Data product for "Role of a native legume in facilitating native vs. invasive species in sagebrush steppe before and after fire"

We conducted a field experiment near Reno, Nevada to determine if the native legume, Lupinus argenteus, is able to facilitate seedling establishment in an unburned and burned community in sagebrush steppe. We chose six treatments to identify specific mechanisms by which L. argenteus potentially influences establishment and community composition: 1) live lupine; 2) dead lupine; 3) no lupine; 4) no lupine with lupine litter; 5) no lupine with inert litter; and 6) mock lupine. We examined burn and treatment effects on environmental variables (soil nutrient availability, soil moisture, temperature, and light), overall community composition, and seedling establishment of the native perennial grass Elymus multisetus, native perennial forb, Eriogonum umbellatum, and non-native invasive annual grass, Bromus tectorum.
In arid and semi-arid ecosystems, resources are spatially and temporally heterogeneous, leading to differential seedling recruitment over time. Interactions among seedlings and existing vegetation also influence seedling establishment, particularly if existing vegetation improves conditions experienced by seedlings. The degree of benefit received and the facilitative mechanisms involved, if any, depend upon species life histories and ecophysiological characteristic, and may differ significantly for native versus invasive species. We asked if a native legume, Lupinus argenteus, facilitates seedling establishment of native versus invasive species, and the potential mechanisms involved, in unburned and burned sagebrush steppe. Our results indicate that modification of the resource environment by native L. argenteus can increase plant establishment and growth of the native and non-native study species, but higher establishment and growth rates give the non-native, B. tectorum, a greater advantage.
Original metadata date was 05/14/2009. Metadata modified on 02/07/2011 to adjust citation to include the addition of a DOI (digital object identifier). Minor changes made to metadata on 05/06/2013 when this data publication became available through R&D Data Archive. Minor metadata updates on 12/20/2016.