Experimental manipulation of soil-surface albedo alters phenology and growth of Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass)

Maxwell, Toby M.; Germino, Matthew J.; Romero, Seth; Porensky, Lauren M.; Blumenthal, Dana M.; Brown, Cynthia S.; Adler, Peter B.

doi:10.1007/s11104-023-05929-4

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Consistent with this proposed explanation, a regional-wide study consisting of 75 Wyoming sagebrush sites of low to moderately low resistance, Reisner et al (2015) revealed that native perennial bunchgrasses were significantly more abundant under shrubs when compared to the interspaces be- Fuentes -Ramirez et al, 2016). Greater fire heat under shrubs might also kill existing native seed banks and thereby provide both fertile and vacant hotspots for IAGs invading the burned area (Hoover & Germino, 2012;Rau et al, 2014;Boyd et al, 2017;Maxwell et al, 2023). Thus, managing for invasion resistance may require a better understanding of the spatial structure of fuels and land management activities that promote native bunchgrasses within the interspaces of shrubs (Hulet et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Although native bunchgrasses are fire‐adapted, bunchgrass mortality can be greater under shrubs relative to the interspaces, due to high temperatures and slow spread of fire as it consumes woody fuels (Hulet et al., 2015; Fuentes‐Ramirez et al., 2016). Greater fire heat under shrubs might also kill existing native seed banks and thereby provide both fertile and vacant hotspots for IAGs invading the burned area (Hoover & Germino, 2012; Rau et al., 2014; Boyd et al., 2017; Maxwell et al., 2023). Thus, managing for invasion resistance may require a better understanding of the spatial structure of fuels and land management activities that promote native bunchgrasses within the interspaces of shrubs (Hulet et al., 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Satellite‐derived prefire vegetation predicts variation in field‐based invasive annual grass cover after fire

Anthony,

Applestein,

Germino

2023

Applied Vegetation Science

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

AimsInvasion by annual grasses (IAGs) and concomitant increases in wildfire are impacting many drylands globally, and an understanding of factors that contribute to or detract from community resistance to IAGs is needed to inform postfire restoration interventions. Prefire vegetation condition is often unknown in rangelands but it likely affects variation in postfire invasion resistance across large burned scars. Whether satellite‐derived products like the Rangeland Analysis Platform (RAP) can fulfill prefire information needs and be used to parametrize models of fire recovery to inform postfire management of IAGs is a key question.MethodsWe used random forests to ask how IAG abundances in 669 field plots measured in the 2‐3 years following megafires in sagebrush steppe rangelands of western USA responded to RAP estimates of annual:perennial prefire vegetation cover, the effects of elevation, heat load, postfire treatments, soil moisture–temperature regimes, and land‐agency ratings of ecosystem resistance to invasion and resilience to disturbance.ResultsPostfire IAG cover measured in the field was % and RAP‐estimated prefire annual herbaceous cover was %. The random forest model had an R2 of 0.36 and a root‐mean‐squared error (RMSE) of 4.41. Elevation, postfire herbicide treatment, and prefire estimates from RAP for the ratio of annual:perennial and shrub cover were the most important predictors of postfire IAG cover. Threshold‐like relationships between postfire IAG cover and the predictors indicate that maintaining annual:perennial cover below 0.4 and shrub cover below <10% prior to wildfire would decrease invasion, at low elevations below 1400 m above sea level.ConclusionDespite known differences between RAP and field‐based estimates of vegetation cover, RAP was still a useful predictor of variation in IAG abundances after fire. IAG management is oftentimes reactive, but our findings indicate impactful roles for more inclusively addressing the exotic annual community, and focusing on prefire maintenance of annual:perennial herbaceous and shrub cover at low elevations.

show abstract