Impact and management of crested wheatgrass (<i>Agropyron cristatum</i>) in the northern Great Plains

Vaness, Brenda M.; Wilson, Scott D.

doi:10.4141/cjps07120

Cited by 31 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Higher NDVI and CI were also observed on the north-facing slope in grasses. This between-slope difference increased over time in S. viridula and decreased with DOY in A. cristatum, an invasive species with earlier completion of annual growth cycles (Vaness and Wilson 2007). As observed at the leaf scale, canopy PRI was higher in shrubs of the north-facing slope in late summer.…”

Section: Seasonal Patterns Of Leaf Reflectancementioning

confidence: 64%

Drought stress ecophysiology of shrub and grass functional groups on opposing slope aspects of a temperate grassland valley

Letts

Johnson

Coburn

2010

Botany

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Plant functional groups with contrasting growth strategies co-occur in semiarid ecosystems. In the northern Great Plains, woody shrubs and grasses interact competitively, with shrubs prevalent on mesic hillslopes. To understand topographic influences on physiological drought acclimation, we measured seasonal photosynthetic water use in C3 shrubs ( Artemisia cana Pursh and Rhus trilobata Nutt.) and grasses ( Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn. and Stipa viridula Trin.) on north- and south-facing slopes. Relationships between abiotic controls and photosynthesis were similar on both aspects, indicating an absence of long-term photosynthetic acclimation to xeric, south-facing conditions. Acclimatory differences were observed between functional groups. Soil moisture depletion lowered intercellular:atmospheric CO2 ratio (Ci/Ca) and increased intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUEi = Amax/gs) in shrubs, but not grasses. Consequently, between-slope differences in net photosynthesis (Amax) and stomatal conductance (gs) occurred only in shrubs, with lower values on the south-facing slope. Shrubs also exhibited between-slope differences in the photochemical reflectance index, suggesting drought-related photoprotection. The deuterium:hydrogen ratios of stem water showed that deep water use facilitated late summer growth in shrubs. Consistent with plant distribution, cumulative water use and photosynthesis were higher in shrubs than in grasses on the north-facing slope, but higher in grasses than in shrubs on the south-facing slope. This shows that topographic effects on leaf photosynthetic gas exchange are mediated by physiological acclimation strategy and water source use.

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Section: Seasonal Patterns Of Leaf Reflectancementioning

confidence: 64%

Drought stress ecophysiology of shrub and grass functional groups on opposing slope aspects of a temperate grassland valley

Letts

Johnson

Coburn

2010

Botany

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“…Livestock grazing is the primary land use throughout the mixed-grass prairie. Although grazing can facilitate invasion in many ecosystems (Mack 1981;Sala et al 1986;Hobbs 2001;Brooks et al 2006), in mixed-grass prairie it has been found to have little effect on the richness of introduced species (Stohlgren et al 1999b), and to inhibit invasion by several palatable introduced perennial grasses (Murphy and Grant 2005; Stacy et al 2005;Vaness and Wilson 2007). This resistance to invasion in the presence of grazing may stem from the long evolutionary history of grazing in mixed-grass prairie (Milchunas et al 1988;Stohlgren et al 1999b;Lyman and Wolverton 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Linaria dalmatica invades south-facing slopes and less grazed areas in grazing-tolerant mixed-grass prairie

et al. 2011

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Identifying environments where invasive plants are most invasive is key to understanding causes of invasion and developing effective management strategies. In mixed-grass prairie, invasive plants are often successful in relatively wet, nitrogen-rich areas, and areas protected from grazing. Dalmatian toadflax, a common invader of mixed-grass prairie, can also be favored by high water and nitrogen availability, but is thought to be relatively unpalatable to cattle, and therefore favored by grazing. We used spatiallyadjusted model selection techniques to quantify relationships between toadflax cover (measured using very high-resolution aerial imagery), and relative snow deposition (estimated with a blowing snow model), slope, aspect, soil texture, and grazing intensity (estimated by proximity to water tanks). Toadflax was common throughout the 400 ha study site, occurring in 742 of 1,861 images. Toadflax cover was high on steeper slopes, particularly those with southern aspects. These two topographic variables were more effective in explaining toadflax distribution than modeled snow deposition, suggesting that factors other than snow deposition cause toadflax invasion on southfacing slopes. Toadflax cover was also high in areas further from water tanks, indicating that grazing may inhibit toadflax invasion. More broadly, this result suggests that grazing can reduce invasion of even relatively unpalatable species in ecosystems with long evolutionary histories of grazing.

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“…Invasive species are associated with a series of cascading effects on ecosystem function and integrity, lowering plant diversity (Pritekel et al 2006;Vaness and Wilson 2007). The invasion and expansion of Kentucky bluegrass in the Northern Great Plains has contributed to a decrease in native prairie biotic integrity and plant diversity (Cully et al 2003;DeKeyser et al 2009;Miles and Knops 2009a) and has altered plant community structure and function (DeKeyser et al 2013;Miles and Knops 2009a).…”

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confidence: 99%

Extent of Kentucky Bluegrass and Its Effect on Native Plant Species Diversity and Ecosystem Services in the Northern Great Plains of the United States

Toledo

Sanderson

Spaeth

et al. 2014

Invasive plant sci. manag.

103

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Kentucky bluegrass, a nonnative species, has invaded rangelands in the United States and is currently present in most rangelands across the Northern Great Plains. Despite its accelerated expansion, the consequences of Kentucky bluegrass on the diversity of native plant species and on ecosystem services remain largely unknown. We synthesized the available data related to Kentucky bluegrass and how it affects native plant diversity and ecosystem services. We found that invasion may bring negative consequences to ecosystem services, such as pollination, habitat for wildlife species, and alteration of nutrient and hydrologic cycles, among others. To maintain the flow of ecosystem goods and services from these rangeland ecosystems, range science must adapt to the challenge of introduced, cool-season grass dominance in mixed-grass prairie. Based on our findings, we identify research needs that address ecosystem changes brought on by Kentucky bluegrass invasion and the corresponding effects these changes have on ecosystem services. We are dealing with novel ecosystems, and until we have better answers, adaptive management strategies that use the best available information need to be developed to adapt to the invasion of this pervasive invasive species.

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Impact and management of crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum) in the northern Great Plains

Cited by 31 publications

References 44 publications

Drought stress ecophysiology of shrub and grass functional groups on opposing slope aspects of a temperate grassland valley

Drought stress ecophysiology of shrub and grass functional groups on opposing slope aspects of a temperate grassland valley

Linaria dalmatica invades south-facing slopes and less grazed areas in grazing-tolerant mixed-grass prairie

Extent of Kentucky Bluegrass and Its Effect on Native Plant Species Diversity and Ecosystem Services in the Northern Great Plains of the United States

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