Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-2xdlg Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-07T07:19:58.608Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Invasive Species Control Optimization as a Dynamic Spatial Process: An Application to Buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) in Arizona

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

İ. Esra Büyüktahtakin ,
Zhuo Feng ,
Aaryn D. Olsson ,
George Frisvold  and
Ferenc Szidarovszky
İ. Esra Büyüktahtakin*
Affiliation:
Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS 67260-0035
Zhuo Feng
Affiliation:
Computer Science and Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287
Aaryn D. Olsson
Affiliation:
School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011
George Frisvold
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0023
Ferenc Szidarovszky
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Pécs, H-7624 Pécs, Hungary
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: esra.b@wichita.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) is a fire-prone, African bunchgrass spreading rapidly across the southern Arizona desert. This article introduces a model that simulates buffelgrass spread over a gridded landscape over time to evaluate strategies to control this invasive species. Weed-carrying capacity, treatment costs, and damages vary across grid cells. Damage from buffelgrass depends on its density and proximity to valued resources. Damages include negative effects on native species (through spatial competition) and increased fire risk to land and buildings. We evaluate recommended “rule of thumb” control strategies in terms of their ability to prevent weed establishment in newly infested areas and to reduce damage indices over time. Two such strategies—potential damage weighting and consecutive year treatment—used in combination, provided significant improvements in long-term control over no control and over a strategy of minimizing current damages in each year. Results suggest specific recommendations for deploying rapid-response teams to prevent establishment in new areas. The long-run population size and spatial distribution of buffelgrass is sensitive to the priority given to protecting different resources. Land managers with different priorities may pursue quite different control strategies, posing a challenge for coordinating control across jurisdictions.

Keywords

Buffelgrass, Pennisetum ciliare (L.) LinkBiological invasionbuffelgrassdynamic spatial processesenvironmental studiesinteger programminginvasive speciesland managementoptimal control
Type
Research Article
Information
Invasive Plant Science and Management , Volume 7 , Issue 1 , March 2014 , pp. 132 - 146
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Literature Cited

