Tamarix dieback and vegetation patterns following release of the northern tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda carinulata) in western Colorado

Kennard, Deborah K.; Louden, Nina P.; Gemoets, D.; Ortega, Sonya; González, Eduardo; Bean, Dan W.; Cunningham, Phil; Johnson, T.; Rosen, Karen H.; Stahlke, Amanda R.

doi:10.1016/j.biocontrol.2016.07.004

Cited by 27 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(24 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Previous studies have shown that satellite vegetation indices can be used to quantify tamarisk defoliation events due to the loss of green leaf tissue when beetles feed on the shrubs (Dennison et al ; Meng et al ; Nagler et al , ). The EVI trends for the Colorado and Dolores Rivers in this study match ground observations at 10 sites in the same area in Kennard et al (). Ground surveys in 2010 showed very high levels of defoliation of tamarisk, amounting to 100% at many sites along the river, but beetle abundance was in decline, apparently due to lack of food (Jamison et al ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…The coefficient of variation for percent defoliation was 147% among sites. Kennard et al () also noticed high variability among sites but without a correlation with environmental variables measured at the sites. Hultine et al , Hultine et al ) showed that rapidly growing tamarisks are more susceptible to defoliation damage and mortality than slower growing tamarisks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Northern tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda carinulata) and tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) interactions in the Colorado River basin

Nagler

Nguyen

Bateman

et al. 2017

Restoration Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Northern tamarisk beetles (Diorhabda carinulata) were released in the Upper Colorado River Basin in the United States in 2004-2007 to defoliate introduced tamarisk shrubs (Tamarix spp.) in the region's riparian zones. The primary purpose was to control the invasive shrub and reduce evapotranspiration (ET) by tamarisk in an attempt to increase stream flows. We evaluated beetle-tamarisk interactions with MODIS and Landsat imagery on 13 river systems, with vegetation indices used as indicators of the extent of defoliation and ET. Beetles are widespread and exhibit a pattern of colonize-defoliate-emigrate, so that riparian zones contain a mosaic of completely defoliated, partially defoliated, and refoliated tamarisk stands. Based on satellite data and ET algorithms, mean ET before beetle release (2000-2006) was 416 mm/year compared to postrelease (2007-2015) ET of 355 mm/year (p < 0.05) for a net reduction of 61 mm/year. This is lower than initial literature projections that ET would be reduced by 300-460 mm/year. Reasons for the lower-than-expected ET reductions are because baseline ET rates are lower than initially projected, and percentage ET reduction is low because tamarisk stands tend to regrow new leaves after defoliation and other plants help maintain canopy cover. Overall reductions in tamarisk green foliage during the study are 21%. However, ET in the Upper Basin has shown a steady decline since 2007 and equilibrium has not yet been reached. Defoliation is now proceeding from the Upper Basin into the Lower Basin at a rate of 40 km/year, much faster than initially projected.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Northern tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda carinulata) and tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) interactions in the Colorado River basin

Nagler

Nguyen

Bateman

et al. 2017

Restoration Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Previous research suggests that the impacts of biological control on tamarisk canopy dieback and mortality do not vary predictably with environmental variables across drainages in the Western United States. (González et al, ; Henry et al, ; Hultine et al, ; Kennard et al, ). Furthermore, genetic adaptation may also play a role in determining mortality; local genetic adaptations have been found to make some populations of tamarisk more susceptible to dieback from beetle herbivory (Long et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…States. (González et al, 2017;Henry et al, 2018;Hultine et al, 2015;Kennard et al, 2016). Furthermore, genetic adaptation may also play a role in determining mortality; local genetic adaptations have been found to make some populations of tamarisk more susceptible to dieback from beetle herbivory (Long et al, 2017).…”

Section: The Case For Compensatory Growthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Longer term effects of biological control on tamarisk evapotranspiration and carbon dioxide exchange

