SPECIES: Bromus japonicus
SPECIES: Bromus japonicus Introductory
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : Howard, Janet L. 1994. Bromus japonicus. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ [].
ABBREVIATION : BROJAP SYNONYMS : NO-ENTRY SCS PLANT CODE : BRJA COMMON NAMES : Japanese brome Japanese chess TAXONOMY : The currently accepted scientific name of Japanese brome is Bromus japonicus Thunb. [33,34,39,52,68]. Recognized varieties are [21,39]: B. j. var. japonicus B. j. var. porrectus Hack Japanese brome intergrades with corn brome (B. squarrosus) and hairy brome (B. commutatus) [34,68]. Several authorities have noted a lack of distinguishing features between Japanese brome and hairy brome [34,68], and Hickman [38] treats them as synonyms. Japanese brome hybridizes with rattlesnake brome (B. brizaeformi) and soft chess (B. horeaceus) [68]. LIFE FORM : Graminoid FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : No special status OTHER STATUS : NO-ENTRY
SPECIES: Bromus japonicus DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : Japanese brome is native to Eurasia. In North America it is distributed from British Columbia east to Ontario and south to New Hampshire, Florida, and Mexico [12,68]. ECOSYSTEMS : FRES10 White - red - jack pine FRES13 Loblolly - shortleaf pine FRES14 Oak - pine FRES15 Oak - hickory FRES17 Elm - ash - cottonwood FRES18 Maple - beech - birch FRES19 Aspen - birch FRES20 Douglas-fir FRES21 Ponderosa pine FRES28 Western hardwoods FRES29 Sagebrush FRES30 Desert shrub FRES31 Shinnery FRES32 Texas savanna FRES33 Southwestern shrubsteppe FRES34 Chaparral - mountain shrub FRES35 Pinyon - juniper FRES36 Mountain grasslands FRES38 Plains grasslands FRES39 Prairie FRES40 Desert grasslands FRES42 Annual grasslands STATES : AL AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA ID IL IA IN KS KY LA MD MA MI MN MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY DC AB BC MB ON SK MEXICO BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 1 Northern Pacific Border 2 Cascade Mountains 3 Southern Pacific Border 4 Sierra Mountains 5 Columbia Plateau 6 Upper Basin and Range 7 Lower Basin and Range 8 Northern Rocky Mountains 9 Middle Rocky Mountains 10 Wyoming Basin 11 Southern Rocky Mountains 12 Colorado Plateau 13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont 14 Great Plains 15 Black Hills Uplift 16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : NO-ENTRY SAF COVER TYPES : 66 Ashe juniper - redberry (Pinchot) juniper 67 Mohrs (shin) oak 68 Mesquite 210 Interior Douglas-fir 220 Rocky Mountain juniper 229 Pacific Douglas-fir 233 Oregon white oak 234 Douglas-fir - tanoak - Pacific madrone 235 Cottonwood - willow 236 Bur oak 237 Interior ponderosa pine 238 Western juniper 239 Pinyon - juniper 240 Arizona cypress 241 Western live oak 242 Mesquite 243 Sierra Nevada mixed conifer 244 Pacific ponderosa pine - Douglas-fir 245 Pacific ponderosa pine 246 California black oak 249 Canyon live oak 250 Blue oak - Digger pine 255 California coast live oak SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : 101 Bluebunch wheatgrass 102 Idaho fescue 104 Antelope bitterbrush-bluebunch wheatgrass 105 Antelope bitterbrush-Idaho fescue 107 Western juniper/big sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass 109 Ponderosa pine shrubland 110 Ponderosa pine-grassland 201 Blue oak woodland 202 Coast live oak woodland 203 Riparian woodland 204 North coastal shrub 205 Coastal sage shrub 207 Scrub oak mixed chaparral 208 Ceanothus mixed chaparral 209 Montane shrubland 214 Coastal prairie 215 Valley grassland 301 Bluebunch wheatgrass-blue grama 302 Bluebunch wheatgrass-Sandberg bluegrass 304 Idaho fescue-bluebunch wheatgrass 309 Idaho fescue-western wheatgrass 310 Needle-and-thread-blue grama 311 Rough fescue-bluebunch wheatgrass 314 Big sagebrush-bluebunch wheatgrass 315 Big sagebrush-Idaho fescue 316 Big sagebrush-rough fescue 319 Bitterbrush-rough fescue 320 Black sagebrush-bluebunch wheatgrass 321 Black sagebrush-Idaho