Publications
Below are publications associated with the Southwest Biological Science Center's research.
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Filter Total Items: 1397
Most pinyon-juniper woodland species distributions are projected to shrink rather than shift under climate change
Pinyon–juniper (PJ) woodlands are among the most widespread ecosystems in rangelands of western North America, supporting diverse wildlife habitat, recreation, grazing, and cultural/spiritual enrichment. Anticipating future distribution shifts under changing climate will be critical to climate adaptation and conservation efforts in these ecosystems. Here, we evaluate drivers of PJ tree...
Authors
Adam Roy Noel, Daniel Rodolphe Schlaepfer, Bradley J. Butterfield, M.C. Swan, J. Michael Norris, K. Hartwig, Michael Duniway, John Bradford
Drivers of woody dominance across global drylands
Increases in the abundance of woody species have been reported to affect the provisioning of ecosystem services in drylands worldwide. However, it is virtually unknown how multiple biotic and abiotic drivers, such as climate, grazing, and fire, interact to determine woody dominance across global drylands. We conducted a standardized field survey in 304 plots across 25 countries to assess...
Authors
Lucio Biancari, Martín R. Aguiar, David J. Eldridge, Gaston R. Oñatibia, Yoann Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Hugo Saiz, Nicolas Gross, Amy T. Austin, Victoria Ochoa, Beatriz Gozalo, Sergio Asensio, Emilio Guirado, Enrique Valencia, Miguel Berdugo, César Plaza, Jaime Martínez-Valderrama, Betty J. Mendoza, Miguel Garcia-Gomez, Mehdi Abedi, Rodrigo J. Ahumada, Julio M. Alcántara, Fateh Amghar, José D. Anadón, Valeria Aramayo, Tulio Arredondo, Maaike Y. Bader, Khadijeh Bahalkeh, Farah Ben Salem, Niels Blaum, Bazartseren Boldgiv, Matthew A. Bowker, Cristina Branquinho, Chongfeng Bu, Batbold Byambatsogt, Dianela A. Calvo, Andrea P. Castillo Monroy, Helena Castro, Patricio Castro-Quezada, Roukaya Chibani, Abel Augusto Conceição, Courtney M. Currier, David A. Donoso, Andrew J. Dougill, Hamid Ejtehadi, Carlos Ivan Espinosa, Alex Fajardo, Mohammad Farzam, Daniela Ferrante, Lauchlan H. Fraser, Juan J. Gaitán, Laureano A. Gherardi, Elizabeth Gusmán-Montalván, Rosa Mary Hernández-Hernández, Norbert Hölzel, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald, Frederic Mendes Hughes, Oswaldo Jadán-Maza, Florian Jeltsch, Anke Jentsch, Mengchen Ju, Kudzai F. Kaseke, Liana Kindermann, Melanie Köbel, Peter C. le Roux, Pierre Liancourt, Anja Linstädter, Jushan Liu, Michelle A. Louw, Gillian Maggs-Kölling, Oumarou Malam Issa, Eugene Marais, Pierre Margerie, João Vitor S. Messeder, Juan P. Mora, Gerardo Moreno, Seth Munson, Gabriel Oliva, Yolanda Pueyo, Raul Emiliano Quiroga, Sasha Reed, Pedro J. Rey, Alexandra Rodríguez, Laura B. Rodríguez, Victor Rolo, Jan Christian Ruppert, Osvaldo E. Sala, Ayman Salah, Ilan Stavi, Colton R. A. Stephens, Anthony M. Swemmer, Alberto L. Teixido, Andrew David Thomas, Heather L. Throop, Katja Tielbörger, Samantha K. Travers, Liesbeth van den Brink, Viktoria Wagner, Wanyoike Wamiti, Deli Wang, Lixin Wang, Peter Wolff, Laura Yahdjian, Eli Zaady, Fernando T. Maestre
Breeding by western Yellow-billed Cuckoos in xeroriparian habitat in southeastern Arizona
The identification of occupied habitat is an important component of recovery efforts for threatened and endangered species. The western population of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus), federally listed as a threatened distinct population segment, has long been considered a riparian-obligate, yet recent survey efforts in southeastern Arizona have documented cuckoos occurring...
Authors
Nicholas D. Beauregard, Tad C Theimer, Charles A. Drost, Susan J. Sferra
Phenology forecasting models for detection and management of invasive annual grasses
Non-native annual grasses can dramatically alter fire frequency and reduce forage quality and biodiversity in the ecosystems they invade. Effective management techniques are needed to reduce these undesirable invasive species and maintain ecosystem services. Well-timed management strategies, such as grazing, that are applied when invasive grasses are active prior to native plants can...
