Helen Sofaer
Helen Sofaer is a Research Ecologist at the Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center in Hawai‘i.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 22
Great Basin predicted potential cheatgrass abundance, with model estimation and validation data from 2011-2019
This data release includes data and metadata describing 1) the rule set used to create vegetation type categories for the Great Basin; 2) estimation and validation data used to fit models of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) cover; and 3) mapped predictions of potential cheatgrass abundance.
Presence and abundance data and models for four invasive plant species
We developed habitat suitability models for four invasive plant species of concern to Department of Interior land management agencies. We generally followed the modeling workflow developed in Young et al. 2020, but developed models both for two data types, where species were present and where they were abundant. We developed models using five algorithms with VisTrails: Software for...
Co-occurrence and Occupancy Dynamics of Mourning Doves and Eurasian Collared-Doves
Data on mourning dove and Eurasian collared-dove occurrences, and associated covariates.
Data on the impacts of garlic mustard from a weeding experiment in Pennsylvania 2006-2016
Data were collected on the abundance of plants in a 10-year weeding experiment of garlic mustard, located at Trillium Trails Park in Pennsylvania. Garlic mustard was weeded annually to suppress its abundance, and the impacts of garlic mustard were measured based on the response of the plant community to garlic mustard weeding. Because garlic mustard is known to suppress mycorrhizal fungi...
Non-native and synanthropic bird data derived from 2010-2012 Breeding Bird Survey and associated landscape metrics from 2011 NLCD
Locations of and proportional abundance of non-native and synanthropic passerines were extracted from Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data from 2010-2012. Information characterizing the spatial variation and the associated amount, aggregation, and diversity of developed and agricultural land cover types was extracted from the National Land Cover Datasets of 2011. Data supported analyses in...
Abundance of wetland-dependent birds at Breeding Bird Survey routes and associated land cover and climate information
Estimation and validation data for site by species matrices used in the publication 'Clustering and ensembling approaches to support surrogate-based species management' by H.R. Sofaer et al. 2019 Diversity and Distributions
Measurements of plant abundance with reference to dominant plants in Illinois wetlands
Data were collected on plant abundance in Illinois with the goal of determining correlations between the abundance of dominant plant taxa and other plant species.
Breeding Bird Survey songbird occurrences during 1977-1979 and 2012-2014 in conterminous U.S.
Data used in: "Misleading prioritizations from modeling range shifts under climate change" by H.R. Sofaer, C.S. Jarnevich, and C.H. Flather. Breeding Bird Survey data (version 2014.0) for songbirds were summarized over historical (1977-1979) and recent (2012-2014) time periods at routes in the conterminous U.S. Avian occurrence data were combined with information on climate and land...
Data associated with Sofaer and Jarnevich 'Accounting for sampling patterns reverses the relative importance of trade and climate for the global sharing of exotic plants'
These data were analyzed for the publication 'Accounting for sampling patterns reverses the relative importance of trade and climate for the global sharing of exotic plants': Aim: Exotic species distributions reflect patterns of human-mediated dispersal, species climatic tolerances, and a suite of other biotic and abiotic factors. The relative importance of each of these factors will...
Data used to estimate and project the effects of climate and land use change on wetland densities in the Prairie Pothole Region
These data were used to estimate models relating climate and land cover to wetland densities and develop projections under climate and land use change. Data for model estimation were derived from historical climate data, estimates of hydrological processes based on the Variable Infiltration Capacity model, National Wetlands Inventory, and the National Land Cover Database. Wetland...
Filter Total Items: 37
SPCIS: Standardized Plant Community with Introduced Status database
The movement of plant species across the globe exposes native communities to new species introductions. While introductions are pervasive, two aspects of variability underlie patterns and processes of biological invasions at macroecological scales. First, only a portion of introduced species become invaders capable of substantially impacting ecosystems. Second, species that do become...
Authors
Lais Petri, Evelyn M. Beaury, Jeff Corbin, Kristen Peach, Helen Sofaer, Ian Pearse, Reagan Early, Dave Barnett, Ines Ibáñez, Robert K. Peet, Michael Schafale, Thomas Wentworth, James Vanderhorst, David N. Zaya, Gregory Spyreas, Bethany A. Bradley
Regional models do not outperform continental models for invasive species
Aim: Species distribution models can guide invasive species prevention and management by characterizing invasion risk across space. However, extrapolation and transferability issues pose challenges for developing useful models for invasive species. Previous work has emphasized the importance of including all available occurrences in model estimation, but managers attuned to local...
