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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...
Groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs) rely on near-surface groundwater. These systems are receiving more attention with rising air temperature, prolonged drought, and where groundwater pumping captures natural groundwater discharge for anthropogenic use. Phreatophyte shrublands, meadows, and riparian areas are GDEs that provide critical habitat for many sensitive species, especially in arid and semi-arid environments. While GDEs are vital for ecosystem services and function, their long-term (i.e. ~ 30 years) spatial and temporal variability is poorly understood with respect to local and regional scale climate, groundwater, and rangeland management. In this work, we compute time series of NDVI derived from sensors...
Integration of conservation partnerships across geographic, biological, and administrative boundaries is increasingly relevant because drivers of change, such as climate shifts, transcend these boundaries. We explored successes and challenges of established conservation programs that span multiple watersheds and consider both social and ecological concerns. We asked representatives from a diverse set of 11 broad-extent conservation partnerships in 29 countries 17 questions that pertained to launching and maintaining partnerships for broad-extent conservation, specifying ultimate management objectives, and implementation and learning. Partnerships invested more funds in implementing conservation actions than any...
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In many large ecosystems, conservation projects are selected by a diverse set of actors operating independently at spatial scales ranging from local to international. Although small-scale decision making can leverage local expert knowledge, it also may be an inefficient means of achieving large-scale objectives if piecemeal efforts are poorly coordinated. Here, we assess the value of coordinating efforts in both space and time to maximize the restoration of aquatic ecosystem connectivity. Habitat fragmentation is a leading driver of declining biodiversity and ecosystem services in rivers worldwide, and we simultaneously evaluate optimal barrier removal strategies for 661 tributary rivers of the Laurentian Great...
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Habitat loss and fragmentation are widely recognized as among the most important threats to global biodiversity. New analytical approaches are providing an improved ability to predict the effects of landscape change on population connectivity at vast spatial extents. This paper presents an analysis of population connectivity for three species of conservation concern [swift fox (Vulpes velox); lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus); massasuaga (Sistrurus catenatus)] across the American Great Plains region. We used factorial least-cost path and resistant kernel analyses to predict effects of landscape conditions on corridor network connectivity. Our predictions of population connectivity provide testable...
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Native grasslands have been altered to a greater extent than any other biome in North America. The habitats and resources needed to support breeding performance of grassland birds endemic to prairie ecosystems are currently threatened by land management practices and impending climate change. Climate models for the Great Plains prairie region predict a future of hotter and drier summers with strong multiyear droughts and more frequent and severe precipitation events. We examined how fluctuations in weather conditions in eastern Colorado influenced nest survival of an avian species that has experienced recent population declines, the Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus). Nest survival averaged 27.2% over a 7-yr...
Amphibians and reptiles (herpetofauna) have been linked to specific microhabitat characteristics, microclimates, and waterresources in riparian forests. Our objective was to relate variation in herpetofauna abundance to changes in habitat caused bya beetle used for Tamarix biocontrol (Diorhabda carinulata; Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and riparian restoration. During 2013and 2014, we measured vegetation and monitored herpetofauna via trapping and visual encounter surveys (VES) at locationsaffected by biocontrol along the Virgin River in the Mojave Desert of the southwestern United States. Twenty-one sites weredivided into four riparian stand types based on density and percent cover of dominant trees (Tamarix, Prosopis,...
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Prymnesium parvum (golden alga, GA) is a toxigenic harmful alga native to marine ecosystems that has also affected brackish inland waters. The first toxic bloom of GA in the western hemisphere occurred in the Pecos River, one of the saltiest rivers in North America. Environmental factors (water quality) associated with GA occurrence in this basin, however, have not been examined. Water quality and GA presence and abundance were determined at eight sites in the Pecos River basin with or without prior history of toxic blooms. Sampling was conducted monthly from January 2012 to July 2013. Specific conductance (salinity) varied spatiotemporally between 4408 and 73,786 mS/cm. Results of graphical, principal component...
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Inundation is a critical parameter of wetland hydrologic performance. This study uses Annual Habitat Survey data from 2004 to 2012 in the Rainwater Basin in south-central Nebraska to examine differences between the actual inundation conditions and three datasets: the National Wetland Inventory (NWI), the Soil Survey Geographic database (SSURGO), and LiDAR-derived depressions. The results show that current wetland inundated areas were well overlaid with these datasets (99.9% in SSURGO data, 67.9% in NWI data, and 87.3;% in LiDAR-derived depressions). However, the hydrologic degradation of playa wetlands was not reflected in these datasets. In SSURGO data, only 13.3% of hydric soil footprint areas were inundated and...
Wind erosion and aeolian transport processes are under studied compared to rainfall-induced erosion and sediment transport on burned landscapes. Post-fire wind erosion studies have predominantly focused on near-surface sediment transport and associated impacts such as on-site soil loss and site fertility. Downwind impacts, including air quality degradation and deposition of dust or contaminants, are also likely post-fire effects; however, quantitative field measurements of post-fire dust emissions are needed for assessment of these downwind risks. A wind erosion monitoring system was installed immediately following a desert sagebrush and grass wildfire in southeastern Idaho, USA to measure wind erosion from the burned...
