Rangeland Ecology & Management

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MANAGING NONNATIVE INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES
Author
Garner, Lindy
Ielmini, Michael
Chambers, Jeanne
Mayer, Ken
Crist, Michele
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2018
Body

One of the most significant stressors to the sagebrush biome is expansion and dominance of nonnative ecosystem-transforming species, particularly invasive annual and perennial plants. Each invasive plant differs in the magnitude of the risk or impact it poses to sagebrush ecosystems, depending on the site conditions and the species� characteristics. Invasive annual grasses, most notably cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), medusahead rye (Taeniatherum caput-medusae), and red brome (Bromus rubens) are arguably the most widespread ecosystem disrupters across the sagebrush biome. Yet many other invasive species, such as leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) and Russian knapweed (Acroptilon repens) are also responsible for environmental impacts to sagebrush communities. Invasive plant species colonize new areas rapidly, and once established, invasive plant species often continue to spread across the sagebrush communities where suitable conditions exist, capitalizing on disturbance, fire and various pathways and vectors. Land managers are tasked with controlling the various species of invasive plants, but limited resources are available for invasive plant management. The need to manage multiple invasive plants while considering ecological impacts and social and political priorities often results in substantial challenges in determining how to partition resources for invasive plant management. We suggest methods for fostering coordination and collaboration to leverage resources at the biome, regional and local scale. We outline data availability and needs for defining priority areas for management and current level of invasion, and discuss how resilience and resistance concepts can be integrated into invasive plant management. We suggest that the level of invasion and feasibility of control need to be evaluated in light of current ecological conditions to help inform management strategies and the associated return on investment.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Reno, NV