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Welcome to the Southwest Biological Science Center

River Ecosystem Science

Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center

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Terrestrial Systems: Ecology, Biology, and Restoration

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High-Flow Experiments on the Colorado River

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SBSC Tribal Partnerships

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Southwest Biological Science Center

Welcome to the Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC)! We conduct quality, objective research on the terrestrial and aquatic systems of the Colorado Plateau, Colorado River and its tributaries, drylands across the larger Southwest US, and beyond.

Terrestrial Dryland Ecology (TDE)

Grassland nestled between red rock mesas and cliffs at Capital Reef National Park during a rainstorm.

The Terrestrial Dryland Ecology (TDE) Branch of the SBSC studies the biology, ecology,and processes of semi-arid and arid lands (known as drylands). TDE researchers study plant-soil-water relationships and the wildlife found in drylands.

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GCMRC, River Ecosystem Science & Lake Powell Research

Boats along a beach on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon

The River Ecosystem Science (RES) Branch of the SBSC, which includes the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC), studies the biology, ecology, and processes of rivers in the western United States, with an emphasis on the Southwest.

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Quick Links

News

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A long-term assessment of ecosystem resilience in a protected grassland in the southwest US Canyonlands

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SBSC hosts visiting scientist from México for international research collaboration

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Bats, Bugs, and Boaters: Bat activity along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon is determined by the availability of aquatic flies

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Publications

Supplying ecosystem services on US rangelands

Rangelands comprise 40% of the conterminous United States and they supply essential ecosystem services to society. A scenario assessment was conducted to determine how accelerating biophysical and societal drivers may modify their future availability. Four scenarios emerged: two may maintain rural communities by sustaining the prevailing ecosystem service of beef cattle production, and two may tra
Authors
David D. Briske, Steven R. Archer, Emily Burchfield, William Burnidge, Justin D. Derner, Hannah Gosnell, Jerry Hatfield, Clare E. Kazanski, Mona Khalil, Tyler J. Lark, Pamela L. Nagler, Osvaldo E. Sala, Nathan F. Sayre, Kimberly R. Stackhouse-Lawson
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center

Time, climate, and soil settings set the course for reclamation outcomes following dryland energy development

Soil attributes, climate, and time since reclamation have important implications for oil and gas reclamation success on drylands. It is uncertain if reclaimed well pads, on highly degraded drylands, can successfully regain ecological function or meet indicator benchmarks for reclamation. Here, our goals were to assess patterns in reclamation outcomes relative to (1) soil attributes, climate, and t
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Randi Corrine Lupardus, Aarin Sengsirirak, Keven Griffen, Anna C Knight, Brandon E McNellis, John B. Bradford, Seth M. Munson, Sasha C. Reed, Miguel L. Villarreal, Michael C. Duniway
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center, Western Geographic Science Center

Biophysical factors control invasive annual grass hot spots in the Mojave Desert

Invasive annual grasses can promote ecosystem state changes and habitat loss in the American Southwest. Non-native annual grasses such as Bromus spp. and Schismus spp. have invaded the Mojave Desert and degraded habitat through increased fire occurrence, severity, and shifting plant community composition. Thus, it is important to identify and characterize the areas where persistent invasion has oc
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Tanner Corless Smith, Tara B.B. Bishop, Michael C. Duniway, Miguel L. Villarreal, Anna C Knight, Seth M. Munson, Eric K. Waller, Ryan Jensen, Richard A. Gill
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Southwest Biological Science Center, Western Geographic Science Center
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Science

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A person looks out over a panorama of Canyonlands National Park, Utah

New Tools for Modern Land Management Decisions

In an era of rapid land use changes and shifting climates, it is imperative that land managers and policymakers have actionable and current information available for decision processes. In this work, we seek to meet these needs through new data products and decision support tools built on digital soil mapping, new vegetation cover maps, agency inventory and monitoring data sets, and cutting-edge...
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Southwest Biological Science Center, Western Geographic Science Center, Wildland Fire Science
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New Tools for Modern Land Management Decisions

In an era of rapid land use changes and shifting climates, it is imperative that land managers and policymakers have actionable and current information available for decision processes. In this work, we seek to meet these needs through new data products and decision support tools built on digital soil mapping, new vegetation cover maps, agency inventory and monitoring data sets, and cutting-edge...
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Bats flying in a blue sky with clouds at dusk

Bat foraging ecology along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon National Park is a hotspot for bat diversity. Twenty-two bat species have been documented in the Park, more than any other national park unit.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center
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Bat foraging ecology along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon National Park is a hotspot for bat diversity. Twenty-two bat species have been documented in the Park, more than any other national park unit.
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A nurse tree cohort of Saguaro cacti in the Sonoran Desert, AZ

The iconic giant saguaro cactus in the Sonoran Desert

The saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) is a keystone species that grows only in the Sonoran Desert of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. The USGS’ Southwest Biological Science Center is working to better understand the species’ biological features, its role as a keystone species that supports greater than 100 other plant and animal species, and its responses to climate change...
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center
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The iconic giant saguaro cactus in the Sonoran Desert

The saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) is a keystone species that grows only in the Sonoran Desert of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. The USGS’ Southwest Biological Science Center is working to better understand the species’ biological features, its role as a keystone species that supports greater than 100 other plant and animal species, and its responses to climate change...
Learn More
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