Publication Date
1997
Description
Semiarid bunchgrass/shrub steppe communities throughout the Intermountain region were degraded by early livestock grazing and invasion of annual weeds. Patterns of secondary succession were investigated through establishment and maintenance of four exclosures on granitic soils in south-central Idaho. Species composition and plant cover were estimated periodically in grazed and protected areas at each site from 1930 to 1977. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), an alien invader, occupied the sites initially, declining between 1933 and 1937 during a prolonged drought, and reappearing erratically after 1940. Perennial grasses recovered slowly in protected areas, requiring more than 45 years to increase in cover from about 1.4 to 6.7 percent. Complete recovery of native perennials has not been attained, particularly on grazed areas and more arid sites.
Citation
Monsen, S B. and Shaw, N L., "Persistence of Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) Amid Bunchgrass/Shrub Steppe Communities" (2024). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 13.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1997/session21/13
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Persistence of Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) Amid Bunchgrass/Shrub Steppe Communities
Semiarid bunchgrass/shrub steppe communities throughout the Intermountain region were degraded by early livestock grazing and invasion of annual weeds. Patterns of secondary succession were investigated through establishment and maintenance of four exclosures on granitic soils in south-central Idaho. Species composition and plant cover were estimated periodically in grazed and protected areas at each site from 1930 to 1977. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), an alien invader, occupied the sites initially, declining between 1933 and 1937 during a prolonged drought, and reappearing erratically after 1940. Perennial grasses recovered slowly in protected areas, requiring more than 45 years to increase in cover from about 1.4 to 6.7 percent. Complete recovery of native perennials has not been attained, particularly on grazed areas and more arid sites.
