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: 1572
Functional traits can explain coordinated seedling responses to drought and freezing stress Functional traits can explain coordinated seedling responses to drought and freezing stress
Limited plant establishment creates demographic bottlenecks that can alter vegetation trajectories in changing environments, yet it is unclear how common eco-evolutionary indicators of plant strategy shape early response to key stressors. We evaluated how early functional traits, phylogeny, and adult climate niche jointly explain seedling drought and freezing tolerance across 49 semi...
Authors
Julie E. Larson, Bradley J. Butterfield, Seth M. Munson, Dylan F. Neuhaus, Stella M. Copeland
Climate-adaptive urban planning: Quantitative assessment of drought impacts and practical strategies for climate-resilient urban green spaces Climate-adaptive urban planning: Quantitative assessment of drought impacts and practical strategies for climate-resilient urban green spaces
Urban green spaces (UGSs) are vital for enhancing a city’s resilience and livability; however, their functionality is increasingly jeopardized by drought, particularly in water-scarce regions. This study evaluates drought impact on UGSs in Metropolitan Adelaide, Australia, a representative semi-arid urban system, using satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time...
Authors
Sattar Chavoshi Borujeni, Alfredo Huete, Biswajeet Pradhan, Hamideh Nouri, Neda Abbasi, Pamela L Nagler
Estimated dryland restoration treatment costs Estimated dryland restoration treatment costs
Ecological restoration—the process of assisting in the rehabilitation of a system that has been degraded or destroyed—can be used to address changing landscapes as our understanding of ecosystems and how to manage them improves (Gann et al. 2019). As a result, numerous research papers and guidebooks have been published to provide science-based recommendations for designing and deploying
Authors
Laura Cecilia Shriver, Ri N. Corwin, Catherine A. Gehring, Caroline A. Havrilla, Elise S. Gornish
Global carbon investment in terrestrial biological nitrogen fixation Global carbon investment in terrestrial biological nitrogen fixation
Biological nitrogen (N) fixation (BNF) provides the N needed to produce proteins and other biological building blocks, helping feed humanity and mitigate climate change. Due to its high energetic cost compared to other forms of N acquisition, biotic investment in BNF indicates N limitation. Globally gridded BNF flux data provide an opportunity to determine the energetic investment in BNF...
Authors
Duncan N.L. Menge, Carla R. Reis Ely, Steven S. Perakis, Sian Kou-Giesbrecht, Cory C. Cleveland, Sasha C. Reed, Benton N. Taylor, Sarah A. Batterman, Timothy E. Crews, Katherine A. Dynarski, Jennifer L. Funk, Maga G. Gei, Kevin L. Griffin, Michael J. Gundale, David F. Herridge, Sarah E. Jovan, Mark B. Peoples, Johannes Piipponen, Emilio Rodriguez-Caballero, Verity G. Salmon, Fiona M. Soper, Anika P. Staccone, Bettina Weber, Amelia A. Wolf, Nina Wurzburger
2026 Edition 2026 Edition
The product is the 2026 newsletter for the USGS’s Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest (RAMPS). The newsletter summarizes recent publications, provides updates, and highlights ongoing and upcoming RAMPS projects. Outlet: RAMPS listserve and Drupal page.
Authors
Laura Cecilia Shriver
Adaptation and response in drylands: A dryland research agenda and campaign strategy Adaptation and response in drylands: A dryland research agenda and campaign strategy
Dryland ecosystems cover 41% of Earth's land surfaces, account for 44% of cultivated lands and 60% of food sources, and make large contributions to the global water and carbon cycles. However, these ecosystems are experiencing unprecedented extremes including heatwaves, floods, and droughts as well as hotter temperatures and often declining water resource availability. These ecosystems...
Authors
Andrew F. Feldman, Sasha C. Reed, Konrad Wessels, Dennis S. Ojima, David J.P. Moore, William K. Smith, Niall P. Hanan, Cibele Amaral, Flurin Babst, Joel A. Biederman, Marcy Litvak, Natasha MacBean, Benjamin Poulter, Russell L. Scott, Alicja Babst-Kostecka, Julia K. Green, Raymond F. Kokaly, Ryan Pavlick, Robert Swap, Shawn P. Serbin, Compton J. Tucker, Lixin Wang, Jennifer D. Watts, Alejandro Flores, James Rattling Leaf Sr., Sativa Cruz, Nikki Tulley, Robert A. Washington-Allen, Karen Prentice, Emily Kachergis, Julian Reyes, Jasmine Ryan, Michael D. SanClements, Henry W. Loescher, Allison K. Leidner, Tyson Swetnam
Comment on “Assessing the potential for Smallmouth Bass population establishment in Grand Canyon” Comment on “Assessing the potential for Smallmouth Bass population establishment in Grand Canyon”
No abstract available.
