Publications
FORT scientists have produced more than 1,500 peer reviewed publications that are registered in the USGS Publications Warehouse, along with many others prior to their work at the USGS or in conjunction with other government agencies.
Filter Total Items: 2281
Spatiotemporal synchrony of climate and fire occurrence across North American forests (1750-1880)
AimIncreasing aridity has driven widespread synchronous fire occurrence in recent decades across North America. The lack of historical (pre-1880) fire records limits our ability to understand long-term continental fire-climate dynamics. The goal of this study is to use tree-ring reconstructions to determine the relationships between spatiotemporal patterns in historical climate and...
Authors
Ellis Margolis, Andreas Paul Wion, John T. Abatzoglou, Lori D. Daniels, Donald A. Falk, Chris Guiterman, James B. Johnston, Kurt F. Kipfmueller, Charles W. Lafon, Rachel A. Loehman, Maggie Lonergan, Cameron E. Naficy, Marc-Andre Parisien, Sean Parks, Jeanne Portier, Michael C. Stambaugh, Ellen Whitman, A. Park Williams, Larissa Yocom
Evaluating a simulation-based wildfire burn probability map for the conterminous US
BackgroundWildfire simulation models are used to derive maps of burn probability (BP) based on fuels, weather, topography and ignition locations, and BP maps are key components of wildfire risk assessments.AimsFew studies have compared BP maps with real-world fires to evaluate their suitability for near-future risk assessment. Here, we evaluated a BP map for the conterminous US based on...
Authors
Amanda Renee Carlson, Todd Hawbaker, Lucas Bair, Chad Michael Hoffman, James Meldrum, L. Scott Baggett, Paul F. Steblein
Ecological trade-offs associated with fuel breaks in the sagebrush ecosystem
BackgroundUnprecedented wildfire frequency, fueled by invasive annual grasses, threatens sagebrush ecosystems. To suppress wildfire and conserve sagebrush, land management agencies have installed fuel breaks across the sagebrush biome. However, despite the potential reduction in wildfire, fuel breaks may have ecological costs. Determining an acceptable balance between risks and benefits...
Authors
Morgan Dake Roche, D. Joanne Saher, Erin K. Buchholtz, Michele R. Crist, Douglas J. Shinneman, Cameron L. Aldridge, Brianne E. Brussee, Peter S. Coates, Cali L. Weise, Julie A. Heinrichs
Controls on lake pelagic primary productivity: Formalizing the nutrient-color paradigm
Understanding controls on primary productivity is essential for describing ecosystems and their responses to environmental change. Lake primary production is strongly controlled by inputs of nutrients and colored dissolved organic matter. While past studies have developed mathematical models of this nutrient-color paradigm, broad empirical tests of these models are scarce. We used data...
Authors
Isabella Oleksy, Christopher T. Solomon, Stuart E. Jones, Carly Olson, Brittni Bertolet, Rita Adrian, Sheel Bansal, Jill Baron, Soren Brothers, Sudeep Chandra, Hsiu-Mei Chou, William Colom-Montero, Joshua Culpeper, Elvira de Eyto, Matthew Farragher, Sabine Hilt, Kristen T. Holeck, Garabet Kazanjian, Marcus Klaus, Jennifer Klug, Jan Köhler, Alo Laas, Erik Lundin, Alice Parkes, Kevin C. Rose, Lars Rustam, James A. Rusak, Facundo Scordo, Michael J. Vanni, Piet Verburg, Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer
Imperiled Great Basin terminal lakes: Synthesizing ecological and hydrological science gaps and research needs for waterbird conservation
Terminal lakes are declining globally because of human water demands, drought, and climate change. Through literature synthesis and feedback from the resource and conservation community, we review the state of research for terminal lakes in the Great Basin of the United States, which support millions of waterbirds annually, to prioritize ecological and hydrologic information needs. From...
