Cheatgrass, a winter annual native of western Europe, has many negative effects on native plant species. It also speeds the spread and frequency of wildfires on rangelands. The cheatgrass invasion is propelled by overgrazing and fire. The diverse landscape of shrub-perennial grass steppe is transforming to annual grassland dominated by a single species. This transformation may alter a myriad of ecosystem functions, as cheatgrass growth patterns and rapid distribution across rangelands redistribute water and other physical resources.
Energy flux is the rate at which energy flows.
In a way, plants sweat like people do. Specifically, the scientists aim to explore how post-fire replacement of sagebrush communities by cheatgrass alters the spatial and temporal patterns of evapotranspiration and soil moisture. The focus is on water because of its overriding control on reestablishment of native vegetation and other biogeochemical processes. The grass communities established after fire in 1984, and the Bureau of Land Management planted crested wheatgrass in a portion of the burn as part of a reclamation effort. This study will provide the first comprehensive view of how the invasion of an exotic grass has altered the hydrology of western Great Basin sagebrush communities.