Publications
Below are publications associated with the Southwest Biological Science Center's research.
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Filter Total Items: 1518
Environmental variation structures reproduction and recruitment in long-lived mega-herbivores: Galapagos giant tortoises Environmental variation structures reproduction and recruitment in long-lived mega-herbivores: Galapagos giant tortoises
Migratory, long-lived animals are an important focus for life-history theory because they manifest extreme trade-offs in life-history traits: delayed maturity, low fecundity, variable recruitment rates, long generation times, and vital rates that respond to variation across environments. Galapagos tortoises are an iconic example: they are long-lived, migrate seasonally, face multiple...
Authors
Stephen Blake, Fredy Cabrera, Sebastian Cruz, Diego Ellis-Soto, Charles B. Yackulic, Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau, Martin Wikelski, Franz Kuemmeth, James P. Gibbs, Sharon L. Deem
A conserved interdomain microbial network underpins cadaver decomposition despite environmental variables A conserved interdomain microbial network underpins cadaver decomposition despite environmental variables
Microbial breakdown of organic matter is one of the most important processes on Earth, yet the controls of decomposition are poorly understood. Here we track 36 terrestrial human cadavers in three locations and show that a phylogenetically distinct, interdomain microbial network assembles during decomposition despite selection effects of location, climate and season. We generated a...
Authors
Zachary M. Burcham, Aeriel D. Belk, Bridget B. McGivern, Amina Bouslimani, Parsa Ghadermazi, Cameron Martino, Liat Shenhav, Anru R. Zhang, Pixu Shi, Alexandra Emmons, Heather Deel, Zhenjiang Zech Xu, Victoria Nieciecki, Qiyun Zhu, Michael Shaffer, Morgan Panitchpakdi, Kelly Weldon, Kalen Cantrell, Asa Ben-Hur, Sasha C. Reed, Greg C. Humphry, Gail Ackermann, Daniel McDonald, Siu Hung Joshua Chan, Melissa Connor, Derek Boyd, Jake Smith, Jenna Watson, Giovanna Vidoli, Dawnie Steadman, Aaron M. Lynne, Sibyl Bucheli, Pieter C. Dorrestein, Kelly C. Wrighton, David O. Carter, Rob Knight, Jessica L. Metcalf
Trajectories and tipping points of piñon–juniper woodlands after fire and thinning Trajectories and tipping points of piñon–juniper woodlands after fire and thinning
Piñon–juniper (PJ) woodlands are a dominant community type across the Intermountain West, comprising over a million acres and experiencing critical effects from increasing wildfire. Large PJ mortality and regeneration failure after catastrophic wildfire have elevated concerns about the long-term viability of PJ woodlands. Thinning is increasingly used to safeguard forests from fire and...
Authors
Michala Lee Phillips, Cara Marie Lauria, Tova Spector, John B. Bradford, Catherine A. Gehring, Brooke B. Osborne, Armin J. Howell, Edmund E. Grote, Renee Rondeau, Gillian Trimber, Benjamin Robinson, Sasha C. Reed
Establishing quantitative benchmarks for soil erosion and ecological monitoring, assessment, and management Establishing quantitative benchmarks for soil erosion and ecological monitoring, assessment, and management
Soil erosion can have a multitude of negative impacts on agroecosystems and society and there remains an urgent need for tools to support its management. Quantitative benchmarks based on holistic understanding of erosion processes, ecosystem function, and land use objectives can be used with monitoring data and models to inform assessments and make objective and actionable decisions...
Authors
Nicholas P. Webb, Brandon L. Edwards, Alexandra Heller, Sarah E. McCord, Jeremy W. Schallner, Ronald S. Treminio, Brandi E. Wheeler, Nelson G. Stauffer, Sheri Spiegal, Michael C. Duniway, Alexander C.E. Traynor, Emily Kachergis, Carrie-Ann Houdeshell
Non-native plant invasion after fire in western USA varies by functional type and with climate Non-native plant invasion after fire in western USA varies by functional type and with climate
Invasions by non-native plant species after fire can negatively affect important ecosystem services and lead to invasion-fire cycles that further degrade ecosystems. The relationship between fire and plant invasion is complex, and the risk of invasion varies greatly between functional types and across geographic scales. Here, we examined patterns and predictors of non-native plant...
Authors
Janet S. Prevey, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Ian S. Pearse, Seth M. Munson, Jens T. Stevens, Kevin Barrett, Jonathon D. Coop, Michelle Day, David Firmage, Paula J. Fornwalt, Katharine Haynes, James B. Johnston, Becky Kerns, Meg A. Krawchuk, Becky Miller, Ty Nietupski, Jacquilyn Roque, Judith Diane Springer, Camille S. Stevens-Rumann, Micheal T. Stoddard, Claire Tortorelli
Utilizing artificial nesting platforms as a management tool: Enhancing breeding productivity of Western Flycatchers (Empidonax difficilis occidentalis) in southwestern Colorado and southern Arizona, USA Utilizing artificial nesting platforms as a management tool: Enhancing breeding productivity of Western Flycatchers (Empidonax difficilis occidentalis) in southwestern Colorado and southern Arizona, USA
Artificial nesting substrates have been added around the world for many cavity-nesting bird species, but this has not been undertaken as extensively for crevice-nesting birds. The Western Cordilleran Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis occidentalis) is a migratory, crevice-nesting flycatcher that is nest-site limited, breeding in higher elevation riparian habitats throughout intermountain...
