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The Global Invasive Species Team |  |
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Introduction First slide Slide #5 Slide #10 Slide #15 Slide #20 Slide #25 Slide #30 Slide #35 Slide #40 Slide #45 Slide #50 Slide #55 Slide #60 Slide #65 Slide #70 Last slide |
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Consider the Sonoran desert of the southwestern USA and northwestern Mexico, where native plant communities had little or no continuous litter to carry wildfires and so rarely if ever experienced widespread wildfire. As a consequence, most of the native plants - including characteristic species such as the giant saguaros (Carnegiea gigantea) - are not adapted to withstand or respond to frequent fires. In recent decades however, many Sonoran communities have been invaded by non-native grasses that build up thick layers of litter and promote frequent wildfire as has occurred at this site near Tucson. Here buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris) forms nearly continuous cover which may allow any fires that do occur to spread rapidly, killing native cacti, shrubs and other perennials over large areas. | |||
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