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Exotic Brome-Grasses in Arid and Semiarid Ecosystems of the Western US

Causes, Consequences, and Management Implications

  • Effects of environmental factors on exotic annual Bromus species distributions
  • Ecosystem attributes and processes that influence resistance to invasion
  • Traits of Bromus species that contribute to invasiveness
  • Impacts of Bromus invasions on ecosystems
  • Effects of pathogens on Bromus invasions and their potential for biocontrol
  • Effects of land uses on Bromus invasions
  • Management options for exotic annual Bromus and their application
  • Socioeconomic drivers and patterns of human response to Bromus invasion.
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Environmental Management (SSEM)

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Table of contents (15 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-ix
  2. Introduction: Exotic Annual Bromus in the Western USA

    • Matthew J. Germino, Jeanne C. Chambers, Cynthia S. Brown
    Pages 1-7
  3. Environmental Impacts of Bromus Species

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 9-9
    2. Exotic Annual Bromus Invasions: Comparisons Among Species and Ecoregions in the Western United States

      • Matthew L. Brooks, Cynthia S. Brown, Jeanne C. Chambers, Carla M. D’Antonio, Jon E. Keeley, Jayne Belnap
      Pages 11-60
    3. Ecosystem Impacts of Exotic Annual Invaders in the Genus Bromus

      • Matthew J. Germino, Jayne Belnap, John M. Stark, Edith B. Allen, Benjamin M. Rau
      Pages 61-95
  4. Invasiveness of Bromus Species (Emphasis on Biological Attributes of Bromus)

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 97-97
    2. Community Ecology of Fungal Pathogens on Bromus tectorum

      • Susan E. Meyer, Julie Beckstead, JanaLynn Pearce
      Pages 193-223
  5. Understanding Environmental Controls and Bromus Distribution (Invasibility of Landscapes by Bromus)

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 225-225
    2. Soil Moisture and Biogeochemical Factors Influence the Distribution of Annual Bromus Species

      • Jayne Belnap, John M. Stark, Benjamin M. Rau, Edith B. Allen, Susan Phillips
      Pages 227-256
    3. Bromus Response to Climate and Projected Changes with Climate Change

      • Bethany A. Bradley, Caroline A. Curtis, Jeanne C. Chambers
      Pages 257-274
    4. Plant Community Resistance to Invasion by Bromus Species: The Roles of Community Attributes, Bromus Interactions with Plant Communities, and Bromus Traits

      • Jeanne C. Chambers, Matthew J. Germino, Jayne Belnap, Cynthia S. Brown, Eugene W. Schupp, Samuel B. St. Clair
      Pages 275-304
  6. Relating the Science to Human Uses and Restoration of Western Rangeland Landscapes

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 305-305
    2. Land Uses, Fire, and Invasion: Exotic Annual Bromus and Human Dimensions

      • David A. Pyke, Jeanne C. Chambers, Jeffrey L. Beck, Matthew L. Brooks, Brian A. Mealor
      Pages 307-337
    3. Assessing Restoration and Management Needs for Ecosystems Invaded by Exotic Annual Bromus Species

      • Thomas A. Monaco, Stuart P. Hardegree, Mike Pellant, Cynthia S. Brown
      Pages 339-370
    4. Human Dimensions of Invasive Grasses

      • Mark W. Brunson, Halley Kartchner
      Pages 409-428

About this book

Invasions by exotic grasses, particularly annuals, rank among the most extensive and intensive ways that humans are contributing to the transformation of the earth’s surface. The problem is particularly notable with a suite of exotic grasses in the Bromus genus in the arid and semiarid regions that dominate the western United States, which extend from the dry basins near the Sierra and Cascade Ranges across the Intermountain Region and Rockies to about 105° longitude. This genus includes approximately 150 species that have a wide range of invasive and non-invasive tendencies in their home ranges and in North America. Bromus species that became invasive upon introduction to North America in the late 1800’s, such as Bromus tectorum and B. rubens, have since became the dominant cover on millions of hectares. Here, millenia of ecosystem development led to landscapes that would otherwise be dominated by perennial shrubs, herbs, and biotic soil crusts that were able to persist in spite of variable and scarce precipitation. This native ecosystem resilience is increasingly coveted by land owners and managers as more hectares lose their resistance to Bromus grasses and similar exotics and as climate, land use, and disturbance-regime changes are also superimposed. Managers are increasingly challenged to glean basic services from these ecosystems as they become invaded. Exotic annual grasses reduce wildlife and livestock carrying capacity and increase the frequency and extent of wildfi res and associated soil erosion. This book uses a unique ecoregional and multidisciplinary approach to evaluate the invasiveness, impacts, and management of the large Bromus genus. Students, researchers, and practitioners interested in Bromus specifically and invasive exotics in general will benefit from the depth of knowledge summarized in the book.





Editors and Affiliations

  • US Geological Survey, Boise, USA

    Matthew J. Germino

  • Rocky Mountain Experimental Station, US Forest Service, Reno, USA

    Jeanne C. Chambers

  • Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA

    Cynthia S. Brown

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Exotic Brome-Grasses in Arid and Semiarid Ecosystems of the Western US

  • Book Subtitle: Causes, Consequences, and Management Implications

  • Editors: Matthew J. Germino, Jeanne C. Chambers, Cynthia S. Brown

  • Series Title: Springer Series on Environmental Management

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24930-8

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental Science, Earth and Environmental Science (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-24928-5Published: 30 January 2016

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-79701-4Published: 30 March 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-24930-8Published: 22 January 2016

  • Series ISSN: 0172-6161

  • Series E-ISSN: 2512-5559

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: IX, 475

  • Number of Illustrations: 42 b/w illustrations, 44 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Environmental Management, Biodiversity, Landscape Ecology

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access