Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T10:24:07.411Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Invasive Forb, Annual Grass, and Exotic Shrub Competition with Three Sagebrush-Steppe Growth Forms: Acquisition of a Spring 15N Tracer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Eamonn D. Leonard ,
Thomas A. Monaco ,
John M. Stark  and
Ron J. Ryel
Eamonn D. Leonard
Affiliation:
Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322
Thomas A. Monaco*
Affiliation:
USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Forage Range Research Lab, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322
John M. Stark
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322
Ron J. Ryel
Affiliation:
Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: tom.monaco@ars.usda.gov
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Understanding competition for soil nitrate between common shrub-steppe, potential reclamation species, and common invasive species is necessary to identify mechanisms associated with ecosystem invasion and can assist with developing weed management scenarios. We designed a field experiment to evaluate the differential competitive effects of the invasive annual grass downy brome, the invasive biennial forb dyer's woad, and the reclamation shrub prostrate kochia, on nitrate acquisition of the perennial grass crested wheatgrass, the native forb western yarrow, and the native shrub big sagebrush. Individual plants were grown in two-plant neighborhoods, and a K15NO3 tracer was injected into the soil between plants and recovered from leaf material after 5 to 11 d. We also evaluated neighbor effects on shoot and root growth, leaf carbon : nitrogen ratio, and leaf nitrogen concentrations to better understand how these traits are associated with differences in nitrate acquisition and nitrogen allocation among the three growth forms. Nitrate acquisitions by crested wheatgrass and western yarrow were significantly lower when competing with downy brome than with dyer's woad and prostrate kochia; however, competitors had similar, negative effects on nitrate acquisition by big sagebrush. Nitrate acquisition ratios between competing neighbors revealed that: (1) the grasses always acquired more nitrate than neighbors of a different growth form, (2) western yarrow was equally competitive with dyer's woad and prostrate kochia, and (3) all neighbors acquired more nitrate than big sagebrush. More successful competition for nitrate in the grasses was associated with greater specific root length. Compared to species of the same respective growth form, the two invasive weeds (downy brome and dyer's woad) and prostrate kochia always had significantly lower leaf carbon : nitrogen ratio, and greater leaf nitrogen concentration, which have been broadly correlated with leaf lifespan and nutrient use efficiency, and indicate differing strategies to persist in the semiarid shrub-steppe ecosystems.

Keywords

Big sagebrush, Artemisia tridentat (Beetle & A. Young) Welshcrested wheatgrass, Agropyron cristatum (L.) GaertnerDowny brome, Bromus tectorum L. BROTEdyer's woad, Isatis tinctoria L. ISATIprostrate kochia, Kochia prostrata (L.) Schradwestern yarrow, Achillea lanulosa Nutt.Invasive weedsfunctional groupplant strategyspecific root lengthnitrate
Type
Research Articles
Information
Invasive Plant Science and Management , Volume 1 , Issue 2 , April 2008 , pp. 168 - 177
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Literature Cited

Aanderud, Z. T., Bledsoe, C. S., and Richards, J. H. 2003. Contribution of relative growth rate to root foraging by annual and perennial grasses from California oak woodlands. Oecologia 136:424–430.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Aerts, R. and Chapin, F. S. III. 2000. The mineral nutrition of wild plants revisited: a re-evaluation of processes and patterns. Pages 1–67. in Fitter, A. H. and Raffaelli, D. G., editors. Advanced Ecological Restoration. San Diego, CA Academic.Google Scholar
