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EFFECTS OF PRESCRIBED BURNING ON COMPOSITION OF SERPENTINE GRASSLAND VEGETATION by Debra Thornley Welch Serpentine grasslands serve as refuges for native grassland plant species. Exotic invasive plants increasingly displace even serpentine natives. Fire is a common tool used by managers to control exotic vegetation. Controlled experimental burns were conducted to evaluate the impacts of early summer burning on plant community species richness and the abundance of Leptosiphon ambiguus, Bromus hordeaceus, Lessingia micradenia var. glabrata, Plantago erecta and grasses in two kinds of patches: those with a high abundance of L. ambiguus and little B. hordeaceus, and those with a moderate abundance of both L. ambiguus and B. hordeaceus. This two-year study, conducted in Santa Clara County, California, used a Randomized Block Repeated Measure design (w = 10) with the treatments (burned, not burned) applied after the first year's data were collected. From a management perspective there were three main benefits and one drawback of burning. Increases in species richness in both types of patches and the increase in L. ambiguus and reduction of B. hordeaceus in the B. hordeaceus-mvaded patches were beneficial outcomes. The reduction of L. micradenia in L. ambiguus-rich patches was a drawback. Additionally, the study revealed that there was an increase in P. erecta abundance with higher burn temperatures in L. ambiguus-rich quadrats; in B. hordeaceusinvaded quadrats, there was a decrease in P. erecta abundance with higher burn temperatures. Burning also decreased the abundance of all annual grasses combined. Overall, prescribed burning at the grazed study site appeared to be beneficial. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am extremely grateful to the many people who helped me and were supportive of me through the process of producing my thesis. I was lucky to have such an approachable, helpful, knowledgeable committee. My committee chair, Chris Brinegar, endured wind, rain, and fire and made himself available across the country and across the world during the course of selecting, developing, performing, and writing about my experiment. Rachel O'Malley was there during the conception and development of my design. Shannon Bros-Seeman provided me with a wonderful base of statistical knowledge. Shannon and Rachel spent countless hours helping me with statistical questions and provided moral support. Rod Myatt has taught me much of what I know about plants, including plant taxonomy which was crucial to my study; my serpentine grassland plant collection provided a good foundation for identifying many plants. Rod has nurtured my love of plants in each of the classes he taught me. Each of my committee members lent special insight to my paper. 1 am grateful to Santa Clara County Open Space Authority for allowing me to conduct my study at Rancho Canada del Oro; special thanks to Pat Congdon and Derek Neumann for their help, advice, and time, and for providing the fire for this study. Thanks to Pam Peterson for putting me in touch with Pat and for brainstorming ideas with me. The wildflowers and vistas at Rancho Canada del Oro were breathtaking. 1 thank my family and friends for many kinds of support. My most-devoted data collecting buddy was Bob Roth, who even recruited his family to help. Several friends helped me with data collection and confirmed plant identifications. Many friends and family members provided moral support and encouragement. I am grateful to my stepdaughter, Brie, for enduring years in a home with only one income. I dedicate my thesis to Jerry, my husband. Thank you, Jerry, for your emotional, technical, photographic, editorial and, not least of all, financial support, and for your patience during this challenge.

Effects of prescribed burning on composition of serpentine grassland vegetation