Brynne E Lazarus
Biography
Education
B.S. Stanford University, Biology (2000)
M.S. University of Vermont, Natural Resources (2004)
Ph.D. University of California - Davis, Ecology (2010)
Science and Products
Plant-Soil-Environment Laboratory (FRESC)
We produce basic and applied science needed to manage landscapes in ways that make them resistant and resilient to stressors such as wildfire, exotic plant invasions, drought, and temperature extremes. These stressors impact ecosystem productivity and functioning and pose costly risks to human health and safety in the western United States. We team with other state and federal agencies to find...
Post-fire management targeting invasive annual grasses may have inadvertently released the exotic perennial forb Chondrilla juncea and suppressed its biocontrol agent
Top-down and bottom-up factors affecting invasive populations are rarely considered simultaneously, yet their interactive responses to disturbances and management interventions can be essential to understanding invasion patterns. We evaluated post-fire responses of the exotic perennial forb Chondrilla juncea (rush skeletonweed) and its...
Lazarus, Brynne E.; Germino, MatthewA chemical and bio‐herbicide mixture increased exotic invaders, both targeted and non‐targeted, across a diversely invaded landscape after fire
QuestionsInvasive‐plant treatments often target a single or few species, but many landscapes are diversely invaded. Exotic annual grasses (EAGs) increase wildfires and degrade native perennial plant communities in cold‐desert rangelands, and herbicides are thus sprayed to inhibit EAG germination and establishment. We asked how EAG target and non‐...
Lazarus, Brynne E.; Germino, Matthew J.Weed-suppressive bacteria effects differ in culture compared to in soils and with or without microbial competition and separation of active ingredient
Weed-suppressive bacteria (WSB), specifically the D7 and ACK55 strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens, were previously reported to selectively inhibit growth of invasive annual grasses (IAGs) that have caused severe ecosystem degradation across much of the western US. However, recent studies show highly mixed evidence for WSB effectiveness in...
Lazarus, Brynne E.; Feris, Kevin; Germino, MatthewWarming of alpine tundra enhances belowground production and shifts community towards resource acquisition traits
Climate warming is expected to stimulate plant growth in high‐elevation and high‐latitude ecosystems, significantly increasing aboveground net primary production (ANPP). However, the effects of simultaneous changes in temperature, snowmelt timing, and summer water availability on total net primary production (NPP)—and elucidation of both above‐...
Yang, Yan; Klein, Julia A.; Winkler, Daniel E.; Peng, Ahui; Lazarus, Brynne E.; Germino, Matthew; Suding, Katherine; Smith, Jane G.; Kueppers, Lara M.Post-fire management-scale trials of bacterial soil amendment MB906 show inconsistent control of invasive annual grasses
Rangeland managers need tools to control invasive annual grasses, particularly following wildfire. We assessed responses of native and invasive/exotic grasses to the MB906 soil amendment containing live cultures of a purportedly weed-suppressive strain of the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens (“WSB”). MB906 was applied alone and in...
Lazarus, Brynne E.; Germino, Matthew; Brabec, Martha; Peterson, Logan; Walker, Ryan N; Moser, AnnSynthesis of weed-suppressive bacteria studies in rangelands of the Western United States: Special section of articles in Rangeland Ecology and Management provides no evidence of effectiveness
No abstract available.
Germino, Matthew; Lazarus, Brynne E.Intraspecific variation in surface water uptake in a perennial desert shrub
Despite broad recognition that water is a major limiting factor in arid ecosystems, we lack an empirical understanding of how this resource is shared and distributed among neighbouring plants. Intraspecific variability can further contribute to this variation via divergent life‐history traits, including root architecture. We investigated these...
Zaiats, Andrii; Lazarus, Brynne E.; Germino, Matthew; Serpe, Marcelo D; Richardson, Bryce A.; Buerki, Sven; Caughlin, T TrevorWeed-suppressive bacteria have no effect on exotic or native plants in sagebrush-steppe
Approaches and techniques for control of exotic annual grasses are a high priority in rangelands including sagebrush steppe. Strains of the soil bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens have been proposed to be selectively pathogenic to multiple species of exotic annual grasses (“Pf,” weed-suppressive bacteria, “WSB”). However, defensible tests...
Germino, Matthew; Lazarus, Brynne E.Weed-suppressive bacteria fail to control bromus tectorum under field conditions
The exotic winter annual grass Bromus tectorum L. (downy brome or cheatgrass) infests millions of hectares of western rangelands. Weed-suppressive bacteria (ACK55 and D7 strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens Migula 1895) have been shown to reduce B. tectorum populations in eastern Washington. Unfortunately, outside...
Reinhart, Kurt O; Carlson, Chris H; Feris, Kevin P; Germino, Matthew; Jandreau, Clancy J; Lazarus, Brynne E.; Mangold, Jane M.; Pellatz, Dave W; Ramsey, Philip; Rinella, Matthew J.; Valliant, MorganAn experimental test of weed-suppressive bacteria effectiveness in rangelands in southwestern Idaho, 2016–18
Approaches and techniques for control of exotic annual grasses are a high priority in sagebrush-steppe and other rangelands. Strains of the soil bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf) have been proposed to be selectively pathogenic to multiple species of exotic annual grasses with effects evident by the second year, and with no effect on native or...
Lazarus, Brynne E.; Germino, Matthew J.Growth strategies and threshold responses to water deficit modulate effects of warming on tree seedlings from forest to alpine
1.Predictions of upslope range shifts for tree species with warming are based on assumptions of moisture stress at lower elevation limits and low temperature stress at high elevation limits. However, recent studies have shown that warming can reduce tree seedling establishment across the entire gradient from subalpine forest to alpine via moisture...
Lazarus, Brynne E.; Castanha, Cristina; Germino, Matthew J.; Kueppers, Lara M.; Moyes, Andrew B.Methodological considerations regarding online extraction of water from soils for stable isotope determination
No abstract available.
Lazarus, Brynne E.; Germino, Matthew J.Pre-USGS Publications
A Chemical and Bio-Herbicide Mixture Increased Exotic Invaders, Both Targeted and Non-Targeted, Across a Diversely Invaded Landscape After Fire
Herbicides sprayed to inhibit exotic annual grass germination and establishment can have unintended effects, including the release of secondary invaders or damage to native plant species.
Post-fire Management may have Inadvertently Released an Exotic Perennial Forb and Suppressed its Biocontrol Agents
Invasive plants that establish in sagebrush steppe ecosystems during the critical post-fire recolonization period can affect long-term vegetation community trajectories.
Weed-Suppressive Bacteria Effects Differ in Culture Compared to in Soils
Weed-suppressive bacteria (WSB), specifically the D7 and ACK55 strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens, were previously reported to selectively inhibit growth of invasive annual grasses. However, recent studies show highly mixed evidence for WSB effectiveness in field settings.
Bacterial Soil Amendment MB906 Shows Inconsistent Control of Invasive Annual Grasses
In 2016, land managers began using a soil amendment called MB906, a weed-suppressive bacteria, to control invasive annual grasses, yet the success of MB906 is inconclusive.
Intraspecific Variation in Surface Water Uptake in a Perennial Desert Shrub
Variability in root architecture is one source of plant trait diversification that affects how water is distributed among plants.
Weed-Suppressive Bacteria have no Effect on Exotic or Native Plants in Sagebrush Steppe
Approaches and techniques for controlling exotic annual grasses are a high priority in rangelands including sagebrush steppe.
Cold Hardiness of Big Sagebrush May be Maladaptive in a Warmer Climate
Physiological responses to temperature extremes are considered strong drivers of plant species’ resilience to climate variability.