Reproductive ecology data for female Agassiz's desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) in Joshua Tree National Park, USA

These data were compiled to evaluate the reproductive ecology of Agassiz's desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizzi) in the Sonoran Desert of California using two populations within Joshua Tree National Park, including five reproductive seasons that spanned 20 years (1997-1999, 2015-2016). Compared to their conspecifics inhabiting the Mojave Desert, the reproductive ecology of G. agassizii in the Sonoran Desert is understudied. Climatic variation between the two deserts can affect reproductive ecology, including fecundity and clutch phenology. Mature female tortoises (straight-line carapace length ≥ 20 cm) outfitted with radiotransmitters were located and X-radiographed approximately every 10-14 days during the reproductive...

Categories: Data; Tags: Agassiz's desert tortoise, California, Ecology, Geography, Gopherus agassizii, All tags... Information Sciences, Joshua Tree National Park, Sonoran Desert, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), Wildlife Biology, X-radiography, X-ray egg width, biota, climatic variation, clutch number, clutch phenology, clutch size, ecology, egg production, egg size, fecundity, field monitoring, field sampling, nests, reproductive ecology, size, tortoise, Fewer tags

Total mercury concentrations in dragonfly larvae from U.S. national parks (ver. 9.0, November 2023)

Comma-separated values (.csv) file containing data related to mercury concentrations in dragonfly samples from U.S. National Parks collected as part of the Dragonfly Mercury Project (DMP). This data release supersedes Eagles-Smith, C.A., Nelson, S.J., Flanagan-Pritz, C.M., Willacker Jr., J.J., and Klemmer, A.J., 2018, Total mercury concentrations in dragonfly larvae from U.S. national parks (ver. 8.0, December 2022): U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9TK6NPT. Please contact fresc_outreach@usgs.gov for access.

Categories: Data, Data Release - Revised; Tags: Acadia National Park, Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, Amistad National Recreation Area, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, All tags... Aquatic Biology, Assateague Island National Seashore, Battle Creek Cypress Swamp, Bear Creek Lake Park, Bear Meadows Natural Area, Big Bend National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Big Thicket National Preserve, Buffalo National River, Cape Cod National Seashore, Capitol Reef National Park, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Channel Islands National Park, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, City of Rocks National Reserve, Colorado National Monument, Congaree National Park, Crater Lake National Park, Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Death Valley National Park, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Denali National Park and Preserve, Devils Tower National Monument, East Inlet Natural Area-Connecticut Lakes Nature Preserve, Ecology, Ell Pond Preserve, Everglades National Park, Fort Larned National Historic Site, Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge National Natural Landmark, Gateway National Recreation Area, Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Glacier National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Portage National Monument, Grand Teton National Park, Great Basin National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Homestead National Monument, Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, Hot Springs National Park, Indiana Dunes National Park, Isle Royale National Park, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Joshua Tree National Park, Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Lilley Cornett Woods, Mammoth Cave National Park, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Park, Maurice National Wild and Scenic River, Minute Man National Historical Park, Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, Monocacy National Battlefield, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Mount Rainier National Park, Natchez Trace Parkway and National Scenic Trail, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, Niobrara National Scenic River, North Cascades National Park, Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, Olympic National Park, Oregon Caves National Monument, Ozark National Scenic Riverway, Padre Island National Seashore, Petersburg National Battlefield, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Pinnacles National Park, Pipestone National Monument, Prince William Forest Park, Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, Redwood National Park, Richmond National Battlefield Park, Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River, Rock Creek Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites, Saguaro National Park, Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, San Juan Island National Historical Park, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Shenandoah National Park, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Sudbury, Assabet & Concord Wild & Scenic Rivers, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Timucuan Ecological Historic Preserve, Tumacacori National Historical Park, Tuzigoot National Monument, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, Valles Caldera National Preserve, Voyageurs National Park, Water Quality, Weir Farm National Historical Park, Wekiva Wild & Scenic River, White Mountain National Forest, Wildlife Biology, Wind Cave National Park, Women’s Rights National Historical Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Zion National Park, biota, environment, mercury contamination, Fewer tags

