Wildlife and Plants

Climate change is expected to worsen the harmful effects of invasive species on native wildlife. This presents a growing conservation challenge for invasive species managers in the southeastern United States where thousands of invasive species exist. While many of these invasive species currently have relatively small ranges in the southeastern U.S., climate change may allow them to...

Hawaiʻi’s native forest birds are known worldwide for their diversity and beauty. Unfortunately, many species are heading towards extinction because of bird malaria spread by mosquitoes introduced over a century ago. Remaining populations of these highly threatened forest birds tend to be at high elevations near the tree line on mountains, where cooler temperatures limit mosquitoes and...

Climate change has the potential to change the kinds and numbers of fish and wildlife that are available for recreationists such as hunters, anglers, and birdwatchers. While we have some knowledge about what changes might look like concerning different fish and wildlife species, very little information is known about how anglers, hunters, and wildlife watchers might view such changes in...

Recreational fisheries offer invaluable benefits to the communities they serve, including economic support, food security, and enhanced social connection with natural areas. In North America, bluegill are one of the most important species in terms of providing accessible, harvest-oriented recreational fisheries. In Wisconsin, they are the most caught, most harvested, and second-most...

The Northeast coast of the United States is an important area for a variety of native nesting seabirds including Common, Least, Arctic, and the federally endangered Roseate terns. These species migrate to the Northeast region to take advantage of highly productive waters during late spring and early summer to breed and raise their young. During this period, adults are highly dependent on...

Ecosystems spanning the zones from “ridge-to-reef" and “icefield-to-ocean” are home to relatively high levels of biodiversity; serve as conduits of nutrients to sensitive coastal environments; and are culturally and economically important to local communities. These systems are smaller and have unique geological and streamflow properties compared to more typical river systems and...

Managing species and habitat in a changing climate requires locally specific information about expected changes in the physical environment, key stressors and related ecological changes. Federal investments have supported the development of a significant scientific knowledge base detailing potential future conditions for many Northwest ecosystem types and geographies. Yet scientists...

Pollinator restoration requires information about what species to plant and when to plant them to ensure food sources are available throughout the periods when pollinators are active. Changes in climate, including earlier spring warming and warmer fall temperatures, may cause flowering to become out of sync with pollinator activity. When restoring land to support pollinators, managers...

California black oak (Quercus kelloggii) groves are a fundamental part of the landscape in Yosemite Valley and the tree is a cultural keystone species for associated Tribal Nations. For centuries, tribal members have planted, tended, burned, and gathered around black oak. Before Euro-American settlers, the tribes actively maintained a sacred, reciprocal relationship with these groves...

California black oak (Quercus kelloggii) groves are a fundamental part of the landscape in Yosemite Valley and the tree is a cultural keystone species for associated Tribal Nations. For centuries, tribal members have planted, tended, burned, and gathered around black oak. Before Euro-American settlers, the tribes actively maintained a sacred, reciprocal relationship with these groves...

The proportion of people living in urban areas is growing globally. Understanding how to manage urban biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and ecosystem services is becoming more important. Biodiversity can increase ecosystem functioning in non-urban systems. However, few studies have reviewed the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in urban areas, which differ in...

Coral reef ecosystems serve as natural coastal defenses, support local island economies, and are important sources of food for coastal communities. However, an increase in coral bleaching events, and the associated declines of coral cover and diversity, are highly likely as sea surface temperatures continue to rise. Multiple coral bleaching events between 2013 and 2017 have already...