Betancourt, JL (2007) From fireproof desert to flammable grassland: buffelgrass invasion in the Sonoran Desert. EOS Trans 88(52) Abstract B34A-02. in Proceedings of the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union. Tucson, AZ AGU Google Scholar
Bowers, JE, Bean, TM, Turner, RM (2006) Two decades of change and distribution of exotic plants at the Desert Laboratory, Tucson, Arizona. Madroño 53:252–263 Google Scholar
Burquez-Montijo, A, Miller, ME, Martinez-Yrizar, A (2002) Mexican grasslands, thornscrub, and the transformation of the Sonoran Desert by invasive exotic buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare). Pages 126–146 in Tellman, B, ed. Invasive Exotic Species in the Sonoran Region. Tucson University of Arizona Press and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Google Scholar
Büyüktahtakin, IE, Feng, Z, Frisvold, G, Szidarovszky, F (2013) Invasive species control based on a cooperative game. Appl Math 4:54–59 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Büyüktahtakin, IE, Feng, Z, Olsson, AD, Frisvold, G, Szidarovszky, F (2011) A dynamic model of controlling invasive species. Comput Math Appl 6(9):3326–3333 Google Scholar
Cacho, O, Wise, R, Hester, S, Sinned, J (2004) Weed Invasions: To Control or Not to Control? Biddeford, ME University of New England Working Paper Series in Agricultural and Resource Economics 2004-14Google Scholar
Clarke, PJ, Latz, PK, Albrecht, DE (2005) Long-term changes in semi-arid vegetation: Invasion of an exotic perennial grass has larger effects than rainfall variability. J Veg Sci 16:237–248 Google Scholar
Clinton, WJ (1999) Executive Order 13112 of February 3, 1999: Invasive Species. Fed Regist 64(25):6183 Google Scholar
Epanchin-Niell, RS, Wilen, J (2012) Optimal spatial control of biological invasions. J Environ Econ Manag 63(2):260–270 Google Scholar
Esque, TC, Schwalbe, CR, Haines, DF, Halvorson, WL (2004) Saguaros under siege: invasive species and fire. Desert Plants 20:49–55 Google Scholar
Frid, L, Holcombe, T, Morisette, JT, Olsson, AD, Brigham, L, Bean, T, Betancourt, JL, Bryan, K (2013) Using state and transition simulation modeling to account for imperfect detection in invasive species management. Invasive Plant Sci Manag 6(1):36–47 Google Scholar
Frid, L, Wilmshurst, JF (2009) Decision analysis to evaluate control strategies for crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum) in Grasslands National Park of Canada. Invasive Plant Sci Manag 2:324–336 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grimsrud, KM, Chermak, JM, Hansen, J, Thacher, JA, Krause, K (2008) A two-agent dynamic model with an invasive weed diffusion externality: an application to yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis L.) in New Mexico. J Environ Manage 89:322–335 Google Scholar
Halvorson, WL, Guertin, P (2003) USGS Weeds in the West Project: Status of Introduced Plants in Southern Arizona Parks: Factsheet for Pennisetum ciliare (L.). Tucson, AZ U.S. Geological Survey/Southwest Biological Science Center. http://www.buffelgrass.org/sites/default/files/pennfacts.pdf. Accessed April 9, 2013Google Scholar
Hunter, M (2011) Assessment and Guidelines for Determining Effectiveness and Longevity of Buffelgrass Treatments in Southern Arizona: Report to Saguaro National Park.http://cpcesu.nau.edu/current/documents/NAU335FinalReport.pdf. Accessed July 22, 2013Google Scholar
Jackson, J (2005) Is there a relationship between herbaceous species richness and buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris)? Austral Ecol 30:505–517 Google Scholar
Jetter, KM, DiTomaso, JM, Drake, DJ, Klonsky, KM, Pitcairn, MJ, Sumner, DA (2003) Biological control of yellow starthistle. Pages 225–241 in Sumner, DA, ed. Exotic Pests and Diseases: Biology and Economics for Biosecurity. Ames, IA Iowa State University Press Google Scholar
Levin, SA, Muller-Landau, HC, Nathan, R, Chave, J (2003) The ecology and evolution of seed dispersal: a theoretical perspective. Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst 34:575–604 Google Scholar
Martin, B, Hanna, D, Korb, N, Frid, L (2007) Decision analysis of alternative invasive weed management strategies for three Montana landscapes. Vancouver, BC ESSA Technologies, Helena, MT: Nature Conservancy 34 pGoogle Scholar
McDonald, CJ, McPherson, GR (2011) Fire behavior characteristics of buffelgrass-fueled fires and native plant community composition in invaded patches. J Arid Environ 75:1147–1154 Google Scholar
McDonald, CJ, McPherson, GR (2013) Creating hotter fires in the Sonoran Desert: buffelgrass produces copious fuels and high fire temperatures. Fire Ecol 9(2):26–39 Google Scholar
Moody, ME, Mack, RN (1988) Controlling the spread of plant invasions: the importance of nascent foci. J Appl Ecol 25:1009–1021 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nemhauser, GL, Wolsey, LA (1988) Integer and Combinatorial Optimization. New York J. Wiley. Pp. 355–367 Google Scholar
[NISC] National Invasive Species Council. (2001) Meeting the Invasive Species Challenge: National Invasive Species Management Plan. Washington, DC NISC Google Scholar
Olsson, AD, Betancourt, JL, Crimmins, MA, Marsh, SE (2012) Constancy of local spread rates for buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare L.) in the Arizona upland of the Sonoran Desert. J Arid Environ 87:136–143 Google Scholar
Rogstad, A, ed. (2008) Southern Arizona Buffelgrass Strategic Plan: A Regional Guide for Control, Mitigation, and Restoration. Tucson, AZ Buffelgrass Working Group. 204 pGoogle Scholar
Rogstad, A, Bean, TM, Olsson, AD, Casady, GM (2006) Fire and invasive species management in hot deserts: resources, strategies, tactics, and response. Rangelands 31:6–13 Google Scholar
Smith, M, Sanchirico, J, Wilen, J (2009) The economics of spatial-dynamic processes: applications to renewable resources. J Environ Econ Manag 57:104–121 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stevens, J, Falk, DA (2009) Can buffelgrass invasions be controlled in the American Southwest? using invasion ecology theory to understand buffelgrass success and develop comprehensive restoration and management. Ecol Restor 27:417–427 Google Scholar
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. (2010) Losing Ground: the War on Buffelgrass in the Sonoran Desert: Oversight Field Hearing. 111th Congress. April 10, 2010, Serial 111-50. Tucson, AZ Committee on Natural Resources Google Scholar
Wadsworth, RA, Collingham, YC, Willis, SG, Huntley, B, Hulme, PE (2000) Simulating the spread and management of alien riparian weeds: are they out of control? J Appl Ecol 37(Suppl1):28–38 Google Scholar
Wilen, JE (2007) Economics of spatial-dynamic processes. Am J Agric Econ 89:1134–1144 Google Scholar
Wolsey, LA (1998) Integer Programming. New York Wiley-Interscience. 6 pGoogle Scholar