ABSTRACT.-
The clonal shrub Cornus drummondii is rapidly displacing mesic grassland in the central U.S. due to fire suppression and changes in land use. Once established, this shrub is not readily eliminated by the return of frequent fire, leading to significant and perhaps irreversible shifts in tallgrass prairie structure and function. We assessed the impacts of C. drummondii encroachment on herbaceous aboveground net primary production (ANPP) and plant community structure in tallgrass prairie and the role this species plays in the conversion of grassland ecosystems to shrub/woodlands. We also removed established C. drummondii clones to assess the potential of the grassland …