Aguirre, L. and Johnson, D. A. 1991. Influence of temperature and cheatgrass competition on seedling development of two bunchgrasses. J. Range Manage 44:347–354.Google Scholar
Anderson, J. E. and Inouye, R. S. 2001. Landscape-scale changes in plant species abundance and biodiversity of a sagebrush steppe over 45 years. Ecol. Monogr 71:531–556.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arredondo, J. T., Jones, T. A., and Johnson, D. A. 1998. Seedling growth of Intermountain perennial and weedy annual grasses. J. Range Manage 51:584–589.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berendse, F. and Aerts, R. 1987. Nitrogen-use-efficiency: a biologically meaningful definition. Funct. Ecol 1:293–296.Google Scholar
Bilbrough, C. J. and Caldwell, M. M. 1997. Exploitation of springtime ephemeral N pulses by six Great Basin plant species. Ecology 78:231–243.Google Scholar
Blicker, P. S., Olson, B. E., and Engel, R. 2002. Traits of the invasive Centaurea maculosa and two native grasses: effect of N supply. Plant Soil 247:261–269.Google Scholar
Booth, M. S., Stark, J. M., and Caldwell, M. M. 2003. Inorganic N turnover and availability in annual- and perennial-dominated soils in a northern Utah shrub-steppe system. Biogeochemistry 66:311–330.Google Scholar
Brotherson, J. D. and Brotherson, W. T. 1981. Grazing impacts on the sagebrush communities of central Utah. Great Basin Nat 41:335–340.Google Scholar
Buman, R. A., Monsen, S. B., and Abernethy, R. H. 1988. Seedling competition between mountain rye, ‘Hycrest’ crested wheatgrass, and downy brome. J. Range Manage 41:30–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chapman, S. K., Langley, J. A., Hart, S. C., and Koch, G. W. 2006. Plants actively control nitrogen cycling: uncorking the microbial bottleneck. New Phytol 169:27–34.Google Scholar
Cox, R. D. and Anderson, V. J. 2004. Increasing native diversity of cheatgrass-dominated rangeland through assisted succession. J. Range Manage 57:203–210.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Craine, J. M., Tilman, D., Wedin, D., Reich, P., Tjoelker, M., and Knops, J. 2002. Functional traits, productivity and effects on nitrogen cycling of 33 grassland species. Funct. Ecol 16:563–574.Google Scholar
Cui, M. and Caldwell, M. M. 1997a. A large ephemeral release of nitrogen upon wetting of dry soil and corresponding root responses in the field. Plant Soil 191:291–299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cui, M. and Caldwell, M. M. 1997b. Growth and nitrogen uptake of Agropyron desertorum and Pseudoroegneria spicata when exposed to nitrate pulses of different duration. Aust. J. Plant Physiol 24:637–642.Google Scholar
Davis, M. A., Grime, J. P., and Thompson, K. 2000. Fluctuating resources in plant communities: a general theory of invasibility. J. Ecol 88:528–534.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dewey, S. A., Price, K. P., and Ramsey, D. 1991. Satellite remote sensing to predict potential distribution of dyers woad (Isatis tinctoria). Weed Tech 5:479–484.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DiTomaso, J. M. Invasive weeds in rangelands: species, impacts, and management. Weed Sci 2000. 48:255–265.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duke, S. E. and Caldwell, M. M. 2001. Nitrogen acquisition from different spatial distributions by six Great Basin species. West. N. Am. Nat 61:93–102.Google Scholar
Eissenstat, D. 1991. On the relationship between specific root length and the rate of root proliferation: a field study using citrus rootstocks. New Phytol 118:63–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eissenstat, D. 2000. Root structure and function in an ecological context. New Phytol 148:353–354.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eissenstat, D. M. and Caldwell, M. M. 1988. Seasonal timing of root growth in favorable microsites. Ecology 69:870–873.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farah, K. O., Tanaka, A. F., and West, N. E. 1988. Autecology and population biology of dyers woad (Isatis tinctoria). Weed Sci 36:186–193.Google Scholar
