Publications
Below are publications associated with the Southwest Biological Science Center's research.
Trying to access a publication? Or looking for a GCMRC/GCES historical report? Reach out to Meredith Hartwell: mhartwell@usgs.gov with your request.
Filter Total Items: 1522
eZ flow metrics: Using z-scores to estimate deviations from natural flow in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam eZ flow metrics: Using z-scores to estimate deviations from natural flow in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam
River flow patterns are primary drivers of lotic ecosystems, and hundreds of metrics have been developed to quantify flow attributes. Although existing metrics have been a powerful tool in designing environmental flows, they are often developed with specific resources in mind and are rarely directly comparable with each other (i.e., units are often different). Here, we focus on natural...
Authors
Emily C. Palmquist, Bridget R. Deemer, Anya Metcalfe, Theodore Kennedy, Lucas Bair, Helen C. Fairley, Paul E. Grams, Joel B. Sankey, Charles B. Yackulic
A literature review and hypsometric analysis to support decisions on trout management flows on the Colorado River downstream from Glen Canyon Dam A literature review and hypsometric analysis to support decisions on trout management flows on the Colorado River downstream from Glen Canyon Dam
Executive Summary Fish stranding has been studied in select rivers worldwide, often with the purpose of determining how to mitigate adverse effects of dam operations on highly valued salmon and trout populations. However, where a reduction in trout population size is desired by resource managers, as is the case downstream of the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River, flow manipulations...
Authors
Mariah Giardina, Josh Korman, Michael D. Yard, Scott Wright, Matthew A. Kaplinski, Glenn Bennett
Unforeseen plant phenotypic diversity in a dry and grazed world Unforeseen plant phenotypic diversity in a dry and grazed world
Earth harbours an extraordinary plant phenotypic diversity1 that is at risk from ongoing global changes2,3. However, it remains unknown how increasing aridity and livestock grazing pressure—two major drivers of global change4,5,6—shape the trait covariation that underlies plant phenotypic diversity1,7. Here we assessed how covariation among 20 chemical and morphological traits responds...
Authors
Nicholas Gross, Fernando T. Maestre, Pierre Liancourt, Miguel Berdugo, Raphael Martin, Beatriz Gozalo, Victoria Ochoa, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Vincent Maire, Hugo Saiz, Santiago Soliveres, Enrique Valencia, David J. Eldridge, Emilio Guirado, Franck Jabot, Sergio Asensio, Juan J. Gaitan, Miguel García-Gómez, Paloma Martinez, Jaime Martinez-Valderrama, Betty J. Mendoza, Eduardo Moreno-Jimenez, David S. Pescador, Cesar Plaza, Ivan Santaolaria Pijuan, Mehdi Abedi, Rodrigo J. Ahumada, Fateh Amghar, Antonio I. Arroyo, Khadijeh Bahalkeh, Lydia Bailey, Farah Ben Salem, Niels Blaum, Bazartseren Boldgiv, Matthew A. Bowker, Cristina Branquinho, Liesbeth van den Brink, Chongfeng Bu, Rafaella Canessa, Andrea del P. Castillo-Monroy, Helena Castro, Patricio Castro-Quezada, Roukaya Chibani, Abel Augusto Conceicao, Anthony Darrouzet-Nardi, Yvonne C. Davila, Balazs Deak, David A. Donoso, Jorge Duran, Carlos I. Espinosa, Alex Fajardo, Mohammad Farzam, Daniela Ferrante, Jorgelina Franzese, Lauchlan H. Fraser, Sofia Laura Gonzalez, Elizabeth Gusman-Montalvan, Rosa Mary Hernandez-Hernandez, Norbert Holzel, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald, Oswaldo Jadan, Florian Jeltsch, Anke Jentsch, Mengchen Ju, Kudzai F. Kaseke, Liana Kindermann, Peter C. le Roux, Anja Linstadter, Michelle A. Louw, Mancha Mabaso, Gillian Maggs-Kolling, Thulani P. Makhalanyane, Oumarou Malam Issa, Antonio J. Manzaneda, Eugene Marais, Pierre Margerie, Frederic Mendes Hughes, Joao Vitor S. Messeder, Juan P. Mora, Gerardo Moreno, Seth M. Munson, Alice Nunes, Gabriel Oliva, Gaston R. Onatibia, Guadalupe Peter, Yolanda Pueyo, R. Emiliano Quiroga, Elizabeth Ramirez-Iglesias, Sasha C. Reed, Pedro J. Rey, Víctor M. Reyes Gómez, Alexandra Rodriguez, Victor Rolo, Juan G. Rubalcaba, Jan C. Ruppert, Osvaldo E. Sala, Ayman Salah, Phokgedi Julius Sebei, Ilan Stavi, Colton R. A. Stephens, Alberto L. Teixido, Andrew D. Thomas, Heather L. Throop, Katja Tielborger, Samantha K. Travers, Sainbileg Undrakhbold, James Val, Orsolya Valko, Frederike Velbert, Wanyoike Wamiti, Lixin Wang, Deli Wang, Glenda M. Wardle, Peter Wolff, Laura Yahdjian, Reza Yari, Eli Zaady, Juan Manuel Zeberio, Yuanling Zhang, Xiaobing Zhou, Yoann Le Bagousse-Pinguet
Disentangling drivers of annual grass invasion: Abiotic susceptibility vs. fire-induced conversion to cheatgrass dominance in the sagebrush biome Disentangling drivers of annual grass invasion: Abiotic susceptibility vs. fire-induced conversion to cheatgrass dominance in the sagebrush biome
Invasive annual grasses are often facilitated by fire, yet they can become ecologically dominant in susceptible locations even in the absence of fire. We used an extensive vegetation plot database to model susceptibility to the invasive annual grass cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) in the sagebrush biome as a function of climate and soil water availability variables. We built random...
