, that receives nourishment by trapping wind-blown sand around its leaves. Furthermore, the incredibly deep root system of baby’s breath make it capable of out-competing native species vital to the impermanent stabilization of the dunes such as little bluestem and American beachgrass.

The Nature Conservancy and the National Park Service actively manage their properties toward the goal of baby’s breath eradication. One major effort involves volunteer crews mechanically removing plants by cutting the plant below the root crown – a method developed by Conservancy staff. While data collected over the past decade on the Zetterberg Preserve at Point Betsie indicate this method of removal is effective, there has been little long-term monitoring of the impact these removal efforts have on community and ecosystem properties. There is a great need for assessment, and not just development, of invasive species removal methods. This collaboration between managers and scientists provides an excellent opportunity to clearly demonstrate that baby’s breath is indeed negatively impacting the native dune systems, while removal efforts by The Nature Conservancy are restoring these habitats.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Sarah Emery (Sarah Emery); Photo © John Legge/TNC (baby's breath).