Publications

Background Amphibians are important components of headwater streams in forest ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest (PNW). They comprise the highest vertebrate biomass and density in these systems and are integral to trophic dynamics both as prey and as predators. The most commonly encountered amphibians in PNW headwater streams include the Pacific giant salamander (Dicamptodon tenebrosus)...

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), with its multidisciplinary structure and role as a federal science organization, is well suited to provide integrated science in the Great Basin of the western United States. A research strategy developed by the USGS and collaborating partners addresses critical management issues in the basin, including invasive species, status and trends of wildlife...

Plant invasions are widely recognized as significant threats to biodiversity conservation worldwide. One way invasions can affect native ecosystems is by changing fuel properties, which can in turn affect fire behavior and, ultimately, alter fire regime characteristics such as frequency, intensity, extent, type, and seasonality of fire. If the regime changes subsequently promote the...

We investigated species- and community-level responses of squamate reptiles and granivorous small mammals to feral-horse grazing in two elevational strata across nine mountain ranges of the western Great Basin, USA. Although mammal species richness did not differ between horse-occupied and horse-removed sites, occupied sites possessed less community completeness (biotic integrity) and 1...

1. Spatial patterns in channel morphology and substratum composition at small (1–10 metres) and large scales (1–10 kilometres) were analysed to determine the influence of habitat heterogeneity on the distribution and abundance of larval lamprey. 2. We used a nested sampling design and multiple logistic regression to evaluate spatial heterogeneity in the abundance of larval Pacific...

Tailed frog (Ascaphus truei Stejneger) populations are at risk in much of the Pacific Northwest, and recolonization of sites may be slow postlogging. To examine the terrestrial movements of Ascaphus in clearcuts and old growth, we employed pitfall traps and drift-fence arrays installed along streams and 100 m into upland habitat. In the fall, we captured frogs farther from streams in old...

The sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) biome has changed since settlement by Europeans. The current distribution, composition and dynamics, and disturbance regimes of sagebrush ecosystems have been altered by interactions among disturbance, land use, and invasion of exotic plants. In this chapter, we present the dominant factors that have influenced habitats across the sagebrush biome. Using a...

Based on count results, we estimated the population of Mariana fruit bats (Pteropus mariannus Desmarest) on Sarigan, Mariana Islands, to number 150-200 bats in 1999, 185-235 bats in 2000, and about 300-400 bats in 2001. Our results, plus those of two previous surveys, indicate that bat abundance on the island probably remained relatively stable at about 125-235 animals during much of the...

To evaluate effects of noncommercial thinning, utilization of forages consumed by elk (Cervus elaphus L.), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus Raf.), and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Raf.) was measured in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa P. & C. Lawson) stands in Custer State Park, S. D. Treatments consisted of unthinned (control; 22 to 32 m2/ha basal area), moderately thinned (12...

Introduced, nonnative brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were removed from a mountain lake in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, to examine the capacity of native Ambystoma gracile (Northwestern Salamander) in the lake to respond to the intentional removal of fish. Temporal trends (Δ̄N) were calculated for A. gracile larvae/neotene and egg mass relative abundances in the Fish...

Many forests in the Pacific Northwest region of North America are both highly productive and sensitive to climate. The combination of productivity and sensitivity makes forests vulnerable to changes in future climate and most likely to feed back to the regional carbon cycle. We reconstructed basal area increment (BAI) for 20 yr using tree-ring increments and diameter to identify species...

The effects of constant (12, 18, and 24 °C) and cyclical (daily variation of 15–21 and 12–24 °C) thermal regimes on the growth and feeding of Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi) of variable sizes were examined. Higher constant temperatures (i.e., 24 °C) and more variable daily temperatures (i.e., 12–24 °C daily cycle) negatively affected growth rates. As fish mass...