Authors
Alexandra K. Urza, David I. Board, John B. Bradford, Jessi L. Brown, Daniel R. Chambers, Daniel Rodolphe Schlaepfer, Karen C. Short
Seasonal drought treatments impact plant and microbial uptake of nitrogen in a mixed shrub grassland on the Colorado Plateau Seasonal drought treatments impact plant and microbial uptake of nitrogen in a mixed shrub grassland on the Colorado Plateau
For many drylands, both long- and short-term drought conditions can accentuate landscape heterogeneity at both temporal (e.g., role of seasonal patterns) and spatial (e.g., patchy plant cover) scales. Furthermore, short-term drought conditions occurring over one season can exacerbate long-term, multidecadal droughts or aridification, by limiting soil water recharge, decreasing plant...
Authors
Rebecca A Finger-Higgens, David L. Hoover, Anna C. Knight, Savannah Wilson, Tara Boyce Belnap Bishop, Robin H. Reibold, Sasha C. Reed, Michael C. Duniway
The LTAR Grazing Land Common Experiment at the Jornada Experimental Range: Old genetics, new precision technologies, and adaptive value chains The LTAR Grazing Land Common Experiment at the Jornada Experimental Range: Old genetics, new precision technologies, and adaptive value chains
Rangelands and the supply chains connected to them are central to the agrifood systems of the Southwestern United States. Local ranchers are simultaneously arid lands managers, herd managers, and marketing managers. To stay in business, they must constantly adapt to unpredictable forage resources and markets while conserving soils and vegetation resources for the long term. As climate...
Authors
Sheri Spiegal, Rick E. Estell, Andres F. Cibils, Andrew Cox, Matthew M. McIntosh, Dawn M. Browning, Michael C. Duniway, Micah Funk, Lara Macon, Sarah E. McCord, Matthew Redd, Cindy Tolle, Santiago A. Utsumi, Jeremy Walker, Nicholas P. Webb, Brandon T. Bestelmeyer
Vulnerability of mineral-associated soil organic carbon to climate across global drylands Vulnerability of mineral-associated soil organic carbon to climate across global drylands
Mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) constitutes a major fraction of global soil carbon and is assumed less sensitive to climate than particulate organic carbon (POC) due to protection by minerals. Despite its importance for long-term carbon storage, the response of MAOC to changing climates in drylands, which cover more than 40% of the global land area, remains unexplored. Here we...
Authors
Díaz-Martínez Paloma, Fernando T. Maestre, Eduardo Moreno-Jimenez, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, David J. Eldridge, Hugo Saiz, Nicolas Gross, Yoann Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Beatriz Gozalo, Victoria Ochoa, Emilio Guirado, Miguel García-Gómez, Enrique Valencia, Sergio Asensio, Miguel Berdugo, Jaime Martinez-Valderrama, Betty J. Mendoza, Juan C. García-Gil, Claudio Zaccone, Marco Panettieri, Pablo García-Palacios, Wei Fan, Iria Benavente-Ferraces, Ana Rey, Nico Eisenhauer, Simone Cesarz, Mehdi Abedi, Rodrigo J. Ahumada, Julio M. Alcantara, Fateh Amghar, Valeria Aramayo, Antonio I. Arroyo, Khadijeh Bahalkeh, Farah Ben Salem, Niels Blaum, Bazartseren Boldgiv, Matthew A. Bowker, Donaldo Bran, Cristina Branquinho, Chongfeng Bu, Yonatan Cáceres, Rafaella Canessa, Andrea P. Castillo-Monroy, Ignacio Castro, Patricio Castro-Quezada, Roukaya Chibani, Abel A. Conceição, Courtney M. Currier, Anthony Darrouzet-Nardi, Balazs Deak, Christopher R. Dickman, David A. Donoso, Andrew J. Dougill, Jorge Duran, Hamid Ejtehadi, Carlos I. Espinosa, Alex Fajardo, Mohammad Farzam, Daniela Ferrante, Lauchlan H. Fraser, Juan J. Gaitan, Elizabeth Gusman Montalván, Rosa M. Hernández-Hernández, Andreas von Hessberg, Norbert Holzel, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald, Frederic M. Hughes, Oswaldo Jadan-Maza, Katja Geissler, Anke Jentsch, Mengchen Ju, Kudzai F. Kaseke, Liana Kindermann, Jessica E. Koopman, Peter C. le Roux, Pierre Liancourt, Anja Linstadter, Jushan Liu, Michelle A. Louw, Gillian Maggs-Kolling, Thulani P. Makhalanyane, Oumarou Malam Issa, Eugene Marais, Pierre Margerie, Antonio