Publications
Below are publications associated with the Southwest Biological Science Center's research.
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Can we accurately estimate sediment budgets on Mars? Can we accurately estimate sediment budgets on Mars?
Sediment budgets are fundamentally important for planetary science. However, only one primary method, based on remote sensing, is currently available for determining extraterrestrial sediment budgets. For determining sediment budgets on Earth, both in-situ and remote sensing methods are available. Despite the widespread use of the two methods, there has been surprisingly little research...
Authors
Joel B. Sankey, Alan Kasprak, Matthew Chojnacki, Timothy N. Titus, Joshua Caster, Geoffrey DeBenedetto
Effect of restoration on plant greenness and water use in relation to drought in the riparian corridor of the Colorado River delta Effect of restoration on plant greenness and water use in relation to drought in the riparian corridor of the Colorado River delta
Revitalization of the Colorado River delta riparian corridor and increasing riparian plant greenness and water use may be accomplished by added water and restoration efforts to offset declines measured since 2000 by Landsat. We use the two-band Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI2; a proxy for greenness) and evapotranspiration (ET, mm/day) using EVI2 and potential ET(ETo) from Yuma Valley. We...
Authors
Pamela L. Nagler, Ibrahima Sall, Armando Barreto-Muñoz, Martha Gómez-Sapiens, Hamideh Nouri, Sattar Chavoshi Borujeni, Kamel Didan
Southeast Utah Group climate and drought adaptation report: Exposure and perennial grass sensitivity Southeast Utah Group climate and drought adaptation report: Exposure and perennial grass sensitivity
National Park Service (NPS) managers face growing challenges resulting from the effects of climate change. In particular, as temperatures rise in coming decades, natural resource management in the western United States must cope with expectations for elevated severity and frequency of droughts. These challenges are particularly pronounced for vegetation managers in dryland environments...
Authors
John B. Bradford, Caroline Havrilla, Jessica A. Hartsell, Daniel Rodolphe Schlaepfer, Molly L. McCormick, Seth M. Munson, Charles Yackulic, Terry T Fisk, David Thoma, Dusty Perkins, Dana L. Witwicki, Matt VanScoyoc, Michael C. Duniway, Sasha C. Reed
Functional composition of plant communities mediates biomass effects on ecosystem service recovery across an experimental dryland restoration network Functional composition of plant communities mediates biomass effects on ecosystem service recovery across an experimental dryland restoration network
Land degradation can result in a loss of critical ecosystem services that we often seek to restore through re-establishment of desired plant communities. Trait-based approaches have the potential to target specific ecosystem services based on associations between the functional composition of plant communities and ecosystem properties that serve as indicators of those services.The effect...
Authors
Kathleen R. Balazs, Seth M. Munson, Bradley J. Butterfield
Experimental reductions in sub-daily flow fluctuations increased gross primary productivity for 425 river kilometers downstream Experimental reductions in sub-daily flow fluctuations increased gross primary productivity for 425 river kilometers downstream
Aquatic primary production is the foundation of many river food webs. Dams change the physical template of rivers, often driving food webs toward greater reliance on aquatic primary production. Nonetheless, the effects of regulated flow regimes on primary production are poorly understood. Load following is a common dam flow management strategy that involves sub-daily changes in water...
Authors
Bridget Deemer, Charles Yackulic, Robert O Hall Jr., Michael Dodrill, Theodore Kennedy, Jeffrey Muehlbauer, David J. Topping, Nicholas Voichick, Michael D. Yard
Parks look for ways to alleviate Glen Canyon Dam’s dramatic downstream impacts Parks look for ways to alleviate Glen Canyon Dam’s dramatic downstream impacts
Introduction Regardless of the location, time of day, or season, the grandeur of Grand Canyon National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area inspires awe. Visitors can reflect on the sunlit colors of the towering canyon walls or witness the vibrant, golden display of Fremont cottonwood leaves each fall. For millions of years, the Colorado River has sculpted canyon country; for...
Authors
Lonnie Pilkington, Joel B. Sankey, Dan Boughter, Taryn Preston, Cam C. Prophet
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