Plants and Animals

Project Overview In Northwest Alaska, “rusting rivers” are becoming increasingly apparent as climate change causes ancient spring seeps to re-emerge after permafrost melts. While they have become more common over the past few years, very little is understood about their impacts on stream food webs. Researchers supported by this Alaska CASC project will bridge the knowledge gap by...

Recent catastrophic droughts and wildfires have killed almost 20% of mature giant sequoia trees across California, and it is uncertain whether natural seedling regeneration will be enough to restore these forests, especially in severely burned areas. Researchers supported by this Southwest CASC project will assess whether soil conditions, such as moisture and soil microbial communities...

Project Overview The iconic grizzly bear of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem has exhibited a remarkable recovery in response to concerted conservation actions implemented since its listing as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1975. However, information regarding the potential effects and timing of climate change in conjunction with increasing human recreation and...

Project Overview: Native Yellowstone cutthroat trout and mountain whitefish in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYA) are ecologically and socio-economically important species, but are threatened by drought, rising water temperatures, habitat loss, and non-native species. Researchers supported by this North Central CASC project will use climate data and extensive population records to...

Climate change threatens many functions of wetlands and habitat connectivity for migratory shorebirds who use wetlands across the Southern Great Plains. Researchers supported by this South Central CASC project will survey stakeholders in the region, project climate impacts on wetland-dependent birds, and create tools for conservation planning (e.g., ranking wetland importance to...

Project Overview: Extreme weather conditions may disrupt key life cycle events for pygmy rabbits, a species that relies on snow and underground burrows for protection from predators and extreme cold. Researchers supported by this Northwest CASC project will use models to understand how different snow patterns and subsurface temperatures will impact pygmy rabbit habitats. Project outcomes...

Project Overview Forests in the Pacific Northwest support an extensive network of headwater streams and critical habitats for over 50 amphibian species, but face challenges from historical resource extraction, forest management, and climate change. Researchers supported by this Northwest CASC project will identify and map climate refugia to guide conservation strategies for at-risk...

Project Overview Hawaiian honeycreepers face numerous threats related to sea level rise, increasing storm frequency, erosion and invasive species. These impacts can alter their habitat, making it unsuitable and detrimental to their already small populations. Researchers supported by this Pacific Islands CASC project will create additional populations of a Hawaiian honeycreeper species by

Tallgrass prairies in the U.S. Southern Great Plains are threatened by the aggressive invasive plant Lespedeza cuneata, and climate change is expected to affect its spread in complex ways. Researchers supported by this South Central CASC project will use remote sensing, climate science, and ecological modelling to detect the plant, identify climate factors driving its spread, and...

An invasive species is a species that is not native to a location and that rapidly grows and spreads in its new range, often damaging native plants and wildlife. At present, the southeastern USA harbors thousands of invasive plants and animals, which were introduced intentionally through the plant and pet trade or unintentionally through other forms of commercial trade. Many of these...

Project Overview Climate change and invasive fish species threaten the resilience and biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems in the Southeastern U.S., including the Everglades, which are vital to the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. Researchers supported by this Southeast CASC project will model invasive fish distributions under changing climate conditions and refine the model...

Project Overview Climate change is expected to worsen the spread of invasive vines in the Southeast, where they disrupt ecosystems and damage human-built systems like agriculture and infrastructure. Researchers supported by this Southeast CASC project will combine species distribution models and remote sensing to improve predictions of vine spread by including often-overlooked biotic...