Priority Landscapes: Southwest Energy Development and Reclamation
Active
By Land Management Research Program
September 23, 2022
Approximately 35% of the US and ~82% of DOI lands are “drylands” and found throughout the Western US. The Southwest Energy Development and Reclamation PES conducts research to inform the restoration of drylands impacted by energy exploration and development. These arid and semi-arid lands have unique soil and plant communities that are resistant to decadal fluctuations in precipitation and temperatures. However, because they are relatively resource-limited they are not very resilient and small perturbations often have large and long-term ecological effects. Very few anthropogenic impacts in a dryland are temporary. These lands also contain oil, gas, oil shale, shale oil, and tar sand deposits and the exploration for and extraction of these resources has resulted in hundreds of thousands of abandoned and current wells across the West.
Southwest Energy Development and Reclamation Research
Southwest Energy Development and Reclamation Research
Explore our research using the data below.
Recent publications (2020-2022) related to USGS Southwest Energy Development and Reclamation research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS Southwest Energy Development and Reclamation publications is available from the button below.
Filter Total Items: 37
Literature reviewed estimates of riparian consumptive water use in the drylands of Northeast Arizona, USA Literature reviewed estimates of riparian consumptive water use in the drylands of Northeast Arizona, USA
This report provides the best estimates of riparian area evapotranspiration (ET) on the rivers and streams of the Navajo Nation by (1) quantifying the natural riparian vegetation water use within the Little Colorado River watershed using a literature search for comparable riparian ET estimates, and (2) in conjunction with the given area of stream-side plant cover on the Navajo Nation...
Authors
Pamela Nagler
The biggest bang for the buck: Cost‐effective vegetation treatment outcomes across drylands of the western United States The biggest bang for the buck: Cost‐effective vegetation treatment outcomes across drylands of the western United States
Restoration and rehabilitation are globally implemented to improve ecosystem condition but often without tracking treatment expenditures relative to ecological outcomes. We evaluated the cost‐effectiveness of widely conducted woody plant and herbaceous invasive plant removals and seeding treatments in drylands of the western United States from 2004 to 2018 to determine how land managers...
Authors
Seth Munson, Ethan Yackulic, Lucas Bair, Stella Copeland, Kevin Gunnell
Ultra‐high‐resolution mapping of biocrusts with Unmanned Aerial Systems Ultra‐high‐resolution mapping of biocrusts with Unmanned Aerial Systems
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) occur in drylands globally where they support ecosystem functioning by increasing soil stability, reducing dust emissions and modifying soil resource availability (e.g. water, nutrients). Determining biocrust condition and extent across landscapes continues to present considerable challenges to scientists and land managers. Biocrusts grow in patches...
Authors
Caroline Havrilla, Miguel Villarreal, Jacob DiBiase, Michael Duniway, Nichole Barger
The pervasive and multifaceted influence of biocrusts on water in the world’s drylands The pervasive and multifaceted influence of biocrusts on water in the world’s drylands
The capture and use of water are critically important in drylands, which collectively constitute Earth's largest biome. Drylands will likely experience lower and more unreliable rainfall as climatic conditions change over the next century. Dryland soils support a rich community of microphytic organisms (biocrusts), which are critically important because they regulate the delivery and...
Authors
David J. Eldridge, Sasha C. Reed, Samantha Travers, Matthew Bowker, Fernando Maestre, Jingyi Ding, Caroline Havrilla, Emilio Rodriguez-Caballero, Nichole Barger, Bettina Weber, Anita Antoninka, Jayne Belnap, Bala Chaudhary, Akasha Faist, Scott Ferrenberg, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald, Oumarou M Issa, Y. Zhao
Seasonal and individual event-responsiveness are key determinants of carbon exchange across plant functional types Seasonal and individual event-responsiveness are key determinants of carbon exchange across plant functional types
Differentiation in physiological activity is a critical component of resource partitioning in resource-limited environments. For example, it is crucial to understand how plant physiological performance varies through time for different functional groups to forecast how terrestrial ecosystems will respond to change. Here, we tracked the seasonal progress of 13 plant species representing...
Authors
Daniel Winkler, Jayne Belnap, Michael Duniway, David Hoover, Sasha C. Reed, Hannah Yokum, Richard Gill
Seasonal and individual event-responsiveness are key determinants of carbon exchange across plant functional types Seasonal and individual event-responsiveness are key determinants of carbon exchange across plant functional types
Differentiation in physiological activity is a critical component of resource partitioning in resource-limited environments. For example, it is crucial to understand how plant physiological performance varies through time for different functional groups to forecast how terrestrial ecosystems will respond to change. Here, we tracked the seasonal progress of 13 plant species representing...
