February 24, 2016 | 10:00 AM
Cheatgrass, red brome, and other exotic annual grasses in the Bromus genus are among the most significant agents of change in Great Basin ecosystems. This session is a high-level summary of findings and recommendations from a recent synthesis of brome grasses across the western US, which culminated in a newly released book (Springer). Each presentation will explore geographic variation in brome grasses, comparing the Great Basin to surrounding ecoregions, along with research needs and management implications.
Convener: Matt Germino, Research Ecologist, US Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
Boise ID 83706; mgermino@usgs.gov
Co-organizers: Jeanne Chambers and Cynthia Brown
Jeanne Chambers, Research Ecologist, U.S. Forest Service, 920 Valley Road, Reno, NB 89512; jchambers@fs.fed.us
Cynthia Brown, Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO; Cynthia.S.Brown@colostate.edu
Speaker Information
Towards furthering our understanding of resistance — interactions and outcomes of Bromus with plant communities.
Jeanne C. Chambers, Matthew J. Germino, Bethany A. Bradley, Jayne Belnap, Cynthia S. Brown, Eugene W. Schupp, and Samuel B. St. Clair
Jeanne Chambers, Research Ecologist, U.S. Forest Service, 920 Valley Road, Reno, NV 89512; jchambers@fs.fed.us
Jeanne is a research ecologist with the Grassland, Shrublands, and Deserts Program of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, and she is located at the Great Basin Ecology Lab in Reno, NV. Her current research focuses on understanding the effects of climate, invasive species, and altered disturbance regimes on sagebrush ecosystems and riparian areas, and on using that information to develop effective management strategies for increasing their resilience and resistance.
Fungal pathogens on Bromus: ecology and management implications
Susan Meyer, US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Provo, UT; semeyer@xmission.com
Susan is a Research Ecologist at the Shrub Sciences Laboratory, USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station, in Provo, Utah, where she has worked on research projects related to sagebrush steppe restoration for over thirty years. Her work in recent years has focused on the ecology and ecological genetics of cheatgrass and its fungal pathogens, with the goal of developing an environmentally benign method for cheatgrass control in a restoration setting. She and her colleagues are currently working on research aimed at developing a mechanistic understanding of cheatgrass 'die-off' or stand failure and its causes and consequences.
Bromus and society: beliefs, behaviors, and capacity for change
Mark Brunson, Professor, Utah State University, Environment and Society Dept., 5215 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-5215; mark.brunson@usu.edu
Mark studies human-environment interactions with an emphasis on processes and conditions relating to ecological disturbance, non-native species invasions, and restoration of arid and semi-arid ecosystems. He has conducted research on human dimensions of sagebrush ecosystems for the past 25 years, and oversees outreach to managers and the public for SageSTEP and the Great Basin Fire Science Exchange.
Restoration and management of Bromus: what has or has not worked, and an agency perspective.
Stuart Hardegree, T. Monaco, C. Brown, and M. Pellant
Stuart Hardegree, US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Northwest Watershed Research Center, Boise, ID; stuart.hardegree@ars.usda.gov
Stuart is a plant physiologist specializing in plant and soil water relations, seedbed ecology and seedling establishment, and weather and climate impacts on rangeland restoration and management.