Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Resilience And Alternative Stable States After Desert Wildfires, Scott R. Abella, Dominic M. Gentilcore, Lindsay P. Chiquoine

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Improving models of community change is a fundamental goal in ecology and has renewed importance during global change and increasing human disturbance of the biosphere. Using the Mojave Desert (southwestern United States) as a model system, invaded by nonnative plants and subject to wildfire disturbances, we examined models of resilience, alternative stable states, and convergent-divergent trajectories for 36 yr of plant community change after 31 wildfires in communities dominated by the native shrubs Larrea tridentata or Coleogyne ramosissima. Perennial species richness on average was fully resilient within 23 yr after disturbance in both community types. Perennial cover was fully resilient …