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Contrasting effects of resource availability and plant mortality on plant community invasion by Bromus tectorum L.

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Abstract

The positive effect of disturbance on plant community invasibility is one of the more consistent results in invasion ecology. It is generally attributed to a coincident increase in available resources (due to the disturbance) that allows non-resident plant species to establish (Davis MA, Grime JP Thompson K, J Ecol 88:528–534, 2000). However, most research addressing this issue has been in artificial or highly modified plant communities. Our goal in this study was to investigate the interactive effects of resource availability and plant mortality disturbance on the invasion of natural plant communities. We conducted a series of experiments that examined the response of Bromus tectorum L., a highly invasive annual grass, to experimentally created gradients of resource availability [nitrogen (N) and water] and resident plant species mortality. We found that B. tectorum biomass was co-limited by N and water. Biomass at the end of the growing season was a saturating function (i.e., increased to a maximum) of water, which determined maximum biomass, and N, which determined the rate at which maximum biomass was attained. Despite that fact that plant mortality increased N availability, it had a negative impact on invasion success. Plant mortality also decreased foliar cover, standing dead biomass, and soil cover by litter. In harsh environments, removing foliar and soil cover may increase germination and seedling stress by increasing soil temperatures and water loss. Across all treatments, B. tectorum success decreased with decreasing foliar cover and standing dead biomass. This, in combination with the strong limitation of B. tectorum biomass by water in this experiment, suggests that our plant mortality disturbance removed soil cover that may have otherwise aided B. tectorum invasion into this semi-arid plant community by reducing water stress.

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Acknowledgements

Sonia Hall, John Bradford, Drew Ditter, and Moises Soto all provided invaluable assistance with the installation and maintenance of this experiment. S. Hall, J. Bradford, J. B. Norton, M. A. Huston, and anonymous reviewers provided extremely helpful comments and critiques. Many thanks to the US Forest Service for allowing us to utilize National Forest land for site locations. Funding for this research came from the McIntyre-Stennis Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA

    E. Carol Adair

  2. Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA

    Ingrid C. Burke & William K. Lauenroth

  3. Department of Forest, Rangeland, and Watershed Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA

    Ingrid C. Burke & William K. Lauenroth

  4. Natural Resources Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA

    Ingrid C. Burke & William K. Lauenroth

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  1. E. Carol Adair
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Correspondence to E. Carol Adair.

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Responsible Editor: Tibor Kalapos.

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Adair, E.C., Burke, I.C. & Lauenroth, W.K. Contrasting effects of resource availability and plant mortality on plant community invasion by Bromus tectorum L.. Plant Soil 304, 103–115 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-007-9525-9

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