Publications
Below is a list of WERC's peer-reviewed publications. If you are searching for a specific publication and cannot find it in this list, please contact werc_web@usgs.gov
Filter Total Items: 3617
Species area relationships in mediterranean-climate plant communities
Aim To determine the best-fit model of species–area relationships for Mediterranean-type plant communities and evaluate how community structure affects these species–area models.Location Data were collected from California shrublands and woodlands and compared with literature reports for other Mediterranean-climate regions.Methods The number of species was recorded from 1, 100 and 1000 m2 nested p
Authors
Jon E. Keeley, C. J. Fotheringham
Historical fire regime in southern California
The historical variability in fire regime is a conservative indicator of ecosystem sustainability. Understanding the natural role of fire in chaparral ecosystems is therefore necessary for effective fire management.
Authors
Jon E. Keeley, Connie J. Fotheringham
Evolution of CAM and C4 carbon-concentrating mechanisms
Mechanisms for concentrating carbon around the Rubisco enzyme, which drives the carbon-reducing steps in photosynthesis, are widespread in plants; in vascular plants they are known as crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) and C4 photosynthesis. CAM is common in desert succulents, tropical epiphytes, and aquatic plants and is characterized by nighttime fixation of CO2. The proximal selective factor dr
Authors
Jon E. Keeley, Philip W. Rundel
Relating species abundance distributions to species-area curves in two Mediterranean-type shrublands
Based on both theoretical and empirical studies there is evidence that different species abundance distributions underlie different species-area relationships. Here I show that Australian and Californian shrubland communities (at the scale from 1 to 1000 m2) exhibit different species-area relationships and different species abundance patterns. The species-area relationship in Australian heathlands
Authors
Jon E. Keeley
Plant community patterns in unburned and burned blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) shrublands in the Mojave Desert
The blackbrush vegetation type is dominated by Coleogyne ramossisima, which is thought to preclude the coexistence of many other plant species. Fire can remove blackbrush cover and possibly increase plant species richness and evenness. Fire also may increase the frequency and cover of alien annual grasses, thereby intensifying landscape flammability. We tested these predictions in unburned and bur
Authors
Matthew L. Brooks, John R. Matchett
Application of ecological criteria in selecting marine reserves and developing reserve networks
Marine reserves are being established worldwide in response to a growing recognition of the conservation crisis that is building in the oceans. However, designation of reserves has been largely opportunistic, or protective measures have been implemented (often overlapping and sometimes in conflict) by different entities seeking to achieve different ends. This has created confusion among both users
Authors
Callum M. Roberts, George Branch, Rodrigo H. Bustamante, Juan Carlos Castilla, Jenifer Dugan, Benjamin S. Halpern, Kevin D. Lafferty, Heather Leslie, Deborah McArdle, Mary Ruckelshaus, Robert R. Warner
Ecological criteria for evaluating candidate sites for marine reserves
Several schemes have been developed to help select the locations of marine reserves. All of them combine social, economic, and biological criteria, and few offer any guidance as to how to prioritize among the criteria identified. This can imply that the relative weights given to different criteria are unimportant. Where two sites are of equal value ecologically, then socioeconomic criteria should
Authors
Callum M. Roberts, Sandy Andelman, George Branch, Rodrigo H. Bustamante, Juan Carlos Castilla, Jenifer Dugan, Benjamin S. Halpern, Kevin D. Lafferty, Heather Leslie, Jane Lubchenco, Deborah McArdle, Hugh P. Possingham, Mary Ruckelshaus, Robert R. Warner
Spatial use and habitat associations of Columbian white-tailed deer fawns in southwestern Oregon
Fawns represent a critical life history stage in the dynamics of deer populations, yet little recent information is available on the ecology of neonatal Columbian white-tailed deer (CWTD), a geographically isolated and federally endangered sub-species. We described home ranges, areas of concentrated use, and habitat associations of CWTD fawns in southwestern Oregon during the summers of 1997 and 1
Authors
M.A. Ricca, R.G. Anthony, D.H. Jackson, S.A. Wolfe
Satellite telemetry and wildlife studies in India: Advantages, options and challenges
Greater spatial coverage, accuracy and non-invasiveness of satellite technology make it one of the best tools to track long-distance migrants, which is otherwise difficult using conventional radio telemetry. In this article, we review the evolution of satellite telemetry and its application. We provide examples of three recent studies in India that have demonstrated and created a widespread apprec
Authors
Sàlim Javed, Hiroyoshi Higuchi, Meenakshi Nagendran, John Y. Takekawa
Effects of increased soil nitrogen on the dominance of alien annual plants in the Mojave Desert
1. Deserts are one of the least invaded ecosystems by plants, possibly due to naturally low levels of soil nitrogen. Increased levels of soil nitrogen caused by atmospheric nitrogen deposition may increase the dominance of invasive alien plants and decrease the diversity of plant communities in desert regions, as it has in other ecosystems. Deserts should be particularly susceptible to even small
Authors
Matthew L. Brooks
Individual variation in space use by female spotted hyenas
Large carnivores range more widely than many other terrestrial mammals, and this behavior tends to bring them into frequent conflict with humans. Within any carnivore population, individual variation in patterns of space use should be expected to make some animals more vulnerable than others to risks of mortality from humans and other sources. In this study, our goal was to document variation amon
Authors
Erin E. Boydston, Karen M. Kapheim, Micaela Szykman, Kay E. Holekamp