fescue 323 Shrubby cinquefoil-rough fescue 401 Basin big sagebrush 402 Mountain big sagebrush 403 Wyoming big sagebrush 405 Black sagebrush 406 Low sagebrush 408 Other sagebrush types 412 Juniper-pinyon woodland 503 Arizona chaparral 504 Juniper-pinyon pine woodland 509 Transition between oak-juniper woodland and mahogany-oak association 601 Bluestem prairie 602 Bluestem-prairie sandreed 603 Prairie sandreed-needlegrass 604 Bluestem-grama prairie 605 Sandsage prairie 606 Wheatgrass-bluestem-needlegrass 607 Wheatgrass-needlegrass 608 Wheatgrass-grama-needlegrass 609 Wheatgrass-grama 610 Wheatgrass 612 Sagebrush-grass 613 Fescue grassland 614 Crested wheatgrass 708 Bluestem-dropseed 709 Bluestem-grama 710 Bluestem prairie 711 Bluestem-sacahuista prairie 715 Grama-buffalograss 717 Little bluestem-Indiangrass-Texas wintergrass 720 Sand bluestem-little bluestem (dunes) 721 Sand bluestem-little bluestem (plains) 722 Sand sagebrush-mixed prairie 724 Sideoats grama-New Mexico feathergrass-winterfat 727 Mesquite-buffalograss 730 Sand shinnery oak 733 Juniper-oak 735 Sideoats grama-sumac-juniper HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES : In the West, Japanese brome occurs in prairie, pinyon-juniper (Pinus-Juniperus spp.), sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe, and desert shrub-grassland communities. It is most common on disturbed sites, but is also found in undisturbed communities [19,38,44]. It occasionally occurs in openings in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) or other low-elevation forest types [53]. It is uncommon in the East, where it is reported only from disturbed areas [33,59]. Plant associates are listed below by location and community type. Eastern Wyoming shortgrass prairie: Wyoming big sagebrush (A. tridentata ssp. wyomingensis), fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens), Gardner's saltbush (A. gardneri), rubber rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus), blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), threadleaf sedge (Carex filifolia), sand bluestem (Andropogon gerardii var. paucipilis), prairie Junegrass (Koeleria macrantha), needle-and-thread grass (Stipa comata), western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii), cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), and plains prickly pear (Opuntia polyacantha) [23]. Southwestern South Dakota mixed-grass prairie: western wheatgrass, red threeawn (Aristida purpurea), cheatgrass, buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides), plains silver sagebrush (Artemisia cana ssp. cana), Russian-thistle (Salsola kali), and scarlet mallow (Sphaeralcea coccinea) [10]. Central Oklahoma tallgrass prairie: big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii var. gerardii), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), and Carolina geranium (Geranium carolinianum) [2]. North-central Texas mesquite savanna: honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa), buffalo grass, sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), and Texas wintergrass (Stipa leucotricha) [37]. Mesa Verde, Colorado, pinyon-juniper woodland: annual sunflower (Helianthus annuus), pigweed (Chenopodium pratericola), wheat (Triticum aestivum), and mountain brome (Bromus carinatus). True pinyon (Pinus edulis) and Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) were adjacent to but not within this fire-disturbed community [19]. Northeastern California sagebrush steppe: medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae), cheatgrass, Columbia needlegrass (Stipa columbiana), bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), and bottlebrush squirreltail (Elymus elymoides). Basin big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata) and low sagebrush (A. arbuscula ssp. longicaulis) were adjacent to but not within this grazing-disturbed community [7]. Japanese brome was ranked as important in high-disturbance willow (Salix spp.)-zone stream channels of south-central Oklahoma [51].
