Precipitation timing and soil heterogeneity regulate the growth and seed production of the invasive grass red brome

Horn, Kevin J.; Bishop, Tara B. B.; Clair, Samuel B. St.

doi:10.1007/s10530-016-1348-2

Cited by 19 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…How changes in precipitation timing may affect plant community structure within the context of changing fire regimes is still relatively unexplored, though some support shows favor for exotic annual grass‐dominated communities (Knapp , Prevéy and Seastedt , Horn et al. ). Our study experimentally manipulated both precipitation and fire to ascertain responses of individual key species that are dominant vegetation types in the Great Basin Desert.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Variation in precipitation timing can favor exotic annual grasses due to differences in life‐history traits where exotics can capitalize on changing availability of water resources (Prevéy and Seastedt , Horn et al. ). The majority of precipitation in cold deserts of North America comes in early spring and winter when water has time to percolate into deeper soil profiles (Schwinning et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Earlier fall precipitation and low severity fire impacts on cheatgrass and sagebrush establishment

et al. 2020

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In arid and semiarid ecosystems, invasion by exotic grasses may be driving state changes in vegetation defined by losses of native shrub communities. Changes in wildfire regimes and fall precipitation timing related to climate change may promote fluctuations in resource availability that reinforces invasion and state changes in vegetation. The objective of this study was to investigate how earlier fall precipitation timing and fire affected the germination, establishment, and growth of the dominant native shrub Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata subsp. wyomingensis), and one of the most problematic invaders, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) in the Great Basin. We extracted soil cores from Rush Valley, Utah (UT), USA, on the eastern side of the Great Basin ecoregion and placed them in a common garden in Provo, UT, and planted seeds of sagebrush and cheatgrass in individual cores. We measured the response of sagebrush and cheatgrass to experimental fire and two fall precipitation timing pulses in a full factorial design. Water was added for two weeks in early September (early fall treatment) and mid-October (late fall treatment). We measured seedling emergence, plant height, biomass, density, seed production, and survival. Early fall precipitation did not significantly affect the amount of cheatgrass or sagebrush seedling emergence. Early fall precipitation significantly increased cheatgrass density, height, biomass, and seed production, and sagebrush height and biomass, but not density. Surprisingly, cheatgrass did not respond positively to fire. In contrast, fire increased sagebrush density (twofold) and survival. These findings indicate that fire can have positive impacts on sagebrush establishment. The data suggest that projected increases in fall moisture in the Great Basin due to climate change are likely to have positive impacts on both cheatgrass and sagebrush. However, additional studies are needed to identify how fall precipitation timing and fire might impact competitive interactions between sagebrush and cheatgrass and the bearing on invasion success at influencing state changes in the Great Basin.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Earlier fall precipitation and low severity fire impacts on cheatgrass and sagebrush establishment

et al. 2020

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“…Interannual variability in germination, growth, establishment, and biomass of grassland and shrubland plants can be substantial and is related to both precipitation and temperature (Clarke, Latz, & Albrecht, ; Holmgren et al., ; Horn, Bishop, & Clair, ; Horn, Nettles, & Clair, ; Hsu & Adler, ; Sala, Gherardi, Reichmann, Jobbagy, & Peters, ). In the Great Basin, adequate precipitation and soil moisture in the fall or winter and spring are critical for germination and growth of annual grasses, particularly when temperatures are favorable (Bradley, Curtis, & Chambers, ; Mack & Pyke, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Refining the cheatgrass–fire cycle in the Great Basin: Precipitation timing and fine fuel composition predict wildfire trends

