Keyword: Bromus tectorum

Fire, livestock grazing, topography, and precipitation affect occurrence and prevalence of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) in the central Great Basin, USA

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) has increased the extent and frequency of fire and negatively affected native plant and animal species across the Intermountain West (USA). However, the strengths of association between cheatgrass occurrence or abundance and fire, livestock grazing, and precipitation are not well understood.

Low temperature during infection limits Ustilago bullata (Ustilaginaceae, Ustilaginales) disease incidence on Bromus tectorum (Poaceae, Cyperales)

Ustilago bullata is frequently encountered on the exotic winter annual grass Bromus tectorum in western North America. To evaluate the biocontrol potential of this seedling-infecting pathogen, we examined the effect of temperature on the infection process. Teliospore germination rate increased linearly with temperature from 2.5 to 25°C, with significant among-population differences.

Seed and seedling traits have strong impacts on establishment of a perennial bunchgrass in invaded semi-arid systems

Many restoration projects use seeds to found new populations, and understanding phenotypic traits associated with seedling establishment in disturbed and invaded communities is important for restoration efforts world-wide. Focusing on the perennial grass Elymus elymoides, a native species common to sagebrush steppe communities in the Western United States, we asked if seed and seedling traits could predict field establishment.

Phytotoxic activity of metabolites isolated from Rutstroemia sp.n., the causal agent of bleach blonde syndrome on cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum)

A fungal pathogen soon to be described as Rutstroemia capillus-albis (Rutstroemiaceae, Helotiales, Leotiomycetes) has been identified as the causal agent of ‘bleach blonde syndrome’ on the invasive annual grass weed Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) in western North America. This apparently common but previously undescribed disease causes premature senescence and sterility, but does not affect seed germination or seedling emergence and growth.

Vegetation dynamics at the woodland-shrubland interface: Role of climate, disturbance, and species interactions

The boundary between woodlands and shrublands delineates the distribution of the tree biome in many regions across the globe. Woodlands and shrublands interface at multiple spatial scales, and many ecological processes operate at different spatial scales to determine the position of the woodland-shrubland boundary.

Resilience and resistance in sagebrush ecosystems are associated with seasonal soil temperature and water availability

Invasion and dominance of exotic grasses and increased fire frequency threaten native ecosystems worldwide. In the Great Basin region of the western United States, woody and herbaceous fuel treatments are implemented to decrease the effects of wildfire and increase sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem resilience to disturbance and resistance to exotic annual grasses.

A proposed mechanism for high pathogen-caused mortality in the seed bank of an invasive annual grass

Pyrenophora semeniperda can infect nondormant Bromus tectorum seeds under optimal germination conditions, but most escape mortality. This reduces pathogen fitness relative to infection of dormant seeds, which are almost always killed.

Phytotoxic activity against Bromus tectorum for secondary metabolites of a seed-pathogenic Fusarium strain belonging to the F. tricinctum species complex

The winter annual grass Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) has become highly invasive in semiarid ecosystems of western North America. In these areas, a natural phenomenon, complete cheatgrass stand failure (‘die-off’), is apparently caused by a complex interaction among soilborne fungal pathogens. Several Fusarium strains belonging to the Fusarium tricinctum species complex were isolated from these soils and found to be pathogenic on B.

Post-fire vegetation response at the woodland-shrubland interface is mediated by the pre-fire community

Understanding the drivers of ecosystem responses to disturbance is essential for management aimed at maintaining or restoring ecosystem processes and services, especially where invasive species respond strongly to disturbance.