Publications
Filter Total Items: 2073
Ecosystem impacts of exotic annual invaders in the genus Bromus Ecosystem impacts of exotic annual invaders in the genus Bromus
An understanding of the impacts of exotic plant species on ecosystems is necessary to justify and guide efforts to limit their spread, restore natives, and plan for conservation. Invasive annual grasses such as Bromus tectorum, B. rubens, B. hordeaceus, and B. diandrus (hereafter collectively referred to as Bromus) transform the structure and function of ecosystems they dominate...
Authors
Matthew J. Germino, Jayne Belnap, John M. Stark, Edith B. Allen, Benjamin M. Rau
Soil moisture and biogeochemical factors influence the distribution of annual Bromus species Soil moisture and biogeochemical factors influence the distribution of annual Bromus species
Abiotic factors have a strong influence on where annual Bromus species are found. At the large regional scale, temperature and precipitation extremes determine the boundaries of Bromus occurrence. At the more local scale, soil characteristics and climate influence distribution, cover, and performance. In hot, dry, summer-rainfall-dominated deserts (Sonoran, Chihuahuan), little or no...
Authors
Jayne Belnap, John Thomas Stark, Benjamin Rau, Edith B. Allen, Susan L. Phillips
Land uses, fire, and invasion: Exotic annual Bromus and human dimensions Land uses, fire, and invasion: Exotic annual Bromus and human dimensions
Human land uses are the primary cause of the introduction and spread of exotic annual Bromus species. Initial introductions were likely linked to contaminated seeds used by homesteading farmers in the late 1880s and early 1900s. Transportation routes aided their spread. Unrestricted livestock grazing from the 1800s through the mid-1900s reduced native plant competitors leaving large...
Authors
David A. Pyke, Jeanne C. Chambers, Jeffrey L. Beck, Matthew L. Brooks, Brian A. Mealor
Plant community resistance to invasion by Bromus species: The roles of community attributes, Bromus interactions with plant communities, and Bromus traits Plant community resistance to invasion by Bromus species: The roles of community attributes, Bromus interactions with plant communities, and Bromus traits
The factors that determine plant community resistance to exotic annual Bromus species (Bromus hereafter) are diverse and context specific. They are influenced by the environmental characteristics and attributes of the community, the traits of Bromus species, and the direct and indirect interactions of Bromus with the plant community. Environmental factors, in particular ambient and soil
Authors
Jeanne Chambers, Matthew J. Germino, Jayne Belnap, Cynthia Brown, Eugene W. Schupp, Samuel B St. Clair
Salamander chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans) in the United States—Developing research, monitoring, and management strategies Salamander chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans) in the United States—Developing research, monitoring, and management strategies
The recently (2013) identified pathogenic chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), poses a severe threat to the distribution and abundance of salamanders within the United States and Europe. Development of a response strategy for the potential, and likely, invasion of Bsal into the United States is crucial to protect global salamander biodiversity. A formal working group...
Authors
Evan H. Campbell Grant, Erin L. Muths, Rachel A. Katz, Stefano Canessa, M. J. Adams, Jennifer R. Ballard, Lee Berger, Cheryl J. Briggs, Jeremy T. H. Coleman, Matthew J. Gray, M. Camille Harris, Reid N. Harris, Blake R. Hossack, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Jonathan E. Kolby, Karen R. Lips, Robert E. Lovich, Hamish I. McCallum, Joseph R. Mendelson, Priya Nanjappa, Deanna H. Olson, Jenny G. Powers, Katherine L. D. Richgels, Robin E. Russell, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Annemarieke Spitzen-van der Sluijs, Mary Kay Watry, Douglas C. Woodhams, C. LeAnn White
A simple prioritization tool to diagnose impairment of stream temperature for coldwater fishes in the Great Basin A simple prioritization tool to diagnose impairment of stream temperature for coldwater fishes in the Great Basin
We provide a simple framework for diagnosing the impairment of stream water temperature for coldwater fishes across broad spatial extents based on a weight-of-evidence approach that integrates biological criteria, species distribution models, and geostatistical models of stream temperature. As a test case, we applied our approach to identify stream reaches most likely to be thermally...
