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Enhanced Fire-Related Traits May Contribute to the Invasiveness of Downy Brome (Bromus tectorum)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Annamária Fenesi ,
Sandra Saura-Mas ,
Robert R. Blank ,
Anita Kozma ,
Beáta-Magdolna Lózer  and
Eszter Ruprecht
Annamária Fenesi*
Affiliation:
Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Republicii street 42, RO-400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Sandra Saura-Mas
Affiliation:
Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications and Unit of Ecology, Department of Animal and Plant Biology and Ecology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
Robert R. Blank
Affiliation:
U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service, Great Basin Rangelands Research Unit, 920 Valley Road, Reno, NV 89512
Anita Kozma
Affiliation:
Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Republicii street 42, RO-400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Beáta-Magdolna Lózer
Affiliation:
Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Republicii street 42, RO-400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Eszter Ruprecht
Affiliation:
Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Republicii street 42, RO-400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: fenesi.annamaria@gmail.com
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Abstract

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Although several invasive species have induced changes to the fire regime of invaded communities, potential intraspecific shifts in fire-related traits that might enhance the invasion success of these species have never been addressed. We assumed that traits conferring persistence and competitiveness in postfire conditions to downy brome, a quintessential invasive species of the Great Basin (North America), might be under selection in areas with recurrent fires. Therefore, we hypothesized that populations from frequently burned regions of the Great Basin would have (1) greater tolerance to fire at seed level, (2) higher relative seedling performance in postfire environments, and (3) greater flammability than unburned Central European populations that evolved without fire. Seeds were collected from three introduced populations from frequently burned regions in North America and three introduced populations of rarely or never burned sites from Central Europe. We performed (1) germination experiments with seeds subjected to the effect of different fire components (heat shocks, smoke, flame, ash), (2) pot experiments analyzing the effect of postfire conditions on the early growth of the seedlings, and (3) a series of flammability tests on dry biomass of plants reared in a common garden. All seeds tolerated the low-temperature treatments (40 to 100 C), but were destroyed at high heat shocks (140 and 160 C). Only the 100 C heat treatment caused a difference in reaction of seeds from different continents, as the European seeds were less tolerant to this heat shock. We found significantly increased seedling height and biomass after 4 wk of growth under postfire conditions in American populations, but not in European ones. American populations had enhanced flammability in three out of five measured parameters compared to European populations. In summary, these intraspecific differences in fire-related traits might contribute to the persistence and perhaps invasiveness of the frequently burned North American downy brome populations.

Keywords

Downy bromeBromus tectorum L. BROTECheatgrassgerminationheat shockignitabilityinvasion
Type
Research Article
Information
Invasive Plant Science and Management , Volume 9 , Issue 3 , September 2016 , pp. 182 - 194
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 Weed Science Society of America 

References

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