Authors
Charles B. Yackulic, Drew Elliot Eppehimer, Lindsey A. Bruckerhoff, Anna Amidon, Kevin R. Bestgen, Nathaniel D. Bransky, Kimberly L. Dibble, Maria C. Dzul, Lindsay Erika Hansen, Brian D. Healy, M. Tildon Jones, Chris Michaud
Resurvey of cross sections on the Green River in Browns Park, Colorado and Utah Resurvey of cross sections on the Green River in Browns Park, Colorado and Utah
This study resurveyed ten previously established cross sections and established eight new cross sections on the Green River in Browns Park to document changes in channel width, depth, and area since earlier surveys conducted in 1994. The measured area of the channel cross sections on the Green River in Browns Park generally increased between the initial surveys and 2019. This increase in...
Authors
Ronald E. Griffiths, David J. Topping, Joel A. Unema, Keith A. Kohl
Long-term aridity shapes grassland drought resistance and modulates the roles of plant diversity and functional composition Long-term aridity shapes grassland drought resistance and modulates the roles of plant diversity and functional composition
Understanding the drivers of plant community stability is crucial for predicting ecosystem responses to extreme drought events. In grasslands, drought resistance supports the maintenance of key functions such as above-ground primary productivity, making the identification of resistance drivers essential to guide management under climate change. Proposed factors contributing to grassland...
Authors
D. Bertuol-Garcia, L. van den Brink, M. Carbognani, M. H. Chandregowda, A. C. Churchill, D. F. Cusack, M. Dubbert, J. S. Dukes, M. E. DuPre, N. Eisenhauer, T. G.W. Forte, Y. Hautier, A. Hector, H. A.L. Henry, A. Jentsch, S. Koerner, A. Kübert, E. Ladouceur, D. Laughlin, M. G. Longo, A. Loydi, A. S. Mori, Seth M. Munson, U. N. Nielsen, T. J. Ohlert, G. R. Oñatibia, R. Otfinowski, M. Pärtel, G. B. Paterno, J. Peñuelas, P. L. Peri, A. Petraglia, J. M. Piñeiro, S. A. Power, Y. Pueyo, W. E. Rogers, B. A. Santos, M. D. Smith, A. Stampfli, R. J. Standish, M. Tedder, G. R. Wheeler, J. Williams, M. Zieter, N. Shackelford
A simplified two-station approach for modeling metabolism in dam tailwaters subject to diel flow variation A simplified two-station approach for modeling metabolism in dam tailwaters subject to diel flow variation
Tailwaters are ubiquitous and highly managed ecosystems whose food webs often rely disproportionately on autochthonous energy. In situ continuous dissolved oxygen data are increasingly being used to estimate gross primary productivity and ecosystem respiration in rivers, but this approach is complicated in tailwaters, where upriver discontinuities (i.e., dams) violate commonly employed...
Authors
Ian Wesley Bishop, Bridget R. Deemer, Theodore Kennedy, Robert A. Payn, Robert O. Hall, Charles B. Yackulic
Growth of a threatened desert fish becomes resource dependent when released from temperature limitation in a regulated river Growth of a threatened desert fish becomes resource dependent when released from temperature limitation in a regulated river
1. Growth of ectotherms typically positively correlates with increasing temperature towards an optimal temperature range, followed by a decline in growth when temperatures exceed the optimal temperature range for that organism. When temperature is within or close to the optimal range, food availability and other environmental factors can play important roles in modifying growth rates...
Authors
Lindsay Erika Hansen, Drew Elliot Eppehimer, Maria C. Dzul, Bridget R. Deemer, Charles B. Yackulic
Cultural benefits knowledge and social learning in Elwha River dam removal and ecosystem decision-making Cultural benefits knowledge and social learning in Elwha River dam removal and ecosystem decision-making
In a retrospective case study of the seminal Elwha River dam removal in Washington State, USA, we explore pathways through which ecosystem services (ES) knowledge can inform environmental decision-making. We specifically investigate how knowledge of cultural benefits linked to the Elwha River ecosystem was made available. Through interviews and historical document review we identify...
Authors
Kristin R. Hoelting, Doreen E. Martinez, Lucas S. Bair, Rudy Schuster, Michael C. Gavin