Status and Trends of Biological Resources Program
Nonnative Grass Invasions and Fire in the Mojave Desert Recent USGS studies have shown that nonnative annual grasses in the genera Bromus and Schismus now dominate most plant communities in the Mojave Desert. Unlike most native annual plants, these grasses grow in many different situations and can create continuous fuel beds across the landscape by filling in the plant-free space that once separated and protected native perennials from fire.