Publications
Below are publications associated with the Southwest Biological Science Center's research.
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Filter Total Items: 1535
Crotalus molossus molossus (Northern Black-tailed Rattlesnake): diet Crotalus molossus molossus (Northern Black-tailed Rattlesnake): diet
No abstract available.
Authors
Caleb L. Loughran, Erica M. Nowak, Robert W. Parker
Understanding the role of ecohydrological feedbacks in ecosystem state change in drylands Understanding the role of ecohydrological feedbacks in ecosystem state change in drylands
Ecohydrological feedbacks are likely to be critical for understanding the mechanisms by which changes in exogenous forces result in ecosystem state change. We propose that in drylands, the dynamics of ecosystem state change are determined by changes in the type (stabilizing vs amplifying) and strength of ecohydrological feedbacks following a change in exogenous forces. Using a selection...
Authors
L. Turnbull, B.P. Wilcox, J. Belnap, S. Ravi, P. D’Odorico, D. Childers, W. Gwenzi, G. Okin, J. Wainwright, K.K. Caylor, T. Sankey
The Glen Canyon Dam adaptive management program: Progress and immediate challenges The Glen Canyon Dam adaptive management program: Progress and immediate challenges
Adaptive management emerged as an important resource management strategy for major river systems in the United States (US) in the early 1990s. The Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (‘the Program’) was formally established in 1997 to fulfill a statutory requirement in the 1992 Grand Canyon Protection Act (GCPA). The GCPA aimed to improve natural resource conditions in the...
Authors
John F. Hamill, Theodore S. Melis
Effects of Bromus tectorum invasion on microbial carbon and nitrogen cycling in two adjacent undisturbed arid grassland communities Effects of Bromus tectorum invasion on microbial carbon and nitrogen cycling in two adjacent undisturbed arid grassland communities
Soil nitrogen (N) is an important component in maintaining ecosystem stability, and the introduction of non-native plants can alter N cycling by changing litter quality and quantity, nutrient uptake patterns, and soil food webs. Our goal was to determine the effects of Bromus tectorum (C3) invasion on soil microbial N cycling in adjacent non-invaded and invaded C3 and C4 native arid...
Authors
Sean M. Schaeffer, Susan E. Ziegler, Jayne Belnap, R.D. Evans
Elevated CO2 did not mitigate the effect of a short-term drought on biological soil crusts Elevated CO2 did not mitigate the effect of a short-term drought on biological soil crusts
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are critical components of arid and semi-arid ecosystems that contribute significantly to carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) fixation, water retention, soil stability, and seedling recruitment. While dry-land ecosystems face a number of environmental changes, our understanding of how biocrusts may respond to such perturbation remains notably poor. To determine...
Authors
Timothy M. Wertin, Susan L. Phillips, Sasha C. Reed, Jayne Belnap
Biogeochemistry: unexpected uptake Biogeochemistry: unexpected uptake
Lichens, cyanobacteria, mosses and algae coat many terrestrial surfaces. These biological covers turn out to play an important role in the global cycling of carbon and nitrogen.
Authors
Jayne Belnap
Response of biological soil crust diazotrophs to season, altered summer precipitation, and year-round increased temperature in an arid grassland of the Colorado Plateau, USA Response of biological soil crust diazotrophs to season, altered summer precipitation, and year-round increased temperature in an arid grassland of the Colorado Plateau, USA
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts), which supply significant amounts of fixed nitrogen into terrestrial ecosystems worldwide (~33Tg y-1), are likely to respond to changes in temperature and precipitation associated with climate change. Using nifH gene-based surveys, we explored variation in the diazotrophic community of biocrusts of the Colorado Plateau, USA in response to season (autumn...
Authors
Chris M. Yeager, Cheryl R. Kuske, Travis D. Carney, Shannon L. Johnson, Lawrence O. Ticknor, Jayne Belnap
Explaining reported puma-related behaviors and behavioral intentions among northern Arizona residents Explaining reported puma-related behaviors and behavioral intentions among northern Arizona residents
Management of pumas in the American West is typified by conflict among stakeholders plausibly rooted in life experiences and worldviews. We used a mail questionnaire to assess demographics, nature-views, puma-related life experiences and behaviors, and support for puma-related policies among residents of northern Arizona. Data from the questionnaire (n = 693 respondents) were used to...
Authors
David J. Mattson, Elizabeth J. Ruther
Post-fire land treatments and wind erosion -- lessons from the Milford Flat Fire, UT, USA Post-fire land treatments and wind erosion -- lessons from the Milford Flat Fire, UT, USA
We monitored sediment flux at 25 plots located at the northern end of the 2007 Milford Flat Fire (Lake Bonneville Basin, west-central Utah) to examine the effectiveness of post-fire rehabilitation treatments in mitigating risks of wind erosion during the first 3 years post fire. Maximum values were recorded during Mar–Jul 2009 when horizontal sediment fluxes measured with BSNE samplers...
Authors
Mark E. Miller, Matthew A. Bowker, Richard L. Reynolds, Harland L. Goldstein
Physiological ecology of desert biocrust moss following 10 years exposure to elevated CO2: Evidence for enhanced photosynthetic thermotolerance Physiological ecology of desert biocrust moss following 10 years exposure to elevated CO2: Evidence for enhanced photosynthetic thermotolerance
In arid regions, biomes particularly responsive to climate change, mosses play an important biogeochemical role as key components of biocrusts. Using the biocrust moss Syntrichia caninervis collected from the Nevada Desert Free Air CO2 Enrichment Facility, we examined the physiological effects of 10 years of exposure to elevated CO2, and the effect of high temperature events on the...
Authors
Kirsten K. Coe, Jayne Belnap, Edmund E. Grote, Jed P. Sparks
Tamarisk biocontrol using tamarisk beetles: Potential consequences for riparian birds in the southwestern United States Tamarisk biocontrol using tamarisk beetles: Potential consequences for riparian birds in the southwestern United States
The tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda spp.), a non-native biocontrol agent, has been introduced to eradicate tamarisk (Tamarix spp.), a genus of non-native tree that has become a dominant component of riparian woodlands in the southwestern United States. Tamarisk beetles have the potential to spread widely and defoliate large expanses of tamarisk habitat, but the effects of such a widespread...
Authors
Eben H. Paxton, Tad C. Theimer, Mark K. Sogge
The role of remote sensing observations and models in hydrology: The science of evapotranspiration The role of remote sensing observations and models in hydrology: The science of evapotranspiration
Over 15 years ago, Morton (1994) summarized the state of evapotranspiration (ET) research pessimistically: ‘There have been few significant advances in our knowledge of evaporation on an environmental scale over the past four decades, a state of affairs linked to the current sterility of hydrology and related environmental sciences. Furthermore, almost none of the advances have been used
Authors
Pamela Nagler