Physiological Effects of Climate Change on Species within the Desert LCC

Understanding the physiological impacts of climate change on arid lands species is a critical step towards ensuring the resilience and persistence of such species under changing temperature and moisture regimes. Varying degrees of vulnerability among different species will largely determine their future distributions in the face of climate change. Studies have indicated that Northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States are likely to become climate change hotspots, experiencing significantly drier and warmer average conditions by the end of the 21st century. However, relatively few studies have examined specifically the physiological effects of climate change on species inhabiting this region. This manuscript...

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2014, AZ-01, AZ-02, AZ-03, AZ-04, All tags... AZ-05, AZ-06, AZ-07, AZ-08, AZ-09, Academics & scientific researchers, Aquascalientes, Arizona, Baja California, Big Bend ‐ Río Bravo & Lower Río Conchos Pilot Area, CA-08, CA-23, CA-25, CA-27, CA-36, CA-50, CA-51, California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Conservation NGOs, Conservation Planning, Desert LCC (all), Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Durango, EARTH SCIENCE > HUMAN DIMENSIONS > ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS > CONSERVATION, Federal resource managers, Guanajuato, Informing Conservation Delivery, Jalisco, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Mexico, Mojave Desert Pilot Area, NM-02, NV-01, NV-03, NV-04, Nayarit, Nevada, New Mexico, Northern Mexico, Nuevo León, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Project, Querétaro, Report, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Southwest US, TX-16, TX-23, Tamaulipas, Texas, Transboundary Madrean Watersheds Pilot Area, UT-02, United States, Utah, Zacatecas, accepted, adaptation, animals, biota, climate change, completed, conservation, desert ecosystems, literature review, physiology, plants, Fewer tags

Final Report: Vulnerability of Riparian Obligate Species in the Rio Grande to the Interactive Effects of Fire, Hydrological Variation and Climate Change

This project had two primary goals: 1) To develop a process for integrating data from multiple sources to improve predictions of climate impacts for wildlife species; and 2) To provide data on climate and related hydrological change, fire behavior under future climates, and species’ distributions for use by researchers and resource managers.We present within this report the process used to integrate species niche models, fire simulations, and vulnerability assessment methods and provide species’ reports that summarize the results of this work. Species niche model analysis provides information on species’ distributions under three climate scenarios and time periods. Niche model analysis allows us to estimate the...

Categories: Data; Types: Downloadable, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service, Shapefile; Tags: 2012, Applications and Tools, Data.gov Desert LCC, Decision Support, EARTH SCIENCE > HUMAN DIMENSIONS > ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS > CONSERVATION, All tags... Federal resource managers, Fire, Fire, Invasive species, Invasive species, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Map, Methodology/Protocol, NM-01, NM-02, NM-03, New Mexico, New Mexico, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Report, Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Riparian, Riparian, Riparian obligates, Riparian obligates, Transboundary Madrean Watersheds Pilot Area, United States, Vulnerability, Vulnerability, Vulnerability Assessment, Wetlands, Wetlands, biota, completed, Fewer tags

Final Report: Effects of Biocontrol and Restoration on Wildlife in Southwestern Riparian Habitats

Introduction: Tamarisk (Tamarix spp., also saltcedar) is a non-native tree introduced to the United States during the 19th century as an ornamental species and solution to erosion in the American West (Robinson 1965). Tamarisk can form dense monotypic stands, which have been linked to a decline in richness and diversity of native plants (Engel-Wilson & Ohmart 1978; Lovich et al. 1994) and wildlife (Anderson et al. 1977; Durst et al. 2008) in riparian areas. As a result, natural resource managers have invested millions of dollars to control tamarisk (Shafroth & Briggs 2008). Few studies have conducted community-level analyses to document the impact of one of these methods, the introduction of a native enemy or predator,...