Joshua Tree National Park Vegetation Mapping Project - Spatial Vegetation Data

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Park Service (NPS) Vegetation Characterization Program initiated a project at Joshua Tree National Park (JOTR or Park) in 1996 to classify, describe, and map the vegetation communities of the Park. The project, including the final map, classification, and report, was completed in 2012. Initial mapping, photo-interpretation, and field work was conducted between 1996 and 2005. Final reports for these efforts were generated by 2005, including a map, ecological descriptions, classification, key, and photo-interpretation guide. Following this, a total of 1,313 accuracy assessments were conducted in 2007 and 2008, the results of which spurred additional field relev�s...

Tags: Aerial Information Systems, California, Colorado Desert, Joshua Tree National Park, Mojave Desert, All tags... United States, desert, vegetation, Fewer tags

Data for modeling fountain grass and bishop's goutweed in the contiguous US

This data bundle contains the merged data sets to create models for bishop's goutweed and fountaingrass using the VisTrails:SAHM [SAHM 2.1.0]. We developed species distribution models for both species following a workflow designed to balance automation and human intervention to produce models for invasive plant species of concern to U.S. land managers. Location data came from existing databases aggregating species occurrence information. Predictors came from a national library of potential environmental variables based on what environmental factors might limit plant species' distributions in different parts of the U.S. including climatic, topographic, soil, land use, and anthropogenic factors. The outputs of these...

Categories: Data; Tags: Aegopodium podagraria, Joshua Tree National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, CA, Pennisetum setaceum, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, All tags... Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, MI, SAHM, Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling, Species Distribution modeling, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), VisTrails, biota, fountaingrass, goutweed, habitat suitability, Fewer tags

Agassiz's desert tortoise and egg data from the Sonoran Desert of California (1997-2000, 2015-2018)

These data were compiled to evaluate reproductive output of Agassiz's desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizzi) in relation to environmental and individual-level variables. We collected data from four study sites in the Sonoran Desert of California, including two separate populations within Joshua Tree National Park, one population located on the northern versant of the Orocopia Mountains, and one population located at the extreme western end of the Coachella Valley. These data represent eight reproductive seasons that spanned over 20 years (1997-2000, 2015-2018). These data were compiled and added to a larger database with additional records collected by other scientists from eight other study sites in order to detect...

Tags: Agassiz's desert tortoise, Barrow Plot, California, Cottonwood Mountains, Ecology, All tags... Geography, Gopherus agassizii, Information Sciences, Joshua Tree National Park, Joshua Tree Wilderness, Mesa, Mesa Wind Farm, Orocopia Mountains, San Gorgonio Pass, Shavers Valley, Sonoran Desert, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), Wildlife Biology, X-radiography, biological production, biota, body size, climate change, climatic variability, climatic variation, clutch size, ecology, ecosystem functions, eggs, environmental effects, environmental variables, field inventory and monitoring, radiography, reproduction, reproductive output, reproductive status, reptiles, size, tortoises, total annual egg production, wildlife, wildlife biology, Fewer tags

Ecotypic Variation in Ambrosia dumosa and Larrea tridentata from Three Sites Across the Mojave (2014 - 2018)

These data were acquired from two native Mojave Desert species, Ambrosia dumosa and Larrea tridentata, from 3 sites (50 m x 50 m garden plots) distributed across the differing Mojave Desert ecotones. These sites were located on the Fort Irwin National Training Center (CA), north of Joshua Tree National Park (CA), and north of Saint George (UT). Growth and survivorship data were collected monthly from 2014 to 2018. Canopy projection data was calculated from the measurements using the mathematical equation: pi x 0.5 x L1 x 0.5 x L2, L1 is the longest diameter, L2 is the perpendicular longest diameter (cm squared). Height was measured from the ground to the tallest green leaf (cm). These data support the following...

