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Case MF, Davies KW, Boyd CS, Aoyama L, Merson J, Penkauskas C, Hallett LM. Cross-scale analysis reveals interacting predictors of annual and perennial cover in Northern Great Basin rangelands. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024; 34:e2953. [PMID: 38558271 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Exotic annual grass invasion is a widespread threat to the integrity of sagebrush ecosystems in Western North America. Although many predictors of annual grass prevalence and native perennial vegetation have been identified, there remains substantial uncertainty about how regional-scale and local-scale predictors interact to determine vegetation heterogeneity, and how associations between vegetation and cattle grazing vary with environmental context. Here, we conducted a regionally extensive, one-season field survey across burned and unburned, grazed, public lands in Oregon and Idaho, with plots stratified by aspect and distance to water within pastures to capture variation in environmental context and grazing intensity. We analyzed regional-scale and local-scale patterns of annual grass, perennial grass, and shrub cover, and examined to what extent plot-level variation was contingent on pasture-level predictions of site favorability. Annual grasses were widespread at burned and unburned sites alike, contrary to assumptions of annual grasses depending on fire, and more common at lower elevations and higher temperatures regionally, as well as on warmer slopes locally. Pasture-level grazing pressure interacted with temperature such that annual grass cover was associated positively with grazing pressure at higher temperatures but associated negatively with grazing pressure at lower temperatures. This suggests that pasture-level temperature and grazing relationships with annual grass abundance are complex and context dependent, although the causality of this relationship deserves further examination. At the plot-level within pastures, annual grass cover did not vary with grazing metrics, but perennial cover did; perennial grasses, for example, had lower cover closer to water sources, but higher cover at higher dung counts within a pasture, suggesting contrasting interpretations of these two grazing proxies. Importantly for predictions of ecosystem response to temperature change, we found that pasture-level and plot-level favorability interacted: perennial grasses had a higher plot-level cover on cooler slopes, and this difference across topography was starkest in pastures that were less favorable for perennial grasses regionally. Understanding the mechanisms behind cross-scale interactions and contingent responses of vegetation to grazing in these increasingly invaded ecosystems will be critical to land management in a changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madelon F Case
- US Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Kirk W Davies
- US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, Burns, Oregon, USA
| | - Chad S Boyd
- US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, Burns, Oregon, USA
| | - Lina Aoyama
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Environmental Studies Program, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Joanna Merson
- InfoGraphics Lab, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Calvin Penkauskas
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Lauren M Hallett
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Environmental Studies Program, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
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Root HT, Chan J, Ponzetti J, Pyke DA, McCune B. Long-term biocrust responses to wildfires in Washington, USA. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2023; 110:e16261. [PMID: 38031439 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Dryland ecosystems in the western United States are affected by invasive species, wildfires, livestock grazing, and climate change in ways that are difficult to distinguish. Biocrusts perform important ecological roles in these systems and are sensitive to all of these pressures. METHODS We revisited a Washington, USA, site sampled for biocrusts in 1999 to focus on effects of exotic annual grass invasion and wildfires in the absence of livestock grazing. We examined changes between 1999 and 2020 using a Bayesian directed acyclic graph (DAG) to interpret direct and indirect causal impacts of wildfire on perennial bunchgrasses, exotic annual grasses, and biocrusts. RESULTS Between 1999 and 2020, exotic annual grass cover increased in all plots and in unburned plots by 16% and 18%, respectively, bunchgrass cover decreased by 21% and 25%, and biocrust cover decreased by 8.9% and 9.8%. Our DAG suggested that decreases in bunchgrass increased exotic annual grass, which reduced biocrust cover. Wildfires did not directly influence changes in bunchgrass, exotic annual grass, or biocrust cover. Areas dominated by exotic annual grass had less abundant and diverse biocrusts than areas with less exotic annual grass. CONCLUSIONS Biocrust community changes were more strongly related to increasing exotic annual grasses than to wildfires. Changes may relate to other soil disturbances or broad-scale changes in climate or air quality. The minimal influence of wildfire on exotic annual grass and biocrusts suggests that apparent negative impacts of wildfire at other sites may be due to exacerbation by livestock grazing or other surface disturbance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather T Root
- Department of Botany and Plant Ecology, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah, 84401, USA
| | - Julian Chan
- Department of Mathematics, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah, 84401, USA
| | | | - David A Pyke
- U.S. Geological Survey, Forest & Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, Oregon, 97330, USA
| | - Bruce McCune
- Department of Botany & Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, 2082 Cordley Hall, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA
