Invasive grasses increase fire occurrence and frequency across US ecoregions

Fire-prone invasive grasses create novel ecosystem threats by increasing fine-fuel loads and continuity, which can alter fire regimes. While the existence of an invasive grass-fire cycle is well known, evidence of altered fire regimes is typically based on local-scale studies or expert knowledge. He...

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Vydáno v:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Ročník 116; číslo 47; s. 23594
Hlavní autoři: Fusco, Emily J, Finn, John T, Balch, Jennifer K, Nagy, R Chelsea, Bradley, Bethany A
Médium: Journal Article
Jazyk:angličtina
Vydáno: United States 19.11.2019
Témata:
Ecosystem
Introduced Species
Models, Theoretical
Plant Dispersal
Poaceae
Species Specificity
United States
Wildfires - statistics & numerical data
United States
grass-fire cycle
fire regime
invasive grass
nonnative plant
ISSN:1091-6490, 1091-6490
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Shrnutí:Fire-prone invasive grasses create novel ecosystem threats by increasing fine-fuel loads and continuity, which can alter fire regimes. While the existence of an invasive grass-fire cycle is well known, evidence of altered fire regimes is typically based on local-scale studies or expert knowledge. Here, we quantify the effects of 12 nonnative, invasive grasses on fire occurrence, size, and frequency across 29 US ecoregions encompassing more than one third of the conterminous United States. These 12 grass species promote fire locally and have extensive spatial records of abundant infestations. We combined agency and satellite fire data with records of abundant grass invasion to test for differences in fire regimes between invaded and nearby "uninvaded" habitat. Additionally, we assessed whether invasive grass presence is a significant predictor of altered fire by modeling fire occurrence, size, and frequency as a function of grass invasion, in addition to anthropogenic and ecological covariates relevant to fire. Eight species showed significantly higher fire-occurrence rates, which more than tripled for and Six species demonstrated significantly higher mean fire frequency, which more than doubled for and Grass invasion was significant in fire occurrence and frequency models, but not in fire-size models. The significant differences in fire regimes, coupled with the importance of grass invasion in modeling these differences, suggest that invasive grasses alter US fire regimes at regional scales. As concern about US wildfires grows, accounting for fire-promoting invasive grasses will be imperative for effectively managing ecosystems.
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ISSN:1091-6490
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1908253116