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Project ID: 07-1-3-24

Year: 2007

Date Started: 06/13/2007

Date Completed: 12/30/2010

Title: Revegetating Burned Arid Lands: Identifying Successful Native Species Using Trait and Competition Analysis

Project Proposal Abstract: Native species selected for revegetating burned southwestern arid lands must meet at least two criteria. These species must (1) be able to be reliably established, and (2) successfully compete in post-fire environments dominated by exotic annual grasses. Little research has been directed toward finding native species with these desirable traits for revegetating burns, leaving managers with little guidance for selecting seed mixes or species for planting. This research will integrate four studies to examine the establishment and competitive abilities of nine native perennials with Bromus rubens and Schismus sp., exotic grasses responsible for heavy fuel loads in the Mojave Desert. We will test the following hypotheses: (1) native species with the greatest soil nutrient-reducing abilities most effectively depress exotic grass dominance in both high- and low-nutrient environments; (2) these competitive natives also are the most easily established species for revegetating burns; (3) native species differentially resist exotic grass invasion and this ability can be predicted from functional traits; (4) maintenance-free, slow-release irrigation and shelters enhance native plant survival for burn revegetation; and (5) species with the greatest competitive abilities can be established by seeding at the least amounts of precipitation along a simulated precipitation gradient. Our goal is to provide managers with guidance for selecting native species that have the greatest chance for success in revegetation projects. The proposed approach of testing species along a functional gradient also may have broader applicability as a general screening method for identifying successful revegetation species to address Task 3 of the 2007 AFP.

Principal Investigator: Scott R. Abella

Agency/Organization: University of Nevada-Las Vegas

Branch or Dept: School of Environmental and Public Affairs

Other Project Collaborators

Type	Name	Agency/Organization	Branch or Dept
Co-Principal Investigator	Stanley D. Smith	University of Nevada-Las Vegas	School of Life Sciences
Federal Cooperator	Alice C. Newton	NPS-National Park Service	Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Federal Fiscal Representative	Thomas S. Cook	NPS-National Park Service	Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Project Locations

Consortium

California

Southwest

Level	State	Agency	Unit
STATE	NV	BLM	Southern Nevada District
STATE	NV	NPS	ALL

Project Deliverables

Final Report ("Results presented in JFSP Final Reports may not have been peer-reviewed and should be interpreted as tentative until published in a peer-reviewed source.")

	ID	Type	Title
	9084	Refereed Publication	Factors Affecting Exotic Annual Plant Cover and Richness Along Roadsides in the Eastern Mojave Desert, USA
	9083	Refereed Publication	Post-Fire Plant Recovery in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of Western North America
	9085	Refereed Publication	Relationships of Native Desert Plants with Red Brome (Bromus rubens): Towards Identifying Invasion-Reducing Species
	9082	NonRefereed Publication	Management-Oriented Technical Summaries of this Project
	9092	Photo	Experimental plots to examine native species monocultures that best reduce the establishment of exotic annual grasses in the Mojave Desert (site is the research plant nursery at Lake Mead National Recreation Area)
	9089	Photo	Photo of constructing experimental plots to examine native species and communities that best reduce the establishment of exotic annual grasses in the Mojave Desert (site is the research plant nursery at Lake Mead National Recreation Area)
	9091	Photo	Experimental community plots to examine native perennial communities that best reduce the establishment of exotic annual grasses in the Mojave Desert (site is the research plant nursery at Lake Mead National Recreation Area)
	9090	Photo	Experimental plots to examine native species and communities that best reduce the establishment of exotic annual grasses in the Mojave Desert (site is the research plant nursery at Lake Mead National Recreation Area)
	9088	Photo	Photo of cages for reducing seed predation in the seeding component of the experiment on the 2005 Goodsprings Fire (southern Nevada, eastern Mojave Desert) to compare species performance for burn area revegetation
	9087	Photo	Photo of planting and seeding operations on the 2005 Goodsprings Fire (southern Nevada, eastern Mojave Desert) to compare species performance for burn area revegetation
	9081	Poster	Exotic Annual Plant Invasions and Their Relationships to Roads and Native Perennial Species in the Mojave Desert, Southwestern USA

Supporting Documents

The following supporting documents are available for this project.

First Look

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