Authors
Catherine S. Jarnevich, Helen Sofaer, Peder S. Engelstad, Pairsa Nicole Belamaric
Climate matching with the climatchR R package
Climate matching allows comparisons of climatic conditions between different locations to understand location and species range climatic suitability. The approach may be used as part of horizon scanning exercises such as those conducted for invasive species. We implemented the CLIMATCH algorithm into an R package, climatchR. The package allows automated and scripted climate matching...
Authors
Richard A. Erickson, Peder S. Engelstad, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Helen Sofaer, Wesley M. Daniel
Potential cheatgrass abundance within lightly invaded areas of the Great Basin
ContextAnticipating where an invasive species could become abundant can help guide prevention and control efforts aimed at reducing invasion impacts. Information on potential abundance can be combined with information on the current status of an invasion to guide management towards currently uninvaded locations where the threat of invasion is high.ObjectivesWe aimed to support management...
Authors
Helen Sofaer, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Erin K. Buchholtz, Brian S. Cade, John T. Abatzoglou, Cameron L. Aldridge, Patrick J. Comer, Daniel J. Manier, Lauren E. Parker, Julie A. Heinrichs
INHABIT: A web-based decision support tool for invasive plant species habitat visualization and assessment across the contiguous United States
Narrowing the communication and knowledge gap between producers and users of scientific data is a longstanding problem in ecological conservation and land management. Decision support tools (DSTs), including websites or interactive web applications, provide platforms that can help bridge this gap. DSTs can most effectively disseminate and translate research results when producers and...
Authors
Peder S. Engelstad, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Terri Hogan, Helen Sofaer, Ian Pearse, Jennifer Sieracki, Neil Frakes, Julia Sullivan, Nicholas E. Young, Janet S. Prevey, Pairsa Nicole Belamaric, Jillian Marie Laroe
Management foundations for navigating ecological transformation by resisting, accepting, or directing social-ecological change
Despite striking global change, management to ensure healthy landscapes and sustained natural resources has tended to set objectives on the basis of the historical range of variability in stationary ecosystems. Many social–ecological systems are moving into novel conditions that can result in ecological transformation. We present four foundations to enable a transition to future-oriented...
Authors
Dawn Robin Magness, Linh Hoang, Travis Belote, Jean Brennan, Wylie A. Carr, F. Stuart Chapin, Katherine R. Clifford, Wendy Morrison, John P. Morton, Helen Sofaer
A science agenda to inform natural resource management decisions in an era of ecological transformation
Earth is experiencing widespread ecological transformation in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems that is attributable to directional environmental changes, especially intensifying climate change. To better steward ecosystems facing unprecedented and lasting change, a new management paradigm is forming, supported by a decision-oriented framework that presents three distinct...
Authors
Shelley D. Crausbay, Helen Sofaer, Amanda E. Cravens, Brian C. Chaffin, Katherine R. Clifford, John E. Gross, Corrine N. Knapp, David J. Lawrence, Dawn Robin Magness, Abraham J. Miller-Rushing, Gregor W. Schuurman, Camille S. Stevens-Rumann
Modelling presence versus abundance for invasive species risk assessment
AimInvasive species prevention and management can be guided by comparisons of invasion risk across space and among species. Species distribution models are widely used to assess invasion risk and typically estimate suitability for species presence. However, suitability for presence may not capture patterns of abundance and impact. We asked how models estimating suitability for presence...
Authors
Catherine S. Jarnevich, Helen Sofaer, Peder S. Engelstad
Negative effects of an allelopathic invader on AM fungal plant species drive community‐level responses
The mechanisms causing invasive species impact are rarely empirically tested, limiting our ability to understand and predict subsequent changes in invaded plant communities. Invader disruption of native mutualistic interactions is a mechanism expected to have negative effects on native plant species. Specifically, disruption of native plant‐fungal mutualisms may provide non‐mycorrhizal...
