Posts Tagged ‘Shrubland’
Pinyon and juniper slowly invade sagebrush steppe
View article. Areas that were once scrubbed of their scattered wood by periodic low-intensity fires now burn with blistering wildfires that sterilize the soil and wipe out surviving perennial grasses. These changes have reduced forage, diverted soil water, promoted soil loss, and changed wildlife habitat. There are a lot of unknown factors about how to…
Read MoreAn introduction to the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP): Fire science research to inform land management decision
View factsheet. Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project, known as SageSTEP, is an interdisciplinary, five-year research program that is exploring ways to improve the health of sagebrush rangelands across the Great Basin. The project is funded by the federal government’s Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) and is a collaborative effort among five universities, six federal agencies,…
Read MoreSageSTEP: A model collaboration for land managers
View factsheet. Public land managers in the Great Basin aim to maintain and restore healthy ecosystems. Climate change, private development pressures, and invasive plants are just a few of the challenges they face. Without regional collaboration, stewardship of public lands can be expensive and ineffective. SageSTEP (Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project) is a model collaborative…
Read MoreUse of auto-germ to model germination timing in the sagebrush-steppe
View article. To demonstrate the capabilities of Auto-Germ, we calculated various germination indices and modeled germination timing for 11 different species, across 6 years, and 10 Artemisia-steppe sites in the Great Basin of North America to identify the planting date required for 50% or more of the simulated population to germinate in spring (1 March…
Read MoreResponse of bird community structure to habitat management in pinyon-juniper woodland-sagebrush ecotones
View article. We used structural equation modeling to develop and statistically test our conceptual model that the current bird assembly at a site is structured primarily by the previous bird community with additional drivers from current and surrounding habitat conditions as well as external regional bird dynamics. Treatment reduced woodland cover by >5% at 80…
Read MoreFrost dynamics of sagebrush steppe soils
View article. Recent research has indicated that seeds may germinate too soon after fall sowing and seedlings suffer high mortality from frost during the winter. To help determine the length of germination delay needed to avoid seedling frost mortality and to help guide frost‐tolerance experiments, we analyzed fall to spring soil temperatures from 2010 to…
Read MoreReslience to stress and disturbance and resistance to Bromus tectorum L. invasion in cold desert shrublands of western North America
View article. Cold desert shrublands occur over strong environmental gradients and exhibit significant differences in resilience and resistance. They provide an excellent opportunity to increase our understanding of these concepts. Herein, we examine a series of linked questions about (a) ecosystem attributes that determine resilience and resistance along environmental gradients, (b) effects of disturbances like…
Read MoreComparing citizens’ and managers’ concerns about sagebrush management and restoration in the Great Basin
View article. The Great Basin sagebrush steppe ecosystem is among the most imperiled in the U.S. Cheatgrass invasion, conifer encroachment, and catastrophic wildfires are considered to be primary catalysts of decline. Efforts are underway to restore and increase the resiliency of this damaged ecosystem through broad-scale applications of fuel reduction and restoration treatments involving mechanical…
Read MoreBurial increases seed longevity of two Artemisia tridentata (Asteraceae) subspecies
View article. Seed longevity and persistence in soil seed banks may be especially important for population persistence in ecosystems where opportunities for seedling establishment and disturbance are unpredictable. The fire regime, an important driver of population dynamics in sagebrush steppe ecosystems, has been altered by exotic annual grass invasion. Soil seed banks may play an…
Read MorePublic perceptions of sagebrush ecosystem management in the Great Basin
View article. Intact sagebrush communities in the Great Basin are rapidly disappearing because of invasion of nonnative plants, large wildfires, and encroachment of pinyon and juniper woodlands. Land management options, including the use of prescribed fire, grazing, herbicides, or mechanical treatments, can reduce the potential for wildfire and restore plant communities. Public acceptance of management…
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