Publications
Below are publications associated with the Southwest Biological Science Center's research.
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Filter Total Items: 1512
Effects of flow regulation and drought on geomorphology and floodplain habitat along the Colorado River in Canyonlands National Park, Utah Effects of flow regulation and drought on geomorphology and floodplain habitat along the Colorado River in Canyonlands National Park, Utah
Streamflow regulation compounded by regional drought has resulted in up to 22% reduction in channel width, changes in channel planform, expansion of riparian vegetation, and alterations to floodplain habitat on the Colorado River in Meander Canyon, Utah. Although some changes in channel width occurred between the 1940s and 1980s, coinciding with major phases of upstream water development...
Authors
Paul E. Grams, Eric Head, Erich R. Mueller
What is a biocrust? A refined, contemporary definition for a broadening research community What is a biocrust? A refined, contemporary definition for a broadening research community
Studies of biological soil crusts (biocrusts) have proliferated over the last few decades. The biocrust literature has broadened, with more studies assessing and describing the function of a variety of biocrust communities in a broad range of biomes and habitats and across a large spectrum of disciplines, and also by the incorporation of biocrusts into global perspectives and...
Authors
Bettina Weber, Jayne Belnap, Burkhard Budel, Anita J. Antoninka, Nichole N. Barger, V Bala Chaudhary, Anthony Darrouzet-Nardi, David J. Eldridge, Akasha M. Faist, Scott Ferrenberg, Caroline Havrilla, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald, Oumarou Malam Issa, Fernando T. Maestre, Sasha C. Reed, Emilio Rodriguez-Caballero, Colin L Tucker, Kristina E. Young, Yuanming Zhang, Yunge Zhao, Xiaobing Zhou, Matthew A. Bowker
Primary production responses to extreme changes in North American Monsoon precipitation vary by elevation and plant functional composition through time Primary production responses to extreme changes in North American Monsoon precipitation vary by elevation and plant functional composition through time
Primary production in dryland ecosystems is limited by water availability and projected to be strongly affected by future shifts in seasonal precipitation. Warm-season precipitation derived from the North American Monsoon contributes 40% of annual precipitation to dryland ecosystems in the southwestern U.S. and is projected to become more variable. However, there is large uncertainty on...
Authors
Seth M. Munson, John B. Bradford, Bradley J. Butterfield, Jennifer R. Gremer
The consequences of climate change for dryland biogeochemistry The consequences of climate change for dryland biogeochemistry
Drylands, which cover more than 40% of Earth’s terrestrial surface, are dominant drivers of global biogeochemical cycling and home to more than one third of the human population. Climate projections predict warming, drought frequency and severity, and evaporative demand will increase in drylands at faster rates than global means. Due to extreme temperatures and high biological dependency...
Authors
Brooke Bossert Osborne, Brandon T. Bestelmeyer, Courtney M. Currier, Peter M Homyak, Heather L. Throop, Kristina E. Young, Sasha C. Reed
Management and environmental factors associated with simulated restoration seeding barriers in sagebrush steppe Management and environmental factors associated with simulated restoration seeding barriers in sagebrush steppe
Adverse weather conditions, particularly freezing or drought, are often associated with poor seedling establishment following restoration seeding in drylands like the Great Basin sagebrush steppe (USA). Management decisions such as planting date or seed source could improve restoration outcomes by reducing seedling exposure to weather barriers. We simulated the effects of management and
Authors
Stella M. Copeland, John B. Bradford, Stuart P. Hardegree, Daniel Rodolphe Schlaepfer, Kevin J Badik
Water storage decisions and consumptive use may constrain ecosystem management under severe sustained drought Water storage decisions and consumptive use may constrain ecosystem management under severe sustained drought
Drought has impacted the Colorado River basin for the past 20 years and is predicted to continue. In response, decisions about how much water should be stored in large reservoirs and how much water can be consumptively used will be necessary. These decisions have the potential to limit riverine ecosystem management options through the effect water-supply decisions have on reservoir...