SPECIES: Bromus japonicus MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : Livestock use Japanese brome heavily in fall and early spring [61,66]. It is an important and highly palatable fall diet item of white-tailed deer [77], and bison also graze it heavily in fall. Plants rapidly loose palatability as they mature [61]. Like all annuals, Japanese brome is unpredictable forage: Yields are high in wet years but low in dry years [61,66]. Wild turkey eat Japanese brome seeds [46]. PALATABILITY : Japanese brome palatability for livestock and wildlife has been rated as follows [17]: CO MT ND UT WY cattle good fair fair good fair sheep fair fair fair fair fair horses good fair fair good fair pronghorn ---- ---- poor fair ---- elk ---- ---- ---- fair ---- mule deer ---- ---- poor ---- ---- white-tailed deer ---- ---- poor ---- ---- small mammals ---- ---- ---- fair ---- upland game birds ---- ---- poor fair ---- waterfowl ---- ---- poor poor ---- NUTRITIONAL VALUE : Japanese brome rapidly decreases in nutritive content and digestibility as it matures [61]. Analysis of fresh, immature Japanese brome yielded the following data [48]: crude fiber 28.7% protein (N x 6.25) 16.1% digestible protein cattle 11.6% goats 11.6% horses 11.2% sheep 12.0% calcium 0.40% phosphorus 0.26% COVER VALUE : Japanese brome provides fair cover for small nongame birds and mammals and poor cover for upland game birds and waterfowl [17]. VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : Japanese brome is not used for reclamation, but its seeds are often present in salvaged topsoils. Its presence on reclamation sites can slow succession toward desirable perennials [4,58]. OTHER USES AND VALUES : NO-ENTRY OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Japanese brome is usually regarded as a noxious weed on rangelands and prairies because it competes with native perennials for water and nutrients [4,29,61,66]. It is reported in general literature as increasing with moderate to heavy grazing [56,61,66]. It may decrease under such grazing regimes, however. Whisenant and Uresk [74] observed that Japanese brome density in Badlands National Park, South Dakota, which is only lightly grazed, appeared much greater than in more heavily utilized adjacent rangeland. They hypothesized that litter accumulation with little or no grazing created a favorably mesic environment for Japanese brome germination and establishment. Mechanical treatments may increase, sometimes greatly, Japanese brome populations. With favorable soil moisture Japanese brome establishes wherever native vegetation is disturbed and soil nitrogen levels are temporarily increased [30]. Mowing a Kansas tallgrass prairie in August resulted in one such Japanese brome population increase [32]. Control: The best way to prevent or minimize Japanese brome invasion is to minimize soil disturbance. Where Japanese brome has already established, it can be reduced with herbicides. Atrazine is most commonly used [13,40]. A list of other pre- and postemergent herbicides effective against Japanese brome is available [79]. Discing or moldboard plowing followed by a second disking or herbicide treatment after the germination period reduced Japanese brome on the Texas Southern Great Plains [14].
