Rocky Mountain Research Station

Title: Bromus tectorum expansion and biodiversity loss on the Snake River Plain, southern Idaho, USA

Author: Shaw, N. L.; Saab, V. A.; Monsen, S. B.; Rich, T. D.

Date: 1999

Source: In: Eldridge, David; Freudenberger, David, eds. People and rangelands: Building the future - Proceedings of the VI International Rangeland Congress; Townsville, Queensland, Australia; July 19-23, 1999. Aitkenvale, Queensland, Australia: International Rangeland Congress, Inc. p. 586-588.

Description: The Snake River Plain forms a 6 million ha arc-shaped depression across southern Idaho. Basalt flows, fresh water sediments, loess and volcanic deposits cover its surface. Elevation increases eastward from 650 to 2,150 m altitude. Climate is semi-arid with annual precipitation ranging from 150 to 400 mm, arriving primarily in winter and spring. Native shrub steppe vegetation is dominated by Artemisia tridentata (big sagebrush) and bunchgrasses, e.g. Pseudoregneria spicatum (bluebunch wheatgrass), Elymus (wildrye) and Poa (bluegrass) spp., with interspersed Purshia tridentata (antelope bitterbrush) and Pseudoregneria spicatum communities. Salt desert shrub communities, e.g. Atriplex spp. (saltbush), Ceratoides lanata (winterfat), occupy drier areas.

Keywords: Bromus tectorum, Snake River Plain

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Citation

Shaw, N. L.; Saab, V. A.; Monsen, S. B.; Rich, T. D.  1999.  Bromus tectorum expansion and biodiversity loss on the Snake River Plain, southern Idaho, USA.   In: Eldridge, David; Freudenberger, David, eds. People and rangelands: Building the future - Proceedings of the VI International Rangeland Congress; Townsville, Queensland, Australia; July 19-23, 1999. Aitkenvale, Queensland, Australia: International Rangeland Congress, Inc. p. 586-588..