Influence of Soil Moisture, Temperature, and Compaction on the Germination and Emergence of Downy Brome (<i>Bromus tectorum</i>)

Thill, Donald C.; Schirman, Roland; Appleby, Arnold P.

doi:10.1017/s0043174500046014

Cited by 36 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Thill et al (1979) concluded that compaction is a major factor determining its successful establishment, and Beckstead and Augspurger (2004) demonstrated that disturbances that reduce soil compaction increases its biomass and density. However, neither of these studies assessed the effect of altered soil compaction on B. tectorum relative to native plant species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reduced soil compaction enhances establishment of non-native plant species

2007

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Many studies have shown that soil disturbance facilitates establishment of invasive, non-native plant species, and a number of mechanisms have been isolated that contribute to the process. To our knowledge no studies have isolated the role of altered soil compaction, a likely correlate of many types of soil disturbance, in facilitating invasion. To address this, we measured the response of seeded non-native and native plant species to four levels of soil compaction in mesocosms placed in an abandoned agricultural field in the Methow Valley, Washington, USA. Soil compaction levels reflected the range of resistance to penetration (0.1-3.0 kg cm -2 ) measured on disturbed soils throughout the study system prior to the experiment. Percent cover of non-native species, namely Bromus tectorum and Centaurea diffusa, decreased by 34% from the least to the most compacted treatments, whereas percent cover of native species, mostly Pseudoroegneria spicata and Lupinus spp., did not respond to compaction treatments. Experimental results were supported by a survey of soil penetration resistance and percent cover by species in 18 abandoned agricultural fields. Percent cover of B. tectorum was negatively related to soil compaction levels, whereas none of the native species showed any response to soil compaction. These results highlight a potentially important, though overlooked, aspect of soil disturbance that may contribute to subsequent non-native plant establishment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reduced soil compaction enhances establishment of non-native plant species

2007

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“…Given interference from neighboring cheatgrass, seedling establishment and recruitment into persisting Idaho fescue populations is more probable if germination is rapid (Weiner 1985, Mithen et al 1984). However, because cheatgrass seeds may begin germinating in a single day (Goodwin 1993, Thill et al 1979, and because 5.8 to 9 days passed before Island Idaho fescue germinated, even seedlings from the undisturbed site have little chance of successfully competing with cheatgrass. These data suggest that on alien invaded sites, seedlings from the undisturbed site have a better chance of establishing than do seedlings from disturbed sites.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cheatgrass germinates more rapidly than Idaho fescue (Doescher et al 1985, Thill et al 1979), so cheatgrass was planted 4 days after Idaho fescue to synchrozine emergence. Seedlings were grown in a greenhouse in a double tube assembly: a soil-filled glass root tube (51 mm X 122 cm) and a black plastic pipe of slightly larger diameter which protected the root tube from breakage and excluded light.…”

Section: Growth and Allocation Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Persistence of Idaho Fescue on Degraded Sagebrush-Steppe

Goodwin¹,

Doescher²,

Eddleman³

et al. 1999

Journal of Range Management

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“…Soil temperatures above 30 0C largely prevent germination during most of summer even when soil moisture is available (Hulbert 1955). Yet germination is not confined to saturated soil; germination may exceed 45% even when the soil matric potential is -1.65 MPa (-16.5 bar) (Thill, Schirman & Appleby 1979). The frequency and amount of rainfall during the rest of September and October are erratic; 30-day droughts are common (Fig.…”

Section: Recruitmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Demography of Bromus Tectorum: The Role of Microclimate, Grazing and Disease

Mack¹,

Pyke²

1984

The Journal of Ecology

124

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JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. SUMMARY(1) Correlations between weather and the emergence of cohorts and correlation between weather, disease and grazing and subsequent cohort survivorship were investigated for the introduced annual Bromus tectorum in three habitat types in eastern Washington, U.S.A., for three consecutive generations.(2) Emergence of twenty out of twenty-four cohorts among the three sites in late summer to early autumn closely followed showers; emergence in spring could be related less commonly with isolated showers.(3) Emergence in winter probably did not occur until soil surfaces were free of snow and air temperatures were at or above 0 OC; spring emergence was less predictable but occurred even as available soil moisture progressively declined.(4) Many members of cohorts emergent in late summer and early autumn at all three sites were often killed by drought in September and October.(5) In winter, plants, regardless of age, were disturbed by frost-heaving at the moist and mesic sites; grazing by voles was common under snow cover.(6) Infestation by Ustilago bullata was most common at the mesic site.(7) The abundance and distribution of Bromus tectorum seem to be determined by the chronology of environmental events.

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Influence of Soil Moisture, Temperature, and Compaction on the Germination and Emergence of Downy Brome (Bromus tectorum)

Cited by 36 publications

References 24 publications

Reduced soil compaction enhances establishment of non-native plant species

Reduced soil compaction enhances establishment of non-native plant species

Persistence of Idaho Fescue on Degraded Sagebrush-Steppe

The Demography of Bromus Tectorum: The Role of Microclimate, Grazing and Disease

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