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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

Fire Science Exchange Network

California

Southwest

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

Download

Title
Native Species Interactions with Red Brome: Suggestions for Burn-Area Revegetation	View
Post-Fire Recovery of Native Perennials in the Mojave, Sonoran Deserts	View
Management-Oriented Technical Summaries of this Project	View
Journal of Arid Environments	View
xxx	View
Native Plants	View
Restoration Ecology	View
Journal of Arid Environments	View
Constructing Experimental Plots to Examine Native Species and Communities that Best Reduce the Establishment of Exotic Annual Grasses in the Mojave Desert	View
Experimental Plots to Examine Native Species Monocultures that Best Reduce the Establishment of Exotic Annual Grasses in the Mojave Desert	View
Exotic Annual Plant Invasions and Their Relationships to Roads and Native Perennial Species in the Mojave Desert, Southwestern USA	View
Project website, to receive additional updates as projects continue after formal JFSP project end	View
Planting and Seeding Operations on the 2005 Goodsprings Fire	View
Cages for Reducing Seed Predation in the Seeding Component of the Experiment on the 2005 Goodsprings Fire	View
Experimental Plots to Examine Native Species and Communities that Best Reduce the Establishment of Exotic Annual Grasses in the Mojave Desert	View