Publications
Below are publications associated with the Southwest Biological Science Center's research.
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Filter Total Items: 1575
NDVI, scale invariance and the modifiable areal unit problem: An assessment of vegetation in the Adelaide Parklands NDVI, scale invariance and the modifiable areal unit problem: An assessment of vegetation in the Adelaide Parklands
This research addresses the question as to whether or not the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is scale invariant (i.e. constant over spatial aggregation) for pure pixels of urban vegetation. It has been long recognized that there are issues related to the modifiable areal unit problem (MAUP) pertaining to indices such as NDVI and images at varying spatial resolutions. These...
Authors
Hamideh Nouri, Sharolyn Anderson, Paul Sutton, Simon Beecham, Pamela L. Nagler, Christopher J. Jarchow, Dar A. Roberts
A detached eddy simulation model for the study of lateral separation zones along a large canyon-bound river A detached eddy simulation model for the study of lateral separation zones along a large canyon-bound river
Lateral flow separation occurs in rivers where banks exhibit strong curvature. In canyon-boundrivers, lateral recirculation zones are the principal storage of fine-sediment deposits. A parallelized,three-dimensional, turbulence-resolving model was developed to study the flow structures along lateralseparation zones located in two pools along the Colorado River in Marble Canyon. The model...
Authors
Laura V. Alvarez, Mark W. Schmeeckle, Paul E. Grams
Scientific monitoring plan in support of the selected alternative of the Glen Canyon Dam Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan Scientific monitoring plan in support of the selected alternative of the Glen Canyon Dam Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan
Authors
Scott P. Vanderkooi, Theodore A. Kennedy, David J. Topping, Paul E. Grams, David L. Ward, Helen C. Fairley, Lucas S. Bair, Joel B. Sankey, John C. Schmidt, Charles B. Yackulic
Estimating the settling velocity of bioclastic sediment using common grain-size analysis techniques Estimating the settling velocity of bioclastic sediment using common grain-size analysis techniques
Most techniques for estimating settling velocities of natural particles have been developed for siliciclastic sediments. Therefore, to understand how these techniques apply to bioclastic environments, measured settling velocities of bioclastic sedimentary deposits sampled from a nearshore fringing reef in Western Australia were compared with settling velocities calculated using results...
Authors
Michael V. W. Cuttler, Ryan J. Lowe, James L. Falter, Daniel D. Buscombe
Shallow water benthic imaging and substrate characterization using recreational-grade sidescan-sonar Shallow water benthic imaging and substrate characterization using recreational-grade sidescan-sonar
In recent years, lightweight, inexpensive, vessel-mounted ‘recreational grade’ sonar systems have rapidly grown in popularity among aquatic scientists, for swath imaging of benthic substrates. To promote an ongoing ‘democratization’ of acoustical imaging of shallow water environments, methods to carry out geometric and radiometric correction and georectification of sonar echograms are...
Authors
Daniel D. Buscombe
A report on genetic affinities and relatedness of Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) at opposite ends of the Coachella Valley in California A report on genetic affinities and relatedness of Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) at opposite ends of the Coachella Valley in California
This report summarizes the results for mtDNA and STR genotyping of 41 desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) DNA samples from opposite sides of the Coachella Valley: one sample from the west side at the Mesa wind energy facility in the Whitewater Hills and the other from the mouth of Cottonwood Canyon in Joshua Tree National Park, both within the boundaries of the Coachella Valley Multiple...
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Taylor Edwards, Brian Kreiser, Shellie R. Puffer, Mickey Agha
Climate change and collapsing thermal niches of Mexican endemic reptiles Climate change and collapsing thermal niches of Mexican endemic reptiles
Recent climate change should result in expansion of species to northern or high elevation range margins, and contraction at southern and low elevation margins due to extinction. Climate models predict dramatic extinctions and distributional shifts in the next century, but there are few ground-truths of these dire forecasts leading to uncertainty in predicting extinctions due to climate...
