Life Sciences Commons^™

A Synthesis Of The Effects Of Cheatgrass Invasion On Us Great Basin Carbon Storage, R. Chelsea Nagy, Emily J. Fusco, Jennifer K. Balch, John T. Finn, Adam Mahood, Jenica M. Allen, Bethany A. Bradley

Articles

1. Non-native, invasive Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) is pervasive in sagebrush ecosystems in the Great Basin ecoregion of the western United States, competing with native plants and promoting more frequent fires. As a result, cheatgrass invasion likely alters carbon (C) storage in the region. Many studies have measured C pools in one or more common vegetation types: native sagebrush, invaded sagebrush and cheatgrass-dominated (often burned) sites, but these results have yet to be synthesized.
2. We performed a literature review to identify studies assessing the consequences of invasion on C storage in above-ground biomass (AGB), below-ground biomass (BGB), litter, organic soil and total …

Long‐Term Effects Of Tree Expansion And Reduction On Soil Climate In A Semiarid Ecosystem, Bruce A. Roundy, R. F. Miller, R. J. Tausch, J. C. Chambers, B. M. Rau

Articles

In sagebrush ecosystems, pinyon and juniper tree expansion reduces water available to perennial shrubs and herbs. We measured soil water matric potential and temperatures at 13–30 and 50–65 cm soil depths in untreated and treated plots across a range of environmental conditions. We sought to determine the effects of tree expansion, tree reduction treatments, and expansion phase at time of treatment over 12–13 yr post‐treatment. Because the effects of tree reduction on vegetation can vary with the soil temperature/moisture regime, we also analyzed differences in soil climate variables between the mesic/aridic‐xeric and frigid/xeric regime classifications for our sites. Growing conditions …

Treatment Longevity And Changes In Surface Fuel Loads After Pinyon–Juniper Mastication, Samuel S. Wozniak, Eva K. Strand, Timothy R. Johnson, April Hulet, Bruce A. Roundy, Kert Young

Articles

In the Intermountain West, land managers masticate pinyon pine (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) trees that have encroached sagebrush steppe communities to reduce canopy fuels, alter potential fire behavior, and promote growth of understory grasses, forbs, and shrubs. At three study sites in Utah, 45 sampling plots spanning a range of tree cover from 5% to 50% were masticated. We measured surface fuel load components three times over a 10‐yr period. We also measured tree cover, density, and height as indicators of treatment longevity. Changes in these variables were analyzed across the range of pre‐treatment tree cover …