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Sagebrush and Sage-grouse Publications

Recent publications related to Sagebrush and Sage-grouse are listed below.

Publications

Filter Total Items: 123

Response of aboveground carbon balance to long-term, experimental enhancements in precipitation seasonality is contingent on plant community type in cold-desert rangelands

Semi-arid rangelands are important carbon (C) pools at global scales. However, the degree of net C storage or release in water-limited systems is a function of precipitation amount and timing, as well as plant community composition. In northern latitudes of western North America, C storage in cold-desert ecosystems could increase with boosts in wintertime precipitation, in which climate models pre
Authors
Kathryn McAbee, Keith Reinhardt, Matthew J. Germino, Andrew Bosworth

Range-wide connectivity of priority areas for Greater Sage-Grouse: Implications for long-term conservation from graph theory

The delineation of priority areas in western North America for managing Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) represents a broad-scale experiment in conservation biology. The strategy of limiting spatial disturbance and focusing conservation actions within delineated areas may benefit the greatest proportion of Greater Sage-Grouse. However, land use under normal restrictions outside prio
Authors
Michele R. Crist, Steven T. Knick, Steven E. Hanser

Pinyon and juniper encroachment into sagebrush ecosystems impacts distribution and survival of greater sage-grouse

In sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems, encroachment of pinyon (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.; hereafter, “pinyon-juniper”) trees has increased dramatically since European settlement. Understanding the impacts of this encroachment on behavioral decisions, distributions, and population dynamics of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and other sagebrush obligate species could
Authors
Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Mark A. Ricca, K. Benjamin Gustafson, Pilar T. Ziegler, Michael L. Casazza

Investigating impacts of oil and gas development on greater sage-grouse

The sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem is one of the largest ecosystems in western North America providing habitat for species found nowhere else. Sagebrush habitats have experienced dramatic declines since the 1950s, mostly due to anthropogenic disturbances. The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a sagebrush-obligate species that has experienced population declines over the last
Authors
Adam Green, Cameron L. Aldridge, Michael O'Donnell

Spatial and ecological variation in dryland ecohydrological responses to climate change: implications for management

Ecohydrological responses to climate change will exhibit spatial variability and understanding the spatial pattern of ecological impacts is critical from a land management perspective. To quantify climate change impacts on spatial patterns of ecohydrology across shrub steppe ecosystems in North America, we asked the following question: How will climate change impacts on ecohydrology differ in magn
Authors
Kyle A. Palmquist, Daniel R. Schlaepfer, John B. Bradford, William K. Lauenroth

Using resilience and resistance concepts to manage threats to sagebrush ecosystems, Gunnison sage-grouse, and Greater sage-grouse in their eastern range: A strategic multi-scale approach

This report provides a strategic approach developed by a Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies interagency working group for conservation of sagebrush ecosystems, Greater sage-grouse, and Gunnison sage-grouse. It uses information on (1) factors that influence sagebrush ecosystem resilience to disturbance and resistance to nonnative invasive annual grasses and (2) distribution and relat
Authors
Jeanne C. Chambers, Jeffrey L. Beck, Steve Campbell, John Carlson, Thomas J. Christiansen, Karen J. Clause, Jonathan B. Dinkins, Kevin E. Doherty, Kathleen A. Griffin, Douglas W. Havlina, Kenneth F. Mayer, Jacob D. Hennig, Laurie L. Kurth, Jeremy D. Maestas, Mary E. Manning, Brian A. Mealor, Clinton McCarthy, Marco A. Perea, David A. Pyke

Soils mediate the impact of fine woody debris on invasive and native grasses as whole trees are mechanically shredded into firebreaks in piñon-juniper woodlands

To stem wildfires, trees are being mechanically shredded into firebreaks with the resulting fine woody debris (FWD) potentially exerting immense control over soil and plants. We linked FWD-induced changes in microbial activity and nutrient availability to the frequency of Bromus tectorum and three native, perennial grasses across 31 piñon-juniper woodlands, UT, USA. Using a series of mixed models,
Authors
Zachary T. Aanderud, Donald R. Schoolmaster, Deborah Rigby, Jordon Bybee, Tayte Campbell, Bruce A. Roundy

Sagebrush, greater sage-grouse, and the occurrence and importance of forbs

Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) ecosystems provide habitat for sagebrush-obligate wildlife species such as the Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). The understory of big sagebrush plant communities is composed of grasses and forbs that are important sources of cover and food for wildlife. The grass component is well described in the literature, but the composition, abundance
Authors
Victoria E. Pennington, Daniel R. Schlaepfer, Jeffrey L. Beck, John B. Bradford, Kyle A. Palmquist, William K. Lauenroth

Filling the interspace—restoring arid land mosses: source populations, organic matter, and overwintering govern success

Biological soil crusts contribute to ecosystem functions and occupy space that could be available to invasive annual grasses. Given disturbances in the semiarid shrub steppe communities, we embarked on a set of studies to investigate restoration potential of mosses in sagebrush steppe ecosystems. We examined establishment and growth of two moss species common to the Great Basin, USA: Bryum argente
Authors
Lea Condon, David A. Pyke

Seed bank and big sagebrush plant community composition in a range margin for big sagebrush

The potential influence of seed bank composition on range shifts of species due to climate change is unclear. Seed banks can provide a means of both species persistence in an area and local range expansion in the case of increasing habitat suitability, as may occur under future climate change. However, a mismatch between the seed bank and the established plant community may represent an obstacle t
Authors
Trace E. Martyn, John B. Bradford, Daniel R. Schlaepfer, Ingrid C. Burke, William K. Laurenroth

USGS mineral-resource assessment of Sagebrush Focal Areas in the western United States

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists have completed an assessment of the mineral-resource potential of nearly 10 million acres of Federal and adjacent lands in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. The assessment of these lands, identified as Sagebrush Focal Areas, was done at the request of the Bureau of Land Management. The assessment results will be used in the decision-making
Authors
David G. Frank, Thomas P. Frost, Warren C. Day

Near-real-time cheatgrass percent cover in the Northern Great Basin, USA, 2015

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) dramatically changes shrub steppe ecosystems in the Northern Great Basin, United States.Current-season cheatgrass location and percent cover are difficult to estimate rapidly.We explain the development of a near-real-time cheatgrass percent cover dataset and map in the Northern Great Basin for the current year (2015), display the current year’s map, provide analysis
Authors
Stephen P. Boyte, Bruce K. Wylie