Amy J. Symstad, PhD
Amy Symstad serves as a Research Ecologist and Chief of the Climate and Land-use Branch for the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center and is stationed at the Hot Springs, South Dakota duty station.
Amy Symstad is a plant ecologist whose research seeks to advance the understanding of prairie plant communities, their natural and anthropogenic drivers, and management practices to sustain and restore them. Most of her work serves National Park Service units in the northern Great Plains, where altered fire and grazing regimes, invasive species, and climate change present conservation and management challenges.
Professional Experience
2003-present: Research Ecologist, USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Ecology, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 1998.
S.B., Environmental Engineering Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1992
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 44
Historical and projected climate (1901–2050) and hydrologic response of karst aquifers, and species vulnerability in south-central Texas and western South Dakota
Two karst aquifers, the Edwards aquifer in the Balcones Escarpment region of south-central Texas and the Madison aquifer in the Black Hills of western South Dakota, were evaluated for hydrologic response to projected climate change through 2050. Edwards aquifer sites include Barton Springs, the Bexar County Index Well, and Comal Springs. Madison aquifer sites include Spearfish Creek and Rhoads For
Authors
John F. Stamm, Mary F. Poteet, Amy J. Symstad, MaryLynn Musgrove, Andrew J. Long, Barbara Mahler, Parker A. Norton
Estimation of potential evapotranspiration from extraterrestrial radiation, air temperature and humidity to assess future climate change effects on the vegetation of the Northern Great Plains, USA
The potential evapotranspiration (PET) that would occur with unlimited plant access to water is a central driver of simulated plant growth in many ecological models. PET is influenced by solar and longwave radiation, temperature, wind speed, and humidity, but it is often modeled as a function of temperature alone. This approach can cause biases in projections of future climate impacts in part beca
Authors
David A. King, Dominique M. Bachelet, Amy J. Symstad, Ken Ferschweiler, Michael Hobbins
Two approaches for incorporating climate change into natural resource management planning at Wind Cave National Park
Wind Cave National Park (WICA) protects one of the world’s longest caves, has large amounts of high quality, native vegetation, and hosts a genetically important bison herd. The park’s relatively small size and unique purpose within its landscape requires hands-on management of these and other natural resources, all of which are interconnected. Anthropogenic climate change presents an added challe
Authors
Amy J. Symstad, Andrew J. Long, John Stamm, David A. King, Dominque M. Bachelet, Parker A. Norton
A vegetation management plan for Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site: Final report for interagency agreement number F154910005
Summary: This report provides Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, a small NPS unit on the border of Montana and North Dakota, a framework and reasonable tools for future vegetation management at the site in the context of probable historic, current, and desired future vegetation.
Authors
Amy J. Symstad
Incorporating biodiversity into rangeland health: Plant species richness and diversity in great plains grasslands
Indicators of rangeland health generally do not include a measure of biodiversity. Increasing attention to maintaining biodiversity in rangelands suggests that this omission should be reconsidered, and plant species richness and diversity are two metrics that may be useful and appropriate. Ideally, their response to a variety of anthropogenic and natural drivers in the ecosystem of interest would
Authors
Amy J. Symstad, Jayne L. Jonas
Does biodiversity-ecosystem function science apply to Prairie restoration?
No abstract available.
Authors
Amy J. Symstad
Conservation value of Mount Rushmore National Memorial's forest
Justifying the maintenance of small natural areas requires understanding their contribution to the conservation of specific natural resources. Mount Rushmore National Memorial (MORU) is a small portion of the Black Hills of western South Dakota and eastern Wyoming. Because it has been protected from logging since the late 1930s, it may serve as an important part of the Black Hills forest as a whol
Authors
Amy J. Symstad, Michael R. Bynum
Secondary invasion following the reduction of Coronilla varia (Crownvetch) in sand prairie
I investigated the effect of Coronilla varia invasion and subsequent reduction on the plant community and soil nitrogen availability in a degraded Illinois sand prairie. The presence of C. varia significantly increased soil nitrogen availability and significantly decreased native species richness and cover, but neither helped nor hindered a common non-native grass, Poa pratensis. One year after th
Authors
Amy J. Symstad
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 44
Historical and projected climate (1901–2050) and hydrologic response of karst aquifers, and species vulnerability in south-central Texas and western South Dakota
Two karst aquifers, the Edwards aquifer in the Balcones Escarpment region of south-central Texas and the Madison aquifer in the Black Hills of western South Dakota, were evaluated for hydrologic response to projected climate change through 2050. Edwards aquifer sites include Barton Springs, the Bexar County Index Well, and Comal Springs. Madison aquifer sites include Spearfish Creek and Rhoads For
Authors
John F. Stamm, Mary F. Poteet, Amy J. Symstad, MaryLynn Musgrove, Andrew J. Long, Barbara Mahler, Parker A. Norton
Estimation of potential evapotranspiration from extraterrestrial radiation, air temperature and humidity to assess future climate change effects on the vegetation of the Northern Great Plains, USA
The potential evapotranspiration (PET) that would occur with unlimited plant access to water is a central driver of simulated plant growth in many ecological models. PET is influenced by solar and longwave radiation, temperature, wind speed, and humidity, but it is often modeled as a function of temperature alone. This approach can cause biases in projections of future climate impacts in part beca
Authors
David A. King, Dominique M. Bachelet, Amy J. Symstad, Ken Ferschweiler, Michael Hobbins
Two approaches for incorporating climate change into natural resource management planning at Wind Cave National Park
Wind Cave National Park (WICA) protects one of the world’s longest caves, has large amounts of high quality, native vegetation, and hosts a genetically important bison herd. The park’s relatively small size and unique purpose within its landscape requires hands-on management of these and other natural resources, all of which are interconnected. Anthropogenic climate change presents an added challe
Authors
Amy J. Symstad, Andrew J. Long, John Stamm, David A. King, Dominque M. Bachelet, Parker A. Norton
A vegetation management plan for Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site: Final report for interagency agreement number F154910005
Summary: This report provides Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, a small NPS unit on the border of Montana and North Dakota, a framework and reasonable tools for future vegetation management at the site in the context of probable historic, current, and desired future vegetation.
Authors
Amy J. Symstad
Incorporating biodiversity into rangeland health: Plant species richness and diversity in great plains grasslands
Indicators of rangeland health generally do not include a measure of biodiversity. Increasing attention to maintaining biodiversity in rangelands suggests that this omission should be reconsidered, and plant species richness and diversity are two metrics that may be useful and appropriate. Ideally, their response to a variety of anthropogenic and natural drivers in the ecosystem of interest would
Authors
Amy J. Symstad, Jayne L. Jonas
Does biodiversity-ecosystem function science apply to Prairie restoration?
No abstract available.
Authors
Amy J. Symstad
Conservation value of Mount Rushmore National Memorial's forest
Justifying the maintenance of small natural areas requires understanding their contribution to the conservation of specific natural resources. Mount Rushmore National Memorial (MORU) is a small portion of the Black Hills of western South Dakota and eastern Wyoming. Because it has been protected from logging since the late 1930s, it may serve as an important part of the Black Hills forest as a whol
Authors
Amy J. Symstad, Michael R. Bynum
Secondary invasion following the reduction of Coronilla varia (Crownvetch) in sand prairie
I investigated the effect of Coronilla varia invasion and subsequent reduction on the plant community and soil nitrogen availability in a degraded Illinois sand prairie. The presence of C. varia significantly increased soil nitrogen availability and significantly decreased native species richness and cover, but neither helped nor hindered a common non-native grass, Poa pratensis. One year after th
Authors
Amy J. Symstad