Authors
Charles van Riper, Harold F. Greeney, Abigail J. Darrah, Andrew J. Boyce, Drew F. van Riper, Charles B. Yackulic
Changes in sand storage in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park from July 2017 through June 2020 Changes in sand storage in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park from July 2017 through June 2020
Changes in the quantity of sand stored within river segments can affect aquatic and riparian habitat, archeological resources, and recreation. Since summer to fall of 2002, gaging stations on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park and on its major tributaries and selected lesser tributaries have measured the mass of sand transported past each station, which allows for changes...
Authors
Ronald E. Griffiths, David J. Topping, Joel A. Unema
U.S. Geological Survey Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center: Proceedings of the fiscal year 2023 annual reporting meeting to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program U.S. Geological Survey Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center: Proceedings of the fiscal year 2023 annual reporting meeting to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program
This proceedings is prepared for the USBR and Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP) to account for work conducted and products delivered in FY 2023 by SBSC's Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC) and to inform the Technical Work Group of science conducted by GCMRC and its cooperators in support of the GCDAMP. It includes a summary of accomplishments...
Authors
Andrew Alan Schultz, Gregory Mark Anderson, David J. Topping, Ronald E. Griffiths, David J. Dean, Paul E. Grams, Keith Kohl, Gerard Lewis Salter, Matthew A. Kaplinski, Katherine Chapman, Erich R. Mueller, Emily C. Palmquist, Bradley J. Butterfield, Joel B. Sankey, Bridget R. Deemer, Charles B. Yackulic, Lindsay Erika Hansen, Drew Elliot Eppehimer, Theodore Kennedy, Anya Metcalfe, Jeffrey Muehlbauer, Morgan Ford, Michael J. Dodrill, Maria C. Dzul, Pilar Rinker, Michael J. Pillow, David Ward, Josh Korman, Molly A.H. Webb, James A. Crossman, Eric J Frye, David L. Rogowski, Kimberley Dibble, Lucas Bair, Joshua Abbott, Thomas M. Gushue, Erica Paige Byerley, Joseph E Thomas, Thomas A. Sabol, Bryce Anthony Mihalevich
Macroscale controls determine the recovery of river ecosystem productivity following flood disturbances Macroscale controls determine the recovery of river ecosystem productivity following flood disturbances
River ecosystems rely on varied flows, including regular floods, to provide food and habitat for aquatic organisms. However, flows of freshwater are becoming increasingly managed for irrigation, industry, and other human activities, and the frequency of floods is changing. Our study used time-series data of photosynthesis from 143 rivers across the United States and developed a modeling...
Authors
Heili Lowman, Robert K. Shriver, Robert O. Hall, Judson Harvey, Philip Savoy, Charles B. Yackulic, Joanna R. Blaszczak
Resurvey of cross sections on the Yampa and Little Snake Rivers in Lily and Deerlodge Parks, Colorado Resurvey of cross sections on the Yampa and Little Snake Rivers in Lily and Deerlodge Parks, Colorado
Resurveys of seven geomorphologic cross sections located in the Lily Park and Deerlodge Park, Colorado, reaches of the Yampa and Little Snake Rivers were conducted in October 2017. These cross sections extend from Lily Park, at the confluence of the two rivers, to Deerlodge Park within Dinosaur National Monument. Four cross sections were first surveyed in 1983 and then resurveyed in 1997...
Authors
Ronald E. Griffiths, David J. Topping, Christina Leonard, Joel A. Unema
Facilitating comparable research in seedling functional ecology Facilitating comparable research in seedling functional ecology
Ecologists have worked to ascribe function to the variation found in plant populations, communities and ecosystems across environments for at least the past century. The vast body of research in functional ecology has drastically improved understanding of how individuals respond to their environment, communities are assembled and ecosystems function. However, with limited exceptions, few...
Authors
Daniel E. Winkler, Magda Garbowski, Kevin Kozic, Emma Ladouceur, Julie Larson, Sarah Martin, Christoph Rosche, Christiane Roscher, Mandy L. Slate, Lotte Korell
Tropical forests and global change: Biogeochemical responses and opportunities for cross-site comparisons, an organized INSPIRE session at the 108th Annual Meeting, Ecological Society of America, Portland, Oregon, USA, August 2023 Tropical forests and global change: Biogeochemical responses and opportunities for cross-site comparisons, an organized INSPIRE session at the 108th Annual Meeting, Ecological Society of America, Portland, Oregon, USA, August 2023
Tropical forests play a critical role in the global carbon (C) cycle. These ecosystems maintain the highest rates of net primary production (NPP) on Earth (Hengl et al., 2017), contain c. 30% of terrestrial C stocks (Jobbagy & Jackson, 2000), and have some of the largest stores of fine-root biomass globally (Jackson et al., 1996), as well as higher fine-root production and turnover rates...
Authors
Daniela F. Cusack, Sasha C. Reed, Kelly M. Andersen, Damla Cinoğlu, Matthew E. Craig, Lee H. Dietterich, J.A. Hogan, Jennifer A. Holmes, Andrew T. Nottingham, Rebecca Ostertag, Fiona M. Soper, Tana E. Wood, Michelle Y. Wong