Publications
FORT scientists have produced more than 2000 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: 2379
Responding to ecological transformation: Mental models, external constraints, and manager decision-making Responding to ecological transformation: Mental models, external constraints, and manager decision-making
Ecological transformation creates many challenges for public natural resource management and requires managers to grapple with new relationships to change and new ways to manage it. In the context of unfamiliar trajectories of ecological change, a manager can resist, accept, or direct change, choices that make up the resist-accept-direct (RAD) framework. In this article, we provide a...
Authors
Katherine R. Clifford, Amanda E. Cravens, Corrine N. Knapp
Olfactory lures in predator control do not increase predation risk to birds in areas of conservation concern Olfactory lures in predator control do not increase predation risk to birds in areas of conservation concern
Context: Lethal control of predators is often undertaken to protect species of conservation concern. Traps are frequently baited to increase capture efficacy, but baited traps can potentially increase predation risk by attracting predators to protected areas. This is especially important if targeted predators can escape capture due to low trap success. Snake traps using live mouse lures...
Authors
Page E. Klug, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Robert Reed
Sediment-ecological connectivity in a large river network Sediment-ecological connectivity in a large river network
Sediment eroded from the headwaters of a large basin strongly influences channels and ecosystems far downstream, but the connection is often difficult to trace. Disturbance-dependent riparian trees are thought to rely primarily on floods for formation of the sand bars necessary for seedling establishment, but pulses of sediment should also promote formation of such features. In order to...
Authors
John T. Kemper, R. D. Thaxton, Sara L. Rathburn, Jonathan M. Friedman, Erich R. Mueller, Michael L. Scott
Grassification and fast-evolving fire connectivity and risk in the Sonoran Desert, United States Grassification and fast-evolving fire connectivity and risk in the Sonoran Desert, United States
In the southwestern United States, non-native grass invasions have increased wildfire occurrence in deserts and the likelihood of fire spread to and from other biomes with disparate fire regimes. The elevational transition between desertscrub and montane grasslands, woodlands, and forests generally occurs at ∼1,200 masl and has experienced fast suburbanization and an expanding wildland...
Authors
Benjamin T. Wilder, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Elizabeth Baldwin, Joseph S. Black, Kim A. Franklin, Perry Grissom, Katherine Hovanes, Aaryn Olsson, Jim Malusa, Abu S.M.G. Kibria, Yue M. Li, Aaron M. Lien, Alejandro Ponce, Julia A. Rowe, Jose Soto, Maya Stahl, Nicholas Young, Julio L. Betancourt
Challenges in updating habitat suitability models: An example with the lesser prairie-chicken Challenges in updating habitat suitability models: An example with the lesser prairie-chicken
Habitat loss from land-use change is one of the top causes of declines in wildlife species of concern. As such, it is critical to assess and reassess habitat suitability as land cover and anthropogenic features change for both monitoring and developing current information to inform management decisions. However, there are obstacles that must be overcome to develop consistent assessments...
Authors
Catherine S. Jarnevich, Pairsa Nicole Belamaric, Kent Fricke, Mike Houts, Liza Rossi, Grant M. Beauprez, Brett Cooper, Russell Martin
The effects of ENSO and the North American monsoon on mast seeding in two Rocky Mountain conifer species The effects of ENSO and the North American monsoon on mast seeding in two Rocky Mountain conifer species
We aimed to disentangle the patterns of synchronous and variable cone production (i.e. masting) and its relationship to climate in two conifer species native to dry forests of western North America. We used cone abscission scars to reconstruct ca 15 years of recent cone production in Pinus edulis and Pinus ponderosa, and used redundancy analysis to relate time series of annual cone...
Authors
Andreas Wion, Ian Pearse, Kyle C. Rodman, Thomas T. Veblen, Miranda Redmond
The ecology and evolution of synchronized reproduction in long-lived plants The ecology and evolution of synchronized reproduction in long-lived plants
Populations of many long-lived plants exhibit spatially synchronized seed production that varies extensively over time, so that seed production in some years is much higher than on average, while in others, it is much lower or absent. This phenomenon termed masting or mast seeding has important consequences for plant reproductive success, ecosystem dynamics and plant–human interactions...
