Sagebrush and Sage-grouse Publications
Recent publications related to Sagebrush and Sage-grouse are listed below.
Publications
Publications
Filter Total Items: 123
Ecosystem engineering of harvester ants: Effects on vegetation in a sagebrush-steppe ecosystem
Harvester ants are influential in many ecosystems because they distribute and consume seeds, remove vegetation, and redistribute soil particles and nutrients. Understanding the interaction between harvester ants and plant communities is important for management and restoration efforts, particularly in systems altered by fire and invasive species such as the sagebrush-steppe. Our objective was to e
Authors
Elyce Gosselin, Joseph D. Holbrook, Katey Huggler, Emily Brown, Kerri T. Vierling, Robert Arkle, David S. Pilliod
Climate adaption and post-fire restoration of a foundational perennial in cold desert: Insights from intraspecific variation in response to weather
1.The loss of foundational but fire-intolerant perennials such as sagebrush due to increases in fire size and frequency in semiarid regions has motivated efforts to restore them, often with mixed or even no success. Seeds of sagebrush Artemisia tridentata and related species must be moved considerable distances from seed source to planting sites, but such transfers have not been guided by an unde
Authors
Martha M. Brabec, Matthew J. Germino, Bryce A. Richardson
Mid-latitude shrub steppe plant communities: Climate change consequences for soil water resources
In the coming century, climate change is projected to impact precipitation and temperature regimes worldwide, with especially large effects in drylands. We use big sagebrush ecosystems as a model dryland ecosystem to explore the impacts of altered climate on ecohydrology and the implications of those changes for big sagebrush plant communities using output from 10 Global Circulation Models (GCMs)
Authors
Kyle A. Palmquist, Daniel R. Schlaepfer, John B. Bradford, Willliam K. Lauenroth
Effects of lek count protocols on greater sage-grouse population trend estimates
Annual counts of males displaying at lek sites are an important tool for monitoring greater sage-grouse populations (Centrocercus urophasianus), but seasonal and diurnal variation in lek attendance may increase variance and bias of trend analyses. Recommendations for protocols to reduce observation error have called for restricting lek counts to within 30 minutes of sunrise, but this may limit the
Authors
Adrian P. Monroe, David R. Edmunds, Cameron L. Aldridge
Susceptibility and antibody response of Vesper Sparrows (Pooecetes gramineus) to West Nile virus: A potential amplification host in sagebrush-grassland habitat
West Nile virus (WNV) spread to the US western plains states in 2003, when a significant mortality event attributed to WNV occurred in Greater Sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus ). The role of avian species inhabiting sagebrush in the amplification of WNV in arid and semiarid regions of the North America is unknown. We conducted an experimental WNV challenge study in Vesper Sparrows ( Pooecet
Authors
Erik K. Hofmeister, Robert J. Dusek, Carol Fassbinder-Orth, Benjamin Owen, J. Christian Franson
Landscape characteristics and livestock presence influence common ravens: Relevance to greater sage-grouse conservation
Common raven (Corvus corax; hereafter, raven) population abundance in the sagebrush steppe of the American West has increased threefold during the previous four decades, largely as a result of unintended resource subsidies from human land-use practices. This is concerning because ravens frequently depredate nests of species of conservation concern, such as greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophas
Authors
Peter S. Coates, Brianne E. Brussee, Kristy Howe, K. Benjamin Gustafson, Michael L. Casazza, David J. Delehanty
Annual grass invasion in sagebrush-steppe: The relative importance of climate, soil properties and biotic interactions