Pilliod

Welty

Arkle

2017

Ecology and Evolution

145

153

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Larger, more frequent wildfires in arid and semi‐arid ecosystems have been associated with invasion by non‐native annual grasses, yet a complete understanding of fine fuel development and subsequent wildfire trends is lacking. We investigated the complex relationships among weather, fine fuels, and fire in the Great Basin, USA. We first modeled the annual and time‐lagged effects of precipitation and temperature on herbaceous vegetation cover and litter accumulation over a 26‐year period in the northern Great Basin. We then modeled how these fine fuels and weather patterns influence subsequent wildfires. We found that cheatgrass cover increased in years with higher precipitation and especially when one of the previous 3 years also was particularly wet. Cover of non‐native forbs and native herbs also increased in wet years, but only after several dry years. The area burned by wildfire in a given year was mostly associated with native herb and non‐native forb cover, whereas cheatgrass mainly influenced area burned in the form of litter derived from previous years’ growth. Consequently, multiyear weather patterns, including precipitation in the previous 1–3 years, was a strong predictor of wildfire in a given year because of the time needed to develop these fine fuel loads. The strong relationship between precipitation and wildfire allowed us to expand our inference to 10,162 wildfires across the entire Great Basin over a 35‐year period from 1980 to 2014. Our results suggest that the region's precipitation pattern of consecutive wet years followed by consecutive dry years results in a cycle of fuel accumulation followed by weather conditions that increase the probability of wildfire events in the year when the cycle transitions from wet to dry. These patterns varied regionally but were strong enough to allow us to model annual wildfire risk across the Great Basin based on precipitation alone.

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“…[45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52] Some of the factors these papers discussed as leading to the propagation of invasive species, and therefore the rise of wildfire risk, included high precipitation 42,43,51,52 and high soil nitrogen. 48,51 Fuel treatments caused a reduction, 49,53 as well as no changes to invasive species abundance. 42,43,47,54,55 Similar to invasive species, woody plant species have increased in abundance along the US-Mexico border over the past several decades, including in areas previously occupied by grasslands.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…42 Although some studies found that the cover of invasive species did not increase after fire, 42-44 all studies generally agreed that invasive species increased wildfire risk. 45-52 Some of the factors these papers discussed as leading to the propagation of invasive species, and therefore the rise of wildfire risk, included high precipitation 42,43,51,52 and high soil nitrogen. 48,51 Fuel treatments caused a reduction, 49,53 as well as no changes to invasive species abundance.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildfire Risk and Hazardous Fuel Reduction Treatments Along the US-Mexico Border: A Review of the Science (1986-2019)

Laushman

Munson

Villarreal

2020

Air, Soil and Water Research

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The ecosystems along the border between the United States and Mexico are at increasing risk to wildfire due to interactions among climate, land-use, and fuel loads. A wide range of fuel treatments have been implemented to mitigate wildfire and its threats to valued resources, yet we have little information about treatment effectiveness. To fill critical knowledge gaps, we reviewed wildfire risk and fuel treatment studies that were conducted near the US-Mexico border and published in the peer-reviewed literature between 1986 and 2019. The number of studies has grown during this time in warm desert to forest ecosystems on primarily federal lands. The most common study topics included fire effects on native species, the role of invasive species and woody encroachment on wildfire risk, historical fire regimes, and remote sensing and modeling to study wildfire risk across the landscape. A majority of fuel treatment studies focused on prescribed burns, and fuel treatments collectively had mixed effects on mitigating future wildfire risk and threats to ecosystems depending on vegetation and fire characteristics. The diversity of ecosystems and land ownership along the US-Mexico border present unique challenges for understanding and managing wildfire risk, and also create opportunities for collaboration and cross-site studies to promote knowledge across broad environmental gradients.

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Precipitation timing and soil heterogeneity regulate the growth and seed production of the invasive grass red brome

Cited by 19 publications

References 60 publications

Earlier fall precipitation and low severity fire impacts on cheatgrass and sagebrush establishment

Earlier fall precipitation and low severity fire impacts on cheatgrass and sagebrush establishment

Refining the cheatgrass–fire cycle in the Great Basin: Precipitation timing and fine fuel composition predict wildfire trends

Wildfire Risk and Hazardous Fuel Reduction Treatments Along the US-Mexico Border: A Review of the Science (1986-2019)

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