Publications
Below are publications associated with the Southwest Biological Science Center's research.
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Filter Total Items: 1518
Carbon stocks across a chronosequence of thinned and unmanaged red pine (Pinus resinosa) stands Carbon stocks across a chronosequence of thinned and unmanaged red pine (Pinus resinosa) stands
Forests function as a major global C sink, and forest management strategies that maximize C stocks offer one possible means of mitigating the impacts of increasing anthropogenic CO2 emissions. We studied the effects of thinning, a common management technique in many forest types, on age-related trends in C stocks using a chronosequence of thinned and unmanaged red pine (Pinus resinosa)...
Authors
Matthew D. Powers, Randall K. Kolka, John B. Bradford, Brian J. Palik, Shawn Fraver, Martin F. Jurgensen
Global change effects on Bromus tectorum L. (Poaceae) at its high-elevation range margin Global change effects on Bromus tectorum L. (Poaceae) at its high-elevation range margin
Global change is likely to affect invasive species distribution, especially at range margins. In the eastern Sierra Nevada, California, USA, the invasive annual grass, Bromus tectorum, is patchily distributed and its impacts have been minimal compared with other areas of the Intermountain West. We used a series of in situ field manipulations to determine how B. tectorum might respond to...
Authors
Amy L. Concilio, Michael E. Loik, Jayne Belnap
Revolutionary land use change in the 21st century: Is (rangeland) science relevant? Revolutionary land use change in the 21st century: Is (rangeland) science relevant?
Rapidly increasing demand for food, fiber, and fuel together with new technologies and the mobility of global capital are driving revolutionary changes in land use throughout the world. Efforts to increase land productivity include conversion of millions of hectares of rangelands to crop production, including many marginal lands with low resistance and resilience to degradation...
Authors
J. E. Herrick, J.R. Brown, B.T. Bestelmeyer, S.S. Andrews, G. Baldi, J. Davies, M. Duniway, K. M. Havstad, J.W. Karl, D.L. Karlen, Debra P. C. Peters, J.N. Quinton, C. Riginos, P.L. Shaver, D. Steinaker, S. Twomlow
Recreational trails as corridors for alien plants in the Rocky Mountains, USA Recreational trails as corridors for alien plants in the Rocky Mountains, USA
Alien plant species often use areas of heavy human activity for habitat and dispersal. Roads and utility corridors have been shown to harbor more alien species than the surrounding vegetation and are therefore believed to contribute to alien plant persistence and spread. Recreational trails represent another corridor that could harbor alien species and aid their spread. Effective...
Authors
Floye H. Wells, William K. Lauenroth, John B. Bradford
Bioenergy potential of the United States constrained by satellite observations of existing productivity Bioenergy potential of the United States constrained by satellite observations of existing productivity
Background/Question/Methods Currently, the United States (U.S.) supplies roughly half the world’s biofuel (secondary bioenergy), with the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) stipulating an additional three-fold increase in annual production by 2022. Implicit in such energy targets is an associated increase in annual biomass demand (primary bioenergy) from roughly 2.9 to 7...
Authors
Sasha C. Reed, William K. Smith, Cory C. Cleveland, Norman L. Miller, Steven W. Running
Salinity of the Little Colorado River in Grand Canyon confers anti-parasitic properties on a native fish Salinity of the Little Colorado River in Grand Canyon confers anti-parasitic properties on a native fish
Water in the Little Colorado River within Grand Canyon is naturally high in salt (NaCl), which is known to prohibit development of external fish parasites such as Ich (Ichthyophthirius multifiliis). The naturally high salinity (>0.3%) of the Little Colorado River at baseflow may be one factor allowing survival and persistence of larval and juvenile humpback chub (Gila cypha) and other...
Authors
David L. Ward
Microbial colonization and controls in dryland systems Microbial colonization and controls in dryland systems
Drylands constitute the most extensive terrestrial biome, covering more than one-third of the Earth's continental surface. In these environments, stress limits animal and plant life, so life forms that can survive desiccation and then resume growth following subsequent wetting assume the foremost role in ecosystem processes. In this Review, we describe how these organisms assemble in...
