Research Task: 3213B7F.4.3
Task Manager: Jonathan Friedman
In the dry interior of western North America, riparian cottonwood, willow, and other native species are being replaced by invasive non-native shrubs and trees. The most abundant invasive, tamarisk, has become the dominant riparian woody species in the southwestern U.S. This change in riparian woody species composition has been associated with loss of plant diversity, degradation of animal habitat, decreased channel conveyance, and increased water loss from evapotranspiration. Task goals are to determine the importance of cold temperatures in limiting expansion of invasive trees in the western U.S. and to develop indices for predicting site susceptibility to invasion. FORT scientists will address these issues by (1) planting a "common garden" of tamarisk and cottonwood specimens from 15 sites throughout the West and testing the specimens for cold-hardiness as this relates to species, time of year, climate of origin, and genetic variability; and (2) developing a model of factors controlling distribution of western riparian invasive species in order to predict shifts in their distribution resulting from changes in climate and land management.
For more information contact Jonathan Friedman
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.fort.usgs.gov/Research/research_tasks.asp
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