Shifts in plant species elevational range limits and abundances observed over nearly five decades in a western North America mountain range

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher W. Kopp ◽  
Elsa E. Cleland
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Range Limits ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Western North America ◽  
Elevational Range

Using native annual plants to restore post-fire habitats in western North America

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Herron ◽  
Jayne L. Jonas ◽  
Paul J. Meiman ◽  
Mark W. Paschke
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Slight Reduction ◽  
Annual Plant ◽  
Western North America ◽  
Perennial Plant ◽  
Seed Mixture ◽  
Annual Plant Species ◽  
Seed Mixtures

Increasing fire frequencies and uncharacteristic severe fires have created a need for improved restoration methods across rangelands in western North America. Traditional restoration seed mixtures of native perennial mid- to late-seral plant species may not be suitable for intensely burned sites that have been returned to an early-seral condition. Under such conditions, native annual plant species are likely to be more successful at becoming established and competing with exotic annual plant species, such as Bromus tectorum L., for resources. We used a field study in Colorado and Idaho, USA, to test the hypothesis that native annual plant species are better suited to post-fire restoration efforts compared with perennial plant species that are commonly used in traditional seed mixtures. Replicated test plots at three post-fire sites were assigned one of four treatments: (1) native annual seed mixture, (2) standard perennial seed mixture, (3) combination of annual and perennial and (4) an unseeded control. Seeding native annuals with perennials resulted in a slight reduction in exotic plant cover, suggesting that it is potentially beneficial to include native annual plant species in restoration seed mixtures.

Cladosporium herbarum Causes a Leaf Spot on Marshmarigold in Western North America

2008 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis A. Johnson ◽  
Guillermo Pimentel ◽  
Frank M. Dugan
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Leaf Spot ◽  
Western North America ◽  
Wet Meadows ◽  
Mountain Ranges ◽  
Saprophytic Fungus ◽  
Cladosporium Herbarum ◽  
Cascade Mountain

Caltha leptosepala ssp. howellii and Caltha leptosepala ssp. leptosepala (marshmarigold, Ranunculaceae) inhabit stream banks and wet meadows in the northern Rocky and Cascade mountain ranges of North America. Cladosporium herbarum (anamorphic Davidiellaceae) is a cosmopolitan saprophytic fungus and epiphyte that can invade senescing tissues of many plants, induce disease in ripe fruits of some plant species, and occupy other diverse environments. Instances of biotypes of C. herbarum specialized to cause disease on a given host are rare. This study reports a biotype of C. herbarum that caused disease on C. leptosepala. The name Cladosporium leaf spot is proposed for this disease. Accepted for publication 14 September 2008. Published 21 November 2008.

Serpentine Vegetation of Western North America

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Earl B. Alexander ◽  
Roger G. Coleman ◽  
Todd Keeler-Wolfe ◽  
Susan P. Harrison
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Day Length ◽  
Plant Species Composition ◽  
Western North America ◽  
North American Continent ◽  
Serpentine Vegetation

As discussed in chapter 11, the general patterning of vegetation on serpentine up and down the western North American continent is relatively straightforward. However, many of the distinctive nuances relating to the structure and composition of the vegetation, particularly in comparison to adjacent nonserpentine vegetation have yet to be described. In this chapter we use vegetation as a tool to describe the variation of biotic diversity on serpentine throughout western North America. Vegetation is valuable in this regard because, by describing it, one assembles the information on all plants growing in different patterns in a landscape. This chapter expands on some of the concepts mentioned in chapter 11 and addresses some of the specific questions of interest to ecologists and biologists regarding the influence of serpentine on groups of plant species, using examples from western North America. Western North America provides an excellent template for understanding general questions about serpentine effects on species and vegetation. The broad latitudinal distribution and the local topographic and geologic diversity of serpentine exposures throughout this area produce an array of gradients of temperature, moisture, soil development, disturbance patterns, and day length to produce multiple ecological gradients operating at multiple scales. Also, within western North America a wide number of species from many different genera and families are influenced by serpentine. Vegetation classification is a tool used for several purposes, including efficient communication, data reduction and synthesis, interpretation, and land management and planning. Classifications provide one way of summarizing our knowledge of vegetation patterns. Although there are many different classification concepts, all classifications require the identification of a set of discrete vegetation classes. The fundamental unit of these discrete classes that is identifiable in the field is the stand. A stand is defined by two main unifying characteristics (CNPS 2003): 1. It has compositional integrity. Throughout the site, the combination of plant species is similar. The stand is differentiated from adjacent stands by a shift in plant species composition that may be abrupt or indistinct. That shift relates to a concomitant shift in certain ecological features such as temperature, moisture, or soil fertility that maintain control over the plant species composition.

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