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2012, AZ-01, AZ-02, AZ-03, AZ-04, All tags... AZ-05, AZ-06, AZ-07, AZ-08, AZ-09, Academics & scientific researchers, Arizona, Arizona, BIOSPHERE, BIOSPHERE, BIOSPHERE, CA-08, CA-36, CA-51, COMMUNITY DYNAMICS, COMMUNITY DYNAMICS, COMMUNITY DYNAMICS, Conservation NGOs, Data.gov Desert LCC, EARTH SCIENCE, EARTH SCIENCE, EARTH SCIENCE, ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS, ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS, ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS, Federal resource managers, INVASIVE SPECIES, INVASIVE SPECIES, INVASIVE SPECIES, Informing Conservation Delivery, LCC Network Science Catalog, Lower Colorado River Basin, NM-02, NM-03, NV-04, Nevada, Nevada, Policy makers & regulators, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Publication, Report, UT-02, United States, Utah, Utah, Virgin River, Vulnerability Assessment, amphibians, amphibians, biocontrol, biocontrol, biota, birds, birds, completed, invasive species, invasive species, product, reptiles, reptiles, riparian, riparian, tamarisk, tamarisk, tamarisk beetle, tamarisk beetle, Fewer tags

Fire and Water: Assessing Springs Ecosystems and Adapting Management to Respond to Climate Change

Sky Island Alliance will develop science and conservation-based guidance to assist natural resource managers in responding to expected climate change and other stressors on springs ecosystems in sky island regions of the Desert LCC. The project will result in publication of an Arizona Springs Restoration Handbook, which will aid managers in directing limited resources to preserve these key water resources and species that depend on them.

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2013, AZ-01, AZ-02, AZ-03, Academics & scientific researchers, All tags... Arizona, Conservation NGOs, Datasets/Database, Decision Support, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, EARTH SCIENCE, FLUVIAL LANDFORMS, Federal resource managers, GEOMORPHIC LANDFORMS/PROCESSES, Informing Conservation Delivery, LAND SURFACE, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Project, SPRING, Sky Island Region, Training/Outreach/Workshop, Transboundary Madrean Watersheds Pilot Area, United States, User Manual, Vulnerability Assessment, aquatic, biota, completed, fire, restoration, springs, water, wetlands, Fewer tags

Webinar: Desert Water Harvesting Initiative - Guide to Assessing Rainwater and Stormwater Harvesting

Guide to Assessing Rainwater and Stormwater Harvesting Potential to Meet Multiple Challenges and Provide Multiple Benefits. The Water Resources Research Center established the Desert Water Harvesting Initiative to enhance outreach and communication between utilities, practitioners of water harvesting, academics, and interested citizens. The Initiative includes a two-year WaterSMART research grant to develop a decision guide to rainwater and stormwater harvesting; an online data clearinghouse for research and publications on water harvesting, low-impact development, and green infrastructure; and the Rainwater-Stormwater Professionals Networks (RSPN) that meets semi-annually at the WRRC to keep members abreast of...

Categories: Data; Tags: Applications and Tools, Applications and Tools, Arizona, Conservation Planning, DLCC, All tags... Data.gov Desert LCC, Decision Support, Decision Support Tool, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Desert Water Harvesting Initiative, EARTH SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE/MANAGEMENT, Engineering, HUMAN DIMENSIONS, LCC Network Science Catalog, Madrean Watersheds Pilot Area, Planning, Presentation, Rainwater Harvesting, Report, Socio-economics/Ecosystem Services, State agencies, Stormwater Harvesting, Stormwater Management, The University of Arizona, Transportation, U.S. Southwest, United States, United States Bureau of Reclamation, WATER MANAGEMENT, Water Harvesting, Water Supply and Management, Water Use, Website, Website, completed, environment, presentation, product, Fewer tags

A Landscape Approach for Fisheries Database Compilation and Predictive Modeling

A strong data foundation is needed to inform science-based decisions for fisheries management at a watershed level. In preparation for a shift towards comprehensive watershed-scale planning, Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) is developing a fisheries data management system with an initial focus on compiling and formatting several hundred thousand fish survey and stocking records. Fish data will be integrated within a Geographic Information System (GIS) by georeferencing observations to an existing national spatial framework (National Hydrography Dataset), which will allow for broader transferability to watersheds shared with neighboring states, creating a seamless layer not limited by state boundaries. In...

