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: 2222
Physiological and morphological response patterns of Populus deltoides to alluvial groundwater
We examined the physiological and morphological response patterns of plains cottonwood [Populus deltoides subsp. monilifera (Aiton) Eck.] to acute water stress imposed by groundwater pumping. Between 3 and 27 July 1996, four large pumps were used to withdraw alluvial groundwater from a cottonwood forest along the South Platte River, near Denver, Colorado, USA. The study was designed as a stand-lev
Authors
D.J. Cooper, D.R. D'Amico, M.L. Scott
Multiple pathways for woody plant establishment on floodplains at local to regional scales
1. The structure and functioning of riverine ecosystems is dependent upon regional setting and the interplay of hydrologic regime and geomorphologic processes. We used a retrospective analysis to study recruitment along broad, alluvial valley segments (parks) and canyon segments of the unregulated Yampa River and the regulated Green River in the upper Colorado River basin, USA. We precisely aged 8
Authors
D.J. Cooper, D.C. Andersen, Rodney A. Chimner
A gentle introduction to quantile regression for ecologists
Quantile regression is a way to estimate the conditional quantiles of a response variable distribution in the linear model that provides a more complete view of possible causal relationships between variables in ecological processes. Typically, all the factors that affect ecological processes are not measured and included in the statistical models used to investigate relationships between variable
Authors
B.S. Cade, B.R. Noon
Beaver herbivory of willow under two flow regimes: A comparative study on the Green and Yampa rivers
The effect of flow regulation on plant-herbivore ecology has received very little attention, despite the fact that flow regulation can alter both plant and animal abundance and environmental factors that mediate interactions between them. To determine how regulated flows have impacted beaver (Castor canadensis) and sandbar willow (Salix exigua) ecology, we first quantified the abundance and mapped
Authors
Stewart W. Breck, Kenneth R. Wilson, Douglas C. Andersen
Beaver herbivory and its effect on cottonwood trees: Influence of flooding along matched regulated and unregulated rivers
We compared beaver (Castor canadensis) foraging patterns on Fremont cottonwood (Populus deltoides subsp. wislizenii) saplings and the probability of saplings being cut on a 10 km reach of the flow-regulated Green River and a 8.6 km reach of the free-flowing Yampa River in northwestern Colorado. We measured the abundance and density of cottonwood on each reach and followed the fates of individually
Authors
S.W. Breck, K.R. Wilson, D.C. Andersen
Macroinvertebrate community structure and related environmental variables in two forks of the Virgin River, Utah
Using multivariate analysis techniques, we analyzed variation in the structure of the benthic macroinvertebrate community in the North Fork and East Fork of the Virgin River in and above Zion National Park in concert with a number of naturally occurring and anthropogenic environmental variables. Correspondence analysis revealed that the community structure in the 2 streams was markedly different d
Authors
T.P. Boyle, M.J. Strand
Challenges to reestablishment of free-ranging populations of black-footed ferrets
The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) of North America is critically endangered due in part to its extreme specialization on formerly stable and abundant prairie dogs (Cynomys). Its close relative, the Siberian polecat (M. eversmannii) seems to have been subjected to a varying environment that was not conducive to specialization. One source of environmental variation in Asian steppes was plag
Authors
D.E. Biggins, J.L. Godbey
Fire in the west: It's no simple story
As scientists who have long grappled with the complexities of fire history in the West, we take issue with Ray Ring’s overreaching storyline that the recent spate of stand-replacing forest fires reflects wholly natural processes operating across all Western landscapes (HCN, 5/26/03: A losing battle). Ring further asserts that the main driver of recent crown fires must be climatic change, and not t
Authors
Julio L. Betancourt, Thomas W. Swetnam, Craig D. Allen, Melissa Savage
Evaluation of the eastern (Centrocercus urophasianus urophasianus) and western (Centrocercus urophasianus phaios) subspecies of Sage-grouse using mitochondrial control-region sequence data
The status of Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is of increasing concern, as populations throughout its range have contracted as a result of habitat loss and degradation. Historically, Sage-grouse were classified into two subspecies: eastern(C. u. urophasianus) and western Sage-grouse (C. u. phaios) based on slight differences in coloration noted among eight individuals sampled from Washingt
Authors
N.G. Benedict, S.J. Oyler-McCance, S.E. Taylor, C.E. Braun
Effects of flow regulation on shallow-water habitat dynamics and floodplain connectivity
Our study examined the effects of flow regulation on the spatiotemporal availability of shallow habitat patches with slow current velocity (SSCV patches) and floodplain inundation in the unregulated Yellowstone River and the regulated Missouri River in Montana and North Dakota. We mapped representative sites and used hydraulic models and hydrograph data to describe the frequency and extent of floo
Authors
Z.H. Bowen, K.D. Bovee, T.J. Waddle
Ecosistemas de agua dulce sustentables (Sustaining healthy freshwater ecosystems)
No abstract available.
Authors
Jill Baron, N.L. Poff, P. L. Angermeier, Clifford N. Dahm, P.H. Gleick, N.G. Hairston, R.B. Jackson, C.A. Johnston, B. D. Richter, A.D. Steinman
Soil characteristics and plant exotic species invasions in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, USA
The Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument (GSENM) contains a rich diversity of native plant communities. However, many exotic plant species have become established, potentially threatening native plant diversity. We sought to quantify patterns of native and exotic plant species and cryptobiotic crusts (mats of lichens, algae, and mosses on the soil surface), and to examine soil characteris
Authors
Michael A. Bashkin, Thomas J. Stohlgren, Yuka Otsuki, Michelle Lee, Paul H. Evangelista, Jayne Belnap