Year Published:
Cataloging Information
Topic(s):
Fire Ecology
Fire Effects
Ecological - Second Order
Invasive Species
Vegetation
Fire Effects
Ecological - Second Order
Invasive Species
Vegetation
Ecosystem(s):
Sagebrush steppe
NRFSN number: 11462
FRAMES RCS number: 10915
Record updated:
The generalist pathogen Pyrenophora semeniperda (Brittlebank and Adam) Shoemaker occurs primarily in cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) seed banks, where it causes high seed mortality (Beckstead et al. 2007; Meyer et al. 2007). How does fire impact survival of a fungal seed pathogen, P. semeniperda, versus survival of the seeds of its cheatgrass host, the invasive Bromus tectorum? If fire completely destroys the pathogen, then cheatgrass seeds surviving the fire would be able to establish free of this natural enemy. Conversely, if the pathogen has high post-burn survival, then cheatgrass recovery from a post-fire seed bank could be negatively impacted.
Citation
Beckstead, J.; Meyer, S. E.; Street, L. E.; Allen, P. S. 2010. Effect of fire on a seed bank pathogen and on seeds of its host Bromus tectorum. In: Pendleton, Rosemary; Meyer, Susan; Schultz, Bitsy, eds. Seed Ecology III - Seeds and the Environment - Seeds and Change, proceedings of the 3rd International Society for Seed Science. 2010 June 20-24; Salt Lake City, UT. Albuquerque, NM: USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 10-11.