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Post-fire management targeting invasive annual grasses may have inadvertently released the exotic perennial forb Chondrilla juncea and suppressed its biocontrol agent

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Abstract

Top-down and bottom-up factors affecting invasive populations are rarely considered simultaneously, yet their interactive responses to disturbances and management interventions can be essential to understanding invasion patterns. We evaluated post-fire responses of the exotic perennial forb Chondrilla juncea (rush skeletonweed) and its biocontrol agents to landscape factors and a post-fire combined herbicide (imazapic) and bacteria (Pseudomonas fluorescens strain MB906) treatment that targeted invasive annual grasses in a sagebrush steppe ecosystem. Biocontrol agents released against C. juncea in previous decades included Cystiphora schmidti (gall midge), Aceria chondrillae (gall mite), and Puccinia chondrillina (rust fungus). C. juncea abundance was greater in sprayed than unsprayed plots, and where soils were coarser, slopes faced southwest, solar heat loads and topographic water accumulation were greater, and cover of deep-rooted native perennials was lower. Mite infestation was greater in unsprayed plots, midge infestation was greater at higher elevations on steeper slopes, and midges were more abundant while rust was less abundant on gravelly soils. Biocontrol infestation levels varied considerably between years and could not be predicted in 2019 from 2018 infestation levels. Multiple biocontrol species were often present at the same plots but were rarely present on the same C. juncea individuals. These results suggest that spatial patterns of invasion by C. juncea are related to deep-soil water availability, warmer conditions, and alleviation of competition. Treatments designed to reduce invasive annual grasses may inadvertently release C. juncea by both reducing plant competition for soil resources and affecting biocontrol agent (mite) abundance.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the ScienceBase repository: Lazarus BE, Germino MJ (2021) Post-fire Chondrilla juncea and biocontrol at Boise River Wildlife Management Area 2018–2019: U.S. Geological Survey data release. https://doi.org/10.5066/P9QFBHZ3.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Merry Davidson, Molly Felix, and Jennifer Butt for assistance with fieldwork, to Krista Biorn and Peter Ott (Idaho Department of Fish and Game) for help with logistics, to Cara Applestein for GIS assistance, and to Allison Simler-Williamson for statistical advice. We also thank Joey Milan and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Funding was provided by a grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Exploratory Research Program, award no. 2018–67030-27353.

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  1. U.S. Geological Survey Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Snake River Field Station, Boise, ID, USA

    Brynne E. Lazarus & Matthew J. Germino

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  1. Brynne E. Lazarus
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MJG designed the study with input from BEL. BEL oversaw data collection, analyzed the data, and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Both authors edited the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Brynne E. Lazarus.

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Lazarus, B.E., Germino, M.J. Post-fire management targeting invasive annual grasses may have inadvertently released the exotic perennial forb Chondrilla juncea and suppressed its biocontrol agent. Biol Invasions 23, 1915–1932 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-021-02481-z

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