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: 2219
Effects of river flow regime on cottonwood leaf litter dynamics in semi-arid northwestern Colorado
We compared production and breakdown of Fremont cottonwood (Populus deltoides wislizenii) leaf litter at matched floodplain sites on the regulated Green River and unregulated Yampa River in semi-arid northwestern Colorado. Litter production under trees was similar at sites in 1999 (250 g/m2, oven-dry) but lower in 2000 (215 and 130 g/m2), a drought year that also featured an outbreak of defoliatin
Authors
D.C. Andersen, S. M. Nelson
Beaver (Castor canadensis) in heavily browsed environments
Beaver (Castor canadensis) populations have declined or failed to recover in heavily browsed environments. I suggest that intense browsing by livestock or ungulates can disrupt beaver-willow (Salix spp.) mutualisms that likely evolved under relatively low herbivory in a more predator-rich environment, and that this interaction may explain beaver and willow declines. Field experiments in Rocky Moun
Authors
Bruce W. Baker
Flood flows, leaf breakdown, and plant-available nitrogen on a dryland river floodplain
We tested the hypothesis that decomposition in flood-inundated patches of riparian tree leaf litter results in higher plant-available nitrogen in underlying, nutrient-poor alluvium. We used leafpacks (n = 56) containing cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. wislizenii) leaf litter to mimic natural accumulations of leaves in an experiment conducted on the Yampa River floodplain in semi-arid northweste
Authors
Douglas C. Andersen, S. Mark Nelson, Dan Binkley
The high-elevation population of Mountain Plovers in Colorado
We surveyed a discrete population of Mountain Plovers (Charadrius montanus) in South Park, Park County, Colorado, to determine the size and relative contribution of this geographically isolated area to the global population of plovers. First, we mapped potential plover habitat within South Park based on landform and vegetation descriptors. Second, we identified occupied habitat using observations
Authors
Michael B. Wunder, F.L. Knopf, C.A. Pague
The Imperial Valley of California is critical to wintering Mountain Plovers
We surveyed Mountain Plovers (Charadrius montanus) wintering in the Imperial Valley of California in January 2001, and also recorded the types of crop fields used by plovers in this agricultural landscape. We tallied 4037 plovers in 36 flocks ranging in size from 4 to 596 birds. Plovers were more common on alfalfa and Bermudagrass fields than other field types. Further, most birds were on alfalfa
Authors
Michael B. Wunder, F.L. Knopf
Recent ecological and biogeochemical changes in alpine lakes of Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado, USA): A response to anthropogenic nitrogen deposition
Dated sediment cores from five alpine lakes (>3200 m asl) in Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado Front Range, USA) record near-synchronous stratigraphic changes that are believed to reflect ecological and biogeochemical responses to enhanced nitrogen deposition from anthropogenic sources. Changes in sediment proxies include progressive increases in the frequencies of mesotrophic planktonic diat
Authors
A.P. Wolfe, A.C. Van Gorp, Jill Baron
Evaluation of oral and subcutaneous delivery of an experimental canarypox recombinant canine distemper vaccine in the Siberian polecate (Mustela eversmanni)
We assessed the safety and efficacy of an experimental canarypox-vectored recombinant canine distemper virus (CDV) subunit vaccine in the Siberian polecat (Mustela eversmanni), a close relative of the black-footed ferret, (M. nigripes), an endangered species that is highly susceptible to the virus. Siberian polecats were randomized into six treatment groups. Recombinant canine distemper vaccine wa
Authors
Jeffrey Wimsatt, Dean E. Biggins, Kim Innes, Bobbi Taylor, Della Garell
Ecohydrology of a resource-conserving semiarid woodland: Effects of scale and disturbance
In semiarid landscapes, the linkage between runoff and vegetation is a particularly close one. In this paper we report on the results of a long-term and multiple-scale study of interactions between runoff, erosion, and vegetation in a piñon–juniper woodland in New Mexico. We use our results to address three knowledge gaps: (1) the temporal scaling relationships between precipitation and runoff; (2
Authors
B.P. Wilcox, D.D. Breshears, Craig D. Allen
Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in Greater Sage-Grouse (Centlocerus urophasianus)
Primers for five polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed for Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) using an enrichment/detection protocol. The high level of polymorphism (nine to 33 alleles) suggests that these loci will be applicable for investigating mating systems and paternity analysis as well as population genetics. Cross-species amplification was successful for each locus in
Authors
S.E. Taylor, S.J. Oyler-McCance, T.W. Quinn
Use of the Delphi method in resolving complex water resources issues
The tri-state river basins, shared by Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, are being modeled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help facilitate agreement in an acrimonious water dispute among these different state governments. Modeling of such basin reservoir operations requires parallel understanding of several river system components: hydropower production, f
Authors
J.G. Taylor, S.D. Ryder
The rich get richer: Patterns of plant invasions in the United States
Observations from islands, small-scale experiments, and mathematical models have generally supported the paradigm that habitats of low plant diversity are more vulnerable to plant invasions than areas of high plant diversity. We summarize two independent data sets to show exactly the opposite pattern at multiple spatial scales. More significant, and alarming, is that hotspots of native plant diver
Authors
T.J. Stohlgren, D.T. Barnett, J.T. Kartesz