Using Satellite Remote Sensing to Assess Shrubland Vegetation Responses to Large-Scale Juniper Removal in the Northern Great Basin

IF 2.4 3区 环境科学与生态学 Q2 ECOLOGY
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Abstract

Woody encroachment into grasslands and shrublands disrupts ecosystem processes and reduces biodiversity. Tree removal is a widespread strategy to restore ecosystem services and biodiversity in impacted landscapes. However, tree removal can also increase the risk of invasion by exotic annual grasses. In western North America, juniper (Juniperus spp.) encroachment threatens the ecological integrity of intact sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) shrublands. We used remote sensing to track vegetation changes following juniper removals on 288 parcels totaling 106 333 ha in southern Idaho, USA. We also analyzed vegetation changes following 64 wildfires that burned 152 611 ha of nearby rangeland during the same period. We matched areas within removals and wildfires to similar undisturbed areas, and then used causal impact analysis to estimate the effects of the disturbances. Juniper removals resulted in sustained reduction of tree cover and increased perennial forb and grass cover across nearly all sites, achieving key management goals. Based on the metrics evaluated, juniper removal was more effective than wildfire in delivering long-term restoration in this sagebrush system. However, juniper treatments also stimulated temporary undesirable increases in annual grasses and forbs, indicating the need for additional management to achieve durable conservation outcomes. Intensive mechanical methods initially reduced shrub cover in some treatments, but shrubs recovered to near pre-treatment levels within 7 years. Using a recently-developed metric of ecological integrity for sagebrush ecosystems, we show that these large, long-term projects halted or reversed degradation attributed to juniper expansion, demonstrating that restoration can improve the trajectory of ecosystems when implemented at scale.
利用卫星遥感技术评估北部大盆地灌木林植被对大规模移除杜松的反应
林木侵蚀草地和灌木林地会破坏生态系统过程并降低生物多样性。移除树木是在受影响景观中恢复生态系统服务和生物多样性的一种普遍策略。然而,移除树木也会增加外来一年生草入侵的风险。在北美西部,杜松(桧属)的侵蚀威胁着完整的鼠尾草(三叉蒿)灌木林的生态完整性。我们在美国爱达荷州南部总面积为 106 333 公顷的 288 块土地上使用遥感技术跟踪桧柏移除后的植被变化。我们还分析了同一时期 64 场野火烧毁附近 152 611 公顷牧场后的植被变化。我们将移除区域和野火烧毁区域与类似的未受干扰区域进行了比对,然后使用因果影响分析来估计干扰的影响。移除瞻博网络后,几乎所有地点的树木覆盖率都持续下降,多年生草本植物覆盖率上升,实现了主要的管理目标。根据评估指标,在长期恢复该鼠尾草系统方面,移除杜松比野火更有效。然而,杜松处理也刺激了一年生禾本科和草本植物的暂时性不良增长,这表明需要进行额外的管理才能实现持久的保护效果。在一些处理过程中,密集的机械方法最初降低了灌木覆盖率,但灌木在 7 年内恢复到接近处理前的水平。利用最近开发的鼠尾草生态系统生态完整性指标,我们发现这些大型长期项目阻止或逆转了因杜松扩张而造成的退化,这表明在大规模实施时,恢复可以改善生态系统的轨迹。
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来源期刊
Rangeland Ecology & Management
Rangeland Ecology & Management 农林科学-环境科学
CiteScore
4.60
自引率
13.00%
发文量
87
审稿时长
12-24 weeks
期刊介绍: Rangeland Ecology & Management publishes all topics-including ecology, management, socioeconomic and policy-pertaining to global rangelands. The journal''s mission is to inform academics, ecosystem managers and policy makers of science-based information to promote sound rangeland stewardship. Author submissions are published in five manuscript categories: original research papers, high-profile forum topics, concept syntheses, as well as research and technical notes. Rangelands represent approximately 50% of the Earth''s land area and provision multiple ecosystem services for large human populations. This expansive and diverse land area functions as coupled human-ecological systems. Knowledge of both social and biophysical system components and their interactions represent the foundation for informed rangeland stewardship. Rangeland Ecology & Management uniquely integrates information from multiple system components to address current and pending challenges confronting global rangelands.
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