Fire effects on the mobilization and uptake of nitrogen by cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.)

Johnson, Brittany G.; Johnson, Dale W.; Chambers, Jeanne C.; Blank, Robert R.

doi:10.1007/s11104-010-0656-z

Cited by 26 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Surface soil temperatures during burns never exceeded 708C and flame temperatures never exceeded 1808C on either litter intact or litter removed plots. Although higher fire temperatures and more short-term N mobilization and volatilization can occur in sagebrush ecosystems with woody fuels (Johnson et al 2011), fire temperatures in our study were typical of those in annual grass dominated systems (Brooks 2002), and were likely too cool to result in complete or even partial volatilization of N (volatilization temperature of 2008C; Raison et al 1985) from mineral soils or aboveground biomass (Jones et al 2015).…”

Section: Repeated Burning Effectsmentioning

confidence: 70%

“…Repeated burning is an alternate approach that may reduce soil N for longer time periods as a result of progressive N deficiency (Rau et al 2007). Both wildfire and prescribed fire are often followed by short-term pulses in NH 4 þ (ammonium) and NO 3 À (nitrate), which can stimulate plant growth and result in increased plant N content in the following growing season (Monaco et al 2003, Johnson et al 2011. Repeated burning of this nutrient-rich biomass, along with the litter, may reduce aboveand belowground N over time as nutrients in biomass and litter are volatilized and lost from the system (Rau et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The role of resource limitation in restoration of sagebrush ecosystems dominated by cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum)

et al. 2015

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Success of invasive annual grasses is often linked to increases in resources, and restoration ecologists have suggested that decreasing nitrogen (N) availability and restoring more conservative N cycles with lower N turnover should decrease the competitive advantage of these invaders and facilitate establishment of native perennials. We developed a multivariate conceptual model of the likely effects of environmental factors (precipitation and temperature) and potential management treatments (repeated burning, litter manipulation, and seeding an annual competitor) on soil N availability and success of cheatgrass, the most widespread invader in the western United States. We examined effects of the treatments in a five year field study in a cold desert shrubland. We used generalized linear mixed-effects models to examine differences among treatments over time, and structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate component hypotheses of the conceptual model. We hypothesized that burning would result in a pulse in soil available N due to heat-induced soil organic matter denaturation, but that subsequent fires would volatilize soil and biomass N resulting in progressive N deficiency. However, soil available N in burned plots was never lower than pre-burn levels, likely because burn temperatures were too cool to volatilize N from soils or aboveground biomass. Repeated burning decreased litter biomass, but there were generally no differences in soil available N between litter intact and litter removed plots. Litter removal had a negative effect on cheatgrass success likely due to effects on seed entrapment and plant establishment rather than N mineralization. Plots seeded with wheat generally had the lowest cheatgrass success, but available N was similar to other treatments, and decreased cheatgrass success was likely due to competition for other soil nutrients or water and reduced litter. In this semi-arid shrubland, long-term trends in available soil N and cheatgrass success were most strongly associated with precipitation and winter minimum temperatures. Treatments did not result in longer-term decreases in soil N, but indicated that integrated restoration approaches that reduce litter and seed banks and increase competitive interactions may be effective at reducing cheatgrass success and facilitating establishment of natives.

show abstract

Section: Repeated Burning Effectsmentioning

confidence: 70%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of resource limitation in restoration of sagebrush ecosystems dominated by cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum)

et al. 2015

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We developed this model so that it was not trained on areas that experienced a fire during the previous year, so measurement of cheatgrass performance would not be strongly influenced by fire effects (Young and Evans 1978;Johnson et al 2011;Ellsworth and Boone Kauffman 2013).…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping and Monitoring Cheatgrass Dieoff in Rangelands of the Northern Great Basin, USA

Boyte

Wylie

Major

2015

Rangeland Ecology & Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Indeed, post-fire invasion has been observed for other invasive species (Keeley 2006). For instance, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) in the Western USA (Melgoza et al 1990) may invade by capitalizing on increased nitrogen availability (Johnson et al 2011) or outcompeting native species for water (Melgoza et al 1990) after a fire disturbance. Although post-fire invasion of natal grass into ABS undisturbed scrub has occurred, the invasion was short-lived (E.S.…”

Section: Role Of Anthropogenic Disturbance In Non-native Spreadmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microhabitat preference constrains invasive spread of non-native natal grass (Melinis repens)

David

Menges

2011

Biol Invasions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Preventing the establishment of a nonnative species is critical for ensuring the species does not become invasive, yet most non-native species will have little impact on their environment. Despite this, little is known about what influences whether a species will remain relatively benign, or whether it will cause economic or ecological harm. Understanding a plant's microhabitat provides insight into the necessary conditions for establishment and the current distribution limitations of a population. We investigated microhabitat preference of the non-native natal grass (Melinis repens (Willd.) Zizka) in Florida scrub using microhabitat sampling to measure vegetation composition. We examined the extent to which microhabitats were associated with natal grass presence and biomass in invaded disturbed scrub and roadside plots using backwards stepwise logistic regression and general linear models to identify significant microhabitat variables. We further compared these plots with those in undisturbed, uninvaded scrub to characterize vegetation across habitat types, and used our model to predict the probability of natal grass invasion in undisturbed scrub. Natal grass preferred microhabitats with high litter volume and distance to shrubs and intermediate cactus, graminoid, and vine cover. Roadside natal grass achieved higher biomass and was less microhabitat limited than disturbed scrub natal grass. We determined that undisturbed scrub plots represent distinct microhabitats that natal grass is unlikely to invade. Microhabitat sampling provides land-managers a non-intrusive technique to assess potential habitat suitability based non-native plant preferences before a costly invasion occurs.

show abstract

Fire effects on the mobilization and uptake of nitrogen by cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.)

Abstract: Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.)

Cited by 26 publications

References 23 publications

The role of resource limitation in restoration of sagebrush ecosystems dominated by cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum)

The role of resource limitation in restoration of sagebrush ecosystems dominated by cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum)

Mapping and Monitoring Cheatgrass Dieoff in Rangelands of the Northern Great Basin, USA

Microhabitat preference constrains invasive spread of non-native natal grass (Melinis repens)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About