Authors
Morgan Dake Roche, Ian Pearse, Lalasia Bialic-Murphy, Stephanie N Kivlin, Helen Sofaer, Susan Kalisz
Ecological forecasting—21st century science for 21st century management
Natural resource managers are coping with rapid changes in both environmental conditions and ecosystems. Enabled by recent advances in data collection and assimilation, short-term ecological forecasting may be a powerful tool to help resource managers anticipate impending near-term changes in ecosystem conditions or dynamics. Managers may use the information in forecasts to minimize the...
Authors
John Bradford, Jake Weltzin, Molly L. McCormick, Jill Baron, Zachary H. Bowen, R. Sky Bristol, Daren M. Carlisle, Theresa Crimmins, Paul C. Cross, Joe DeVivo, Mike Dietze, Mary Freeman, Jason Goldberg, Mevin Hooten, Leslie Hsu, Karen Jenni, Jennifer L. Keisman, Jonathan Kennen, Kathy Lee, David P. Lesmes, Keith Loftin, Brian W. Miller, Peter S. Murdoch, Jana Newman, Karen L. Prentice, Imtiaz Rangwala, Jordan S. Read, Jennifer Sieracki, Helen Sofaer, Steve Thur, Gordon Toevs, Francisco Werner, C. LeAnn White, Timothy White, Mark T. Wiltermuth
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Science Synthesis, Analysis and Research Program, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
A modeling workflow that balances automation and human intervention to inform invasive plant management decisions at multiple spatial scales
Predictions of habitat suitability for invasive plant species can guide risk assessments at regional and national scales and inform early detection and rapid-response strategies at local scales. We present a general approach to invasive species modeling and mapping that meets objectives at multiple scales. Our methodology is designed to balance trade-offs between developing highly...
Authors
Nicholas E. Young, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Helen Sofaer, Ian Pearse, Julia Sullivan, Peder S. Engelstad, Thomas J. Stohlgren
Human-associated species dominate passerine communities across the United States
AimHuman development and agriculture can have transformative and homogenizing effects on natural systems, shifting the composition of ecological communities towards non-native and native species that tolerate or thrive under human-dominated conditions. These impacts cannot be fully captured by summarizing species presence, as they include dramatic changes to patterns of species abundance...
Authors
Helen Sofaer, Curtis H. Flather, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Kristin P. Davis, Liba Pejchar
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 22
Great Basin predicted potential cheatgrass abundance, with model estimation and validation data from 2011-2019
This data release includes data and metadata describing 1) the rule set used to create vegetation type categories for the Great Basin; 2) estimation and validation data used to fit models of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) cover; and 3) mapped predictions of potential cheatgrass abundance.
Presence and abundance data and models for four invasive plant species
We developed habitat suitability models for four invasive plant species of concern to Department of Interior land management agencies. We generally followed the modeling workflow developed in Young et al. 2020, but developed models both for two data types, where species were present and where they were abundant. We developed models using five algorithms with VisTrails: Software for...
Co-occurrence and Occupancy Dynamics of Mourning Doves and Eurasian Collared-Doves
Data on mourning dove and Eurasian collared-dove occurrences, and associated covariates.
Data on the impacts of garlic mustard from a weeding experiment in Pennsylvania 2006-2016
Data were collected on the abundance of plants in a 10-year weeding experiment of garlic mustard, located at Trillium Trails Park in Pennsylvania. Garlic mustard was weeded annually to suppress its abundance, and the impacts of garlic mustard were measured based on the response of the plant community to garlic mustard weeding. Because garlic mustard is known to suppress mycorrhizal fungi...
Non-native and synanthropic bird data derived from 2010-2012 Breeding Bird Survey and associated landscape metrics from 2011 NLCD
Locations of and proportional abundance of non-native and synanthropic passerines were extracted from Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data from 2010-2012. Information characterizing the spatial variation and the associated amount, aggregation, and diversity of developed and agricultural land cover types was extracted from the National Land Cover Datasets of 2011. Data supported analyses in...
Abundance of wetland-dependent birds at Breeding Bird Survey routes and associated land cover and climate information
Estimation and validation data for site by species matrices used in the publication 'Clustering and ensembling approaches to support surrogate-based species management' by H.R. Sofaer et al. 2019 Diversity and Distributions
Measurements of plant abundance with reference to dominant plants in Illinois wetlands
Data were collected on plant abundance in Illinois with the goal of determining correlations between the abundance of dominant plant taxa and other plant species.
