Changes in Soil Physical, Chemical and Mineralogical Properties due to Bromus Tectorum L.(C heatgrass) Establishment over 2 Decades in Northern Nevada, USA.

Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) has been an invasive species in the Intermountain West of the United States for approximately 100 years. The species is extremely adaptive to fire disturbed environments in the western US and out-competes many native species once it establishes at a site. While it provides a forage for grazing animals the quality of the forage is considered lower than natives in the area. We investigated changes in physical and chemical properties in two surface soils, over two decades, following cheatgrass establishment by wildland fire (Artemisia tridentata [Big Basin sagebrush] was the predominate vegetation prior to fire). Two soils (US soil taxonomy natriargids and haplodurids) representing a majority...

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation, Conference Citation; Tags: The 18th World Congress of Soil Science