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2012, AZ-01, AZ-02, AZ-03, AZ-04, All tags... AZ-05, AZ-06, AZ-07, AZ-08, AZ-09, Academics & scientific researchers, Arizona, Conservation NGOs, Data Management and Integration, Datasets/Database, Decision Support, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, EARTH SCIENCE SERVICES > DATA MANAGEMENT/DATA HANDLING, Federal resource managers, GIS, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, NM-01, NM-02, NM-03, New Mexico, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Presentation, Project, Publication, State agencies, Transboundary Madrean Watersheds Pilot Area, United States, aquatic, biota, climate change, completed, environment, fish, invasive species, riparian, water management, water use, Fewer tags

Final Report: Predicting Snow Water Equivalence (SWE) and Soil Moisture Response to Restoration Treatments in Headwater Ponderosa Pine Forests of the Desert LCC

The U.S. Forest Service plans to conduct forest restoration treatments through the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) on hundreds of thousands of acres of ponderosa pine forest along the Mogollon Rim of Arizona over the next 20 years with the goals of reducing wildfire hazard and improving forest health. The 4FRI’s key objective is to thin and burn the forests to create within-stand openings that “promote snowpack accumulation and retention which benefit groundwater recharge and watershed processes at the fine (1 to 10 acres) scale.” However, little is known about how these openings created by restoration treatments affect snow water equivalence (SWE) and soil moisture, which are key parts of the water balance...

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2013, AL-04, AZ-01, Academics & scientific researchers, Applications and Tools, All tags... Arizona, Centennial Forest, Coconino National Forest, Conservation NGOs, Conservation Planning, Data Acquisition and Development, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, EARTH SCIENCE > TERRESTRIAL HYDROSPHERE > SNOW/ICE > SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT, Federal resource managers, Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) area, GIS, Gus Pearson Natural Area, Informing Conservation Delivery, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Presentation, Publication, Report, Report, Training/Outreach/Workshop, Tribes, United States, Verde River Basin, biota, climate change, completed, forest management, forest structure, forest thinning, ponderosa pine forests, remote sensing, restoration, snow, snowpack, soil moisture, water, wildfire, Fewer tags

Vulnerability of Riparian Obligate Species in the Rio Grande to the Interactive Effects of Fire, Hydrological Variation and Climate Change

The Grassland, Shrubland, Desert Program of the U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station intends to evaluate the interactive effects of fire and climate change on the presence and long-term persistence of native and non-native species within Rio Grande riparian and wetland habitats of the Desert and Southern Rockies LCCs. Decision support tools and maps will be produced that will help resource managers identify conditions and locations where biodiversity will be most affected by future changes and identify needs with respect to species conservation and invasive species management.This project was co-funded by multiple Landscape Conservation Cooperatives: Desert LCC and the Southern Rockies LCC.

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2012, Applications and Tools, Decision Support, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, EARTH SCIENCE > HUMAN DIMENSIONS > ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS > CONSERVATION, All tags... Federal resource managers, Fire, Fire, Invasive species, Invasive species, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Map, Methodology/Protocol, NM-01, NM-02, NM-03, New Mexico, New Mexico, New Mexico, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Project, Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Riparian, Riparian, Riparian obligates, Riparian obligates, Transboundary Madrean Watersheds Pilot Area, United States, Vulnerability, Vulnerability, Vulnerability Assessment, Wetlands, Wetlands, biota, completed, Fewer tags

Predicting Snow Water Equivalence (SWE) and Soil Moisture Response to Restoration Treatments in Headwater Ponderosa Pine Forests of the Desert LCC

Northern Arizona University will build upon the U.S. Forest Service Four Forest Restoration Initiative in Northern Arizona to investigate how restoration efforts can affect the water volume available in the snowpack and soil moisture in the Desert LCC. This project will result in a tool that can be used to predict the water volume in snowpack and soil moisture response to various forest treatments.

