Using a multispecies seed sowing experiment, we investigated the roles of seed and
microsite limitation in constraining the restoration of native prairie diversity and ecosystem
function in an abandoned upland hayfield in northeastern Kansas. Seeds of 32 native and
naturalized plant species from the regional pool were sown into undisturbed and
experimentally disturbed field plots. After six growing seasons, experimental sowing led to
major shifts in species and functional group composition, increases in native species …