Gibson, D. J., Connolly, J., Hartnett, D. C., and Weidenhamer, J. D. 1999. Designs for greenhouse studies of interactions between plants. J. Ecol 87:1–16.Google Scholar
Goldberg, D. and Novoplansky, A. 1997. On the relative importance of competition in unproductive environments. J. Ecol 85:409–418.Google Scholar
Grime, J. P., Thompson, K., Hunt, R., Hodgson, J. G., Cornelissen, J. H. C., Rorison, I. H., Hendry, G. A. F., Ashenden, T. W., Askew, A. P., Band, S. R., Booth, R. E., Bossard, C. C., Campbell, B. D., Cooper, J. E. L., Davison, A. W., Gupta, P. L., Hall, W., Hand, D. W., Hannah, M. A., Hillier, S. H., Hodkinson, D. J., Jalili, A., Liu, Z., Mackey, J. M. L., Matthews, N., Mowforth, M. A., Neal, A. M., Reader, R. J., Reiling, K., Ross-Fraser, W., Spencer, R. E., Sutton, F., Tasker, D. E., Thorpe, P. C., and Whitehouse, J. 1997. Integrated screening validates primary axes of specialization in plants. Oikos 79:259–281.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harris, G. A. 1967. Some competitive relationships between Agropyron spicatum and Bromus tectorum . Ecol. Monogr 37:89–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harris, G. A. and Wilson, A. M. 1970. Competition for moisture among seedlings of annual and perennial grasses as influenced by root elongation at low temperature. Ecology 51:530–534.Google Scholar
Harrison, R. D., Chatterton, N. J., Waldron, B. L., Davenport, B. W., Palazzo, A. J., Horton, W. H., and Asay, K. H. 2000. Forage kochia—its compatibility and potential aggressiveness on Intermountain rangelands. Utah Agricultural Experiment Station Research Report 162. Logan, UT Utah State University. 6.Google Scholar
Hemstrom, M. A., Wisdom, M. J., Hann, W. J., Rowland, M. M., Wales, B. C., and Gravenmier, R. A. 2002. Sagebrush-steppe vegetation dynamics and restoration potential in the interior Columbia Basin, U.S.A. Conserv. Biol 16:1243–1255.Google Scholar
Hendon, B. C. and Briske, D. D. 2002. Relative herbivory tolerance and competitive ability in two dominant subordinate pairs of perennial grasses in a native grassland. Plant Ecol 160:43–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herron, G. J., Sheley, R. L., Maxwell, B. D., and Jacobsen, J. S. 2001. Influence of nutrient availability on the interaction between spotted knapweed and bluebunch wheatgrass. Rest. Ecol 9:326–331.Google Scholar
Hill, J. P. and Germino, M. J. 2005. Coordinated variation in ecophysiological properties among life stages and tissue types in an invasive perennial forb of semiarid shrub steppe. Can. J. Bot 83:1488–1495.Google Scholar
Hooper, D. U. and Vitousek, P. M. 1998. Effects of plant composition and diversity on nutrient cycling. Ecol. Monogr 68:121–149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hull, A. C. Jr and Hull, M. K. 1974. Presettlement vegetation of Cache Valley, Utah and Idaho. J. Range Manage 27:27–29.Google Scholar
Humphrey, D. and Schupp, E. W. 2004. Competition as a barrier to establishment of a native perennial grass (Elymus elymoides) in alien annual grass (Bromus tectorum) communities. J. Arid Environ 58:405–422.Google Scholar
James, J. J. and Richards, J. H. 2006. Plant nitrogen capture in pulse-driven systems: interactions between root responses and soil processes. J. Ecol 94:765–777.Google Scholar
Joffre, R. 1990. Plant and soil nitrogen dynamics in Mediterranean grasslands: a comparison of annual and perennial grasses. Oecologia 85:142–149.Google Scholar
Klomp, G. J. and Hull, A. C. Jr. 1972. Methods for seeding three perennial wheatgrasses on cheatgrass ranges in southern Idaho. J. Range Manage 25:266–268.Google Scholar
Lambers, H. and Poorter, H. 1992. Inherent variation in growth rate between higher plants: a search for physiological causes and ecological consequences. Pages 187–261. in Begon, M. and Fitter, A. H., editors. Advances in Ecological Research, vol. 23. London, United Kingdom Academic.Google Scholar
Laycock, W. A. 1991. Stable states and thresholds of range condition on North American rangelands: a viewpoint. J. Range Manage 44:427–433.Google Scholar
