Invasive Plant Cover in the Mojave Desert, 2009 - 2013 (ver. 2.0, April 2021)

We assessed the impacts of co-occurring invasive plant species on fire regimes and postfire native communities in the Mojave Desert, western USA by analyzing the distribution and co-occurrence patterns of three invasive annual grasses known to alter fuel conditions and community structure: Red Brome (Bromus rubens), Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), and Mediterranean grass (Schismus spp.: Schismus arabicus and Schismus barbatus), and an invasive forb, red stemmed filaree (Erodium cicutarium) which can dominate postfire sites. The data provide the geographic location and abundance (percent cover) of the four invasive taxa throughout the Mojave Desert. We developed species distribution models (SDMs) for each of the four taxa and analyzed field plot data to assess the relationship between invasives and fire frequency, years postfire, and the impacts on postfire native herbaceous diversity. These data support the following publication: Underwood, E.C., Klinger, R.C. and Brooks M.L., 2019, Effects of invasive plants on fire regimes and postfire vegetation diversity in an arid ecosystem, Ecology and Evolution, 00:1-15. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5650

本研究以美国西部莫哈韦沙漠为研究区域，评估了伴生入侵植物物种对火灾格局及火烧后本土群落的影响。研究通过解析三种已知可改变燃料条件与群落结构的入侵一年生草本的分布与伴生格局开展相关分析，这三种草本分别为：红雀麦（Red Brome, Bromus rubens）、旱雀麦（Cheatgrass, Bromus tectorum）以及地中海草（Schismus spp.：阿拉伯裂稃草Schismus arabicus和巴巴多斯裂稃草Schismus barbatus）；此外还纳入一种可在火烧后位点占据优势的入侵阔叶草本（forb）——红茎牻牛儿苗（red stemmed filaree, Erodium cicutarium）。本数据集包含莫哈韦沙漠全境四种入侵类群的地理坐标与多度（盖度百分比）数据。我们为四类入侵类群分别构建了物种分布模型（species distribution models, SDMs），并通过分析野外样地数据，探究了入侵物种与火灾发生频率、火烧后年限之间的关联，及其对火烧后本土草本植物多样性的影响。本数据集支撑如下已发表学术论文：Underwood, E.C.、Klinger, R.C. 与 Brooks M.L. 于2019年发表于《Ecology and Evolution》的《Effects of invasive plants on fire regimes and postfire vegetation diversity in an arid ecosystem》，卷00，页码1-15，DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5650