Herbicide impacts on native plant and soil microbial communities

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About the project

Invasive exotic grasses (e.g., cheatgrass) have invaded tens of millions of acres of rangeland and open space in the western United States with devastating impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Despite intensive management, invasive grasses have remained a major management challenge. Indaziflam (marketed as Rejuvra®/Esplanade® by Bayer CropScience) is a relatively new pre-emergent herbicide that was recently approved for use to control invasive grasses on rangeland and open space. In recent years, Indaziflam has shown promise to reduce or eliminate cover of target invasive annual grasses including cheatgrass. Yet, potential impacts on non-target organisms remain a concern.

We are partnering with land managers in Boulder County in Colorado to investigate effects of Indaziflam herbicide on non-target soil microbes ad native plant communities.

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Major questions

Question 1

How does Indaziflam affect non-target native plant and soil microbial communities?

Question 2

How do native plant and soil microbial responses vary across environmental and land management gradients (e.g., time since herbicide application)?

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Collaborators

Joe Swanson, Boulder County Parks and Open Space

Kelly Uhing and Brian Anacker, City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks

Jim Krick, City of Longmont

Team members

Ember Bradbury

PhD student, Dryland Ecology and Management Lab

Alyssa Johnson

PhD student, Dryland Ecology and Management Lab

Amy Gill

PhD student, Dryland Ecology and Management Lab