Publications
Below are publications associated with the Southwest Biological Science Center's research.
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Filter Total Items: 1372
Evaluation of the gap intercept method to measure rangeland connectivity
Characterizing the connectivity of materials, organisms, and energy on rangelands is critical to understanding and managing ecosystem response to disturbances. For over twenty years, scientists and rangeland managers have used the gap intercept method to monitor connectivity. However, using gap intercept measurements to infer ecosystem processes or inform management actions and conservation practi
Authors
Sarah E. McCord, Joseph R. Brehm, Lea A. Condon, Leah Dreesmann, Lisa M. Ellsworth, Matthew Germino, Jeffrey E. Herrick, Brian K. Howard, Emily Kachergis, Jason W. Karl, Anna C. Knight, Savannah Meadors, Aleta Nafus, Beth A. Newingham, Peter J. Olsoy, Nicole Pietrasiak, David Pilliod, Anthony Schaefer, Nicholas P. Webb, Brandi E. Wheeler, C. Jason Williams, Kristina E. Young
Hydrodynamic model of the Colorado River, Glen Canyon Dam to Lees Ferry in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona
The U.S. Geological Survey constructed a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model that was applied to a 15.8-mile tailwater reach of the Colorado River in Glen Canyon that begins 0.25 mile downstream from Glen Canyon Dam and extends to Lees Ferry in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona. The model used the Flow and Sediment Transport with Morphological Evolution of Channels (FaSTMECH) solver in
Authors
Scott A. Wright, Matthew A. Kaplinski, Paul E. Grams
Intraspecific trait variability in wild populations predicts neither variability nor performance in a common garden
Dryland restoration requires plant materials capable of performing well despite difficult growing conditions. Selecting plant materials with higher intraspecific trait variability (ITV) may support successful outcomes by enhancing the performance of those materials in restoration settings. However, maintaining ITV from wild populations is not well understood and requires further investigation if I
Authors
Ella M. Samuel, Rachel M. Mitchell, Daniel E. Winkler, Zoë M. Davidson, Shannon Joy Lencioni, Robert Massatti
Lidar estimation of storage capacity for managed water resources used by Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis mexicana) at Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona
In cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center employed ground-based light detection and ranging (lidar) during February 2022 to help meet two resource management objectives at the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge (CPNWR), Arizona. The two objectives are (1) characterize the water storage capacity for one developed and t
Authors
Joel B. Sankey, Joshua Caster, Nathaniel Bransky, Stephanie Fuest, Steven Sesnie, Ashton Bedford
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 species’ di
Authors
Adam Roy Noel, Daniel Rodolphe Schlaepfer, Bradley J. Butterfield, M.C. Swan, J. Michael Norris, K. Hartwig, Michael C. Duniway, John B. 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 how clima
Authors
Lucio Biancari, Martín R. Aguiar, David J. Eldridge, Gastón 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 García-Gómez, 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 A. Conceição, Courtney M. Currier, David A. Donoso, Andrew David Dougill, Hamid Ejtehadi, Carlos I. Espinosa, Alex Fajardo, Mohammad Farzam, Daniela Ferrante, Lauchlan H. Fraser, Juan J. Gaitán, Laureano A. Gherardi, Elizabeth Gusmán-Montalván, Rosa M. Hernández-Hernández, Norbert Hölzel, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald, Frederic M. 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 M. Munson, Gabriel Oliva, Yolanda Pueyo, R. Emiliano Quiroga, Sasha C. Reed, Pedro J. Rey, Alexandra Rodríguez, Laura B. Rodríguez, Víctor Rolo, Jan C. Ruppert, Osvaldo E. Sala, Ayman Salah, Ilan Stavi, Colton R. A. Stephens, Anthony M. Swemmer, Alberto L. Teixido, Andrew D. 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 in xerorip
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 control invas
Authors
Janet S. Prevéy, Ian Pearse, Dana M. Blumenthal, Armin J. Howell, Julie A. Kray, Sasha C. 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 in number
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 legislation a
Authors
Paul Grams, David Topping, Gerard Lewis Salter, Katherine Anne Chapman, Robert B. Tusso, Erich R. Mueller
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 debris to l
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 used dust
Authors
Abby L. Mangum, Gregory T. 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 C. Duniway, Zachary T. Aanderud