Heat and smoke effects on red brome soil seed banks

Authors

Scott R. Abella, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
E. Cayenne Engel, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow

Document Type

Newsletter

Publication Date

Fall 2009

Publication Title

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes

Volume

2

Issue

3

Abstract

Management of exotic plants that are annuals entails understanding and managing their soil seed banks. We completed a study of the influences of heat and liquid smoke on red brome (Bromus rubens) soil seed banks collected from Red Rock Canyon in southern Nevada as part of a collaborative fire effects monitoring effort with Bureau of Land Management - Las Vegas. We collected the samples from the 2005 Loop Fire, where we observed in a monitoring field study that exotic grasses such as red brome were relatively sparse in the first 2-3 years (which were during a dry period) following the fire. Based on these observations, we were interested in assessing whether the direct exposure to heat and smoke during fire may influence brome’s seed banks.

Keywords

Bromus rubens – Effect of fire on; California – Mojave Desert; Invasive plants; Nevada — Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area; Soil seed banks; Wildfires – Environmental aspects

Disciplines

Desert Ecology | Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment | Other Earth Sciences | Other Environmental Sciences | Soil Science | Weed Science

Language

English

Repository Citation

Abella, S. R., Engel, E. C. (2009). Heat and smoke effects on red brome soil seed banks. Mojave Applied Ecology Notes, 2(3),
https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/sea_fac_articles/373