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2013, AL-04, AZ-01, Academics & scientific researchers, Applications and Tools, All tags... Arizona, Centennial Forest, Coconino National Forest, Conservation NGOs, Conservation Planning, Data Acquisition and Development, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, EARTH SCIENCE > TERRESTRIAL HYDROSPHERE > SNOW/ICE > SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT, Federal resource managers, Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) area, GIS, GIS, Gus Pearson Natural Area, Informing Conservation Delivery, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Presentation, Project, Publication, Report, Training/Outreach/Workshop, Tribes, United States, Verde River Basin, biota, climate change, climate change, completed, forest management, forest management, forest structure, forest structure, forest thinning, forest thinning, onGoing, ponderosa pine forests, ponderosa pine forests, remote sensing, remote sensing, restoration, restoration, snow, snow, snowpack, snowpack, soil moisture, soil moisture, water, water, wildfire, wildfire, Fewer tags

Publication: The effects of riparian restoration following saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) biocontrol on habitat and herpetofauna along a desert stream

Amphibians and reptiles (herpetofauna) have been linked to specific microhabitat characteristics, microclimates, and water resources in riparian forests. Our objective was to relate variation in herpetofauna abundance to changes in habitat caused by a beetle used for Tamarix biocontrol (Diorhabda carinulata; Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and riparian restoration. During 2013 and 2014, we measured vegetation and monitored herpetofauna via trapping and visual encounter surveys (VES) at locations affected by biocontrol along the Virgin River in the Mojave Desert of the southwestern United States. Twenty-one sites were divided into four riparian stand types based on density and percent cover of dominant trees (Tamarix,...

Categories: Data, Publication; Types: Citation, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2012, AZ-01, AZ-02, AZ-03, AZ-04, All tags... AZ-05, AZ-06, AZ-07, AZ-08, AZ-09, Academics & scientific researchers, Arizona, Arizona, BIOSPHERE, BIOSPHERE, BIOSPHERE, CA-08, CA-36, CA-51, COMMUNITY DYNAMICS, COMMUNITY DYNAMICS, COMMUNITY DYNAMICS, Conservation NGOs, Data.gov Desert LCC, EARTH SCIENCE, EARTH SCIENCE, EARTH SCIENCE, ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS, ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS, ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS, Federal resource managers, INVASIVE SPECIES, INVASIVE SPECIES, INVASIVE SPECIES, Informing Conservation Delivery, LCC Network Science Catalog, Lower Colorado River Basin, NM-02, NM-03, NV-04, Nevada, Nevada, Policy makers & regulators, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Publication, Publication, UT-02, United States, Utah, Utah, Virgin River, Vulnerability Assessment, amphibians, biocontrol, biota, birds, completed, invasive species, product, reptiles, riparian, tamarisk, tamarisk beetle, Fewer tags

Navajo Nation Climate Data Recovery

The Navajo Nation covers over 70,000 km2 in the Four Corners area of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. Climate data from the Navajo Nation have been both sparse and sporadic during the past 100 years, and have been limited to daily data from a handful of National Weather Service Cooperative Observer sites. Climate science researchers have identified the area in and around the Navajo Nation as among the most climate-data poor in the region, and the need to remedy this situation has been identified by both the Desert LCC and the Southern Rockies LCC. This USGS Arizona Water Science Center digitized paper climate data records recorded between 1988 and 1995, including portions of 25 volumes of fan-fold line-printer computer...

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2012, AZ-01, Arizona, Arizona, Data Management and Integration, All tags... Datasets/Database, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, EARTH SCIENCE SERVICES > DATA MANAGEMENT/DATA HANDLING > DATA DELIVERY, Federal resource managers, Four Corners region, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Monitoring, NM-02, NM-03, Navajo Nation, Navajo Nation, New Mexico, New Mexico, Project, Socio-economics/Ecosystem Services, UT-03, United States, Utah, Utah, climate data, climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere, completed, data, weather, Fewer tags

Webinar: Grassland Vulnerability to Climate Change in Southwest Deserts

Climate change predictions include warming and drying trends, which are expected to be particularly pronounced in the southwestern United States. In this region, grassland dynamics are tightly linked to available moisture, yet it has proven difficult to resolve what aspects of climate drive vegetation change.Here, we combine climate and soil properties with a mechanistic soil water model to explain temporal fluctuations in perennial grass cover, quantify where and the degree to which incorporating soil water dynamics enhances our ability to understand temporal patterns, and explore the potential consequences of climate change by assessing future trajectories of important climate and soil water variables.Our analyses...

