The Fire Ecology of Kentucky bluegrass. (Poa Pratensis)
Abstract
Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) is a serious invader found throughout the
Central and Northern Great Plains. This paper is a review of prescribed fire
effects on Kentucky bluegrass (Paa pratensis). The general approach of the
paper is to look for a mechanistic understanding of its response to fire. The
first portion of the paper describes the biology of Kentucky bluegrass. The
next section of the paper provides an overview of fire ecology in the Great
Plains. The changes to the abiotic environment during and post-fire are
discussed which identifies several processes that may be responsible for the
plant response to fire. Water relations, light limitation, and soil temperatures
are all identified as ecosystem components that are altered by fire. The
abiotic environment is further altered post-fire by biotic responses. These
effects include temporal fluxes in available N, increased evapotranspiration,
and increased rhizome production. Species and community responses are
highly variable, depending on timing of fire, fire intensity, species identity and
plant community composition. Finally, two experiments are proposed that are
designed to provide mechanistic explanation for the fire response of Kentucky
bluegrass. Understanding the mechanism behind its response will enable the
science of prescribed burning to move forward by reducing the confounding
factors associated with the use of fire.