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Effects of precipitation change and neighboring plants on population dynamics of Bromus tectorum

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Abstract

Shifting precipitation patterns resulting from global climate change will influence the success of invasive plant species. In the Front Range of Colorado, Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) and other non-native winter annuals have invaded grassland communities and are becoming more abundant. As the global climate warms, more precipitation may fall as rain rather than snow in winter, and an increase in winter rain could benefit early-growing winter annuals, such as B. tectorum, to the detriment of native species. In this study we measured the effects of simulated changes in seasonal precipitation and presence of other plant species on population growth of B. tectorum in a grassland ecosystem near Boulder, Colorado, USA. We also performed elasticity analyses to identify life transitions that were most sensitive to precipitation differences. In both study years, population growth rates were highest for B. tectorum growing in treatments receiving supplemental winter precipitation and lowest for those receiving the summer drought treatment. Survival of seedlings to flowering and seed production contributed most to population growth in all treatments. Biomass of neighboring native plants was positively correlated with reduced population growth rates of B. tectorum. However, exotic plant biomass had no effect on population growth rates. This study demonstrates how interacting effects of climate change and presence of native plants can influence the population growth of an invasive species. Overall, our results suggest that B. tectorum will become more invasive in grasslands if the seasonality of precipitation shifts towards wetter winters and allows B. tectorum to grow when competition from native species is low.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this research was provided by an EPA STAR Graduate fellowship to J.S.P and NSF grant DEB 1120390 provided to T.R.S. We thank Peter Omasta, Bryan Todd, Zach Harmon, and Robin Reibold for assistance in the field and laboratory. We thank William Bowman, Sharon Collinge, Nichole Barger, John Dwyer, and two anonymous reviewers for providing helpful comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. The experiments described here comply with the current laws of the USA.

Author contribution statement

JSP and TRS conceived and designed the experiments. JSP performed the experiments, analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript. TRS provided extensive editorial advice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Flüelastrasse 11, 7260, Davos Dorf, Switzerland

    Janet S. Prevéy

  2. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, UCB 450, Boulder, 80309, CO, USA

    Janet S. Prevéy & Timothy R. Seastedt

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  1. Janet S. Prevéy
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Correspondence to Janet S. Prevéy.

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Communicated by Katherine L Gross.

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Prevéy, J.S., Seastedt, T.R. Effects of precipitation change and neighboring plants on population dynamics of Bromus tectorum . Oecologia 179, 765–775 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-015-3398-z

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