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Singh M, Daehler CC. Meta-analytic evidence that allelopathy may increase the success and impact of invasive grasses. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14858. [PMID: 36846446 PMCID: PMC9951799 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In the grass family, a disproportionate number of species have been designated as being invasive. Various growth traits have been proposed to explain the invasiveness of grasses; however, the possibility that allelopathy gives invasive grasses a competitive advantage has attracted relatively little attention. Recent research has isolated plant allelochemicals that are mostly specific to the grass family that can breakdown into relatively stable, toxic byproducts. Methods We conducted a meta-analysis of studies on grass allelopathy to test three prominent hypotheses from invasion biology and competition theory: (1) on native recipients, non-native grasses will have a significantly more negative effect compared to native grasses (Novel Weapons Hypothesis); (2) among native grasses, their effect on non-native recipients will be significantly more negative compared to their effect on native recipients (Biotic Resistance Hypothesis); and (3) allelopathic impacts will increase with phylogenetic distance (Phylogenetic Distance Hypothesis). From 23 studies, we gathered a dataset of 524 observed effect sizes (delta log response ratios) measuring the allelopathic impact of grasses on growth and germination of recipient species, and we used non-linear mixed-effects Bayesian modeling to test the hypotheses. Results We found support for the Novel Weapons Hypothesis: on native recipients, non-native grasses were twice as suppressive as native grasses (22% vs 11%, respectively). The Phylogenetic Distance Hypothesis was supported by our finding of a significant correlation between phylogenetic distance and allelopathic impact. The Biotic Resistance Hypothesis was not supported. Overall, this meta-analysis adds to the evidence that allelochemicals may commonly contribute to successful or high impact invasions in the grass family. Increased awareness of the role of allelopathy in soil legacy effects associated with grass invasions may improve restoration outcomes through implementation of allelopathy-informed restoration practices. Examples of allelopathy-informed practices, and the knowledge needed to utilize them effectively, are discussed, including the use of activated carbon to neutralize allelochemicals and modify the soil microbial community.
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Tortorelli CM, Kim JB, Vaillant NM, Riley K, Dye A, Nietupski TC, Vogler KC, Lemons R, Day M, Krawchuk MA, Kerns BK. Feeding the fire: Annual grass invasion facilitates modeled fire spread across Inland Northwest forest‐mosaic landscapes. Ecosphere 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Claire M. Tortorelli
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon USA
| | - John B. Kim
- Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center Corvallis Oregon USA
| | - Nicole M. Vaillant
- USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station Wildland Fire Management Research, Development and Application Bend Oregon USA
| | - Karin Riley
- Rocky Mountain Research Station Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory Missoula Montana USA
| | - Alex Dye
- USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Portland Oregon USA
| | - Ty C. Nietupski
- USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Portland Oregon USA
| | | | - Rebecca Lemons
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon USA
| | - Michelle Day
- USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station Fort Collins Colorado USA
| | - Meg A. Krawchuk
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon USA
| | - Becky K. Kerns
- USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Portland Oregon USA
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Bradley BA, Beaury EM, Fusco EJ, Lopez BE. Invasive Species Policy Must Embrace a Changing Climate. Bioscience 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biac097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
With increasing impacts of climate change observed across ecosystems, there is an urgent need to consider climate change in all future environmental policy. But existing policy and management might be slow to respond to this challenge, leading to missed opportunities to incorporate climate change into practice. Furthermore, invasive species threats continue to rise and interact with climate change—exacerbating negative impacts. Enabling natural resource managers and individuals to be proactive about climate-driven invasive species threats creates a win–win for conservation. Recommendations include expanding opportunities for information sharing across borders, supporting proactive screening and regulation of high-risk species on the horizon, and incentivizing individual actions that reduce ecological impacts. In addition, invasive species risk should be considered when crafting climate mitigation and adaptation policy to reduce compounding stressors on ecosystems. As we develop much-needed tools to reduce harm, policy and management must consider the combined threats of invasions and climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethany A Bradley
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts , Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Evelyn M Beaury
- High Meadows Environmental Institute, Princeton University , Princeton, New Jersey, United States
| | - Emily J Fusco
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts , Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Bianca E Lopez
- American Association for the Advancement of Science , Washington, DC, United States
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Mahood AL, Jones RO, Board DI, Balch JK, Chambers JC. Interannual climate variability mediates changes in carbon and nitrogen pools caused by annual grass invasion in a semiarid shrubland. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:267-284. [PMID: 34614268 PMCID: PMC9291498 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Exotic plant invasions alter ecosystem properties and threaten ecosystem functions globally. Interannual climate variability (ICV) influences both plant community composition (PCC) and soil properties, and interactions between ICV and PCC may influence nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) pools. We asked how ICV and non-native annual grass invasion covary to influence soil and plant N and C in a semiarid shrubland undergoing widespread ecosystem transformation due to invasions and altered fire regimes. We sampled four progressive stages of annual grass invasion at 20 sites across a large (25,000 km2 ) landscape for plant community composition, plant tissue N and C, and soil total N and C in 2013 and 2016, which followed 2 years of dry and wet conditions, respectively. Multivariate analyses and ANOVAs showed that in invasion stages where native shrub and perennial grass and forb communities were replaced by annual grass-dominated communities, the ecosystem lost more soil N and C in wet years. Path analysis showed that high water availability led to higher herbaceous cover in all invasion stages. In stages with native shrubs and perennial grasses, higher perennial grass cover was associated with increased soil C and N, while in annual-dominated stages, higher annual grass cover was associated with losses of soil C and N. Also, soil total C and C:N ratios were more homogeneous in annual-dominated invasion stages as indicated by within-site standard deviations. Loss of native shrubs and perennial grasses and forbs coupled with annual grass invasion may lead to long-term declines in soil N and C and hamper restoration efforts. Restoration strategies that use innovative techniques and novel species to address increasing temperatures and ICV and emphasize maintaining plant community structure-shrubs, grasses, and forbs-will allow sagebrush ecosystems to maintain C sequestration, soil fertility, and soil heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam L. Mahood