Authors
Lindsey Ann Bruckerhoff, Kevin Wheeler, Kimberly L. Dibble, B.A. Mihalevich, B.T. Nielson, J. Wang, Charles Yackulic, J.C. Schmidt
Addressing stakeholder science needs for integrated drought science in the Colorado River Basin Addressing stakeholder science needs for integrated drought science in the Colorado River Basin
Stakeholders need scientific data, analysis, and predictions of how drought the will impact the Colorado River Basin in a format that is continuously updated, intuitive, and easily accessible. The Colorado River Basin Actionable and Strategic Integrated Science and Technology Pilot Project was formed to demonstrate the effectiveness of addressing complex problems through stakeholder...
Authors
Anne C. Tillery, Sally House, Rebecca J. Frus, Sharon L. Qi, Daniel K. Jones, William J. Andrews
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Arizona Water Science Center, California Water Science Center, Colorado Water Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Nevada Water Science Center, New Mexico Water Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, Utah Water Science Center, Washington Water Science Center, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center, Colorado River Basin: Actionable and Strategic Integrated Science and Technology
Spatially explicit management of genetic diversity using ancestry probability surfaces Spatially explicit management of genetic diversity using ancestry probability surfaces
1. Ecological restoration and conservation efforts are increasing worldwide and the management of intraspecific genetic variation in plants and animals, an important component of biodiversity, is increasingly valued. As a result, tailorable, spatially explicit approaches to map genetic variation are needed to support decision-making and management frameworks related to the recovery of...
Authors
Robert Massatti, Daniel E. Winkler
Global cycling and climate effects of aeolian dust controlled by biological soil crusts Global cycling and climate effects of aeolian dust controlled by biological soil crusts
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) cover ~12% of the global land surface. They are formed by an intimate association between soil particles, photoautotrophic and heterotrophic organisms, and they effectively stabilize the soil surface of drylands. Quantitative information on the impact of biocrusts on the global cycling and climate effects of aeolian dust, however, is not available. Here...
Authors
Rodriguez-Caballero, T Stanelle, S Egerer, Yang Cheng, H. E. Suess, Y Canton, Jayne Belnap, M O Andreae, I Tegen, C Reick, Ulrich Poschl, B. Weber
Quantifying the conservation status and abundance trends of wildlife communities with detection-nondetection data Quantifying the conservation status and abundance trends of wildlife communities with detection-nondetection data
Effective conservation requires understanding species' abundance patterns and demographic rates across space and time. Ideally, such knowledge should be available for whole communities, as variation in species' dynamics can elucidate factors leading to biodiversity losses. However, collecting data to simultaneously estimate abundance and demographic rates is often prohibitively time...
Authors
Matthew T Farr, Timothy O O’Brien, Charles Yackulic, Elise F. Zipkin
Hybrid enrichment of adaptive variation revealed by genotype-environment associations in montane sedges Hybrid enrichment of adaptive variation revealed by genotype-environment associations in montane sedges
The role of hybridization in diversification is complex and may result in many possible outcomes. Not only can hybridization produce new lineages, but those lineages may contain unique combinations of adaptive genetic variation derived from parental taxa that allow hybrid-origin lineages to occupy unique environmental space relative to one (or both) parents. We document such a case of
Authors
Richard G.J. Hodel, Robert Massatti, L Lacey Knowles
Supporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 2021 Report) Supporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 2021 Report)
A primary focus of the Colorado Plateau Native Plant Program (CPNPP) is to identify and develop appropriate native plant materials (NPMs) for current and future restoration projects. Multiple efforts have characterized the myriad challenges inherent in providing appropriate seed resources to enable effective, widespread restoration and have identified a broad suite of research activities...
Authors
Robert Massatti, Daniel E. Winkler, Sasha C. Reed, Michael C. Duniway, Seth M. Munson, John B. Bradford