Publications

Popular evapotranspiration (ET) partitioning methods make assumptions that might not be well-suited to dryland ecosystems, such as high sensitivity of plant water-use efficiency (WUE) to vapor pressure deficit (VPD). Our objectives were to (a) create an ET partitioning model that can produce fine-scale estimates of transpiration (T) in drylands, and (b) use this approach to evaluate how...

Final report for an NC CASC project to identify needs and provide support for states in the North Central region and Idaho to integrate climate science and adaptation into their State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs). Our objectives were to: 1) engage with state wildlife agencies in the North Central region to identify their needs for climate-informed planning support and 2) collaboratively...

Feedbacks are the basic linkages of living systems. In organisms, they regulate the processes of growth and homeostasis, as well as their interactions with their world. Feedback, which Judson (1980) called ‘one of the chief themes of scientific understanding,' is equally important in ecological systems. The ecological literature is rich in papers dealing with the role of feedback in...

Aim

Assessment of egg deposition is widely used to provide an index of spawning efforts for lithophilic spawning fishes. However, little is known about the collection efficacy and bias of fish egg collection methods. We conducted a two-phased study consisting of a simulated-river flume study (two-part design), and a field study (an egg drift comparison with capture on mats) to assess egg...

Wildfires and climate change are having transformative effects on vegetation composition and structure, and post-fire management may have long-lasting impacts on ecosystem reorganization. Post-fire aerial seeding treatments are commonly used to reduce runoff and soil erosion, but little is known about how seeding treatments affect native vegetation recovery over long periods of time...

The term stability, as applied to ecological systems, whether populations, communities, or ecosystems, means the tendency either to stay either close to some initial state, or to stay within certain bounds, or to persist in the face of environmental disturbances or changes. Here, a historical overview of stability concepts in ecology is outlined and measures of stability are discussed...

The Western and McKay's bumble bees, originally petitioned for listing as subspecies of the Western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis) were previously among the most common western bumble bee species but have declined since the late 1990s (Graves et al. 2021). This report details an occupancy analysis utilizing pre-existing and newly collected bumble bee survey data to evaluate potential...

Estimating the abundance of unmarked animal populations from acoustic data is challenging due to the inability to identify individuals and the need to adjust for observation biases including detectability (false negatives), species misclassification (false positives), and sampling exposure. Acoustic surveys conducted along mobile transects were designed to avoid counting individuals more...

Globally, freshwater fishes are among the taxa most vulnerable to climate change but are generally understudied in tropical island ecosystems where climate change is predicted to alter the intensity, frequency and duration of extreme flow events. These changes may impact stream ecosystems and native and non-native biota in complex ways.We compiled an extensive dataset of fish assemblages...

The environmental ubiquity of tire and road wear particles (TRWP) underscores the need to understand the occurrence, persistence, and environmental effects of tire-related chemicals in aquatic ecosystems. One such chemical is 6PPD-quinone (6PPD-Q), a transformation product of the tire antioxidant 6PPD. In urban stormwater runoff 6PPD-Q can exceed acute toxicity thresholds for several...

Tidal freshwater forests are usually located at or above the level of mean high water. Some Louisiana coastal forests are below mean high water, especially bald cypress (Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.) forests because flooding has increased due to the combined effects of global sea level rise and local subsidence. In addition, constructed channels from the coast inland act as conduits for...