Impacts of Fire and Invasive Species on Desert Soil Ecology

Allen, Edith B.; Steers, Robert J.; Dickens, Sara Jo M.

doi:10.2111/rem-d-09-00159.1

Cited by 68 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 86 publications

(159 reference statements)

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“…We found that treatment effects on environmental conditions, as well as background site environmental conditions, influenced vegetation response. Increases in soil temperatures and water availability after fire and mechanical treatments have been associated with greater biomass or cover of both cheatgrass and perennial herbs (Bates et al 2000, 2002, 2017a, Keeley and McGinnis 2007, Rau et al 2007, Allen et al 2011, Young et al 2013a, Aanderud et al 2017. Tree reduction can greatly increase the time of available water in spring, especially on areas with advanced expansion (Young et al 2013b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resilience and resistance in sagebrush ecosystems are associated with seasonal soil temperature and water availability

et al. 2018

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Invasion and dominance of exotic grasses and increased fire frequency threaten native ecosystems worldwide. In the Great Basin region of the western United States, woody and herbaceous fuel treatments are implemented to decrease the effects of wildfire and increase sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem resilience to disturbance and resistance to exotic annual grasses. High cover of the exotic annual cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) after treatments increases fine fuels, which in turn increases the risk of passing over a biotic threshold to a state of increased wildfire frequency and conversion to cheatgrass dominance. Sagebrush ecosystem resilience to wildfire and resistance to cheatgrass depend on climatic conditions and abundance of perennial herbaceous species that compete with cheatgrass. In this study, we used longer‐term data to evaluate the relationships among soil climate conditions, perennial herbaceous cover, and cheatgrass cover following fuel management treatments across the environmental gradients that characterize sagebrush ecosystems in the Great Basin. We examined the effects of woody and herbaceous fuel treatments on soil temperature, soil water availability (13–30 and 50 cm depths), and native and exotic plant cover on six sagebrush sites lacking piñon (Pinus spp.) or juniper (Juniperus spp.) tree expansion and 11 sagebrush sites with tree expansion. Both prescribed fire and mechanical treatments increased soil water availability on woodland sites and perennial herbaceous cover on some woodland and sagebrush sites. Prescribed fire also slightly increased soil temperatures and especially increased cheatgrass cover compared to no treatment and mechanical treatments on most sites. Non‐metric dimensional scaling ordination and decision tree partition analysis indicated that sites with warmer late springs and warmer and wetter falls had higher cover of cheatgrass. Sites with wetter winters and early springs (March–April) had higher cover of perennial herbs. Our findings suggest that site resistance to cheatgrass after fire and fuel control treatments decreases with a warmer and drier climate. This emphasizes the need for management actions to maintain and enhance perennial herb cover, such as implementing appropriate grazing management, and revegetating sites that have low abundance of perennial herbs in conjunction with fuel control treatments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resilience and resistance in sagebrush ecosystems are associated with seasonal soil temperature and water availability

et al. 2018

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“…This idea is further supported by studies that found that creosote shrubs grew larger after the neighboring shrubs were removed experimentally (Mahall et al, ) or increased growth rates for creosote with higher rainfall (Beatley, ; Gibson, Sharifi, & Rundel, ). Fire also creates a pulse of nutrients, especially under shrubs (Abella et al, ; Allen et al, ; Esque, Young, et al, ). This postfire increase in nutrients could also explain more rapid growth rates observed in our study (Fisher, Zak, Cunningham, & Whitford, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Creosote growth rate and reproduction increase in postfire environments

Molinari

Bishop

Bekker

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Human activities are changing patterns of ecological disturbance globally. In North American deserts, wildfire is increasing in size and frequency due to fuel characteristics of invasive annual grasses. Fire reduces the abundance and cover of native vegetation in desert ecosystems. In this study, we sought to characterize stem growth and reproductive output of a dominant native shrub in the Mojave Desert, creosote bush (Larrea tridentata (DC.) Coville) following wildfires that occurred in 2005. We sampled 55 shrubs along burned and unburned transects 12 years after the fires (2017) and quantified age, stem diameter, stem number, radial and vertical growth rates, and fruit production for each shrub. The shrubs on the burn transects were most likely postfire resprouts based on stem age while stems from unburn transects dated from before the fire. Stem and vertical growth rates for shrubs on burned transects were 2.6 and 1.7 times higher than that observed for shrubs on unburned transects. Fruit production of shrubs along burned transects was 4.7‐fold more than shrubs along paired unburned transects. Growth rates and fruit production of shrubs in burned areas did not differ with increasing distance from the burn perimeter. Positive growth and reproduction responses of creosote following wildfires could be critical for soil stabilization and re‐establishment of native plant communities in this desert system. Additional research is needed to assess if repeat fires that are characteristic of invasive grass‐fire cycles may limit these benefits.

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“…The dataset is adequate for estimation of aboveground biomass estimates for large shrubs and trees but is not entirely sufficient to resolve estimates of above ground, sagebrushsteppe biomass estimates. Fire frequency and extent are in creasing in the Western United States with changes in climate (Westerling et al, 2006) and vegetation (introduced species such as Bromus tectorum (cheat grass)) (Allen et al, 2011). Use of prescribed fire as a management practice has emerged as a tool to control fuel loads (McIver et al, 2010); the NWRC has undertaken a prescribed fire management program in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).…”

Section: Reynolds Creekmentioning

confidence: 99%