Breeding Bird Survey songbird occurrences during 1977-1979 and 2012-2014 in conterminous U.S.
Data used in: "Misleading prioritizations from modeling range shifts under climate change" by H.R. Sofaer, C.S. Jarnevich, and C.H. Flather. Breeding Bird Survey data (version 2014.0) for songbirds were summarized over historical (1977-1979) and recent (2012-2014) time periods at routes in the conterminous U.S. Avian occurrence data were combined with information on climate and land...
Data associated with Sofaer and Jarnevich 'Accounting for sampling patterns reverses the relative importance of trade and climate for the global sharing of exotic plants'
These data were analyzed for the publication 'Accounting for sampling patterns reverses the relative importance of trade and climate for the global sharing of exotic plants': Aim: Exotic species distributions reflect patterns of human-mediated dispersal, species climatic tolerances, and a suite of other biotic and abiotic factors. The relative importance of each of these factors will...
Data used to estimate and project the effects of climate and land use change on wetland densities in the Prairie Pothole Region
These data were used to estimate models relating climate and land cover to wetland densities and develop projections under climate and land use change. Data for model estimation were derived from historical climate data, estimates of hydrological processes based on the Variable Infiltration Capacity model, National Wetlands Inventory, and the National Land Cover Database. Wetland...
Filter Total Items: 37
SPCIS: Standardized Plant Community with Introduced Status database
The movement of plant species across the globe exposes native communities to new species introductions. While introductions are pervasive, two aspects of variability underlie patterns and processes of biological invasions at macroecological scales. First, only a portion of introduced species become invaders capable of substantially impacting ecosystems. Second, species that do become...
Authors
Lais Petri, Evelyn M. Beaury, Jeff Corbin, Kristen Peach, Helen Sofaer, Ian Pearse, Reagan Early, Dave Barnett, Ines Ibáñez, Robert K. Peet, Michael Schafale, Thomas Wentworth, James Vanderhorst, David N. Zaya, Gregory Spyreas, Bethany A. Bradley
Regional models do not outperform continental models for invasive species
Aim: Species distribution models can guide invasive species prevention and management by characterizing invasion risk across space. However, extrapolation and transferability issues pose challenges for developing useful models for invasive species. Previous work has emphasized the importance of including all available occurrences in model estimation, but managers attuned to local...
Authors
Catherine S. Jarnevich, Helen Sofaer, Peder S. Engelstad, Pairsa Nicole Belamaric
Climate matching with the climatchR R package
Climate matching allows comparisons of climatic conditions between different locations to understand location and species range climatic suitability. The approach may be used as part of horizon scanning exercises such as those conducted for invasive species. We implemented the CLIMATCH algorithm into an R package, climatchR. The package allows automated and scripted climate matching...
Authors
Richard A. Erickson, Peder S. Engelstad, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Helen Sofaer, Wesley M. Daniel
Potential cheatgrass abundance within lightly invaded areas of the Great Basin
ContextAnticipating where an invasive species could become abundant can help guide prevention and control efforts aimed at reducing invasion impacts. Information on potential abundance can be combined with information on the current status of an invasion to guide management towards currently uninvaded locations where the threat of invasion is high.ObjectivesWe aimed to support management...
Authors
Helen Sofaer, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Erin K. Buchholtz, Brian S. Cade, John T. Abatzoglou, Cameron L. Aldridge, Patrick J. Comer, Daniel J. Manier, Lauren E. Parker, Julie A. Heinrichs
INHABIT: A web-based decision support tool for invasive plant species habitat visualization and assessment across the contiguous United States
Narrowing the communication and knowledge gap between producers and users of scientific data is a longstanding problem in ecological conservation and land management. Decision support tools (DSTs), including websites or interactive web applications, provide platforms that can help bridge this gap. DSTs can most effectively disseminate and translate research results when producers and...
Authors
Peder S. Engelstad, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Terri Hogan, Helen Sofaer, Ian Pearse, Jennifer Sieracki, Neil Frakes, Julia Sullivan, Nicholas E. Young, Janet S. Prevey, Pairsa Nicole Belamaric, Jillian Marie Laroe
Management foundations for navigating ecological transformation by resisting, accepting, or directing social-ecological change
Despite striking global change, management to ensure healthy landscapes and sustained natural resources has tended to set objectives on the basis of the historical range of variability in stationary ecosystems. Many social–ecological systems are moving into novel conditions that can result in ecological transformation. We present four foundations to enable a transition to future-oriented...