SPECIES: Bromus japonicus BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : Japanese brome is an introduced, cool-season, annual grass from 8 to 48 inches (20-120 cm) tall. It sheaths are hairy; the blades are glabrous to hairy. The inflorescence is an open panicle bearing 6 to 13 caryopses [34,36,38,43,68]. Roots may be shallow [61], or surprisingly deep for an annual. Roots of plants in Lewistown, Montana, reached depths of 5 feet (150 cm), with most roots concentrated between 2.7 and 4.7 feet (80 and 140 cm) below ground. Japanese brome root density surpassed that of five other annual bromes also occurring at the site [40]. RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : Therophyte REGENERATION PROCESSES : Japanese brome reproduces entirely from seeds. The seeds require a moist substrate for germination. A heavy thatch or litter layer improves germination rates by retaining moisture [5]. Seeds germinate over a broad temperature range: from just above freezing to over 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 deg C) [5,25]. Under laboratory conditions a majority (67%) of fresh seed was immediately germinable, but under natural conditions most seeds are retained on the parent plant until late fall or winter, which delays germination [5]. Some seeds are dispersed off-site in animal hides or dung: The majority of seeds found in bison chips on the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma, were Japanese brome [11]. Other seeds fall near the parent plant [4,5]. Seeds are probably not deeply buried. In Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, Whisenant [71] found few Japanese brome seeds deeper than 1.2 inches (3 cm) below ground. Late fall- and winter-dispersed seeds undergo dormancy and need a period of afterripening the following summer before germination occurs. Most seeds therefore germinate in fall and are from the previous year's crop [5]. Fall precipitation increases successful germination, and above-average precipitation is critical when the litter layer is sparse to absent [70]. Whisenant [71] reported that Japanese brome density in Wind Cave National Park was much greater in summers that followed heavy fall rains. Winter and spring precipitation did not greatly affect Japanese brome density. A minority of seeds germinate in spring; plants growing from these seeds tend to flower later in the year, if at all [5,22,40]. Japanese brome is a prodigious seed producer [4]. The long-term viability of Japanese brome seeds is unknown, but seeds remain viable for at least several years. Soil from north-central Kentucky, collected after the germination period had passed, still contained an average concentration of 2,325 viable Japanese brome seeds per square meter [5]. Seedlings overwinter in a rosettelike growth form [5]. SITE CHARACTERISTICS : Japanese brome invades disturbed and undisturbed sites. It dominates disturbed areas in the Jackson Hole Wildlife Park, Wyoming, where it occurs on bridle paths, roadsides, gravel pits, and heavily used or burned picnic sites [55]. In other areas it is reported from site-prepared plantations [53], old prairie dog mounds [50], moderately to heavily grazed rangelands [56], and undisturbed mixed-grass prairie [72]. Japanese brome grows on soils of various textures including sand [8], silt [9], clay [7], and claypan [35]. It usually occurs on mesic sites [28,49,75]. Fine-textured soils with good litter cover promote best growth [70]. It is apparently intolerant of alkaline soils [64]. SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : Japanese brome colonizes disturbed sites [4,19]. It sometimes decreases with succession: Four years following elimination of disturbance (logging and ranching) on the University of Kansas Natural History Reserve, Japanese brome had 7.4 percent cover. Twelve years later it was present only in trace amounts. Twenty-seven years later it was absent from the community [24]. Japanese brome may persist or even dominate some late seres or climax communities, however [40,42]. Huschle and Hironaka [42] listed a Japanese brome phase of the bluebunch wheatgrass-Sandberg bluegrass (Agropyron spicatum-Poa secunda [Pseudoroegneria spicata-Poa secunda]) habitat type by the middle and lower Snake River, Idaho. SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : Japanese brome usually germinates in fall. It shows some fall vegetative growth, winter dormancy, vigorous spring vegetative growth, and late spring flowering. It fruits and dies in summer, and seeds disperse from the dead plants in fall and winter [4,5,22,71]. Overwintering Japanese brome seedlings are among the first grasses to resume growth in spring [29]. A minority of seeds germinate in spring, and flowering occurs in late summer in these plants. Spring-germinating plants in northern latitudes are usually killed by frost before seeds are ripe [71,75]. Baskin and Baskin [5] reported that in north-central Kentucky, germination occurs from early September to mid-October; flowering begins in early May; seeds ripen and plants die from late June to early July; and seeds disperse from late October until March. Frequency (%) of occurrence of phenological stages in central Oklahoma was reported as follows [2]: germinating vegetative seedling growth anthesis fruiting dissemination winter 45.8 ---- 5.0 9.2 9.2 spring ---- 51.7 13.3 ---- ---- summer ---- 15.6 4.4 43.3 42.2 autumn 1.5 ---- ---- 32.3 32.3
SPECIES: Bromus japonicus FIRE ECOLOGY