- Department of GeographyUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
- Earth LabUniversity of ColoradoBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Rachel O. Jones
- Department of Biological & Ecological EngineeringOregon State UniversityCorvallisOregonUSA
| | - David I. Board
- US Forest ServiceRocky Mountain Research StationRenoNevadaUSA
| | - Jennifer K. Balch
- Department of GeographyUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulderColoradoUSA
- Earth LabUniversity of ColoradoBoulderColoradoUSA
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Smith JT, Allred BW, Boyd CS, Davies KW, Jones MO, Kleinhesselink AR, Maestas JD, Morford SL, Naugle DE. The elevational ascent and spread of exotic annual grass dominance in the Great Basin, USA. DIVERS DISTRIB 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph T. Smith
- Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group University of Montana Missoula Montana USA
| | - Brady W. Allred
- Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group University of Montana Missoula Montana USA
- W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation University of Montana Missoula Montana USA
| | - Chad S. Boyd
- US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Burns Oregon USA
| | - Kirk W. Davies
- US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Burns Oregon USA
| | - Matthew O. Jones
- Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group University of Montana Missoula Montana USA
| | | | - Jeremy D. Maestas
- US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service Portland Oregon USA
| | - Scott L. Morford
- Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group University of Montana Missoula Montana USA
| | - David E. Naugle
- W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation University of Montana Missoula Montana USA
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8
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Low biotic resistance to cheatgrass invasion in Patagonia: evidence from competition experiments. Biol Invasions 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-021-02633-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Felton AJ, Shriver RK, Bradford JB, Suding KN, Allred BW, Adler PB. Biotic vs abiotic controls on temporal sensitivity of primary production to precipitation across North American drylands. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 231:2150-2161. [PMID: 34105783 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Dryland net primary productivity (NPP) is sensitive to temporal variation in precipitation (PPT), but the magnitude of this 'temporal sensitivity' varies spatially. Hypotheses for spatial variation in temporal sensitivity have often emphasized abiotic factors, such as moisture limitation, while overlooking biotic factors, such as vegetation structure. We tested these hypotheses using spatiotemporal models fit to remote-sensing data sets to assess how vegetation structure and climate influence temporal sensitivity across five dryland ecoregions of the western USA. Temporal sensitivity was higher in locations and ecoregions dominated by herbaceous vegetation. By contrast, much less spatial variation in temporal sensitivity was explained by mean annual PPT. In fact, ecoregion-specific models showed inconsistent associations of sensitivity and PPT; whereas sensitivity decreased with increasing mean annual PPT in most ecoregions, it increased with mean annual PPT in the most arid ecoregion, the hot deserts. The strong, positive influence of herbaceous vegetation on temporal sensitivity indicates that herbaceous-dominated drylands will be particularly sensitive to future increases in precipitation variability and that dramatic changes in cover type caused by invasions or shrub encroachment will lead to changes in dryland NPP dynamics, perhaps independent of changes in precipitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Felton
- Department of Wildland Resources and The Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Robert K Shriver
- Department of Wildland Resources and The Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
- US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, AZ, 86001, USA
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - John B Bradford
- US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, AZ, 86001, USA
| | - Katharine N Suding
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - Brady W Allred
- W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA
| | - Peter B Adler
- Department of Wildland Resources and The Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
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Nagy RC, Fusco EJ, Balch JK, Finn JT, Mahood A, Allen JM, Bradley BA. A synthesis of the effects of cheatgrass invasion on US Great Basin carbon storage. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Emily J. Fusco
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology University of Massachusetts Amherst MA USA
| | - Jennifer K. Balch
- Earth Lab University of Colorado Boulder CO USA
- Department of Geography University of Colorado Boulder CO USA
| | - John T. Finn
- Department of Environmental Conservation University of Massachusetts Amherst MA USA
| | - Adam Mahood
- Earth Lab University of Colorado Boulder CO USA
- Department of Geography University of Colorado Boulder CO USA
| | - Jenica M. Allen
- Miller Worley Center for the Environment Mount Holyoke College South Hadley MA USA
| | - Bethany A. Bradley
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology University of Massachusetts Amherst MA USA
- Department of Environmental Conservation University of Massachusetts Amherst MA USA
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