Suppression of annual Bromus tectorum by perennial Agropyron cristatum: roles of soil nitrogen availability and biological soil space

Suppression of annual Bromus tectorum by perennial Agropyron cristatum: roles of soil nitrogen availability and biological soil space

Worldwide, exotic invasive grasses have caused numerous ecosystem perturbations. Rangelands of the western USA have experienced increases in the size and frequency of wildfires largely due to invasion by the annual grass Bromus tectorum. Rehabilitation of invaded rangelands is difficult; but long-term success is predicated on establishing healthy and dense perennial grass communities, which sup...

Bromus tectorum Litter Alters Photosynthetic Characteristics of Biological Soil Crusts from a Semiarid Shrubland

Invasion by the exotic annual grass Bromus tectorum has increased the cover and connectivity of fine litter in the sagebrush steppes of western North America. This litter tends to cover biological soil crusts, which could affect their metabolism and growth. To investigate this possible phenomenon, biological soil crusts dominated by either the moss Bryum argenteum or the lichen Diploschistes mu...

Aerobic and Anaerobic Incubation — Biological Indexes of Soil Nitrogen Availability

Our researches have been made on brown forest soil that had been used in long-term experiments set up according to specified fertilization system for over 30 years. We have chosen those experiment variants in which quantities of nitrogen fertilizers were gradually increased. The soil samples taken from 0 cm to 30 cm depth were used to determine biological indexes of nitrogen availability (aerob...

Soil and Plant Nitrogen Availability

A Predictive Model for Soil Seed Bank Outcomes in the Pyrenophora semeniperda–Bromus tectorum Pathosystem

Allen P.S., Meyer S.E., Beckstead J. (2013): A predictive model for soil seed bank outcomes in the Pyrenophora semeniperda–Bromus tectorum pathosystem. Plant Protect. Sci., 49 (Special Issue): S21–S24. Pyrenophora semeniperda is abundant in soil seed banks of Bromus tectorum, where it kills a fraction of seeds throughout the year. The pathogen engages in a race with host seeds for endosperm res...