Authors
Jeffrey A. Falke, Jason B. Dunham, David Hockman-Wert, Randy A. Pahl
Genetic structure and viability selection in the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), a vagile raptor with a Holarctic distribution Genetic structure and viability selection in the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), a vagile raptor with a Holarctic distribution
Molecular markers can reveal interesting aspects of organismal ecology and evolution, especially when surveyed in rare or elusive species. Herein, we provide a preliminary assessment of golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) population structure in North America using novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). These SNPs included one molecular sexing marker, two mitochondrial markers, 85...
Authors
Jacqueline M. Doyle, Todd E. Katzner, Gary Roemer, James W. Cain, Brian Millsap, Carol McIntyre, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Nadia B. Fernandez, Maria Wheeler, Zafer Bulut, Peter Bloom, J. Andrew DeWoody
Oak mistletoe (Phoradendron villosum) is linked to microhabitat availability and avian diversity in Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) woodlands Oak mistletoe (Phoradendron villosum) is linked to microhabitat availability and avian diversity in Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) woodlands
Mistletoes are parasitic or hemi-parasitic flowering plants that parasitize woody plants around the globe. Important food and cover resources provided by mistletoes have been related to strong patterns of positive association between wildlife diversity and mistletoe density. Mistletoes also create microhabitat features known to be important to wildlife by causing deformations in their...
Authors
Kyle R. Pritchard, Joan Hagar, David C. Shaw
CDMetaPOP: An individual-based, eco-evolutionary model for spatially explicit simulation of landscape demogenetics CDMetaPOP: An individual-based, eco-evolutionary model for spatially explicit simulation of landscape demogenetics
1. Combining landscape demographic and genetics models offers powerful methods for addressing questions for eco-evolutionary applications. 2. Using two illustrative examples, we present Cost–Distance Meta-POPulation, a program to simulate changes in neutral and/or selection-driven genotypes through time as a function of individual-based movement, complex spatial population dynamics, and...
Authors
Erin L. Landguth, Andrew Bearlin, Casey Day, Jason B. Dunham
In-flight turbulence benefits soaring birds In-flight turbulence benefits soaring birds
Birds use atmospheric updrafts to subsidize soaring flight. We observed highly variable soaring flight by Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) and Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) in Virginia, USA, that was inconsistent with published descriptions of terrestrial avian flight. Birds engaging in this behavior regularly deviated vertically and horizontally from linear flight paths. We observed...
Authors
Julie M. Mallon, Keith L. Bildstein, Todd E. Katzner
Impacts of climatic variation on trout: A global synthesis and path forward Impacts of climatic variation on trout: A global synthesis and path forward
Despite increasing concern that climate change may negatively impact trout—a globally distributed group of fish with major economic, ecological, and cultural value—a synthetic assessment of empirical data quantifying relationships between climatic variation and trout ecology does not exist. We conducted a systematic review to describe how temporal variation in temperature and streamflow...
Authors
Ryan Kovach, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Jason B. Dunham, Benjamin Letcher, Jeffrey L. Kershner
Estimating mercury exposure of piscivorous birds and sport fish using prey fish monitoring Estimating mercury exposure of piscivorous birds and sport fish using prey fish monitoring
Methylmercury is a global pollutant of aquatic ecosystems, and monitoring programs need tools to predict mercury exposure of wildlife. We developed equations to estimate methylmercury exposure of piscivorous birds and sport fish using mercury concentrations in prey fish. We collected original data on western grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis) and Clark’s grebes (Aechmophorus clarkii) and
Authors
Joshua T. Ackerman, C. Alex Hartman, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Mark P. Herzog, Jay Davis, Gary Ichikawa, Autumn Bonnema