The invasion by winter-annual grasses (AGs) such as Bromus tectorum into sagebrush steppe throughout the western USA is a classic example of a biological invasion with multiple, interacting climate, soil and biotic factors driving the invasion, although few studies have examined all components together. Across a 6000-km2 area of the northern Great Basin, we conducted a field assessment of 100 clim
Authors
Sheel Bansal, Roger L. Sheley
Contrasting evolutionary histories of MHC class I and class II loci in grouse—Effects of selection and gene conversion
Genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) encode receptor molecules that are responsible for recognition of intracellular and extracellular pathogens (class I and class II genes, respectively) in vertebrates. Given the different roles of class I and II MHC genes, one might expect the strength of selection to differ between these two classes. Different selective pressures may also promote
Authors
Piotr Minias, Zachary W. Bateson, Linda A. Whittingham, Jeff A. Johnson, Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Peter O. Dunn
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 Bromus is foun
Authors
Jayne Belnap, John Thomas Stark, Benjamin Rau, Edith B. Allen, Susan L. Phillips
The integrated rangeland fire management strategy actionable science plan
The Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy (hereafter Strategy, DOI 2015) outlined the need for coordinated, science-based adaptive management to achieve long-term protection, conservation, and restoration of the sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem. A key component of this management approach is the identification of knowledge gaps that limit implementation of effective strategies to meet
Authors
Cameron L. Aldridge, Ken Berg, Chad S. Boyd, Stephen P. Boyte, John B. Bradford, Ed Brunson, John H. Cissel, Courtney J. Conway, Anna D. Chalfoun, Jeanne C. Chambers, Patrick Clark, Peter S. Coates, Michele R. Crist, Dawn M. Davis, Nicole DeCrappeo, Patricia A. Deibert, Kevin E. Doherty, Louisa B. Evers, Deborah M. Finch, Sean P. Finn, Matthew J. Germino, Nancy F. Glenn, Corey Gucker, John A. Hall, Steven E. Hanser, Douglas W. Havlina, Julie A. Heinrichs, Matt Heller, Collin G. Homer, Molly E. Hunter, Ruth W. Jacobs, Jason W. Karl, Richard Kearney, Susan K Kemp, Francis F. Kilkenny, Steven T. Knick, Karen Launchbaugh, Daniel J. Manier, Kenneth E. Mayer, Susan E. Meyer, Adrian P. Monroe, Eugénie MontBlanc, Beth A. Newingham, Michael L. Pellant, Susan L. Phillips, David S. Pilliod, Mark A. Ricca, Bryce A. Richardson, Jeffrey A. Rose, Nancy Shaw, Roger L. Sheley, Douglas J. Shinneman, Lief A. Wiechman, Bruce K. Wylie
Science framework for the conservation and restoration strategy of DOI secretarial order 3336: Utilizing resilience and resistance concepts to assess threats to sagebrush ecosystems and greater sage-grouse, prioritize conservation and restoration actions,
The Science Framework for the Conservation and Restoration Strategy of the Department of the Interior, Secretarial Order 3336 (SO 3336), Rangeland Fire Prevention, Management and Restoration, provides a strategic, multiscale approach for prioritizing areas for management and determining effective management strategies across the sagebrush biome. The emphasis of this version is on sagebrush ecosyst
Authors
Jeanne C. Chambers, Steve Campbell, John Carlson, Jeffrey L. Beck, Karen J. Clause, Jonathan B. Dinkins, Kevin E. Doherty, Shawn Espinosa, Kathleen A. Griffin, Thomas J. Christiansen, Michele R. Crist, Steve E. Hanser, Douglas W. Havlina, Kenneth F. Henke, Jacob D. Hennig, Laurie L. Kurth, Jeremy D. Maestas, Kenneth E. Mayer, Mary E. Manning, Brian A. Mealor, Clinton McCarthy, Mike Pellant, Karen L. Prentice, Marco A. Perea, David A. Pyke, Lief A. Wiechman, Amarina Wuenschel
Wyoming Basin Rapid Ecoregional Assessment
The Wyoming Basin Rapid Ecoregional Assessment was conducted in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The overall goals of the BLM Rapid Ecoregional Assessments (REAs) are to identify important ecosystems and wildlife habitats at broad spatial scales; identify where these resources are at risk from Change Agents, including development, wildfire, invasive species, disease and climat