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 meredith_hartwell@ios.doi.gov with your request.
Filter Total Items: 1535
Ecovoltaic solar energy development effects to microclimate, temperature, and soil moisture in panel array interspaces in a warm desert Ecovoltaic solar energy development effects to microclimate, temperature, and soil moisture in panel array interspaces in a warm desert
Solar energy development is increasing in warm deserts of the southwestern United States, and ecovoltaics has emerged as an approach to maintain ecosystem function within solar facilities while meeting increasing regional energy demands. The Solar Gemini Project, located in the northeastern Mojave Desert, USA, is one of largest photovoltaic facilities incorporating an ecovoltaics...
Authors
Juan Pinos, Seth M. Munson, Claire C Karban, Matthew D. Petrie
Fungi, fire, and feedbacks: Grasses and wildfire interact to alter ectomycorrhizal fungal communities and decrease tree seedling growth Fungi, fire, and feedbacks: Grasses and wildfire interact to alter ectomycorrhizal fungal communities and decrease tree seedling growth
Wildfire and its effects, including changes to soil biota and the introduction of invasive or seeded grasses, can cause long-term shifts in ecological communities. Post-wildfire establishment of long-lived trees and shrubs is a critical bottleneck to recovering native plant communities. Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) can improve plant responses to stressors and influence seedling...
Authors
G.M. Trimber, Sasha C. Reed, John B. Bradford, Cara Marie Lauria, T. Spector, R.J. Rondeau, Michala Lee Phillips, C.A. Gehring
Rising rates of wildfire building destruction in the conterminous United States Rising rates of wildfire building destruction in the conterminous United States
Many regions of the world have seen an increase in highly destructive wildfires, driven by well-documented increases in burned area and growth of housing in the wildland–urban interface (WUI), which exposes more homes to fire. However, it is unclear whether wildfires are also becoming more destructive due to changes in wildfire behavior or in the development patterns of exposed...
Authors
Amanda Renee Carlson, Todd Hawbaker, Miranda H. Mockrin, Volker C. Radeloff, Lucas Bair, Mike Caggiano, James R. Meldrum, Patricia Alexandre, H. Anu Kramer, Paul F. Steblein
A U.S. scientific community vision for sustained earth observations of greenhouse gases to support local to global action A U.S. scientific community vision for sustained earth observations of greenhouse gases to support local to global action
Managing carbon stocks in the land, ocean, and atmosphere under changing climate requires a globally-integrated view of carbon cycle processes at local and regional scales. The growing Earth Observation (EO) record is the backbone of this multi-scale system, providing local information with discrete coverage from surface measurements and regional information at global scale from...
Authors
N. Parazoo, D. Carroll, J. B. Abshire, Y. M Bar-On, R. A. Birdsey, A. A. Bloom, K. W. Bowman, R. K. Braghiere, L.M. Bruhwiler, B. Byrne, A. Chatterjee, D. Crisp, L. Duncanson, A. F. Feldman, A. M. Fox, C. Frankenberg, B. A. Gay, F. Hopkins, F. M. Hoffman, J. R. Holmquist, L. R. Hutyra, M. Keller, C. D. Koven, Laughner J. L., J. Liu, N. S. Lovenduski, N. Macbean, G. A. McKinley, G. McNicol, D. Menemenlis, A. M. Michalak, C. E. Miller, H. Nesser, T. Oda, E. M. Ordway, L. E. Ott, K. Paustian, Z. A. Pierrat, B. Poulter, Sasha C. Reed, D. S. Schimel, S. P. Serbin, S.S. Saatchi, H. Suto, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, D. Wunch
Assessment of dragonfly and damselfly (Odonata) occupancy and habitat suitability at −12 Mile Slough, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona Assessment of dragonfly and damselfly (Odonata) occupancy and habitat suitability at −12 Mile Slough, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona
Management practices that enhance habitat complexity in dam tailwaters often aim to increase biodiversity and improve ecosystem health. However, in other instances, management practices may simplify habitat features to help minimize the establishment of invasive species. These tradeoffs are complex, particularly in the face of drought and warming water temperatures. In Glen Canyon...
Authors
Anya Metcalfe, Morgan Ford, Lawrence E. Stevens, Theodore Kennedy
Status report on the Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan (LTEMP) Metrics for the Glen Canyon Dam adaptive management program Status report on the Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan (LTEMP) Metrics for the Glen Canyon Dam adaptive management program
No abstract available.