Precipitation amount and seasonal timing determine the duration and distribution of water available for plant and microbial activity in the cold desert sagebrush steppe. In this study, we sought to determine if a sustained shift in the amount and timing of precipitation would affect soil microbial diversity, community composition, and soil carbon (C) storage. Field plots were irrigated (+200 mm) during the dormant or growing-season for 17 years. Microbial community responses were assessed over the course of a year at two depths (15–20 cm, 95–100 cm) by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP), along with co-occurring changes in plant cover and edaphic properties. Bacterial richness, Shannon Weaver...
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) provides many critical ecosystem services, yet we lack basic information on SAV assemblages, biomass and diversity across expansive coasts such as the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM). This research investigated SAV along the nGoM from 2013-2015 examining (1) inter-annual variation in SAV assemblages and biomass across salinity zones and gulf coast eco-regions (Texas Mid-Coast, Texas/LA Chenier Plain, Louisiana Delta, MS/AL), (2) intra-annual variation in SAV assemblages and biomass across salinity zones, (3) response of two species, Ruppia maritima and Myriophyllum spicatum, to salinity and light regimes, and (4) estimated organic carbon stock and storage of SAV habitat soils across...
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Dozens of species of landbirds, such as warblers, hummingbirds, and orioles, migrate through the Northeastern United States from their summer breeding grounds in the U.S. and Canada to their nonbreeding grounds as far south as South America. During the migration period, birds must find habitat where they can stop, rest and replenish their energy reserves. Conservation efforts are increasingly focused on identifying stopover sites that are important for sustaining migratory landbird populations. This project builds upon prior work by the University of Delaware and USGS to use weather surveillance data and field surveys to map and predict important migratory bird stopover sites.This project was co-funded by through...
These raster files showing wetland areas that were ponded during Rainwater Basin Wetland Complex Annual Habitat Survey. Annual Habitat Surveys (AHS) identify areas of wetland ponding and function (ponding and potential hydrophyte vegetation) during spring migration. The information is developed by Rainwater Basin Joint Venture to identifying how much habitat the Rainwater Basin Wetland Complex provides to migratory waterfowl on an annual basis. AHS have been completed for 2004 and 2006-2020 where high-resolution aerial photos of the Rainwater Basin Wetland Complex are classified using an image object classification software to determine land cover (hydrophyte water, agriculture water, hydrophytes, agriculture, or...
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Intraspecific variation in the seasonal reproductive timing of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus sp.) has importantimplications for the resilience of salmon and for organisms in freshwater and terrestrial communities that dependon salmon resources. Stream temperature has well known associations with salmon spawn timing buthow stream and watershed geomorphology relates to the variation in salmon spawn timing is less understood.We used multivariate statistics applied to five environmental variables to compare conditions across36 watersheds in the Wood River basin in southwest Alaska. We found that the environmental conditionsin the first two axes of a principal components analysis (PCA) explained 76% of the variation in...
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Temperate grassland ecosystems are imperiled globally, and habitat loss in North America has resulted in steepdeclines of endemic songbirds. Commercial livestock grazing is the primary land use in rangelands that supportremaining bird populations. Some conservationists suggest using livestock as “ecosystem engineers” to increasehabitat heterogeneity in rangelands because birds require a spectrum of sparse to dense vegetation cover.However, grazing effects remain poorly understood because local studies have not incorporated broad-scaleenvironmental constraints on herbaceous growth. We surveyed grassland birds across a region spanning26 500 km2 in northeast Montana, United States to assess how distribution and abundance...
map background search result map search result map Drought and Cooler Temperatures Are Associated with Higher Nest Survival in Mountain Plovers Rainwater Basin Wetland Complex Annual Habitat Surveys: Annual Ponding 2004-20 Evaluating population connectivity for species of conservation concern in the American Great Plains Identifying Important Migratory Landbird Stopover Sites in the Northeast Science Brief for Resource Managers: Effects of Biocontrol and Restoration on Wildlife in Southwestern Riparian Habitats Publication: Enhancing ecosystem restoration efficiency through spatial and temporal coordination Examining Playa Wetland Inundation Conditions for National Wetland Inventory, Soil Survey Geographic Database, and LiDAR Data Association between geomorphic attributes of watersheds, water temperature, and salmon spawn timing in Alaskan streams Precipitation and Soil Productivity Explain Effects of Grazing on Grassland Songbirds Publication: Golden alga presence and abundance are inversely related to salinity in a high-salinity river ecosystem, Pecos River, USA Utqiagvik Alaska Shorebird Study Publications Utqiagvik Alaska Dunlin Brood Survival publications Utqiagvik Alaska Dunlin Brood Survival publications Utqiagvik Alaska Shorebird Study Publications Science Brief for Resource Managers: Effects of Biocontrol and Restoration on Wildlife in Southwestern Riparian Habitats Examining Playa Wetland Inundation Conditions for National Wetland Inventory, Soil Survey Geographic Database, and LiDAR Data Rainwater Basin Wetland Complex Annual Habitat Surveys: Annual Ponding 2004-20 Association between geomorphic attributes of watersheds, water temperature, and salmon spawn timing in Alaskan streams Publication: Golden alga presence and abundance are inversely related to salinity in a high-salinity river ecosystem, Pecos River, USA Precipitation and Soil Productivity Explain Effects of Grazing on Grassland Songbirds Drought and Cooler Temperatures Are Associated with Higher Nest Survival in Mountain Plovers Evaluating population connectivity for species of conservation concern in the American Great Plains Identifying Important Migratory Landbird Stopover Sites in the Northeast Publication: Enhancing ecosystem restoration efficiency through spatial and temporal coordination