Authors
Mario B. Pesendorfer, Davide Ascoli, Michal Bogdziewicz, Andrew Hacket-Pain, Ian Pearse, Giorgio Vacchiano
Modes of climate variability bridge proximate and evolutionary mechanisms of masting Modes of climate variability bridge proximate and evolutionary mechanisms of masting
There is evidence that variable and synchronous reproduction in seed plants (masting) correlates to modes of climate variability, e.g. El Niño Southern Oscillation and North Atlantic Oscillation. In this perspective, we explore the breadth of knowledge on how climate modes control reproduction in major masting species throughout Earth's biomes. We posit that intrinsic properties of...
Authors
Davide Ascoli, Andrew Hacket-Pain, Ian S. Pearse, Giorgio Vacchiano, Susanna Corti, Paolo Davini
Understanding mast seeding for conservation and land management Understanding mast seeding for conservation and land management
Masting, the intermittent and synchronous production of large seed crops, can have profound consequences for plant populations and the food webs that are built on their seeds. For centuries, people have recorded mast crops because of their importance in managing wildlife populations. In the past 30 years, we have begun to recognize the importance of masting in conserving and managing...
Authors
Ian S. Pearse, Andreas Wion, Angela Gonzalez, Mario B. Pesendorfer
Joint effects of climate, tree size, and year on annual tree growth derived using tree-ring records of ten globally distributed forests Joint effects of climate, tree size, and year on annual tree growth derived using tree-ring records of ten globally distributed forests
Tree rings provide an invaluable long-term record for understanding how climate and other drivers shape tree growth and forest productivity. However, conventional tree-ring analysis methods were not designed to simultaneously account for the effects of climate, tree size, and other drivers on individual growth, which has limited the potential to use tree rings to understand forest...
Authors
Kristina J. Anderson-Teixeira, Valentine Herrmann, Christy Rollinson, Bianca Gonzales, Erika B. Gonzalez-Akre, Neil Pederson, M. Ross Alexander, Craig D. Allen, Raquel Alfaro-Sanchez, Tala Awada, Jennifer L. Baltzer, Patrick J. Baker, Joseph D. Birch, Sarayudh Bunyavejchewin, Paolo Cherubini, Stewart J. Davies, Cameron Dow, Ryan Helcoski, Jakub Kaspar, James A. Lutz, Ellis Q. Margolis, Justin Maxwell, Sean M. McMahon, Camille Piponiot, Sabrina E. Russo, Pavel Šamonil, Anastasia E. Sniderhan, Alan J. Tepley, Ivana Vasickova, Mart Vlam, Pieter A. Zuidema
Lethal impacts of selenium counterbalance the potential reduction in mercury bioaccumulation for freshwater organisms☆ Lethal impacts of selenium counterbalance the potential reduction in mercury bioaccumulation for freshwater organisms☆
Mercury (Hg), a potent neurotoxic element, can biomagnify through food webs once converted into methylmercury (MeHg). Some studies have found that selenium (Se) exposure may reduce MeHg bioaccumulation and toxicity, though this pattern is not universal. Se itself can also be toxic at elevated levels. We experimentally manipulated the relative concentrations of dietary MeHg and Se (as
Authors
Jacqueline R. Gerson, Rebecca A. Consbrock, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Emily S. Bernhardt, David Walters
Comparison of flea sampling methods and Yersinia pestis detection on prairie dog colonies Comparison of flea sampling methods and Yersinia pestis detection on prairie dog colonies
Scientists collect fleas (Siphonaptera) to survey for Yersinia pestis, the bacterial agent of plague. When studying fleas parasitizing prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.), two primary methods are used: (1) combing fleas from live-trapped prairie dogs and (2) swabbing fleas from burrows with cloth swabs attached to metal cables. Ideally, burrow swabbing, the cheaper and easier method, would...
Authors
David A. Eads, Marc R. Matchett, Julia Poje, Dean E. Biggins