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: Academics & scientific researchers, Conservation NGOs, Data.gov Desert LCC, EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > VEGETATION, Federal resource managers, All tags... LCC Network Science Catalog, biota, chihuahuan desert, chihuahuan desert, climate change, climate change, colorado plateau, colorado plateau, completed, ecohydrology, ecohydrology, grasslands, grasslands, historic patterns, historic patterns, presentation, product, soil water, soil water, sonoran desert, sonoran desert, vegetation change, vegetation change, water availability, water availability, Fewer tags

Science Brief for Resource Managers: Effects of Biocontrol and Restoration on Wildlife in Southwestern Riparian Habitats

Description: Invasive saltcedar is the third most abundant tree in Southwestern riparian systems. Resource managers must often balance the goals of protecting native wildlife species and habitats with the control of non-native and invasive plants. This project examined the impact of the tamarisk leaf beetle (a biocontrol agent) on amphibian and reptile (herpetofauna) and bird populations and communities along the Virgin River in Utah, Arizona and Nevada.Building on two years of pre-biocontrol monitoring, the researchers tracked changes in herpetofauna communities as the biocontrol entered a system dominated by a non-native plant species. The tamarisk leaf beetle is known to be eaten by several wildlife species....

Categories: Data, Publication; Types: Citation, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2012, AZ-01, AZ-02, AZ-03, AZ-04, All tags... AZ-05, AZ-06, AZ-07, AZ-08, AZ-09, Academics & scientific researchers, Arizona, Arizona, BIOSPHERE, BIOSPHERE, BIOSPHERE, CA-08, CA-36, CA-51, COMMUNITY DYNAMICS, COMMUNITY DYNAMICS, COMMUNITY DYNAMICS, Conservation NGOs, Data.gov Desert LCC, EARTH SCIENCE, EARTH SCIENCE, EARTH SCIENCE, ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS, ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS, ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS, Federal resource managers, INVASIVE SPECIES, INVASIVE SPECIES, INVASIVE SPECIES, Informing Conservation Delivery, LCC Network Science Catalog, Lower Colorado River Basin, NM-02, NM-03, NV-04, Nevada, Nevada, Policy makers & regulators, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Publication, Publication, UT-02, United States, Utah, Utah, Virgin River, Vulnerability Assessment, amphibians, amphibians, biocontrol, biocontrol, biota, birds, birds, completed, invasive species, invasive species, product, reptiles, reptiles, riparian, riparian, tamarisk, tamarisk, tamarisk beetle, tamarisk beetle, Fewer tags

Final Report and Appendices: Fire and Water: Assessing Springs Ecosystems and Adapting Management to Respond to Climate Change

Final Report WaterSMART Agreement No. R13AP80033Introduction: Sky Island Alliance is a non‐governmental organization that works to protect and restore the rich natural heritage of native species and habitats in the Sky Island Region. We work with volunteers, scientists, land‐owners, public officials, and government agencies to establish protected areas, restore healthy landscapes, and promote public appreciation of the region’s unique biological diversity.Springs are keystone ecosystems in the Sky Island Region, exert disproportionate influence on surrounding landscapes, and are known to be biodiversity hotspots. Although they are abundant in this arid region, they are poorly documented and little studied. Changing...

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2013, AZ-01, AZ-02, AZ-03, Academics & scientific researchers, All tags... Arizona, Conservation NGOs, Data.gov Desert LCC, Datasets/Database, Decision Support, EARTH SCIENCE, FLUVIAL LANDFORMS, Federal resource managers, GEOMORPHIC LANDFORMS/PROCESSES, Informing Conservation Delivery, LAND SURFACE, LCC Network Science Catalog, Report, SPRING, Sky Island Region, Training/Outreach/Workshop, Transboundary Madrean Watersheds Pilot Area, United States, User Manual, Vulnerability Assessment, aquatic, biota, completed, fire, restoration, springs, water, wetlands, Fewer tags