LeJeune, K. D. and Seastedt, T. R. 2001. Centaurea species: the forb that won the West. Conserv. Biol 15:1568–1574.Google Scholar
Liao, J. D., Monsen, S. B., Anderson, V. J., and Shaw, N. L. 2000. Seed biology of rush skeletonweed in sagebrush steppe. J. Range Manage 53:544–549.Google Scholar
Liao, M., Fillery, I. R. P., and Palta, J. A. 2004. Early vigorous growth is a major factor influencing nitrogen uptake in wheat. Funct. Plant Biol 31:121–129.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lowe, P. N., Lauenroth, W. K., and Burke, I. C. 2002. Effects of nitrogen availability on growth of native grasses and exotic weeds. J. Range Manage 55:94–98.Google Scholar
McArthur, E. D., Blauer, A. C., and Stevens, R. 1990. Forage kochia competition with cheatgrass in central Utah. Pages 56–65. in. Proceedings of the Symposium on Cheatgrass Invasion, Shrub Die-off, and Other Aspects of Shrub Biology and Management; April 5–7, 1989. Las Vegas, NV. Ogden, UT U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. GTR-276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Melgoza, G., Nowak, R. S., and Tausch, R. J. 1990. Soil water exploitation after fire: competition between Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) and two native species. Oecologia 83:7–13.Google Scholar
Monaco, T. A., Johnson, D. A., and Creech, J. E. 2005. Morphological and physiological responses of the invasive weed Isatis tinctoria to contrasting light, soil-nitrogen and water. Weed Res 45:460–466.Google Scholar
Monaco, T. A., Johnson, D. A., Norton, J. M., Jones, T. A., Connors, K. J., Norton, J. B., and Redinbaugh, M. B. 2003a. Contrasting responses of Intermountain West grasses to soil nitrogen. J. Range Manage 56:282–290.Google Scholar
Monaco, T. A., Waldron, B. L., Newhall, R. L., and Horton, W. H. 2003b. Re-establishing perennial vegetation in cheatgrass monocultures. Rangelands 25:26–29.Google Scholar
Nakamura, T., Adu-Gyamfi, J. J., Yamamoto, A., Ishikawa, S., Nakano, H., and Ito, O. 2002. Varietal differences in root growth as related to nitrogen uptake by sorghum plants in low-nitrogen environment. Plant Soil 245:17–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Niklaus, P. A., Kandeler, E., Leadley, P. W., Schmid, B., Tscherko, D., and Korner, C. 2001. A link between plant diversity, elevated CO2 and soil nitrate. Oecologia 127:540–548.Google Scholar
Norton, J. B., Monaco, T. A., Norton, J. M., Johnson, D. A., and Jones, T. A. 2004. Soil morphology and organic matter dynamics under cheatgrass and sagebrush-steppe plant communities. J. Arid Environ 57:445–466.Google Scholar
Norton, J. B., Monaco, T. A., and Norton, U. 2007. Mediterranean annual grass in western North America: kids in a candy store. Plant Soil 298:1–5.Google Scholar
Noss, R. F., LaRoe, E. T. III, and Scott, J. M. 1995. Endangered ecosystems of the United States: a preliminary assessment of loss and degradation. National Biological Service Biological Report 28. Washington, DC U.S. Department of the Interior. 151.Google Scholar
Olson, B. E. and Blicker, P. S. 2003. Response of the invasive Centaurea maculosa and two native grasses to N-pulses. Plant Soil 254:457–467.Google Scholar
Peek, M. S., Leffler, A. J., Ivans, C. Y., Ryel, R. J., and Caldwell, M. M. 2005. Fine root distribution and persistence under field conditions of three co-occurring Great Basin species of different life form. New Phytol 165:171–180.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pokorny, M. L., Sheley, R. L., Zabinski, C. A., Engel, R. E., Svejcar, T. J., and Borkowski, J. J. 2005. Plant functional group diversity as a mechanism for invasion resistance. Rest. Ecol 13:448–459.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Poorter, H., Remkes, H., and Lambers, H. 1990. Carbon and nitrogen economy of 24 wild species differing in relative growth rate. Plant Physiol 94:621–627.Google Scholar
