Postfire Population Dynamics of Bromus japonicus
Whisenant SG. 1990. Postfire Population Dynamics of Bromus japonicus. The American Midland Naturalist. 123(2):301-308
Bromus japonicus Thunb. is an alien species which has become an important component of northern mixed-prairie communities. Bromus japonicus density, seed production and viable seed in surface litter and upper 3 cm of soil were followed for 5 years in a South Dakota mixed prairie. The objective was to study the factors controlling Bromus japonicus abundance by examining how variations in precipitation and fire (through its influence on microsite characteristics such as litter accumulation) affect recruitment, mature tiller densities, seed production and seed banks. Density in April was a function of litter accumulations and autumn precipitation: Y= (B1) 16.3 + (B2) 1.70 (r2=0.90), where Y is density (seedlings m-2), B1 is the total precipitation (mm) the previous October-plus-November, and B2 is the amount of litter (gm-2). The importance of litter accumulations to Bromus japonicus density increased as autumn precipitation decreased. Managed nature preserves in the northern mixed prairie that have effectively excluded fire have improved conditions for the establishment of Bromus japonicus, at the expense of native species.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Whisenant, Steven
- Units
- BADL
- Keywords
- Fire Ecology, Fire Management, Japanese brome (Bromus japonicus), Plant Studies, Population Density, Precipitation, Productivity