Snyder¹,

Scott

2019

Hydrological Processes

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Biological control of Tamarix spp. (tamarisk) with Diorhabda spp. (tamarisk beetle) was initiated in several states in the Western United States in 2001. We analysed 12 years of evapotranspiration (ET), net ecosystem production (NEP), and beetle abundance data from a tamarisk-invaded site in Western Nevada along the Truckee River. Diorhabda carinulata (northern tamarisk beetle) appeared at the site in 2007. Large beetle outbreaks and associated defoliation of the tamarisk occurred in 2008 and 2009, then the beetle population was highly variable from year to year. Since 2016, the beetle population declined. Growing season ET noticeably declined from direct beetle herbivory in 2008, 2009, and 2010, but the decline in ET was seasonally transient as trees regrew leaves. In 2012 and 2013, total growing season ET was low, likely due to the combined effects of drought and beetle herbivory pressure. Total seasonal ET losses and NEP were primarily driven by annual precipitation with higher values in wetter years and reduced values when precipitation fell below 100 mm. In the last 2 years of the study, 2017-2018, there were few to no beetles observed at the site, and we measured increased tamarisk leaf area index, ET, and NEP. Since 2010 at the study site, no further releases of the beetles have occurred due to wildlife concerns, and subsequent declines in beetle populations where such that the "outbreak" conditions apparently required to impair tamarisk physiological function and significantly reduce ET have not occurred. ET and photosynthesis were highly correlated (r 2 ≥ .91) to the Landsat-satellite normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Using a relationship between growing season ET and NDVI, we estimated ET for five additional tamarisk sites along several southwestern U.S. rivers. In the 2005 to 2018 analysis period, NDVI-estimated ET declined at all sites after beetle arrival with three sites showing a recovery in pre-beetle ET rates in subsequent years. At the other three sites, ET rates have not recovered to pre-beetle levels.

show abstract

“…NDVI* was lower in 2016 than in 2015 and 2017, while mean river discharge increased from 2015 to 2017. Between‐year fluctuations in abundance have been observed in Diorhabda following large defoliation events, which is likely driven by resource depletion (Jamison et al, 2015; Kennard et al, 2016). Jamison, Johnson, Bean, and van Riper (2018) found that beetle larvae were less likely to establish in areas where defoliation exceeded 70%, leading to a temporary loss of beetles and refoliation of tamarisk.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation‐groundwater dynamics at a former uranium mill site following invasion of a biocontrol agent: A time series analysis of Landsat normalized difference vegetation index data

Jarchow

Waugh

Didan

et al. 2020

Hydrological Processes

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Because groundwater recharge in dry regions is generally low, arid and semiarid environments have been considered well-suited for long-term isolation of hazardous materials (e.g., radioactive waste). In these dry regions, water lost (transpired) by plants and evaporated from the soil surface, collectively termed evapotranspiration (ET), is usually the primary discharge component in the water balance. Therefore, vegetation can potentially affect groundwater flow and contaminant transport at waste disposal sites. We studied vegetation health and ET dynamics at a Uranium Mill Tailings RadiationControl Act (UMTRCA) disposal site in Shiprock, New Mexico, where a floodplain alluvial aquifer was contaminated by mill effluent. Vegetation on the floodplain was predominantly deep-rooted, non-native tamarisk shrubs (Tamarix sp.). After the introduction of the tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda sp.) as a biocontrol agent, the health of the invasive tamarisk on the Shiprock floodplain declined. We used Landsat normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data to measure greenness and a remote sensing algorithm to estimate landscape-scale ET along the floodplain of the UMTRCA site in Shiprock prior to (2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009) and after (2010-2018) beetle establishment. Using groundwater level data collected from 2011 to 2014, we also assessed the role of ET in explaining seasonal variations in depth to water of the floodplain. Growing season scaled NDVI decreased 30% (p < .001), while ET decreased 26% from the pre-to postbeetle period and seasonal ET estimates were significantly correlated with groundwater levels from 2011 to 2014 (r 2 = .71; p = .009). Tamarisk greenness (a proxy for health) was significantly affected by Diorhabda but has partially recovered since 2012.Despite this, increased ET demand in the summer/fall period might reduce contaminant transport to the San Juan River during this period.

show abstract

Tamarix dieback and vegetation patterns following release of the northern tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda carinulata) in western Colorado

Cited by 27 publications

References 26 publications

Northern tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda carinulata) and tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) interactions in the Colorado River basin

Northern tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda carinulata) and tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) interactions in the Colorado River basin

Longer term effects of biological control on tamarisk evapotranspiration and carbon dioxide exchange

Vegetation‐groundwater dynamics at a former uranium mill site following invasion of a biocontrol agent: A time series analysis of Landsat normalized difference vegetation index data

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About