Authors
Dawn Robin Magness, Linh Hoang, Travis Belote, Jean Brennan, Wylie A. Carr, F. Stuart Chapin, Katherine R. Clifford, Wendy Morrison, John P. Morton, Helen Sofaer
A science agenda to inform natural resource management decisions in an era of ecological transformation
Earth is experiencing widespread ecological transformation in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems that is attributable to directional environmental changes, especially intensifying climate change. To better steward ecosystems facing unprecedented and lasting change, a new management paradigm is forming, supported by a decision-oriented framework that presents three distinct...
Authors
Shelley D. Crausbay, Helen Sofaer, Amanda E. Cravens, Brian C. Chaffin, Katherine R. Clifford, John E. Gross, Corrine N. Knapp, David J. Lawrence, Dawn Robin Magness, Abraham J. Miller-Rushing, Gregor W. Schuurman, Camille S. Stevens-Rumann
Modelling presence versus abundance for invasive species risk assessment
AimInvasive species prevention and management can be guided by comparisons of invasion risk across space and among species. Species distribution models are widely used to assess invasion risk and typically estimate suitability for species presence. However, suitability for presence may not capture patterns of abundance and impact. We asked how models estimating suitability for presence...
Authors
Catherine S. Jarnevich, Helen Sofaer, Peder S. Engelstad
Negative effects of an allelopathic invader on AM fungal plant species drive community‐level responses
The mechanisms causing invasive species impact are rarely empirically tested, limiting our ability to understand and predict subsequent changes in invaded plant communities. Invader disruption of native mutualistic interactions is a mechanism expected to have negative effects on native plant species. Specifically, disruption of native plant‐fungal mutualisms may provide non‐mycorrhizal...
Authors
Morgan Dake Roche, Ian Pearse, Lalasia Bialic-Murphy, Stephanie N Kivlin, Helen Sofaer, Susan Kalisz
Ecological forecasting—21st century science for 21st century management
Natural resource managers are coping with rapid changes in both environmental conditions and ecosystems. Enabled by recent advances in data collection and assimilation, short-term ecological forecasting may be a powerful tool to help resource managers anticipate impending near-term changes in ecosystem conditions or dynamics. Managers may use the information in forecasts to minimize the...
Authors
John Bradford, Jake Weltzin, Molly L. McCormick, Jill Baron, Zachary H. Bowen, R. Sky Bristol, Daren M. Carlisle, Theresa Crimmins, Paul C. Cross, Joe DeVivo, Mike Dietze, Mary Freeman, Jason Goldberg, Mevin Hooten, Leslie Hsu, Karen Jenni, Jennifer L. Keisman, Jonathan Kennen, Kathy Lee, David P. Lesmes, Keith Loftin, Brian W. Miller, Peter S. Murdoch, Jana Newman, Karen L. Prentice, Imtiaz Rangwala, Jordan S. Read, Jennifer Sieracki, Helen Sofaer, Steve Thur, Gordon Toevs, Francisco Werner, C. LeAnn White, Timothy White, Mark T. Wiltermuth
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Science Synthesis, Analysis and Research Program, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
A modeling workflow that balances automation and human intervention to inform invasive plant management decisions at multiple spatial scales
Predictions of habitat suitability for invasive plant species can guide risk assessments at regional and national scales and inform early detection and rapid-response strategies at local scales. We present a general approach to invasive species modeling and mapping that meets objectives at multiple scales. Our methodology is designed to balance trade-offs between developing highly...
Authors
Nicholas E. Young, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Helen Sofaer, Ian Pearse, Julia Sullivan, Peder S. Engelstad, Thomas J. Stohlgren
Human-associated species dominate passerine communities across the United States
AimHuman development and agriculture can have transformative and homogenizing effects on natural systems, shifting the composition of ecological communities towards non-native and native species that tolerate or thrive under human-dominated conditions. These impacts cannot be fully captured by summarizing species presence, as they include dramatic changes to patterns of species abundance...
Authors
Helen Sofaer, Curtis H. Flather, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Kristin P. Davis, Liba Pejchar