J. Mazaneda, Mitchel P. McClaran, Joao Vitor S. Messeder, Juan P. Mora, Gerardo Moreno, Seth M. Munson, Alice Nunes, Gabriel Oliva, Gastón R. Oñatibia, Brooke Osborne, Guadalupe Peter, Yolanda Pueyo, R. Emiliano Quiroga, Sasha C. Reed, Victor M. Reyes, Alexandra Rodriguez, Jan C. Ruppert, Osvaldo E. Sala, Ayman Salah, Julius Sebei, Michael Sloan, Shijirbaatar Solongo, Ilan Stavi, Colton R.A. Stephens, Alberto L. Teixido, Andrew D. Thomas, Heather L. Throop, Katja Tielborger, Samantha K. Travers, James Val, Orsolya Valko, Liesbeth van den Brink, Frederike Velbert, Wanyoike Wamiti, Deli Wang, Lixin Wang, Glenda M. Wardle, Laura Yahdjian, Eli Zaady, Juan M. Zeberio, Yuanming Zhang, Xiaobing Zhou, Cesar Plaza
Resilient riverine social–ecological systems: A new paradigm to meet global conservation targets Resilient riverine social–ecological systems: A new paradigm to meet global conservation targets
The United Nations' Convention on Biological Diversity set forth the 30 × 30 target, an agenda for countries to protect at least 30% of their terrestrial, inland water, and coastal and marine areas by 2030. With
Authors
Denielle M. Perry, Sarah J. Praskievicz, Ryan McManamay, Alark Saxena, K. C. Grimm, Nicholas Zegre, Lucas Bair, Benjamin L. Ruddell, Richard Rushforth
Disturbance amplifies sensitivity of dryland productivity to precipitation variability Disturbance amplifies sensitivity of dryland productivity to precipitation variability
Variability of the terrestrial global carbon sink is largely determined by the response of dryland productivity to annual precipitation. Despite extensive disturbance in drylands, how disturbance alters productivity-precipitation relationships remains poorly understood. Using remote-sensing to pair more than 5600 km of natural gas pipeline corridors with neighboring undisturbed areas in...
Authors
Tyson J. Terry, Osvaldo E. Sala, Scott Ferrenberg, Sasha C. Reed, Brooke B. Osborne, Samuel E. Jordan, Steven R. Lee, Peter B. Adler
A semi-mechanistic model for partitioning evapotranspiration reveals transpiration dominates the water flux in drylands A semi-mechanistic model for partitioning evapotranspiration reveals transpiration dominates the water flux in drylands
Popular evapotranspiration (ET) partitioning methods make assumptions that might not be well-suited to dryland ecosystems, such as high sensitivity of plant water-use efficiency (WUE) to vapor pressure deficit (VPD). Our objectives were to (a) create an ET partitioning model that can produce fine-scale estimates of transpiration (T) in drylands, and (b) use this approach to evaluate how...
Authors
E.G. Reich, K. Samuels-Crow, John B. Bradford, M. Litvak, Daniel Rodolphe Schlaepfer, K. Ogle
On connecting hydro-social parameters to vegetation greenness differences in an evolving groundwater-dependent ecosystem On connecting hydro-social parameters to vegetation greenness differences in an evolving groundwater-dependent ecosystem
Understanding groundwater-dependent ecosystems (i.e., areas with a relatively shallow water table that plays a major role in supporting vegetation health) is key to sustaining water resources in the western United States. Groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) in Colorado have non-pristine temporal and spatial patterns, compared to agro-ecosystems, which make it difficult to quantify...
Authors
Matthew R. Lurtz, Ryan R. Morrison, Pamela L. Nagler
Effect of water delivery and irrigation for riparian restoration in the Colorado River Delta, Mexico Effect of water delivery and irrigation for riparian restoration in the Colorado River Delta, Mexico
Along Mexico's arid Colorado River Delta, the riparian corridor lacks water due to a reduction in frequent flows, climate change, human infrastructure, and altered riparian landcover from disturbances to invasive species, fire, and high soil and water salinities, which have led to declines in riparian plant health in recent decades. Restoration efforts focusing on small plots have...
Authors
Pamela L. Nagler, Ibrahima Sall, Martha Gomez-Sapiens, Karl W. Flessa, Armando Barreto-Muñoz, Kamel Didan