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: 2408
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
Persistent nitrate in alpine waters with changing atmospheric deposition and warming trends Persistent nitrate in alpine waters with changing atmospheric deposition and warming trends
Nitrate concentrations in high-elevation lakes of the Colorado Front Range remain elevated despite declining trends in atmospherically deposited nitrate since 2000. The current source of this elevated nitrate in surface waters remains elusive, given shifts in additional nitrogen sources via glacial inputs and atmospheric ammonium deposition. We present the complete isotopic composition...
Authors
Sydney C. Clark, Rebecca T. Barnes, Isabella A. Oleksy, Jill S. Baron, Meredith G. Hastings
Loss of branches due to winter storms could favor deciduousness in oaks Loss of branches due to winter storms could favor deciduousness in oaks
Premise Ecologists have an incomplete understanding of the factors that select for deciduous, evergreen, and marcescent leaf habits. Evergreens have more opportunities for photosynthesis but may experience costs when abiotic conditions are unfavorable such as during ice and windstorms.Methods We documented branch loss for species of oaks (Quercus spp.) in a common garden in California...
Authors
Richard Karban, Ian S. Pearse
Identifying negative sentiment polarity in the Judas technique Identifying negative sentiment polarity in the Judas technique
In the context of conservation science and management, the Judas technique refers to outfitting an animal (a Judas animal) with a radio transmitter or other identifier so that its movements can be tracked to locate conspecifics. Although this term is commonly used, some consider it offensive due to historical associations of the word Judas with anti-Semitic sentiments. Thus, the term has...
Authors
Austin Lee Fitzgerald, Jillian Maureen Josimovich, Charlotte J. Robinson, Robert Reed, Andrea Faye Currylow
Tamm review: Postfire landscape management in frequent-fire conifer forests of the southwestern United States Tamm review: Postfire landscape management in frequent-fire conifer forests of the southwestern United States
The increasing incidence of wildfires across the southwestern United States (US) is altering the contemporary forest management template within historically frequent-fire conifer forests. An increasing fraction of southwestern conifer forests have recently burned, and many of these burned landscapes contain complex mosaics of surviving forest and severely burned patches without surviving...
Authors
Jens T. Stevens, Collin Haffey, Jonathan D. Coop, Paula J. Fornwalt, Larissa Yocom, Craig D. Allen, Anne Bradley, Owen T. Burney, Dennis Carril, Marin E. Chambers, Theresa B. Chapman, Sandra L. Haire, Matthew D. Hurteau, Jose M. Iniguez, Ellis Q. Margolis, Christopher Marks, Laura A. E. Marshall, Kyle C. Rodman, Camille S. Stevens-Rumann, Andrea E. Thode, Jessica J. Walker
Resilience of native amphibian communities following catastrophic drought: Evidence from a decade of regional-scale monitoring Resilience of native amphibian communities following catastrophic drought: Evidence from a decade of regional-scale monitoring
The increasing frequency and severity of drought may exacerbate ongoing global amphibian declines. However, interactions between drought and coincident stressors, coupled with high interannual variability in amphibian abundances, can mask the extent and underlying mechanisms of drought impacts. We synthesized a decade (2009–2019) of regional-scale amphibian monitoring data (2273 surveys...
Authors
Wynne Moss, Travis McDevitt-Galles, Erin L. Muths, Steven Bobzien, Pieter Johnson, Jessica Purificato
Living with wildfire in Chalk Creek, Chaffee County, Colorado: 2019 data report Living with wildfire in Chalk Creek, Chaffee County, Colorado: 2019 data report
Wildfire affects many types of communities and is a particular concern for communities in the wildland urban interface (WUI), such as Chalk Creek in Chaffee County. The core intent of this project was to provide evidence to support Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) Salida Field Office’s wildfire mitigation and education program. This report analyzes existing wildfire risk data...
Authors
Patricia A. Champ, Julia B. Goolsby, J. T. Shaver, Josh Kuehn, James R. Meldrum, Hannah Brenkert-Smith, Christopher M. Barth, Colleen Donovan, Carolyn Wagner
Utah prairie dog population dynamics on the Awapa Plateau: Precipitation, elevation, and plague Utah prairie dog population dynamics on the Awapa Plateau: Precipitation, elevation, and plague
Utah prairie dogs (UPDs, Cynomys parvidens) are colonial, herbivorous rodents listed under the Endangered Species Act as threatened. Little is known about UPD population dynamics at higher elevations in the species’ range. From 2013 through 2016, we studied UPDs on five colonies at 2,645 to 2,873 m elevation on the Awapa Plateau, Utah, USA. Primary production increases with precipitation...
Authors
David A. Eads, Dean E. Biggins