Pyankov, V. I., Artyusheva, E. G., Edwards, G. E., Black, C. C. Jr, and Soltis, P. S. 2001. Phylogenetic analysis of tribe Salsoleae (Chenopodiaceae) based on ribosomal ITS sequences: implications for the evolution of photosynthetic types. Am. J. Bot 88:1189–1198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pyke, D. A. 1990. Comparative demography of co-occurring introduced and native tussock grasses: persistence and potential expansion. Oecologia 82:537–543.Google Scholar
Reich, P. B., Walters, M. B., and Ellsworth, D. S. 1992. Leaf life-span in relation to leaf, plant, and stand characteristics among diverse ecosystems. Ecol. Monogr 62:365–392.Google Scholar
Reich, P. B., Walters, M. B., and Ellsworth, D. S. 1997. From tropics to tundra: global convergence in plant functioning. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 94:13730–13734.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reich, P. B., Wright, I. J., Cavender-Bares, J., Craine, J. M., Oleksyn, J., Westoby, M., and Walters, M. B. 2003. The evolution of plant functional variation: traits, spectra, and strategies. Int. J. Plant Sci 164:143–164.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rogler, G. A. and Lorenz, R. 1983. Crested wheatgrass—early history in the United States. J. Range Manage 36:91–93.Google Scholar
Romo, J. T. and Haferkamp, M. R. 1988. Comparative water relation in Artemisia tridentata Nutt. subsp. wyomingensis and Kochia prostrata (L.) Schrad. J. Arid Environ 15:53–64.Google Scholar
Sherer-Lorenzen, M., Palmborg, C., Prinz, A., and Schulze, E. D. 2003. The role of plant diversity and composition for nitrate leaching in grasslands. Ecology 84:1539–1552.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, M. D. and Knapp, A. K. 2001. Physiological and morphological traits of exotic, invasive exotic, and native plant species in tallgrass prairie. Int. J. Plant Sci 162:785–792.Google Scholar
Sorgona, A. and Cacco, G. 2002. Linking the physiological parameters of nitrate uptake with root morphology and topology in wheat (Triticum durum) and citrus (Citrus volkameriana) rootstock. Can. J. Bot 80:494–503.Google Scholar
Sullivan, A. and Anderson, V. 2001. Effects of disturbance on Kochia prostrata spread in native and exotic Great Basin communities. Ecological Society of America 86th Annual Meeting August 5–10. 2001; Madison, WI. Washington, DC Ecological Society of America. Abstract 62.Google Scholar
Sullivan, W. M., Jiang, Z., and Hull, R. J. 2000. Root morphology and it s relationship with nitrate uptake in Kentucky bluegrass. Crop Sci 40:765–772.Google Scholar
Svejcar, T. 1990. Root length, leaf area, and biomass of crested wheatgrass and cheatgrass seedlings. J. Range Manage 43:446–448.Google Scholar
West, N. E. 1988. Intermountain deserts, shrub steppes, and woodlands. Pages 209–230. in Barbour, M. G. and Billings, W. D., editors. North American Terrestrial Vegetation. Cambridge, United Kingdom Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Whisenant, S. G. 1990. Changing fire frequencies on Idaho's Snake Rive Plains: ecological and management implications. Pages 4–10. in: McArthur, E. D., Romney, E. M., Smith, S. D., and Tueller, P. T., editors. Proceedings of the Symposium on Cheatgrass Invasion, Shrub Die-off, and Other Aspects of Shrub Biology and Management. Ogden, UT USDA–FS Intermountain Research Station, General Technical Report. INT-276.Google Scholar
Whitson, T. D. and Koch, D. W. 1998. Control of downy brome (Bromus tectorum) with herbicides and perennial grass competition. Weed Tech 12:391–396.Google Scholar
Yoder, C. and Caldwell, M. M. 2002. Effects of perennial neighbors and nitrogen pulses on growth and nitrogen uptake by Bromus tectorum . Plant Ecol 158:77–84.Google Scholar
Young, J. A. and Allen, F. L. 1997. Cheatgrass and range science: 1930–1950. J. Range Manage 50:530–535.Google Scholar
Young, J. A. and Evans, R. A. 1978. Population dynamics after wildfires in sagebrush grasslands. J. Range Manage 31:283–289.Google Scholar
Young, J. A. and Longland, W. S. 1996. Impact of alien plants on Great Basin rangelands. Weed Tech 10:384–391.CrossRefGoogle Scholar