The Best Biome

#5 – Tumbleweeds

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Episode Notes

Tumbleweeds, icon of the... desert? Grasslands birthed some of the world's worst tumbleweed invaders, and there's more to them than their iconic "American old west" imagery. Desert caviar, savior of the cattle industry, and colonizer extraordinaire, this broad paraphyletic group of plants have been terrorizing and blessing the world for centuries. Nicole breaks down why tumbleweeds are pretty neat.

PS keep your pet tumbleweeds on leashes.

Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next week!

Primary Sources: Be sure to check out photos and more at our site!

  1. Baker, D. V., Withrow, J. R., Brown, C. S., & Beck, K. G. (2010). Tumbling: Use of Diffuse KNAPWEED (Centaurea DIFFUSA) to examine an understudied dispersal mechanism. Invasive Plant Science and Management, 3(3), 301-309. doi:10.1614/ipsm-d-09-00016.1
  2. George P. Stallings, Thill, D., Carol A. Mallory-Smith, & Lawrence W. Lass. (1995). Plant Movement and Seed Dispersal of Russian Thistle (Salsola iberica). Weed Science, 43(1), 63-69.
  3. United States Department of Agriculture. Plant Guide For SALSOLA TRAGUS (prickly Russian Thistle). Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  4. Bernstein, J. (2019, October 07). Monster tumbleweed: Invasive new species is here to stay. University of California, Riverside. Retrieved February 24, 2021. 
  5. Barroso, J., Lyon, D. J., and Prather, T. Russian Thistle Management in a Wheat-Fallow Crop Rotation. Pacific Northwest Extension Publishing.

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    The Best BiomeBy Rachel Roth and Nicole Brown
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