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Publications

Below are publications associated with the Southwest Biological Science Center's research.

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Filter Total Items: 1333

Field Evaluations of Sampling Methods for Long-Term Monitoring of Upland Ecosystems on the Colorado Plateau

To inform planning for long-term ecological monitoring, we sampled vegetation and soil-surface attributes across a range of terrestrial ecosystems (physiognomic types) in seven National Park Service units on the Colorado Plateau. Primary objectives were (1) to evaluate a suite of sampling methods according to measures of repeatability, efficiency, and impacts on plot conditions; and (2) to charact
Authors
Mark E. Miller, Dana L. Witwicki, Rebecca K. Mann, Nicole J. Tancreto

Using a remote sensing/GIS model to predict southwestern Willow Flycatcher breeding habitat along the Rio Grande, New Mexico

Introduction The Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus; hereafter SWFL) is a federally endangered bird (USFWS 1995) that breeds in riparian areas in portions of New Mexico, Arizona, southwestern Colorado, extreme southern Utah and Nevada, and southern California (USFWS 2002). Across this range, it uses a variety of plant species as nesting/breeding habitat, but in all cases
Authors
James R. Hatten, Mark K. Sogge

Comparisons of Water Quality and Biological Variables from Colorado River Shoreline Habitats in Grand Canyon, Arizona, under Steady and Fluctuating Discharges from Glen Canyon Dam

Glen Canyon Dam operations are known to affect mainstem Colorado River temperature and shoreline habitats for native fish. Options for ameliorating the impacts that operations have on young native fish include changing release volumes and/or changing the daily range of releases. Long-term alterations of operations that may produce a measurable biological response can be costly, particularly if the
Authors
Barbara E. Ralston, Matthew V. Lauretta, Theodore A. Kennedy

Stage-Discharge Relations for the Colorado River in Glen, Marble, and Grand Canyons, Arizona, 1990-2005

This report presents stage-discharge relations for 47 discrete locations along the Colorado River, downstream from Glen Canyon Dam. Predicting the river stage that results from changes in flow regime is important for many studies investigating the effects of dam operations on resources in and along the Colorado River. The empirically based stage-discharge relations were developed from water-surfac
Authors
Joseph E. Hazel, Matt Kaplinski, Rod Parnell, Keith Kohl, David J. Topping

Inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles at Mojave National Preserve: Final Report

As part of the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program in the Mojave Network, we conducted an inventory of amphibians and reptiles at Mojave National Preserve in 2004-2005. Objectives for this inventory were to use fieldwork, museum collections, and literature review to document the occurrence of reptile and amphibian species occurring at MOJA. Our goals were to document at least 90
Authors
Trevor B. Persons, Erika M. Nowak

Yellow-Billed Cuckoo Distribution, Abundance, and Habitat Use Along the Lower Colorado and Tributaries, 2006 Annual Report

Executive Summary This 2006 annual report details the first season of a 2-year study documenting western yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus occidentalis) distribution, abundance, and habitat use throughout the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Plan boundary area. We conducted cuckoo surveys at 55 sites within 17 areas, between 11 June and 13 September. The 243 visits across
Authors
Matthew J. Johnson, Jennifer A. Holmes, Christopher Calvo, Ivan Samuels, Stefani Krantz, Mark K. Sogge

A Dreissena Risk Assessment for the Colorado River Ecosystem

Executive Summary Nonnative zebra and quagga mussels (Dreissena polymorpha and Dreissena bugensis, respectively; see photo above) were accidentally introduced to the Great Lakes in the 1980s and subsequently spread to watersheds of the Eastern United States (Strayer and others, 1999). The introduction of Dreissena mussels has been economically costly and has had large and far-reaching ecologica
Authors
Theodore A. Kennedy

Avian pox

This chapter contains section titled:IntroductionSynonymsHistoryDistributionHost RangeEtiologyEpizootiologyClinical SignsPathogenesisPathologyDiagnosisImmunityPublic Health ConcernsDomestic Animal Health ConcernsWildlife Population ImpactsTreatment and ControlManagement ImplicationsAcknowledgementsLiterature Cited
Authors
Charles van Riper, Donald J. Forrester

Water-Temperature Data for the Colorado River and Tributaries Between Glen Canyon Dam and Spencer Canyon, Northern Arizona, 1988-2005

The regulation of flow of the Colorado River by Glen Canyon Dam began in 1963. This resulted in significant changes to the downstream ecosystem of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, contributing to the initiation of the Glen Canyon Environmental Studies program in 1982, followed by establishment of the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program in 1996. This report describes a water-temperature
Authors
Nicholas Voichick, Scott Wright

The role of aeolian sediment in the preservation of archaeological sites in the Colorado River corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona: Final report on research activities, 2003-2006

This report summarizes a three-year study of aeolian sedimentary processes in the Colorado River corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona, and discusses the relevance of those processes to the preservation of archaeological sites. Findings are based upon detailed sedimentary and geomorphic investigations conducted in three areas of the river corridor, continuous measurements of wind, precipitation, and aeo
Authors
Amy E. Draut, David M. Rubin

Mountain Lions of the Flagstaff Uplands: 2003-2006 Progress Report

Executive Summary Stakeholders in management of mountain lions in the Flagstaff Uplands of northern Arizona have expressed increasing concern about both potential impacts of humans on lions and potential risks posed by lions to humans. A series of human-mountain lion encounters during 2000-2001 on Mt. Elden, immediately adjacent to Flagstaff, and similar incidents during 2004 near Tucson brough
Authors
David J. Mattson

Research Furthers Conservation of Grand Canyon Sandbars

Grand Canyon National Park lies approximately 25 km (15 mi) down-river from Glen Canyon Dam, which was built on the Colorado River just south of the Arizona-Utah border in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Before the dam began to regulate the Colorado River in 1963, the river carried such large quantities of red sediment, for which the Southwest is famous, that the Spanish named the river the
Authors
Theodore S. Melis, David J. Topping, David M. Rubin, Scott Wright