Chondrilla juncea L.: Post-fire invasiveness in Artimesia tridentata communities of western north America

Chondrilla juncea L. (Asteraceae), an invasive Eurasian apomictic perennial weed that increases vegetatively and from seed, as spread from the Pacific Northwest, USA into Artemisia tridentata communities of the northern Great Basin. Over the last 150 years this region has been heavily impacted by excessive livestock grazing, the invasion of exotic annual grasses, primarily Bromus tectorum, and an increase in wildfire size and frequency. We examined the distribution, fire response and seed biology of C. juncea to evaluate its ability to spread in burned or degraded Artemisia tridentata communities and to expand its range within the Great Basin.