SDSU researchers study native prairie seed networks in Northern Great Plains

Researchers from the Native Plant Initiative at South Dakota State University studied how the native seed system works in the Northern Great Plains, according to a Phys.org report published on 7 October 2026. The report said native seeds are a foundational part of prairie restoration, which can improve soil health and water quality and provide habitat for wildlife and pollinators. Having enough of the right seeds requires a network of people who collect, grow and sell them, the report said.

The team conducted 60 detailed interviews with people involved in different facets of the network, Phys.org reported. Elena Friedman, the first author and an August 2026 master's program graduate, and Lora Perkins, director of the Native Plant Initiative, were among those involved in gathering information. Phys.org reported that the interviews revealed the system was more complex than the researchers initially thought.

"One of the most important, and surprising, findings was that there isn't just one native seed system per region," Jennifer Zavaleta Cheek, an assistant professor in the SDSU Department of Natural Resource Management, said. "We went into the research thinking there was a singular system, but instead we found distinct seed systems operating in the same region, with different people, relationships and goals."

Two of the distinct seed networks were commercial and tribal, according to the report. Participants in the commercial network focused on collecting, producing, selling and using seeds for restoration. Participants in the tribal system often took a more community-based approach, also using seeds for food and medicine, and considered the significance of native seeds in promoting reciprocity and sovereignty, Phys.org reported.

Zavaleta Cheek said the team used social science and resilience and systems thinking to understand the people and relationships that make restoration possible. She said this allowed them to look at seed infrastructure and production as well as how culture, values, knowledge, relationships, institutions and economics shape the resilience of the system. An article about the research was published in People and Nature, according to Phys.org.

The work was guided from the beginning by the Native Seed Strategy developed by the Northern Great Plains Native Seed Partnership, Phys.org reported. The plan identified a need to better understand the people and social dimensions of the native seed system to strengthen collaboration, restoration efforts and long-term resilience. Phys.org reported that previous research without a deep understanding of each group's goals, practices and connections to native seeds may have concluded that integrating the two systems would benefit both by increasing production.