Sagehen exclosure: A history of bitterbrush reproduction
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Authors: R. R. Kindschy
Date: 1987
Journal: Rangelands
Volume: 9
Number: 3
Pages: 113-114
Summary of Methods: Bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) is one of the more valuable browse forages for both livestock and big game animals in the Great Basin area. Two factors, livestock grazing and weather, appear to have interacted to enable the expansion of bitterbrush into potentially suitable habitat. The lesser extent of reproduction within the exclosure was most likely due to the excessive competition from well-established perennial vegetation. The two observed reproductive events of bitterbrush at the Sagehen exclosure site suggest that major reproduction of bitterbrush through seedling establishment occurs only when both weather and seedbed conditions are favorable. Survival of seedlings requires continued favorable weather and low utilization levels from herbivores such as deer, rodents, and domestic livestock. Resultant stands of bitterbrush tend to be even-aged with little subsequent reproduction- until the next favorable cycle.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Peer Reviewed
Article Type: Documented Case History
Keywords: sagehen exclosure, bitterbrush, purshia tridentata, sage grouse, grazing, plant reproduction
Annotation: Grazing intensity is not specified.
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