Article
Cover-based allometric estimate of aboveground biomass of a non-native, invasive annual grass (Bromus tectorum L.) in the Great Basin, USA Public Deposited
- Abstract
Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) presence in the Great Basin is associated with an increase in fire frequency and
size, likely due to increased spatial continuity of fine fuel biomass. Measurements of the extent and cover of
cheatgrass are steadily improving, but the strength of the relationship between cover and aboveground biomass
(AGB) is unclear. An allometric equation that can reliably convert cover to AGB of cheatgrass would allow for
improved incorporation of regional estimates of cover into models of fire activity, carbon storage, and net pri
mary productivity, all of which rely on biomass. We measured cover and AGB of cheatgrass at 60 locations in the
north-central Great Basin and used these measurements to model the relationship. We found a strong, linear
relationship between the percent cover and AGB, which was improved after square root transformation of both
cover and AGB, and after incorporating the number of days after peak NDVI that the biomass and cover were
measured. These results show that AGB of cheatgrass can be reliably estimated from cover. It is likely that
allometric equations based on cover will be effective for other grass species, but care must be taken to account for
phenology (e.g., peak NDVI) in the estimation.
- Creator
- Date Issued
- 2021-09-17
- Academic Affiliation
- Journal Title
- Journal Volume
- 193
- Last Modified
- 2021-09-17
- Related URL
- Resource Type
- Rights Statement
- DOI
- Peer Reviewed
- Language
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Mahood_et_al_2021_Journal_of_Arid_Environments.pdf | 2021-09-17 | Public | Download |