• Login
    View Item 
    •   Home
    • UA Graduate and Undergraduate Research
    • UA Theses and Dissertations
    • Master's Theses
    • View Item
    •   Home
    • UA Graduate and Undergraduate Research
    • UA Theses and Dissertations
    • Master's Theses
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    All of UA Campus RepositoryCommunitiesTitleAuthorsIssue DateSubmit DateSubjectsPublisherJournalThis CollectionTitleAuthorsIssue DateSubmit DateSubjectsPublisherJournal

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    About

    AboutUA Faculty PublicationsUA DissertationsUA Master's ThesesUA Honors ThesesUA PressUA YearbooksUA CatalogsUA Libraries

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    Modifying Drivers of Competition to Restore Palmer's Agave in Lehmann Lovegrass Dominated Grasslands

    • CSV
    • RefMan
    • EndNote
    • BibTex
    • RefWorks
    Thumbnail
    Name:
    azu_etd_18188_sip1_m.pdf
    Size:
    912.9Kb
    Format:
    PDF
    Download
    Author
    Gill, Amy Shamin
    Issue Date
    2020
    Keywords
    Abiotic interactions
    Agave palmeri
    Javelina
    Restoration strategies
    Weed management
    Advisor
    Gornish, Elise S.
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Publisher
    The University of Arizona.
    Rights
    Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction, presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
    Abstract
    Dryland restoration is becoming increasingly challenging in arid and semi-arid regions, such as the southwestern U.S., due to rapid land degradation, an increase of non-native species, and climate change. Encroachment of a non-native perennial grass species commonly known as Lehmann lovegrass (Eragrostis lehmanniana), is a particularly critical challenge for land managers of the region. Lehmann lovegrass threatens and outcompetes one of the Sonoran Desert’s ecologically and socio-culturally significant plant species, Palmer’s agave (Agave palmeri). Stakeholders in Southeastern arid lands are particularly challenged by scarce rainfall, limited land resources, invasive species dominance, and frequent predation posing unique challenges to land management. Unfortunately, mechanisms and drivers of Palmer’s agave survival and growth patterns are not well understood, limiting our ability to design effective management strategies. In this study, we had a greenhouse experiment and a field study to explore survival and growth responses of transplanted Palmer’s agave. For the greenhouse study, we measured agave growth and survival under a variety of manipulated conditions, both biotic (agave age and size class at planting, and simulated mowing of Lehmann lovegrass) and abiotic (simulated precipitation and surface mulch). In the field experiment in southeastern Arizona, U.S., we assessed the utility of several management techniques to promote restoration outcomes for Palmer’s agave survival and growth, including protection from solar insulation and herbivory, and reduction in the competitiveness of Lehmann lovegrass. We found that the presence of thatch when combined with high and medium simulated precipitation levels significantly enhances agave biomass. However, we observed that Lehmann lovegrass biomass was indifferent to Palmer’s agave presence, precipitation regimes, and thatch. We found that the combination of herbivory protection and shade resulted in the highest survival of planted agaves, while the shade treatment alone resulted in the largest agaves. We conclude that stakeholders should use an integrated approach by using an additional artificial simulation of high and medium watering —especially in hot desert climates— with thatch as the surface mulch and shade provider to enhance agave growth and survival. For a long-term, large-scale restoration efforts, land managers can forgo weed management and by planting agaves under nurse plants or existing vegetation canopy could save costs by providing the same shade benefits as thatch or surface mulch. KEYWORDS: Agave palmeri, Restoration strategies, Abiotic interactions, Weed management, Straw mulch, Javelina, Eragrostis lehmanniana
    Type
    text
    Electronic Thesis
    Degree Name
    M.S.
    Degree Level
    masters
    Degree Program
    Graduate College
    Natural Resources
    Degree Grantor
    University of Arizona
    Collections
    Master's Theses

    entitlement

     
    The University of Arizona Libraries | 1510 E. University Blvd. | Tucson, AZ 85721-0055
    Tel 520-621-6442 | repository@u.library.arizona.edu
    DSpace software copyright © 2002-2017  DuraSpace
    Quick Guide | Contact Us | Send Feedback
    Open Repository is a service operated by 
    Atmire NV
     

    Export search results

    The export option will allow you to export the current search results of the entered query to a file. Different formats are available for download. To export the items, click on the button corresponding with the preferred download format.

    By default, clicking on the export buttons will result in a download of the allowed maximum amount of items.

    To select a subset of the search results, click "Selective Export" button and make a selection of the items you want to export. The amount of items that can be exported at once is similarly restricted as the full export.

    After making a selection, click one of the export format buttons. The amount of items that will be exported is indicated in the bubble next to export format.