Authors
Barry Sinervo, Donald B. Miles, Rafael A. Lara Resendiz, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen, Johannes Muller, Robert D. Cooper, Philip C. Rosen, Joseph A. E. Stewart, Juan Carlos Santos, Jack W. Sites, Paul Gibbons, Eric Goode, L. Scott Hillard, Luke Welton, Mickey Agha, Gabriel Caetano, Mercy Vaughn, Cristina Melendez Torres, Hector Gadsden, Gamaliel Castenada Gaytan, Patricia Galina-Tessaro, Fernando I. Valle Jimenez, Jorge H. Valdez-Villavicencio, Norberto Martinez Mendez, Guillermo Woolrich Pina, Victor Luja Molina, Anibal Diaz de la Vega Perez, Diego M. Arenas Moreno, Saul Dominguez Guerrero, Natalia Fierro, Scott Butterfield, Michael Westpha, Raymond B. Huey, William Mautz, Víctor Sánchez-Cordero, Fausto R. Mendez de la Cruz
Diet patterns of island foxes on San Nicolas Island relative to feral cat removal Diet patterns of island foxes on San Nicolas Island relative to feral cat removal
Island foxes (Urocyon littoralis) are a species of conservation concern that occur on six of the Channel Islands off the coast of southern California. We analysed island fox diet on San Nicolas Island during 2006–12 to assess the influence of the removal of feral cats (Felis catus) on the food use by foxes. Our objective was to determine whether fox diet patterns shifted in response to...
Authors
Brian L. Cypher, Erica C. Kelly, Francesca J. Ferrara, Charles A. Drost, Tory L. Westall, Brian Hudgens
Human land-use and soil change Human land-use and soil change
Soil change refers to the alteration of soil and soil properties over time in one location, as opposed to soil variability across space. Although soils change with pedogensis, this chapter focuses on human caused soil change. Soil change can occur with human use and management over long or short time periods and small or large scales. While change can be negative or positive; often soil...
Authors
Skye A. Wills, Candiss O. Williams, Michael C. Duniway, Jessica Veenstra, Cathy Seybold, DeAnn Pressley
The response of arid soil communities to climate change: Chapter 8 The response of arid soil communities to climate change: Chapter 8
Arid and semiarid ecosystems cover approximately 40% of Earth’s terrestrial surface and are present on each of the planet’s continents [1]. Drylands are characterized by their aridity, but there is substantial geographic, edaphic, and climatic variability among these vast ecosystems, and these differences underscore substantial variation in dryland soil microbial communities, as well as...
Authors
Blaire Steven, Theresa Ann McHugh, Sasha C. Reed
Disentangling the complexities of how legumes and their symbionts regulate plant nitrogen access and storage Disentangling the complexities of how legumes and their symbionts regulate plant nitrogen access and storage
Nitrogen (N) availability strongly influences the structure and function of ecosystems (e.g. Vitousek & Howarth, 1991), but only a relatively small number of microbial groups have the ability to convert the N2 in our atmosphere into biologically available forms.This process, N2 fixation, is the dominant source of new N to the biosphere outside of anthropogenic inputs (Vitousek et al., 2013...
Authors
Sasha C. Reed
Influence of repeated prescribed fire on tree growth and mortality in Pinus resinosa forests, northern Minnesota Influence of repeated prescribed fire on tree growth and mortality in Pinus resinosa forests, northern Minnesota
Prescribed fire is widely used for ecological restoration and fuel reduction in fire-dependent ecosystems, most of which are also prone to drought. Despite the importance of drought in fire-adapted forests, little is known about cumulative effects of repeated prescribed burning on tree growth and related response to drought. Using dendrochronological data in red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait...
Authors
Alessandra Bottero, Anthony W. D’Amato, Brian J. Palik, Christel C. Kern, John B. Bradford, Sawyer S. Scherer