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Exotic Plant Species Diversity: Influence of Roads and Prescribed Fire in Arizona Ponderosa Pine Forests
Author
Fowler, James F.
Sieg, Carolyn Hull
Dickson, Brett G.
Saab, Victoria
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2008-05-01
Body

Many studies have investigated the ecological effects of roads and roadsides as both habitat and dispersal corridors for exotic plant species. Several of these compared roadside exotic species richness and abundance with adjacent interior habitats, but we found no studies of individual exotic species’ abundance between the two habitats in the context of prescribed fire. We measured exotic species richness and individual species’ abundance along roadsides and in adjacent interior habitat (> 150 m) before and after prescribed fire at three ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex Lawson C. Lawson) sites in northern Arizona. Eighteen of the 20 exotic plant species found in this study have been and continue to be intentionally introduced or are known agricultural seed contaminants. Roadsides had significantly higher exotic species richness than adjacent forest interior habitats, but only one site showed a significant (decreasing) fire effect on species richness. Four exotic plant species had significantly higher densities along roadsides at two of the three sites, and four species had no significant difference in abundance between habitats at any site supporting an individualistic species response hypothesis. Most exotic species showed no significant change in density post-prescribed fire suggesting that low-intensity prescribed fire may have minimal effect on exotic species diversity. Variability in total exotic species richness, composition, species’ constancies, and species’ densities between the three regionally similar sites suggests differing degrees and effectiveness of past management practices and policies such as intentional seeding.  The Rangeland Ecology & Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020

Language
en
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Journal Issue/Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.2111/07-059.1
Additional Information
Fowler, J. F., Sieg, C. H., Dickson, B. G., & Saab, V. (2008). Exotic plant species diversity: influence of roads and prescribed fire in Arizona ponderosa pine forests. Rangeland Ecology & Management, 61(3), 284-293.
ISSN
0022-409X
OAI Identifier
oai:repository.arizona.edu:10150/642953
Journal Volume
61
Journal Number
3
Journal Pages
284-293
Collection
Rangeland Ecology & Management (REM)
Journal Name
Rangeland Ecology & Management
Keywords
exotic species abundance
exotic species richness
intentional introduction
ponderosa pine
prescribed fire
seeding