Authors
Helen C. Fairley, Gregory Mark Anderson, Andrew Alan Schultz, Joel B. Sankey, Joshua Caster, Lauren Lynn Tango, Bridget R. Deemer, Theodore Kennedy, Anya Metcalfe, Emily C. Palmquist, Maria C. Dzul, Kimberly L. Dibble, David Ward, David L. Rogowski, Emily C. Omana Smith, Jeffrey Arnold, Brian D. Healy, Charles B. Yackulic, Lucas Bair, David J. Topping, Paul E. Grams, Katherine A. Chapman, Robert B. Tusso, Dale Fonken, Josh Korman, Lindsay Erika Hansen, Benjamin John Miller, John M. Fennell, Drew Elliot Eppehimer, Claudia James Dimartini, Nathaniel D. Bransky
Rapid structured decision making for Hypomesus transpacificus (delta smelt) summer–fall freshwater outflow management Rapid structured decision making for Hypomesus transpacificus (delta smelt) summer–fall freshwater outflow management
Managers of the Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Projects (SWP) in California are confronted with difficult tradeoffs between water uses and associated values affected by water management decisions. These decisions involve altering the timing and magnitude of water releases from dams and reservoirs, which can affect habitats for economically important and Federally and State...
Authors
Brian D. Healy, Corey C. Phillis, Brian Mahardja, Cameron Koizumi, Catarina Pien, Nancy Parker, J. Louise Conrad, Julie Ekstrom, Julie Leimbach, Rafael Silberblatt, Tom Fischer, Chase Ehlo
Seed coating treatments alter emergence windows of native Intermountain West U.S. grasses under different regimes of water availability Seed coating treatments alter emergence windows of native Intermountain West U.S. grasses under different regimes of water availability
Introduction Seed-based restoration is widely implemented to recover degraded lands but often fails. Seed enhancement technologies may improve outcomes by shifting emergence to target favorable climate windows and serving as a bet-hedging strategy against increasingly variable precipitation patterns.Objectives To test the potential benefit of these technologies, we applied seed coatings...
Authors
Laura Cecilia Shriver, Sarah A. Costanzo, Matthew D. Madsen, Seth M. Munson
Sentinel-2 based estimates of rangeland fractional cover and canopy gap class for the western United States Sentinel-2 based estimates of rangeland fractional cover and canopy gap class for the western United States
Rangelands are extensive ecosystems, providing important ecosystem services while undergoing continuous change. As a result, improved monitoring technologies can help better characterize vegetation change. Satellite remote sensing has proven effective in this regard, tracking vegetation dynamics at broad and fine scales. We leveraged the spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution of...
Authors
Brady W. Allred, Sarah E. McCord, Timothy J. Assal, Brandon T. Bestelmeyer, Chad S. Boyd, Alexander C. Brooks, Samantha M. Cady, Michael C. Duniway, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf, Shane A. Green, Georgia R. Harrison, Eric R. Jensen, Emily J. Kachergis, Anna C. Knight, Chloe M. Mattilio, Brian A. Mealor, David E. Naugle, Dylan O’Leary, Peter J. Olsoy, Erika S. Peirce, Jason R. Reinhardt, Robert K. Shriver, Joseph T. Smith, Jason D. Tack, Ashley M. Tanner, Evan P. Tanner, Dirac Twidwell, Nicholas P. Webb, Scott L. Morford
Rare milkvetch (Astragalus) persistence at a utility-scale solar energy facility in the Mojave Desert Rare milkvetch (Astragalus) persistence at a utility-scale solar energy facility in the Mojave Desert
Utility-scale solar energy (USSE) development is driving the projected growth in global renewable energy capacity but comes with environmental tradeoffs. New, alternative construction methods are promoted to minimize impacts to soils, vegetation, and hydrology; however, the disturbance created by these methods requires further investigation. We evaluated the population of a rare annual...
Authors
Tiffany J. Pereira, Claire C Karban, Lara A. Kobelt, Seth M. Munson
Grass-Cast Southwest: A seasonal rangeland productivity forecast for the southwestern United States Grass-Cast Southwest: A seasonal rangeland productivity forecast for the southwestern United States
Here, we present a first assessment of the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) “Grass-Cast Southwest,” which is a forecasting tool for rangeland aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) for the southwest region of the United States. Our results show that ANPP forecasts in early April were relatively close to the observation-based ANPP estimates in late May for all years evaluated (R...
Authors
Emilio Aguilar-Cubilla, Malannie D. Hartman, William J. Parton, Sasha C. Reed, Justin D. Derner, Darin K. Schulte, Elise S. Gornish, David J.P. Moore, Emile Elias, Dannele E. Peck, Brian A. Fuchs, William K. Smith
Divergent responses of seed banks and aboveground vegetation to drought and deluge in grasslands across an elevational gradient Divergent responses of seed banks and aboveground vegetation to drought and deluge in grasslands across an elevational gradient
Increased variability in precipitation associated with climate change creates extreme conditions of drought and deluge that can have profound effects on the abundance and composition of plant communities. Responses to these extremes likely vary across climatic gradients and depend on local plant community composition, which includes the emergent, aboveground vegetation as well as...
Authors
Jennifer R. Gremer, Margaret M. Moore, Daniel C. Laughlin, Seth M. Munson