Invasive Species Ecology
Invasive annual grasses are the greatest threat to shrub-grassland ecosystems of the Intermountain West. These grasses grow earlier in the season than native plants, usurping water and nutrients, and making survival and reproduction difficult for native species. They also change the fire regime within the ecosystem, creating more frequent and larger wildfires. We are attempting to understand the environmental conditions that may lead to the ultimate dominance of these annual grasses in order to provide early warning indicators before conversions from native shrub grasslands shift to annual grasslands.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Restoration and Ecology of Arid Lands Team (FRESC)
Below are publications associated with this project.
Land uses, fire, and invasion: Exotic annual Bromus and human dimensions
Stress-gradient hypothesis explains susceptibility to Bromus tectorum invasion and community stability in North America's semi-arid Artemisia tridentata wyomingensis ecosystems
Herbivores and nutrients control grassland plant diversity via light limitation
Nitrogen limitation, 15N tracer retention, and growth response in intact and Bromus tectorum-invaded Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis communities
Effects of resource availability and propagule supply on native species recruitment in sagebrush ecosystems invaded by Bromus tectorum
Abundance of introduced species at home predicts abundance away in herbaceous communities
Defoliation effects on Bromus tectorum seed production: Implications for grazing
Biotic soil crusts in relation to topography, cheatgrass, and fire in the Columbia Basin, Washington
Effects of invasive alien plants on fire regimes
Mixed-density designs for evaluating plant interactions during revegetation
Crested wheatgrass-cheatgrass seedling competition in a mixed-density design
Invasive annual grasses are the greatest threat to shrub-grassland ecosystems of the Intermountain West. These grasses grow earlier in the season than native plants, usurping water and nutrients, and making survival and reproduction difficult for native species. They also change the fire regime within the ecosystem, creating more frequent and larger wildfires. We are attempting to understand the environmental conditions that may lead to the ultimate dominance of these annual grasses in order to provide early warning indicators before conversions from native shrub grasslands shift to annual grasslands.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Restoration and Ecology of Arid Lands Team (FRESC)
Below are publications associated with this project.