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : Except in wet years, fire tends to reduce Japanese brome populations [31]. The reduction usually lasts for only 1 or 2 years, however [31,65]. Some seed is killed by fire, but seedbank reserves, reproductive capacity, and competitive ability of Japanese brome are usually sufficient to allow for repopulation of an area within 2 years unless the site is reburned [69,72,78]. Studies conducted when precipitation was below normal reported reductions in Japanese brome populations for 2 postfire years [28,30]. Since litter accumulations are more critical for germination and seedling establishment when precipitation is low, drastic population reductions can be expected when burning is followed by below-average precipitation [71]. Fire during wet years may not reduce Japanese brome populations. Studies conducted during years of high precipitation showed no change in Japanese brome density the summer after burning [73]. Kirsch and Kruse [44] hypothesized that the successful establishment and spread of Japanese brome across the Northern Great Plains is a direct result of fire suppression: The resulting thicker surface mulch created a more mesic microenvironment for seeds and seedlings [44,72]. Japanese brome populations will probably continue to increase in the absence of fire [71]. In the Flint Hills of Kansas, for example, bluestem (Andropogon gerardii and Schizachyrium scoparium) prairie grazed and burned annually has remained in excellent condition, while prairie grazed but not burned has been invaded by Japanese brome and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratense) [3]. POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community) Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)
SPECIES: Bromus japonicus FIRE EFFECTS
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : Fire kills Japanese brome. Some of the seeds retained in panicles are also killed [28,29,69,73,78]. DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : NO-ENTRY PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : Whisenant [71] suggested that Japanese brome postfire response is best explained as a function of level of litter reduction by fire and the amount of fall precipitation following fire. Since litter accumulations are more critical for seed germination and seedling establishment in dry than wet years, populations are reduced when burning is followed by below-average precipitation. During wet years, fire has little impact on subsequent generations. A 1973 to 1975 South Dakota study showed that spring, summer, or fall burning reduced Japanese brome for two postfire growing seasons. During the study, prescribed burning was followed by 2 years of drought [28]. In another South Dakota study where prescribed fire was followed by 2 years of above average precipitation, Japanese brome densities at postfire years 1 and 2 were similar to prefire densities [72]. Whisenant and others [73] reported that Japanese brome frequency was not significantly changed in postfire year 1 by fires in September 1979, January 1980, or March 1980. In eastern Montana, spring burning reduced Japanese brome for one postfire growing season. Subsequent years were not evaluated [76]. Prescribed fire was used on a western wheatgrass-green needlegrass (Pascopyrum smithii-Stipa viridula) prairie in Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, to test Japanese brome response to fire. Treatments were fall (Sept. 18, 1973), winter (Feb. 13, 1974), and spring (April 10, 1974) burning. Japanese brome density (stems/sq ft) on May 24, 1974, was as follows [27]: Treatment | fall burn control | winter burn control | spring burn control | unburned | | 0.8 80.0 | 33.8 57.3 | 15.7 56.1 | 56.9 | Only one study was found describing Japanese brome postfire response in palouse prairie. A July 1961 wildfire in a bluebunch wheatgrass-Sandberg bluegrass stand in southeastern Washington reduced Japanese brome and cheatgrass populations for at least 2 years. Japanese brome percentage frequency was as follows [16]: unburned burned postfire yr 2 42 10 postfire yr 4 30 50 postfire yr 12 32 18 Two accounts of Japanese brome postfire response in the Southwest were found. In Mesa Verde, Colorado, Japanese brome was a component of an initial (postfire yrs 1 & 2) annual sunflower-pigweed community following a July 15 to August 7, 1959, wildfire in a true pinyon-Utah juniper (Pinus edulis-Juniperus osteosperma) woodland [19]. The spring following prescribed winter fire in a honey mesquite/Texas wintergrass woodland in Coleman County, Texas, cool-season annuals including Japanese brome were reduced by 74 percent. At postfire year 2 there was a trend toward more annual grasses on burned than unburned sites [62,6]. DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : For further information on Japanese brome response to fire, see Fire Case Studies. The Research Project Summary Understory recovery after low- and high-intensity fires in northern Idaho ponderosa pine forests provides information on prescribed fire and postfire response of plant community species including Japanese brome. FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Whisenant [72] stated that fire exclusion in northern mixed-grass prairie has improved conditions for Japanese brome establishment at the expense of native grasses. In the absence of intensive grazing, litter accumulations in northern mixed-grass prairie stabilize after 5 to 6 postfire years [1,18]. Whisenent [74] has recommended burning every 5 years or less to reduce litter accumulations. This reduces Japanese brome populations, particularly when fall precipitation is low. However, he cautions managers to balance the benefits of litter against need to reduce Japanese brome when preparing fire management plans. Benefits of litter include soil stabilization and insulation, moisture retention, and promotion of perennials [80]. Gartner and others [28] recommended burning Japanese brome in the ripe seed stage in order to maximize kill of seeds in panicles. Whisenant [70] has developed regression equations modelling Japanese brome density and seed production as affected by fire.
