Scale, ecosystem resilience, and fire in shortgrass steppe Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Ford, Paulette Louise Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 24/09/2021 11:36:36 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/289192 INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. 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Ann Artx>r, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 SCALE, ECOSYSTEM RESILIENCE, AND FIRE IN SHORTGRASS STEPPE by Pauiette Louise Ford Copyright ® Pauiette Louise Ford 2000 A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF RENEWABLE NATURAL RESOURCES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY WITH A MAJOR IN RENEWABLE NATURAL RESOURCE STUDIES In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2000 UMI Number 9983915 Copyright 2000 by Ford, Paulette Louise All rights reserved. UMI^ UMI Microform9983915 Copyright 2000 by Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microfonm edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA ® GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have PAULETTE LOUISE FORD read the dissertation prepared by______________________________________ ___ SCALE, ECOSYSTEM RESILIENCE, AND FIRE IN SHORTGRASS STEPPE entitled ------------------------------------------------------------------ and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY requirement for the Degree of Mitchel P. McClaran I ~DeborahvDf47:e< M. < k1Finch Robert H. Robichaux Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copy of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. 'ftdL/GL I Dissertation Director 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge the many students, professors, colleagues, technicians, interns, and support staff of the Rocky Mountain Research Station, Kiowa National Grassland, Cibola National Forest, University of New Mexico, and University of Arizona, who provided me with encouragement and support. I would like to acknowledge in particular my supervisor and mentor, Deborah M. Finch, for her constant support, both financially and emotionally, and for being a wonderful role model; Mitchel P. McClaran for caring enough to be my major advisor; James H. Brown for the example you set for excellence in ecology, and for your support over the many years; Robert H. Robichaux and Malcolm J. Zwolinski for serving on my committee; and Mary Soltero for your counsel and friendship. I also thank Dale Brockway; Rudy King, Ed Bedrick, Bob Dana, Joyce Van deWater, Sandra Brantley, Richard Fagerlund ,David Lightfoot; Gordon Johnson; Jeff Kelly, Nora Altamirano, Carmen Gallegos, Roberta Montoya, and my many friends. I thank my dog Angel for always being there for me. I thank my family for loving me and being proud of me. Especially my parents James and Shirley, and my grandmother Jessie, for always expecting the best from me, and my siblings, Suzette, Amber, Sam, and Morgan, for keeping me grounded. Primarily, I thank my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, for being my Rock and my Refuge, and for directing my path. Amen! 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 7 LIST OF TABLES 8 ABSTRACT 10 INTRODUCTION 12 Fire as a Management Tool 13 Grassland History, Fire Frequency and Season 15 Scale and Ecosystem Resilience 18 Shortgrass Steppe and Fire 20 Fire Effects on Ecosystem Components of Shortgrass Steppe 21 Microbiotic Crusts 21 Buffalograss and Blue grama 23 Arthropods and Small Mammals 26 Research Objectives, Questions, and Theoretical Hypotheses 31 STUDY AREA 33 Site Description 33 Soil and Vegetation 34 METHODS 39 Experimental Design and Fire Treatments 39 Ground Cover 42 Microbiotic Crusts 42 Arthropods 45 Small Mammals 46 Statistics 47 RESULTS 49 Fire Treatments 49 Ground Cover 49 Microbiotic Crust 49 Grass 54 Herbaceous Dicot (Live/Dead), Shrub, Cactus 55 Bare Ground 55 Litter 61 Arthropods 61 Small Mammals 64 DISCUSSION 86 6 Appendix A. PRIMARY LITERATURE: BUFFALCXjRASS (BUCHLOE DACTYLOIDES) AND BLUE GRAMA {BOUTELOUA GRACIUS) RESPONSE TO FIRE 101 Appendix B. INFITAL PLANT SURVEY: EXPERIMENTAL FIRE RESEARCH SITE, KIOWA NATIONAL GRASSLAND, UNION COUNTY, NEW MEXICO 1995 113 Appendix C. SURFACE-ACTIVE ARTHROPOD SPECIES COLLECTED FROM EXPERIMENTAL FIRE RESEARCH SITE, KIOWA NATIONAL GRASSLAND, UNION COUNTY, NEW MEXICO 1996-1998 121 LITERATURE CITED 143 7 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. New Mexico Grasslands 36 2. Buffalograss, fiwc/i/oe i/acty/oif/ej NutL 37 3. Blue grama, Bouteloua gracilis (H.B.K.) Lag 38 4. Experimental Fire Treatment 41 5. Study Site: Post-treatment, August 1997 50 6. Absolute ground cover (%): total number of hits per ground cover category /500 hits. Categories include grass, bare ground, litter, microbioitc crust, and other (herbaceous dicot live/dead, shrub, cactus) 51 7. Study Site: Conyza canadensis Cronquist, October 1999 59 8. Overall relative abundance (%): total number of individuals per sfjecies compared to the total number of individuals of all species combined. Species include Onychomys leucogaster (Wied-Neuwied) (ONLE), Reithrodontomys montanus (Baird) (REMO), Spermophilus tridecemlineatus J.A. Allen (SPTR), and other (Peromyscus maniculatus (Wagner), Sigmodon hispidus Say and Ord, Dipodomys ordii Woodhouse, Perognathus flavus Baird,Chaetodipus hispidus Baird, Mus musculus Linnaeus) 85 8 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. MULTTEST comparison of microbiotic crust cover between fire treatments and within time periods 52 2. Mean microbiotic crust acetylene reduction (reported as nanomoles ethylene/cm^/h) by treatment and period, and estimated nitrogen fixation rate. Calculation of grams nitrogen/ha/h assumes complete coverage by the microbiotic crust 57 3. MULTTEST comparison of grass cover between fire treatments and within time periods 58 4. MULTTEST comparison of bare ground between fire treatments and within time periods 60 5. MULTTEST comparison of litter cover between fire treatments and within time periods 62 6. Beetle (Coleoptera) families and associated trophic groups from Kiowa National Grassland Experimental Fire Research Study Site Period I (March 1997) and Period 4 (July-October 1998) 65 7. Beetle absolute and relative abundance (%); total number of individuals per species compared to the total number of individuals of all species combined 68 8. Trophic group absolute and relative abundance (%): total number of individuals per trophic group compared to the total number of individuals of all trophic groups combined 69 9. MULTTEST comparison of beetle (Coleoptera) abundance (# individuals) between fire treatments, and within time periods 70 10. MULTTEST comparison of beetle (Coleoptera) richness (# species) between fire treatments, and within time periods 71 9 11. MULTTEST comparison of Carpophilus lugubris (dusky sap beetle) abundance between fire treatments, and within time periods 72 12. MULTTEST comparison of Agrypnus rectangularis (click beetle) abundance between fire treatments and within time periods 73 13. MULTTEST comparison of Carabidae, Scarabaeidae, and Tenebrionidae abundance between fire