Categories: Data; Tags: Adaptations (biological), Botany, Ecology, Fort Irwin National Training Center, Joshua Tree National Park, All tags... Saint George, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), botany, ecological restoration, ecology, ecotype, fast-slow spectrum, phenological adaptations, reciprocal transplant experiment, reproductive tradeoff, winter precipitation gradient, Fewer tags

Reducing Uncertainty Regarding Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity in the California Desert

University of California Riverside’s Center for Conservation Biology will create a sustainable resource monitoring framework that will provide empirical data identifying if and how climate change is changing the composition and vitality of Joshua Tree National Park. These data will then help focus the Park’s resource management programs to help ensure the Park’s rich biodiversity can be sustained to the extent possible. A broader goal is to have this framework adopted across the surrounding public lands to then integrate data from multiple sites and land management philosophies to create an unambiguous picture of the impacts of climate change across the desert region.

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2013, Biodiversity, CA-08, CA-36, California, All tags... Climate change, Datasets/Database, Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, EARTH SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE/MANAGEMENT, Federal resource managers, HUMAN DIMENSIONS, Interested public, Joshua Tree National Park, LAND MANAGEMENT, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Methodology/Protocol, Mojave Desert Pilot Area, Monitoring, Monitoring, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Presentation, Project, United States, Vulnerability Assessment, biota, completed, Fewer tags

Risk-based determination of critical nitrogen deposition loads for fire spread in southern California deserts

Fire risk in deserts is increased by high production of annual forbs and invasive grasses that create a continuous fine fuel bed in the interspaces between shrubs. Interspace production is influenced by water, nitrogen (N) availability, and soil texture, and in some areas N availability is increasing due to anthropogenic N deposition. The DayCent model was used to investigate how production of herbaceous annuals changes along gradients of precipitation, N availability, and soil texture, and to develop risk-based critical N loads. DayCent was parameterized for two vegetation types within Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA: creosote bush (CB) and pi�on?juniper (PJ). The model was successfully calibrated in...

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation, Journal Citation; Tags: Bromus, California, Century, Ecological Applications, Ecological Society of America, All tags... Joshua Tree National Park, Larrea tridentate, Schismus, USA, arid, biogeochemical model, climate change, desert, exotic grasses, fire risk, fuel load, Fewer tags

Data, Methods, and Cost Estimates: Reducing Uncertainty Regarding Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity in the California Desert

University of California Riverside’s Center for Conservation Biology will create a sustainable resource monitoring framework that will provide empirical data identifying if and how climate change is changing the composition and vitality of Joshua Tree National Park. These data will then help focus the Park’s resource management programs to help ensure the Park’s rich biodiversity can be sustained to the extent possible. A broader goal is to have this framework adopted across the surrounding public lands to then integrate data from multiple sites and land management philosophies to create an unambiguous picture of the impacts of climate change across the desert region.

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2013, Biodiversity, CA-08, CA-36, California, All tags... Climate change, Data, Data.gov Desert LCC, Datasets/Database, Document, EARTH SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE/MANAGEMENT, Federal resource managers, HUMAN DIMENSIONS, Interested public, Joshua Tree National Park, LAND MANAGEMENT, LCC Network Science Catalog, Methodology/Protocol, Mojave Desert Pilot Area, Monitoring, Monitoring, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Presentation, United States, Vulnerability Assessment, biota, completed, product, Fewer tags

Joshua Tree National Park, California.Q.M. vs. metamorphics contact and Joshua trees near Sheep Pass. 1962.

Joshua Tree National Park, California.Q.M. vs. metamorphics contact and Joshua trees near Sheep Pass. March 11, 1962.

Categories: Image; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: Hamilton, W.B. Collection, Joshua Tree National Park, National Parks, Photographers, color transparency (slides)