Picture of Bromus rubens also called
red brome or foxtail brome.
Distribution of Bromus rubens by state.
Bromus rebuens increases the occurrence of fire in plant communities.
Geographic Distribution
Bromus rubens is native to southern Europe and is considered an invasive species in the United States (1). It is an introduced weedy annual species (2) that is found in most of the western United States (see map to right) and is most common in Nevada, Utah, and Arizona (1). In Nevda, red brome occurs in blackbrush and blackbrush-creosotebush transition communities (1). In Utah, red brome is found in many different plant communities including sagebrush, juniper, blackbrush, and creosotebush (1). Finally, in Arizona, red brome invades the understory of mesquite bosques and in places that are usually open and without vegetation (1). Red brome is most commonly found in elevations from 4000 to 5000 feet (1). It can live in elevations up to 6000 and 7200 feet in Nevada and California (1).Ecological Information
Bromus rubens is an annual grass that tends to be found in Mediterranean climates that have been disturbed (1). They need the fall and winter rain for seed germination and establishment (3). As the temperatures warm in the spring, red brome does most of its growing and seeds are dispersed in the summer (1).Bromus rubens has a large impact on the fire ecology of communities. It both increases the amount of fires in a region and increases the rate fire spreads (3). This is because red brome communities add a large amount of continuous fuel for fires (3). The increased amount of fires can cause a change in the landscape from a shrub and perennial grassland to an annual grassland (3). Research has shown that following fire, biomass of red brome increases dramatically (3).
Red brome, because it is an exotic species to the United States, is an aggressive competitor with the native species (4). It out-competes native species for soil moisture and nutrients and can displace them (3).
References
1. http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/graminoid/brospp/all.html2. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BRRU2
3. http://sbsc.wr.usgs.gov/research/projects/swepic/SWVMA/PLANTPDF/Bromus_rubens_AZ_PAF.pdf
4. http://ag.arizona.edu/OALS/ALN/aln37/james.html
Links for More Information
1. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?78642. http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/graminoid/brospp/references.html
3. http://www.co.pima.az.us/cmo/sdcp/species/fsheets/ex/brome.html
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