SPECIES: Bromus japonicus FIRE CASE STUDIES
FIRE CASE STUDY CITATION : Howard, Janet L. 1994. Prescribed Fire control of Japanese brome in Badlands National Park, South Dakota. In: Bromus japonicus. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ []. REFERENCES : Whisenant, Steven G. 1985. Effects of fire and/or atrazine on Japanese brome and western wheatgrass. Proc. Western Soc. Weed Science. 38: 169-176. [69]. Whisenant, Steven G. 1990. Postfire population dynamics of Bromus japonicus. American Midland Naturalist. 123: 301-308. [71]. Whisenant, S. G.; Bulsiewicz, W. R. 1986. Effects of prescribed burning on Japanese brome population dynamics. Proceedings of the 15th International Grassland Congress: 803-804. [72]. Whisenant, Steven G.; Uresk, Daniel W. 1990. Spring burning Japanese brome in a western wheatgrass community. Journal of Range Management. 43(3): 205-208. [74]. SEASON/SEVERITY CLASSIFICATION : Spring/Severity not measured STUDY LOCATION : The study area was in Badlands National Park in south-central South Dakota. PREFIRE VEGETATIVE COMMUNITY : The study was conducted in a stand of native shortgrass prairie in good condition. Japanese brome (Bromus japonicus) and western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii) codominated the site. Green needlegrass (Stipa viridula), sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus), threadleaf sedge (Carex filifolia), blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), and buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides) were minor components of the community. Japanese brome tiller density averaged 1,500 per square meter; western wheatgrass tiller density averaged 273 per square meter. TARGET SPECIES PHENOLOGICAL STATE : Japanese brome seedlings were 1 to 2 inches (3-5 cm) tall when the April fires were set, and 3 to 4 inches (8-10 cm) tall when the May fires were set. SITE DESCRIPTION : The mean growing season in the Park is 126 days. Annual precipitation is approximately 384 millimeters, 303 of which falls during the growing season. Average temperature is 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8.3 deg C), with temperatures rising to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 deg C) in summer and dropping to -20 degrees Fahrenheit (-29 deg C) in winter. Summer and fall relative humidity has a wide diurnal variation, ranging from 85 percent in morning to 40 percent by afternoon. Precipitation from October 1983 to July 1984 (the first year of the study) was above average, with of most of it occurring in fall. Precipitation from October 1984 to July 1985 (the second year of the study) was 61 percent of normal. Soil at the study site is Larvie silty clay (fine, montmorillonitic, mesic, vertic Camborthid). The study site was relatively undisturbed. It had never been cultivated and had not been burned or grazed by domestic livestock for at least 25 years. White-tailed deer, pronghorn, bison, and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep reside in the Park, but grazing effects were not apparent at the study site. FIRE DESCRIPTION : Fire treatments were: (1) unburned, (2) burned in April 1983, (3) burned in May 1984, (4) burned in April 1983 and April 1984, (5) burned in May 1983 and May 1984, (6) clipped in April 1983, (7) clipped in May 1983, (8) atrazine application in September 1983, (9) burned in April 1983 with atrazine application in September 1983, and (10) burned in April 1984. Environmental and fuel variables during the fires were as follows: Ambient Wind Relative Fuel Fine Date Burned Temperature Speed Humidity Moisture Fuels (deg C) (km/hr) _________%________ (g/sq m) 20 April 1983 22 6-9 40 18 211 19 May 1983 14 