How to translate text using browser tools
1 July 2004 Effects of Invasive Alien Plants on Fire Regimes
MATTHEW L. BROOKS, CARLA M. D'ANTONIO, DAVID M. RICHARDSON, JAMES B. GRACE, JON E. KEELEY, JOSEPH M. DiTOMASO, RICHARD J. HOBBS, MIKE PELLANT, DAVID PYKE
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Plant invasions are widely recognized as significant threats to biodiversity conservation worldwide. One way invasions can affect native ecosystems is by changing fuel properties, which can in turn affect fire behavior and, ultimately, alter fire regime characteristics such as frequency, intensity, extent, type, and seasonality of fire. If the regime changes subsequently promote the dominance of the invaders, then an invasive plant–fire regime cycle can be established. As more ecosystem components and interactions are altered, restoration of preinvasion conditions becomes more difficult. Restoration may require managing fuel conditions, fire regimes, native plant communities, and other ecosystem properties in addition to the invaders that caused the changes in the first place. We present a multiphase model describing the interrelationships between plant invaders and fire regimes, provide a system for evaluating the relative effects of invaders and prioritizing them for control, and recommend ways to restore pre-invasion fire regime properties.

MATTHEW L. BROOKS, CARLA M. D'ANTONIO, DAVID M. RICHARDSON, JAMES B. GRACE, JON E. KEELEY, JOSEPH M. DiTOMASO, RICHARD J. HOBBS, MIKE PELLANT, and DAVID PYKE "Effects of Invasive Alien Plants on Fire Regimes," BioScience 54(7), 677-688, (1 July 2004). https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2004)054[0677:EOIAPO]2.0.CO;2
Published: 1 July 2004
JOURNAL ARTICLE
12 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
disturbance
Fire frequency
fire intensity
Fuel
nonnative plants
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top