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.