Matthew J Germino
Biography
Education
Ph.D. Botany, 2000, University of Wyoming
M.S. Botany, 1996, University of Wyoming
B.S. Environmental Science, 1994, University of Massachusetts
Specialty
Plant-soil-environment relationships
Research Interests
Plant-soil-environment relationships, with a focus on forest and rangelands; post-fire rehabilitation and restoration; invasive species; integrating science and adaptive land management.
Science and Products
Weed-Suppressive Bacteria – Testing a Control Measure for Invasive Grasses in the West
Recent popular news has implied that Weed-Suppressive Bacteria (WSB) holds promise for cheatgrass control, yet a lack of peer-reviewed research exists to support this claim. USGS researchers stepped up to the challenge of objectively and rigorously evaluating the effectiveness of WSB for controlling exotic annual grasses, such as...
Cheatgrass and Medusahead
Invasive annual grasses, such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae), are one of the most significant stressors to rangeland ecosystems in the western U.S. Their expansion and dominance across this area are the most damaging ecosystem agents on this iconic landscape.
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...
Wildfire Impacts, and Post-Fire Rehabilitation and Restoration
Land use and unintentional (e.g., wildfire) disturbances are increasingly dominant factors affecting land-use planning and management of semiarid landscapes, particularly in sagebrush steppe rangelands. In the last 10-20 years, wildfires are occurring more frequently and increasingly in very large burn patches.
Plant Responses to Temperature and Water Limitation
Weather and climate impacts on dominant native perennials must be understood in order to efficiently manage our western landscapes. We use an ecophysiological approach, linking to population, community, and landscape ecology, to understand the impacts and responses of plants on or to their environment.
Integrating Science and Adaptive Land Management
Widespread habitat deterioration due to fire and invasive species in the Great Basin have created a need for coordination across land agencies and between science and management activities in the Great Basin.
Webinar: Sagebrush Ecosystems in a Changing Climate: Key Opportunities for Adaptive Management
View this webinar to learn how scientists are exploring adaptation management strategies for sagebrush ecosystems.
Sagebrush Ecosystems in a Changing Climate
Climate responses of sagebrush are needed to inform land managers of the stability and restoration of sagebrush ecosystems, which are an important but threatened habitat type. We evaluated climate responses of sagebrush using two approaches: (1) experimental manipulations of temperature and precipitation for natural plants in the field, and (2) assessment of how climate adaptation and weather...
Weather affects post‐fire recovery of sagebrush‐steppe communities and model transferability among sites
Altered climate, including weather extremes, can cause major shifts in vegetative recovery after disturbances. Predictive models that can identify the separate and combined temporal effects of disturbance and weather on plant communities and that are transferable among sites are needed to guide vulnerability assessments and management...
Applestein, Cara; Caughlin, Trevor; Germino, MatthewPost-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.Weather and distance to fire refugia limit landscape‐level occurrence of fungal disease in an exotic annual grass
The enemy release hypothesis proposes that invasion by exotic plant species is driven by their release from natural enemies (i.e. herbivores and pathogens) in their introduced ranges. However, in many cases, natural enemies, which may be introduced or managed to regulate invasive species, may fail to impact target host populations. Landscape...
Applestein, Cara; Simler-Williamson, Allison Barbara; Germino, Matthew J.Detecting shrub recovery in sagebrush steppe: Comparing Landsat-derived maps with field data on historical wildfires
BackgroundThe need for basic information on spatial distribution and abundance of plant species for research and management in semiarid ecosystems is frequently unmet. This need is particularly acute in the large areas impacted by megafires in sagebrush steppe ecosystems, which require frequently updated information about increases in exotic...
Applestein, Cara; Germino, MatthewComment on: Grazing disturbance promotes exotic annual grasses by degrading soil biocrust communities
No abstract available.
O'Connor, Rory; Germino, MatthewWeed-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.Spatial grain of adaptation is much finer than ecoregional-scale common gardens reveal
Adaptive variation among plant populations must be known for effective conservation and restoration of imperiled species and predicting their responses to a changing climate. Common‐garden experiments, in which plants sourced from geographically distant populations are grown together such that genetic differences may be expressed, have provided...
Davidson, Bill; Germino, Matthew J.Postfire growth of seeded and planted big sagebrush - Strategic designs for restoring Greater Sage-grouse nesting habitat
Wildfires change plant community structure and impact wildlife habitat and population dynamics. Recent wildfire‐induced losses of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) in North American shrublands are outpacing natural recovery and leading to substantial losses in habitat for sagebrush‐obligate species such as Greater Sage‐grouse. Managers are...
Pyke, David A.; Shriver, Robert K.; Arkle, Robert; Pilliod, David; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Coates, Peter S.; Germino, Matthew; Heinrichs, Julie Arlene; Ricca, Mark A.; Shaff, ScottColonisation of the alpine tundra by trees: Alpine neighbours assist late-seral but not early-seral conifer seedlings
BackgroundClimate change is projected to alter the elevation and latitude of treeline globally. Seed germination and seedling survival are critical controls on treeline expansion. Neighbouring alpine plants, either through competition for resources or through altered microclimate, also affect seedlings emerging in the alpine zone. With warming,...
Jabis, Meredith D.; Germino, Matthew; 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, AnnPre-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.
Weather Affects Post-Fire Recovery of Sagebrush-Steppe Communities and Model Transferability Among Sites
Altered climate, including weather extremes, can affect vegetative recovery after disturbances. USGS researchers compared models to determine how annual and perennial grass cover and sagebrush density responded to wildfire and weather.
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.
Weather and Distance to Fire Refugia Limit Landscape-Level Occurrence of Fungal Disease in an Exotic Annual Grass
Exotic species invasion may occur because of the lack of natural enemies, such as pathogens, in introduced ranges.
Detecting Shrub Recovery in Sagebrush Steppe: Comparing Landsat-Derived Maps with Field Data on Historical Wildfires
Sagebrush can be scarce after fires in a semiarid ecosystem and their paucity over vast burn areas creates challenges for detection by remote sensing.
Post-Fire Growth of Seeded and Planted Big Sagebrush – Strategic Designs for Restoring Greater Sage-grouse Nesting Habitat
Recent wildfire-induced losses of big sagebrush are outpacing natural recovery and leading to substantial losses in habitat for species such as greater sage-grouse.
Future Alpine Colonization by Limber Pine More Likely than by Engelmann Spruce
Alpine treelines are expected to shift upward in elevation and latitude as a result of climate change, yet this expansion requires favorable conditions for seed germination and successful seedling establishment.
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.
Spatial Grain of Adaptation is Much Finer than Ecoregional-Scale Common Gardens Reveal
Common-garden experiments, in which plants sourced from geographically distant populations are grown together such that genetic differences may be expressed, can provide insight on adaptive variation of sagebrush.
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.
Partitioning Surface Energy Balance Components in a Semi-Arid Environment
Understanding ecosystem energy and hydrological response is important for predicting and managing future water resources under climate and land-cover changes.
Surface Energy Fluxes, Soil Moisture, and Evapotranspiration Across Three Ecosystems in a Semiarid Climate
Understanding the land-atmosphere interaction at the ecosystem scale is important for water resource management and regional or global climate studies. Researchers examined surface fluxes of energy and moisture for three different ecosystems - sagebrush, cheatgrass, and lodgepole pine - in the Snake River Plain of Idaho.