19-23 78 38 298 16 April 1984 14 5-23 43 28 276 9 May 1984 16 13-16 56 35 272 FIRE EFFECTS ON TARGET SPECIES : Japanese brome tiller density and standing crop were significantly reduced the first year after the 1984 fires. Tiller density and standing crop were not significantly reduced the second postfire year. Burning resulted in greater reductions than did clipping, indicating that mortality resulted from heat rather than simply foliage removal. Atrazine applied as a preemergent herbicide significantly reduced Japanese brome density. In July 1984, Japanese brome density and standing crop were as follows: Treatment Treatment Number Density Standing Crop (tillers/sq m) (g/sq m) ___________________________________________________________________________ Control vs. 1 2,617 14.8 1983 fire 2 2,028 NS 19.9 NS Control vs. 1 2,617 14.8 1984 fire 3,10 23** 0.7* Control vs. 1 2,617 14.8 1983 & 1984 fires 4,5 580** 4.7* 1984 fire vs. 3,10 23 0.7 1983 & 1984 fires 4,5 580** 4.7 NS Control vs. 1 2,617 14.8 atrazine application 8 19** 0.0* 1983 clipping vs. 6,7 3,250 24.7 1983 fire 2 2,028* 19.9 NS 1983 fire vs. 2 2,028 19.9 1984 fire 3,10 23** 0.7** 1983 fire followed by atrazine application vs. 9 19 1.5 atrazine application 8 77 NS 0.0 NS atrazine application vs. 8 19 0.0 1984 fire 3,10 23 NS 0.7 NS ___________________________________________________________________________ NS means contrast is not significant; * means P<0.05; ** means P<0.01 Japanese brome densities in the spring were positively correlated with litter weight and autumn precipitation. As precipitation decreased, litter became more important. Burning reduced seed production for at least three growing seasons. Seed production in 1984 and 1985 was greatest in controls and lowest in recently burned plots. In 1986, seed production was reduced in plots burned in 1984 but not in untreated plots or those burned in 1983. Litter seedbanks were reduced when precipitation was below normal. The litter seedbank was reduced drastically after the combination of drought and fire in 1985. Reduction in the litter seedbanks on burned sites lasted for 3 years. The soil seedbank was also reduced for 3 years, but the reduction was less drastic. Japanese brome seedling density and seedbank reserves, measured in July, were as follows: _______________________________________________________________________________ Seed production (per sq m) Control Burned April 1983 Burned April 1984 1983 73,160 a 1,620 b 67,815 a 1984 94,212 a 46,644 b 368 c 1985 1,410 a 785 b 375 c 1986 31,584 a 29,911 a 12,208 b 1987 30,416 a 27,897 a 38,157 a Litter seedbank (per sq m) 1984 12,460 a 11,775 a 700 b 1985 187 a 112 b 18 c 1986 6,712 a 263 b 89 b 1987 7,914 a 869 b 475 b Surface soil seedbank (per sq m) 1984 11,852 a 10,760 a 11,512 a 1985 7,859 a 6,923 ab 5,754 b 1986 4,587 a 3,712 a 2,251 b 1987 6,810 a 2,861 b 2,551 b Seedling density (per sq m), measured in April 1983 2,738 a 2,299 a 2,516 a 1984 2,287 a 2,417 a 2,381 a 1985 578 a 554 a 72 b 1986 990 a 523 b 65 c 1987 2,114 a 1,847 a 1,710 a ______________________________________________________________________________ Means within a row followed by the same letter are not significantly different from each other at P=0.05 FIRE MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS : Fire that reduces litter accumulations reduces the next generation of Japanese brome. Carryover of Japanese brome in the seedbank is usually sufficient to establish subsequent generations. As water becomes more limiting, litter becomes increasingly important in determining the size of Japanese brome populations.
SPECIES: Bromus japonicus REFERENCES
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