Environmental Science
How Invasive Species Alter Fire Regimes in Grassland Ecosystems
Quick fact
Invasive grasses like cheatgrass can shorten the natural fire cycle in sagebrush-steppe from once every 60-110 years to once every 3-5 years, creating fires too frequent for native shrubs to recover.
Why this is interesting
You might think that a fire in a grassland simply burns away everything, but some plants actually 'want' to burn. How can an invasive grass turn fire from a natural cycle into a destructive force that reshapes an entire ecosystem?