Authors
Garth Herring, Ashley L. Whipple, Cameron L. Aldridge, Bryce Alan Pulver, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Rich D. Inman, Elliott Matchett, Adrian P. Monroe, Elizabeth Kari Orning, Benjamin Seward Robb, Jessica E. Shyvers, Bryan C. Tarbox, Nathan D. Van Schmidt, Cassandra Smith, Matthew J. Holloran, Cory T. Overton, David O'Leary, Michael L. Casazza, Rebecca Frus
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Water Availability and Use Science Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Nevada Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, Utah Water Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Saline Lake Ecosystems Integrated Water Availability Assessment
Trophic transfer of fipronil residues to black-footed ferrets: Implications for ferret safety, flea control, and plague mitigation
Sylvatic plague, caused by the flea-borne bacterium Yersinia pestis, is an invasive disease in North America that causes reductions of native fauna and transforms ecosystems. Fipronil baits have shown promise in reducing flea loads on prairie dogs Cynomys spp. for plague mitigation. Many species depend on prairie dogs and their ecological influences, including the black-footed ferret...
Authors
Tyler N. Tretten, David A. Eads, John P. Hughes, Gregory P. Dooley, Dean E. Biggins
High genetic diversity, low population genetic structure, strong natal philopatry, and longevity revealed in the Black Swift (Cypseloides niger borealis)
Genetic diversity is a critical cornerstone of biodiversity and is a central goal in management and conservation biology. Such diversity has implications for survivability, adaptability, and resiliency of a species. This study aimed to determine levels of genetic diversity and population genetic structure in the Northern Black Swift (Cypseloides niger borealis). This species nests across...
Authors
Carolyn Gunn, Kim Potter, Jennifer A. Fike, Sara J. Oyler-McCance
A metapopulation strategy to support long term conservation of genetic diversity in Department of the Interior bison
Once numbering in the tens of millions, plains bison (Bison bison bison) were nearly driven to extinction with only a few hundred individuals remaining by the late 19th century. Plains bison have since recovered to approximately 20,000 animals managed in conservation herds throughout North America, yet substantial challenges to their recovery remain. The Department of the Interior (DOI)...
Authors
Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Lee C. Jones, Blake McCann, Shawna J Zimmerman, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Paul Santavy, Brendan J Moynahan
Rates of change in invasive annual grass cover to inform management actions in sagebrush ecosystems
No abstract available.
Authors
Morgan Dake Roche, Michele R. Crist, Cameron L. Aldridge, Helen Sofaer, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Julie A. Heinrichs
Predicted occurrence and abundance habitat suitability of invasive plants in the contiguous United States: Updates for the INHABIT web tool.
Invasive plant species have substantial negative ecological and economic impacts. Geographic information on the potential and actual distributions of invasive plants is critical for their effective management. For many regions, numerous sources of predictive geographic information exist for invasive plants, often in the form of outputs from species distribution models (SDMs). The...
Authors
Catherine S. Jarnevich, Peder Engelstad, Demetra A. Williams, Keana S. Shadwell, Cameron J. Reimer, Grace Henderson, Janet S. Prevéy, Ian Pearse
Simple stated preference questions can enhance transdisciplinary projects: Linking perceived risks with willingness to spray and pay
Transdisciplinary projects can uncover crucial insights on people’s past and future risk-mitigation behavior. We focus on a novel risk context: increasing health threats from ticks on Staten Island, a New York City borough where the combination of high population density and extensive park systems and green spaces has resulted in a rise in locally-acquired tick-transmitted disease cases...
Authors
Aaron Joey Enriquez, Kevin Berry, Maria del Pilar Fernandez, Nichar Gregory, Kacey C. Ernst, Mary H. Hayden, Maria A. Diuk-Wasser
Urban tick exposure on Staten Island is higher in pet owners
Over the past decade, Lyme and other tick-borne diseases have expanded into urban areas, including Staten Island, New York. While Lyme disease is often researched with a focus on human risk, domestic pets are also at risk of contracting the disease. The present study aims to describe differences in tick exposure, knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) between pet owners and non-owners...
Authors
Noriko Tamari, Kacey C. Ernst, Aaron Joey Enriquez, Maria A. Diuk-Wasser, Maria P. Fernandez, Kevin Berry, Mary H. Hayden