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Southwest Biological Science Center

The SBSC provides sound science, specialized expertise, and objective and timely tools to Federal and State agencies and the public to inform land management decision-making, and support thriving landscapes for the Southwest’s abundant natural resources and vast public lands. This research assists those who manage, conserve, and rehabilitate rivers and arid regions of the nation.

News

RAMPS Newsletter - Spring 2025

RAMPS Newsletter - Spring 2025

Inaugural USGS Wildlife Health Awareness Day - April 25, 2025

Inaugural USGS Wildlife Health Awareness Day - April 25, 2025

USGS Research Links Weather Extremes to Coastal Sediment Supply in California

USGS Research Links Weather Extremes to Coastal Sediment Supply in California

Publications

Biocrust mosses and cyanobacteria exhibit distinct carbon uptake responses to variations in precipitation amount and frequency

Dryland organisms exhibit varied responses to changes in precipitation, including event size, frequency, and soil moisture duration, influencing carbon uptake and reserve management strategies. This principle, central to the pulse-reserve paradigm, has not been thoroughly evaluated in biological soil crusts (biocrusts), essential primary producers on dryland surfaces. We conducted two...
Authors
Kristina E. Young, Osvaldo E. Sala, Anthony Darrouzet-Nardi, Colin Tucker, Rebecca Finger-Higgens, Megan Elyse Starbuck, Sasha C. Reed

Flexible phenology of a C4 grass linked to resiliency to seasonal and multiyear drought events in the American southwest

Rising temperatures are predicted to further limit dryland water availability as droughts become more intense and frequent and seasonal precipitation patterns shift. Vegetation drought stress may increase mortality and cause declines and delays in phenological events, thereby impacting species' capacity to persist and recover from extreme drought conditions. We compare phenological...
Authors
Rebecca Finger-Higgens, David L. Hoover, Anna C. Knight, Daniel Rodolphe Schlaepfer, Michael C. Duniway

Science

WebDART: A Cutting-edge Web Tool that Evaluates Land Condition

WebDART is an online ecological assessment tool available to a wide audience that incorporates Landsat satellite remote sensing imagery, topography, geology, soil conditions, and rangeland geospatial and vegetation mapping to compare altered terrain with an unspoiled area that has similar characteristics in the same region. The tool gives resource managers, landowners, companies, and other...
link

WebDART: A Cutting-edge Web Tool that Evaluates Land Condition

WebDART is an online ecological assessment tool available to a wide audience that incorporates Landsat satellite remote sensing imagery, topography, geology, soil conditions, and rangeland geospatial and vegetation mapping to compare altered terrain with an unspoiled area that has similar characteristics in the same region. The tool gives resource managers, landowners, companies, and other...
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Providing Unbiased Actionable Science & Information to Meet National Resource Management Needs of the U.S.

The U.S. Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC) is uniquely positioned to provide sound information, specialized expertise, and innovative tools to support the management and sustained use of natural resources on public and Tribal lands in the Southwest U.S.
link

Providing Unbiased Actionable Science & Information to Meet National Resource Management Needs of the U.S.

The U.S. Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC) is uniquely positioned to provide sound information, specialized expertise, and innovative tools to support the management and sustained use of natural resources on public and Tribal lands in the Southwest U.S.
Learn More

Supporting energy and mineral development through successful reclamation

Federal lands of the US contain important reserves of oil, gas and other resources important for Unleashing American Energy (SO 3418). After development of these resources is complete, successfully reclaiming disturbed lands is a necessary step towards restoring wildlife habitat, forage production, and maintaining natural resources for future use. To improve reclamation outcomes on these lands and...
link

Supporting energy and mineral development through successful reclamation

Federal lands of the US contain important reserves of oil, gas and other resources important for Unleashing American Energy (SO 3418). After development of these resources is complete, successfully reclaiming disturbed lands is a necessary step towards restoring wildlife habitat, forage production, and maintaining natural resources for future use. To improve reclamation outcomes on these lands and...
Learn More

Multimedia

Wild turkeys run along a path in an eastern US forest
Wild turkeys run along a path in an eastern US forest
Wild turkeys run along a path in an eastern US forest
A desert tortoise sleeps in purple Phacelia flowers
A Mojave desert tortoise sleeps in Phacelia flowers, Coachella Valley, CA
A Mojave desert tortoise sleeps in Phacelia flowers, Coachella Valley, CA
A group of people smile in front of a presentation screen at a conference
USGS and colleagues at the Society for Range Management Conference
USGS and colleagues at the Society for Range Management Conference
Map of the Southwest showing level 3 ecoregions and black dots representing the locations of 23 RestoreNet sites in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado
RestoreNet Map
RestoreNet Map
An illustration of 3 native fish in the Colorado River: humpback chub, flannelmouth sucker and bluehead sucker
Illustration of 3 native fish in the Colorado River, Grand Canyon: humpback chub, flannelmouth sucker and bluehead sucker
Illustration of 3 native fish in the Colorado River, Grand Canyon: humpback chub, flannelmouth sucker and bluehead sucker
Little Colorado River and Colorado River, near the Little Colorado River confluence
The Little Colorado River (left) and Colorado River (right), near the Little Colorado River confluence
The Little Colorado River (left) and Colorado River (right), near the Little Colorado River confluence
Scenic view of red rock mesas surrounding Canyonlands Research Center in Southern Utah
Canyonlands Research Center
Canyonlands Research Center
Five cattle graze on experimental RestoreNet plots in a southern Utah landscape
RestoreNet livestock treatments
RestoreNet livestock treatments
Native Seed Development Process steps and associated accomplishments from 2022 and 2023. The center reads "20 Agencies 40+ Tribal partners 250+ non-federal partners $100+ million invested". Highlighted accomplishments include: 1,960+ seed collections, 900+ species involved in unique studies, 486 production fields established, 64 projects included seed production, 39 projects supported seed cleaning facilities, 98 projects planned or used seeds for restoration
Accomplishments in Native Seed Development in 2022 and 2023
Accomplishments in Native Seed Development in 2022 and 2023
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