Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC)
Publications
Ecosystems science: Genes to landscapes
Timber harvest alters mercury bioaccumulation and food web structure in headwater streams
Timber harvest has many effects on aquatic ecosystems, including changes in hydrological, biogeochemical, and ecological processes that can influence mercury (Hg) cycling. Although timber harvest’s influence on aqueous Hg transformation and transport are well studied, the effects on Hg bioaccumulation are not. We evaluated Hg bioaccumulation,...
Willacker, James; Eagles-Smith, Collin A.; Kowalski, Brandon M; Danehy, Robert J; Jackson, Allyson K.; Adams, Evan M.; Evers, David C.; Eckley, Chris S.; Tate, Michael T.; Krabbenhoft, David P. Lidar-based approaches for estimating solar insolation in heavily forested streams
Methods to quantify solar insolation in riparian landscapes are needed due to the importance of stream temperature to aquatic biota. We have tested three lidar predictors using two approaches developed for other applications of estimating solar insolation from airborne lidar using field data collected in a heavily forested narrow stream in western...
Richardson, Jeffrey J; Torgersen, Christian E.; Moskal, L Monika
Effects of experimental removal of Barred Owls on population Demography of Northern Spotted Owls in Washington and Oregon—2018 Progress Report
Populations of Northern Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis caurina; herineafter referred to as Spotted Owl) have declined throughout the subspecies’ geographic range. Evidence indicates that competition with invading Barred Owls (S. varia) has contributed significantly to those declines. A pilot study in California showed that removal of Barred Owls...
Wiens, J. David; Dugger, Katie M.; Lesmeister, Damon B.; Dilione, Krista E.; Simon, David C. Rapid broad-scale ecosystem changes and their consequences for biodiversity
Biodiversity contributes to and depends on ecosystem structure and associated function. Ecosystem structure, such as the amount and type of tree cover, influences fundamental abiotic variables such as near-ground incoming solar radiation (e.g., Royer et al. 2011), which in turn affects species and associated biodiversity (e.g., Trotter et al. 2008...
Breshears, David D.; Field, Jason P.; Law, Darin J.; Villegas, Juan C.; Allen, Craig D.; Cobb, Neil S.; Bradford, John B. Roost- and perch-site selection by Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in eastern North America
Birds select critical resources to meet needs that vary in response to spatial, temporal, and individual variation. As an example, perch or roost sites may be at locations that provide protection from predators, mobbing, or inclement weather. Applied to large, soaring predators, this theory suggests that they may select perch and roost sites near...
Duerr, Adam E.; Braham, Melissa A.; Miller, Tricia A.; Cooper, Jeffrey; Anderson, James T.; Katzner, Todd E. Hydroseeding tackifiers and dryland moss restoration potential
Tackifiers are long‐chain carbon compounds used for soil stabilization and hydroseeding and could provide a vehicle for biological soil crust restoration. We examined the sensitivity of two dryland mosses, Bryum argenteum and Syntrichia ruralis, to three common tackifiers ‐ guar, psyllium, and polyacrylamide (PAM) ‐ at 0.5x, 1....
W. Dillon Blankenship; Condon, Lea A.; Pyke, David A. Transient population dynamics impede restoration and may promote ecosystem transformation after disturbance
The apparent failure of ecosystems to recover from increasingly widespread disturbance is a global concern. Despite growing focus on factors inhibiting resilience and restoration, we still know very little about how demographic and population processes influence recovery. Using inverse and forward demographic modelling of 531 post‐fire sagebrush...
Shriver, Robert K.; Andrews, Caitlin M.; Arkle, Robert; Barnard, David; Duniway, Michael C.; Germino, Matthew J.; Pilliod, David S.; Pyke, David A.; Welty, Justin; Bradford, John B. Geographic variation in natal dispersal of Northern Spotted Owls over 28 years
The most recent comprehensive estimates of Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) natal dispersal distances were reported in 2002. Since then, Northern Spotted Owl populations have experienced substantial demographic changes, with potential attendant changes in natal dispersal distances, including temporal or geographic trends. We...
Hollenbeck, Jeff; Haig, Susan M.; Forsman, Eric D.; Wiens, David Soil characteristics are associated with gradients of big sagebrush canopy structure after disturbance
Reestablishing shrub canopy cover after disturbance in semi-arid ecosystems, such as sagebrush steppe, is essential to provide wildlife habitat and restore ecosystem functioning. While several studies have explored the effects of landscape and climate factors on the success or failure of sagebrush seeding, the influence of soil properties on...
Barnard, David; Germino, Matthew J.; Arkle, Robert; Bradford, John; Duniway, Michael; Pilliod, David; Pyke, David; Shriver, Robert; Welty, Justin Corrigendum to “A comprehensive analysis of interseasonal and interannual energy and water balance dynamics in semiarid shrubland and forest ecosystems” [Sci. Total Environ. 651 (2019) 381–398]
The authors regret the omission of an author, funding sources, and key support staff. The omitted author and their affiliation is: Matthew J Germino US Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise ID 83706. The correct citation should be: Valayamkunnath, P., Sridhar, V., Zhao, W. Allen, R.G., and Germino, M.J., 2019...
Valayamkunnath, Prasanth; Sridhar, Venkataramana; Zhao, Wenguang; Allen, Richard G; Germino, Matthew J. Effects of a changing climate on the hydrological cycle in cold desert ecosystems of the Great Basin and Columbia Plateau
Climate change is already resulting in changes in cold desert ecosystems, lending urgency to the need to understand climate change effects and develop effective adaptation strategies. In this review, we synthesize information on changes in climate and hydrologic processes during the last century for the Great Basin and Columbia Plateau, and...
Snyder, Keirith A.; Evers, Louisa B.; Chambers, Jeanne C.; Dunham, Jason B.; Bradford, John B.; Loik, Michael E. Operationalizing resilience and resistance concepts to address invasive grass-fire cycles
Plant invasions can affect fuel characteristics, fire behavior, and fire regimes resulting in invasive plant-fire cycles and alternative, self-perpetuating states that can be difficult, if not impossible, to reverse. Concepts related to general resilience to disturbance and resistance to invasive plants provide the basis for managing landscapes to...
Chambers, Jeanne C.; Brooks, Matthew L.; Germino, Matthew J.; Maestas, Jeremy D; Board, David I; Jones, Matthew O.; Allred, Brady W