• FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS
• POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY

FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS:

Broom snakeweed, a weak-sprouting perennial, is severely damaged by fire [9]. Plants sometimes sprout but are more typically killed by fire [45]. Reestablishment proceeds rapidly through light, wind-dispersed seed from adjacent unburned areas [111]. The density of broom snakeweed often increases after fire [16,71]. Gatewood [34] reports that seeds can remain viable in the soil, unharmed by fire, and can germinate immediately after fire or in subsequent years.

The range of fire intervals reported for some species that dominate communities where broom snakeweed occurs are listed below. To learn more about the fire regimes in those communities and others listed below refer to the FEIS summary for those species, under “Fire Ecology or Adaptations.”

   
ponderosa pine  (Pinus ponderosa)        2 to 42 years
Mexican pinyon  (P. cembroides)         20 to 70 years
oneseed juniper (Juniperus monosperma)
big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)
creosotebush (Larrea tridentata)
galleta (Hilaria jamesii)
blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis)
mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa)

POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY:

Small shrub, adventitious-bud root crown
Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)

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Related categories for Species: Gutierrezia sarothrae  | Broom Snakeweed