Authors
Janet S. Prevey, Ian Pearse, Dana M. Blumenthal, Armin J. Howell, Julie A. Kray, Sasha Reed, Mitchell B. Stephenson, Catherine S. Jarnevich
Oxidation is a potentially significant methane sink in land-terminating glacial runoff
Globally, aquatic ecosystems are one of the largest but most uncertain sources of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. It is unclear how climate change will affect methane emissions, but recent work suggests that glacial systems, which are melting faster with climate change, may be an important source of methane to the atmosphere. Currently, studies quantifying glacial emissions are limited...
Authors
Kristin E. Strock, Rachel Krewson, Nicole M. Hayes, Bridget Deemer
Implementation of controlled floods for sediment management on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon under aridification
In addition to supplying water for agriculture, cities, and industry, the Colorado River traverses the Colorado Plateau, including several of the most unique and valued National Parks and Recreation Areas in the United States. Although the water needs of these landscapes were not considered at the time water allocations were first negotiated, these needs were recognized in subsequent...
Authors
Paul E. Grams, David Topping, Gerard Lewis Salter, Katherine Anne Chapman, Robert B. Tusso, Erich R. Mueller
Utilizing artificial nesting platforms to enhance breeding of Western Cordilleran Flycatchers on Mt Lemmon
No abstract available.
Authors
Charles van Riper III
Macroinvertebrate community responses to disturbance in a fragmented river with contrasting legacies of alteration
Flow is a critical factor determining the riverine ecosystem structure and function. Widespread hydrologic alteration, however, has impacted the ecological integrity of rivers in ways that are not well understood, including responses of biological communities to increasingly frequent and severe climatic disturbances. Our study compared the responses of invertebrate communities on woody...
Authors
Karen A. Baumann, Eric Arthur Scholl, Heidi M. Rantala, Matt R. Whiles
Characterizing variability in geochemistry and mineralogy of western US dust sources
Dust events originate from multiple sources in arid and semi-arid regions, making it difficult to quantify source contributions. Dust geochemical/mineralogical composition, if the sources are sufficiently distinct, can be used to quantify the contributions from different sources. To test the viability of using geochemical and mineralogical measurements to separate dust-emitting sites, we...
Authors
Abby L. Mangum, Gregory Carling, Barry R. Bickmore, Nicholas P. Webb, DeTiare L. Leifi, Janice Brahney, Diego P. Fernandez, Kevin A. Rey, Stephen T. Nelson, Landon Burgener, Joshua J. LeMonte, Alyssa N. Thompson, Beth A. Newingham, Michael Duniway, Zachary T. Aanderud
Aspects of the demography of a relict population of southwestern pond turtles (Actinemys pallida) in a West Mojave Desert stream in California
We studied Actinemys pallida (Southwestern Pond Turtle) in Amargosa Creek, near Palmdale, CA, from 1997 to 2023. The population in the upper creek was the focus of a mark–recapture study from 1997 to 2003 during monitoring required by a road-construction project. An estimated 193 (95% CI = 142–256) turtles were present in 1997 or recruited to the upper creek population between 1997 and...
Authors
David Muth, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Rodrigo Macip-Rios, Doug Gomez, Kristy L. Cummings, Michele (Shellie) R. Puffer, Charles B. Yackulic
Dynamic occupancy modelling of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) reveals increasing landscape use in Nepal
Large mammals with general habitat needs can persist throughout mixed used landscapes, however, human-wildlife conflict frequently leads to their restriction to protected areas. Conservation efforts, especially for reducing conflicts with humans, can enhance tolerance of humans towards species like Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in human-dominated landscapes. Here, we examine how...
Authors
Ashok Kumar Ram, Babu Ram Lamichhane, Naresh Subedi, Nabin Kumar Yadav, Ajay Karki, Bivash Pandav, Cory Brown, Top B. Khatri, Charles B. Yackulic
Postfire sediment mobilization and its downstream implications across California, 1984 – 2021
Fire facilitates erosion through changes in vegetation and soil, with major postfire erosion commonly occurring even with moderate rainfall. As climate warms, the western United States (U.S.) is experiencing an intensifying fire regime and increasing frequency of extreme rain. We evaluated whether these hydroclimatic changes are evident in patterns of postfire erosion by modeling...
Authors
Helen Willemien Dow, Amy East, Joel B. Sankey, Jonathan Warrick, Jaime Kostelnik, Donald N. Lindsay, Jason W. Kean