Authors
Stephen B. Pointing, Jayne Belnap
Breeding colonies of least terns (Sternula antillarum) in northern Sonora, Mexico, 2006-2008 Breeding colonies of least terns (Sternula antillarum) in northern Sonora, Mexico, 2006-2008
We document distribution of breeding least terns (Sternula antillarum) in northern Sonora, Mexico, 2006-2008. We report breeding activity at six sites with active colonies, including three previously undocumented colonies.
Authors
Alyssa Rosemartin, Charles van Riper
Stoichiometric patterns in foliar nutrient resorption across multiple scales Stoichiometric patterns in foliar nutrient resorption across multiple scales
*Nutrient resorption is a fundamental process through which plants withdraw nutrients from leaves before abscission. Nutrient resorption patterns have the potential to reflect gradients in plant nutrient limitation and to affect a suite of terrestrial ecosystem functions. *Here, we used a stoichiometric approach to assess patterns in foliar resorption at a variety of scales, specifically
Authors
Sasha C. Reed, Alan R. Townsend, Eric A. Davidson, Cory C. Cleveland
A history of herpetologists and herpetology in the U.S. Department of the Interior A history of herpetologists and herpetology in the U.S. Department of the Interior
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has a long and distinguished history of employing herpetologists to conduct basic and applied research to better manage amphibian and reptile populations on public lands and even outside the boundaries of the United States. This history extends back over 125 years with roots in the U.S. Biological Survey, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau...
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Norman J. Scott, R. Bruce Bury, C. Kenneth Dodd, Roy W. McDiarmid
Plant species richness and ecosystem multifunctionality in global drylands Plant species richness and ecosystem multifunctionality in global drylands
Experiments suggest that biodiversity enhances the ability of ecosystems to maintain multiple functions, such as carbon storage, productivity, and the buildup of nutrient pools (multifunctionality). However, the relationship between biodiversity and multifunctionality has never been assessed globally in natural ecosystems. We report here on a global empirical study relating plant species...
Authors
Fernando T. Maestre, Jose L. Quero, Nicholas J. Gotelli, Adrian Escudero, Victoria Ochoa, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Miguel Garcia-Gomez, Matthew A. Bowker, Santiago Soliveres, Cristina Escolar, Pablo Garcia-Palacios, Miguel Berdugo, Enrique Valencia, Beatriz Gozalo, Antonio Gallardo, Lorgio Aguilera, Tulio Arredondo, Julio Blones, Bertrand Boeken, Donaldo Bran, Abel A. Conceicao, Omar Cabrera, Mohamed Chaieb, Mchich Derak, David J. Eldridge, Carlos I. Espinosa, Adriana Florentino, Juan Gaitan, M. Gabriel Gatica, Wahida Ghiloufi, Susana Gomez-Gonzalez, Julio R. Gutie, Rosa M. Hernandez, Xuewen Huang, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald, Mohammad Jankju, Maria Miriti, Jorge Monerris, Rebecca L. Mau, Ernesto Morici, Kamal Naseri, Abelardo Ospina, Vicente Polo, Anibal Prina, Eduardo Pucheta, David A. Ramirez-Collantes, Roberto Romao, Matthew Tighe, Cristian Torres-Diaz, James Val, Jose P. Veiga, Deli Wang, Eli Zaady
Optimal egg size in a suboptimal environment: reproductive ecology of female Sonora mud turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense) in central Arizona, USA Optimal egg size in a suboptimal environment: reproductive ecology of female Sonora mud turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense) in central Arizona, USA
We studied the reproductive ecology of female Sonora mud turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense) at Montezuma Well, a chemically-challenging natural wetland in central Arizona, USA. Females matured between 115.5 and 125 mm carapace length (CL) and 36-54% produced eggs each year. Eggs were detected in X-radiographs from 23 April-28 September (2007-2008) and the highest proportion (56%) of adult...
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Sheila V. Madrak, Charles A. Drost, Anthony J. Monatesti, Dennis Casper, Mohammed Znari