Grasslands and Plains
Grasslands and Plains
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Providing a Framework for Species Status Assessments of Southeastern Grassland Ecosystems
Providing a Framework for Species Status Assessments of Southeastern Grassland Ecosystems
Featured Project
Model-Based Scenario Planning to Inform Climate Change Adaptation in the Northern Great Plains
Model-Based Scenario Planning to Inform Climate Change Adaptation in the Northern Great Plains
Prairies and grasslands are important ecosystems that support local economies, tribal communities, livestock grazing, and diverse plant and wildlife communities. CASC scientists are supporting managers by examining how more frequent droughts, fires, and invasive species are affecting these ecosystems. Explore our science on grasslands and plains below.
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Projecting the Future Encroachment of Woody Vegetation into Grasslands of the Northern Great Plains by Simulating Climate Conditions and Possible Management Actions
Maintaining the native prairie lands of the Northern Great Plains (NGP), which provide an important habitat for declining grassland species, requires anticipating the effects of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and climate change on the region’s vegetation. Specifically, climate change threatens NGP grasslands by increasing the potential encroachment of native...
Sagebrush Ecosystems in a Changing Climate
Climate responses of sagebrush are needed to inform land managers of the stability and restoration of sagebrush ecosystems, which are an important but threatened habitat type. We evaluated climate responses of sagebrush using two approaches: (1) experimental manipulations of temperature and precipitation for natural plants in the field, and (2) assessment of how climate adaptation and...
Terrestrial Connectivity Across the South Central United States: Implications for the Sustainability of Wildlife Populations and Communities
Habitat fragmentation, modification, and loss have been implicated in the decline of many species, including more than 85% of those considered threatened or endangered. Therefore, connectivity, or the ability of organisms to move among habitat patches, is a critical component of landscape health. In addition to influencing the sustainability of wildlife populations and communities...
Contribution of Landscape Characteristics and Vegetation Shifts from Global Climate Change to Long-Term Viability of Greater Sage-grouse
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act because of population and habitat fragmentation combined with inadequate regulatory mechanisms to control development in critical areas. In addition to the current threats to habitat, each 1 degree celsius increase in temperature due to climate change is expected to result in an...