Exotic Brome-Grasses in Arid and Semiarid Ecosystems of the Western US

33 and wildfi res are burning for the fi rst time in recorded history (Haubensak et al. 2009 ; Balch et al. 2013 ). Low to mid e ...

34 B. tectorum is high. Life history and physiological traits such as germination in early fall through winter (Mack and Pyke 19 ...

35 strong competitors (Booth et al. 2003 ), but large individuals or populations of B. tectorum can reduce growth and seed produ ...

36 Fig. 2.11 ( a ) A fi re that started along a major highway and burned through a sagebrush ecosystem with B. tectorum in the u ...

37 The degree of uncertainty increases and management options become increas- ingly limited with decreases in resilience to fi r ...

38 in the northern portion of the shortgrass steppe (Lauenroth and Milchunas 1992 ). This shifts to B. gracilis in association w ...

39 Monument (Fig. 2.13c ), or elsewhere in the Northern Great Plains where Bromus cover rarely exceeded 10 % Bromus cover (Fig. ...

40 Fig. 2.13 ( a ) Typical B. tectorum invasion of roadsides in the shortgrass steppe ecosystem, Weld County, Colorado. Photo by ...

41 2009 ; Augustine 2010 ), northern mixed-grass prairie (Whisenant and Uresk 1990 ; Vermeire et al. 2011 ), and southern mixed- ...

42 2.5.2 Ecosystem Threats to Western Great Plains from Bromus Although several Bromus are considered invasive in the Western Gr ...

43 2.5.3 Management Strategies for Bromus in Western Great Plains Bromus invasions can be p revented and minimized throughout th ...

44 High Low Resilience High Low Resistance a b Mountain grasslands Chaparral mountain brush Mixed conifer Subalpine/ NW Forest B ...

45 and result in increases in B. tectorum growth and reproduction (Covington and Sackett 1992 ; Monleon et al. 1997 ; Gundale et ...

46 other plant species. They may even affect landscape susceptibility to fi re by producing continuous fuelbeds at least where t ...

47 2.6.3 Management Strategies for Bromus in Western Forests Prevention and control of Bromus in the Western Forests have not be ...

48 Prevention involves increasing both resilience and resistance of ecosystems that have not crossed thresholds, but that exhibi ...

49 support for the Cold Desert and Warm Desert models, but encourage others to develop studies to test the predictions of all fi ...

50 References Abella SR, Embrey TM, Schmid SM et al (2012) Biophysical correlates with the distribution of the invasive annual r ...

51 Augustine DJ, Brewer P, Blumenthal DM et al (2014) Prescribed fi re, soil inorganic nitrogen dynamics, and plant responses in ...

52 Brooks ML, Esque TC (2002) Alien annual plants and wildfi re in desert tortoise habitat: status, ecological effects, and mana ...