College of Agriculture

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As the foundation of the land grant mission at Montana State University, the College of Agriculture and the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station provide instruction in traditional and innovative degree programs and conduct research on old and new challenges for Montana’s agricultural community. This integration creates opportunities for students and faculty to excel through hands-on learning, to serve through campus and community engagement, to explore unique solutions to distinct and interesting questions and to connect Montanans with the global community through research discoveries and outreach.

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Author: search.filters.author.Cavieres, Lohengrin

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    Pinus contorta Alters Microenvironmental Conditions and Reduces Plant Diversity in Patagonian Ecosystems
    (MDPI AG, 2023-02) García, Rafael A.; Fuentes-Lillo, Eduardo; Cavieres, Lohengrin; Cóbar-Carranza, Ana J.; Davis, Kimberley T.; Naour, Matías; Núñez, Martín A.; Maxwell, Bruce D.; Lembrechts, Jonas J.; Pauchard, Aníbal
    Pinus contorta is considered one of the most invasive tree species worldwide, generating significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems. In several Patagonian ecosystems in southern Chile, it has escaped from plantations established mainly in the 1970s, and is now invading both forests and treeless environments. In this study, we evaluated the impact of the invasion of P. contorta on microenvironmental conditions in Araucaria araucana forest and Patagonian steppe ecosystems, and assessed how these changes related to the richness and abundance of native and non-native plant species. In each ecosystem, 24 plots of 100 m2 were established along a gradient of P. contorta biomass, where 18 environmental variables and the composition of native and non-native vegetation were measured at a local scale. Our results indicated that increased pine biomass was associated with differences in microclimatic conditions (soil and air temperature, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and soil moisture) and soil properties (potassium, nitrate, pH, and litter accumulation). These changes were ecosystem dependent, however, as well as associated with the level of invasion. Finally, the reduction in the richness and abundance of native plants was associated with the changes in soil properties (accumulation of leaf litter, pH, and organic matter) as well as in the microclimate (minimum air temperature, PAR) generated by the invasion of P. contorta. Overall, our results confirm that the invasion of P. contorta impacts microenvironmental conditions (i.e., canopy cover, litter accumulation, minimum air temperature, and maximum soil temperature) and reduces native plant diversity. For future restoration plans, more emphasis should be given to how environmental changes can influence the recovery of invaded ecosystems even after the removal of the living pine biomass (i.e., legacy of the invasion).
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    Rapid upwards spread of non-native plants in mountains across continents
    (Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2023-01) Iseli, Evelin; Chisholm, Chelsea; Lenoir, Jonathan; Haider, Sylvia; Seipel, Tim; Barros, Agustina; Hargreaves, Anna L.; Kardol, Paul; Lembrechts, Jonas J.; McDougall, Keith; Rashid, Irfan; Rumpf, Sabine B.; Arévalo, José Ramón; Cavieres, Lohengrin; Daehler, Curtis; Dar, Pervaiz A.; Endress, Bryan; Jakobs, Gabi; Jiménez, Alejandra; Küffer, Christoph; Mihoc, Maritza; Milbau, Ann; Morgan, John W.; Naylor, Bridgett J.; Pauchard, Aníbal; Backes, Amanda Ratier; Reshi, Reshi; Rew, Lisa J.; Righetti, Damiano; Shannon, James M.; Valencia, Graciela; Walsh, Neville; Wright, Genevieve T.; Alexander, Jake M.
    High-elevation ecosystems are among the few ecosystems worldwide that are not yet heavily invaded by non-native plants. This is expected to change as species expand their range limits upwards to fill their climatic niches and respond to ongoing anthropogenic disturbances. Yet, whether and how quickly these changes are happening has only been assessed in a few isolated cases. Starting in 2007, we conducted repeated surveys of non-native plant distributions along mountain roads in 11 regions from 5 continents. We show that over a 5- to 10-year period, the number of non-native species increased on average by approximately 16% per decade across regions. The direction and magnitude of upper range limit shifts depended on elevation across all regions. Supported by a null-model approach accounting for range changes expected by chance alone, we found greater than expected upward shifts at lower/mid elevations in at least seven regions. After accounting for elevation dependence, significant average upward shifts were detected in a further three regions (revealing evidence for upward shifts in 10 of 11 regions). Together, our results show that mountain environments are becoming increasingly exposed to biological invasions, emphasizing the need to monitor and prevent potential biosecurity issues emerging in high-elevation ecosystems.
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