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Wildlife Responses to Climate, Land Use, and Invasive Species Active

By Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center November 14, 2017

Wildlife issues drive many federal and state land management decisions, either because of litigation or mandates to protect habitat and limit extinction risks. We conduct applied research to meet this need, particularly related to the effects of natural (disease, predation) and anthropogenic (habitat loss, invasive species) stressors on wildlife populations and communities. Research on the effects of fire, invasive species, climate, and land management actions (e.g., re-seeding after fire) are ongoing.

Below are other science projects associated with this project.

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Idaho giant salamander as seen from above

Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Biology Team (FRESC)

Wildlife respond to changes in their environment, some of which are dramatic and others subtle. To fully understand the factors that drive changes in populations and communities, we need better information on wildlife ecology in natural and human-altered landscapes. We conduct research and provide technical assistance to address applied questions about the ecology and conservation of wildlife...
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Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
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Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Biology Team (FRESC)

Wildlife respond to changes in their environment, some of which are dramatic and others subtle. To fully understand the factors that drive changes in populations and communities, we need better information on wildlife ecology in natural and human-altered landscapes. We conduct research and provide technical assistance to address applied questions about the ecology and conservation of wildlife...
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Below are data or web applications associated with this project.

Mercury Bioaccumulation in US National Parks Using Dragonfly Larvae as Biosentinels, 2009-2018

Comma-separated values (.csv) files containing data related to a National-scale assessment of mercury bioaccumulation in the US National Parks using dragonfly larvae as biosentinels through a citizen science framework.
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Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Occupancy data for spatiotemporal distribution assessments of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Bruneau and Jarbidge River Basins, Idaho and Nevada, USA, in water year 2016

eDNA-based spatiotemporal distribution data (occupancy model format) for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) within the Bruneau-Jarbidge Rivers Wilderness in southern Idaho and northern Nevada, USA. Data also include stream discharge and stream temperature data for each site. All data were collected between October 2015 and September 2016.
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Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Pacific Northwest Environmental DNA Laboratory

Insect and vegetation community composition and abundance after wildfire and restoration seeding treatments in southwestern Idaho, USA

We conducted the first investigation of insect community responses to post-fire seeding on public rangelands by comparing the composition of insect communities at burned-and-seeded (treatment) and burned-and-unseeded (control) sagebrush-steppe ecological sites in southwestern Idaho. Insect communities in burned areas were compared to unburned (reference) areas. We collected insect and vegetation d
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Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Beaver-related Stream Restoration Projects in Western Rangelands

We systematically surveyed federal and state wildlife biologists, hydrological specialists, non-profit organizations, and working groups focused on beaver or wetland restoration in the western U.S. We focused primarily on contacting land managers from states containing some portion of the Great Basin, although many of the projects described in surveys fell outside of this watershed. Some land mana
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Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Below are publications associated with this project.

Filter Total Items: 27

Harvester ant seed removal in an invaded sagebrush ecosystem: Implications for restoration

A better understanding of seed movement in plant community dynamics is needed, especially in light of disturbance‐driven changes and investments into restoring degraded plant communities. A primary agent of change within the sagebrush‐steppe is wildfire and invasion by non‐native forbs and grasses, primarily cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum). Our objectives were to quantify seed removal and evaluate ec
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Illegal killing of nongame wildlife and recreational shooting in conservation areas

Illegal killing of nongame wildlife is a global yet poorly documented problem. The prevalence and ecological consequences of illegal killing are often underestimated or completely unknown. We review the practice of legal recreational shooting and present data gathered from telemetry, surveys, and observations on its association with illegal killing of wildlife (birds and snakes) within conservatio
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Postfire growth of seeded and planted big sagebrush - Strategic designs for restoring Greater Sage-grouse nesting habitat

Wildfires change plant community structure and impact wildlife habitat and population dynamics. Recent wildfire‐induced losses of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) in North American shrublands are outpacing natural recovery and leading to substantial losses in habitat for sagebrush‐obligate species such as Greater Sage‐grouse. Managers are considering restoration strategies that include plantin
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Effects of snowpack, temperature, and disease on the demography of a wild population of amphibians

Understanding the demographic consequences of interactions among pathogens, hosts, and weather conditions is critical in determining how amphibian populations respond to disease and in identifying site-specific conservation actions that can be developed to bolster persistence of amphibian populations. We investigated population dynamics in Boreal Toads (Anaxyrus boreas) relative to abiotic (fall t
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center

Effects of climate change on habitat and connectivity for populations of a vulnerable, endemic salamander in Iran

Habitat loss and fragmentation are among the biggest threats to amphibian populations and anthropogenic climate change may exacerbate these. The response of Iran's amphibians to climate change is uncertain and yet making an accurate prediction of how the species will respond is critical for conservation. We assessed how expected future climate scenarios before the years 2050 and 2070 might influen
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Identification of bees in southwest Idaho—A guide for beginners

This document was prepared to help scientists and the public, both of whom may not be familiar with bee taxonomy, learn how to practically identify bees in sagebrush steppe and shrubland habitats in southwest Idaho. We provide information to identify bees to the level of family and genus. A tentative list of the bee genera captured at sites used for insect community studies is included.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Functional and geographic components of risk for climate sensitive vertebrates in the Pacific Northwest, USA

Rarity and life history traits inform multiple dimensions of intrinsic risk to climate and environmental change and can help systematically identify at-risk species. We quantified relative geographic rarity (area of occupancy), climate niche breadth, and life history traits for 114 freshwater fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Our approach leveraged presence-only, publ
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Insect communities in big sagebrush habitat are altered by wildfire and post‐fire restoration seeding

Natural resource managers sow grass, forb, and shrub seeds across millions of hectares of public lands in the western United States to restore sagebrush‐steppe ecosystems burned by wildfire. The effects of post‐fire vegetation treatments on insect communities in these ecosystems have not been investigated.We conducted the first investigation of insect community responses to post‐fire seeding on pu
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Regional variation in drivers of connectivity for two frog species (Rana pretiosa and R. luteiventris) from the U.S. Pacific Northwest

Comparative landscape genetics has uncovered high levels of variability in which landscape factors affect connectivity among species and regions. However, the relative importance of species traits versus environmental variation for predicting landscape patterns of connectivity is unresolved. We provide evidence from a landscape genetics study of two sister taxa of frogs, the Oregon spotted frog (R
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Survey of beaver-related restoration practices in rangeland streams of the western USA

Poor condition of many streams and concerns about future droughts in the arid and semi-arid western USA have motivated novel restoration strategies aimed at accelerating recovery and increasing water resources. Translocation of beavers into formerly occupied habitats, restoration activities encouraging beaver recolonization, and instream structures mimicking the effects of beaver dams are restorat
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Heterogeneous responses of temperate-zone amphibian populations to climate change complicates conservation planning

The pervasive and unabated nature of global amphibian declines suggests common demographic responses to a given driver, and quantification of major drivers and responses could inform broad-scale conservation actions. We explored the influence of climate on demographic parameters (i.e., changes in the probabilities of survival and recruitment) using 31 datasets from temperate zone amphibian populat
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center

Insect community responses to climate and weather across elevation gradients in the Sagebrush Steppe, eastern Oregon

Executive SummaryIn this study, the U.S. Geological Survey investigated the use of insects as bioindicators of climate change in sagebrush steppe shrublands and grasslands in the Upper Columbia Basin. The research was conducted in the Stinkingwater and Pueblo mountain ranges in eastern Oregon on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management.We used a “space-for-time” sampling design that rel
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center