Authors
Daniel Winkler, Jayne Belnap, Michael Duniway, David Hoover, Sasha C. Reed, Hannah Yokum, Richard Gill
RestoreNet: An emerging restoration network reveals controls on seeding success across dryland ecosystems RestoreNet: An emerging restoration network reveals controls on seeding success across dryland ecosystems
Drylands are Earth's largest terrestrial biome and support one‐third of the global population. However, they are also highly vulnerable to land degradation. Despite widespread demand for dryland restoration and rehabilitation, little information is available to help land managers effectively re‐establish native perennial vegetation across drylands.RestoreNet is an emerging dryland...
Authors
Caroline Havrilla, Seth Munson, Molly McCormick, Katherine Laushman, Kathleen Balazs, Bradley Butterfield
What could explain δ13C signatures in biocrust cyanobacteria of drylands? What could explain δ13C signatures in biocrust cyanobacteria of drylands?
Dryland ecosystems are increasing in geographic extent and contribute greatly to interannual variability in global carbon dynamics. Disentangling interactions among dominant primary producers, including plants and autotrophic microbes, can help partition their contributions to dryland C dynamics. We measured the δ13C signatures of biological soil crust cyanobacteria and dominant plant...
Authors
Eva Stricker, Grace Cain, Jennifer Rudgers, Robert Sinsabaugh, Vanessa Fernandes, Corey Nelson, Ana Giraldo Silva, Ferran Garcia-Pichel, Jayne Belnap, Anthony Darrouzet-Nardi
Biological soil crusts in ecological restoration: Emerging research and perspectives Biological soil crusts in ecological restoration: Emerging research and perspectives
Drylands encompass over 40% of terrestrial ecosystems and face significant anthropogenic degradation causing a loss of ecosystem integrity, services, and deterioration of social‐ecological systems. To combat this degradation, some dryland restoration efforts have focused on the use of biological soil crusts (biocrusts): complex communities of cyanobacteria, algae, lichens, bryophytes...
Authors
Anita Antoninka, Akasha Faist, Emilio Rodriguez-Caballero, Kristina E. Young, V Bala Chaudhary, Lea Condon, David Pyke
Robust ecological drought projections for drylands in the 21st century Robust ecological drought projections for drylands in the 21st century
(Bradford) Dryland ecosystems may be especially vulnerable to expected 21st century increases in temperatures and aridity because they are tightly controlled by patterns of moisture availability. However, climate impact assessments in drylands are difficult because ecological dynamics are dictated by drought conditions that are difficult to define and complex to estimate from climate...
Authors
John B. Bradford, Daniel Schlaepfer, William Lauenroth, Kyle Palmquist
Unexpected hybridization reveals the utility of genetics in native plant restoration Unexpected hybridization reveals the utility of genetics in native plant restoration
Native plant materials (NPMs) are increasingly utilized during the restoration of disturbed plant communities. Here, we analyze next‐generation genetic sequencing data for Hilaria jamesii, a dominant graminoid across drylands of the southwestern United States, and document that the species' only commercially‐available NPM, ‘Viva’, is a hybrid between H. jamesii and its sister species, H...
Authors
Daniel Winkler, Robert Massatti
Multiple mechanisms determine the effect of warming on plant litter decomposition in a dryland Multiple mechanisms determine the effect of warming on plant litter decomposition in a dryland
In drylands, where soil fertility is typically low, plant litter decomposition provides particularly critical carbon and nitrogen inputs into soil. Although climate change is projected to increase the already large global extent of drylands, it is unknown how warmer temperatures will affect core ecosystem processes, such as plant litter decomposition, in these systems. To address this...
Authors
Peter Chuckran, Robin Reibold, Heather Throop, Sasha C. Reed
Approximately 35% of the US and ~82% of DOI lands are “drylands” and found throughout the Western US. The Southwest Energy Development and Reclamation PES conducts research to inform the restoration of drylands impacted by energy exploration and development. These arid and semi-arid lands have unique soil and plant communities that are resistant to decadal fluctuations in precipitation and temperatures. However, because they are relatively resource-limited they are not very resilient and small perturbations often have large and long-term ecological effects. Very few anthropogenic impacts in a dryland are temporary. These lands also contain oil, gas, oil shale, shale oil, and tar sand deposits and the exploration for and extraction of these resources has resulted in hundreds of thousands of abandoned and current wells across the West.
Southwest Energy Development and Reclamation Research
Southwest Energy Development and Reclamation Research
Explore our research using the data below.
Recent publications (2020-2022) related to USGS Southwest Energy Development and Reclamation research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS Southwest Energy Development and Reclamation publications is available from the button below.
Filter Total Items: 37
Literature reviewed estimates of riparian consumptive water use in the drylands of Northeast Arizona, USA Literature reviewed estimates of riparian consumptive water use in the drylands of Northeast Arizona, USA
This report provides the best estimates of riparian area evapotranspiration (ET) on the rivers and streams of the Navajo Nation by (1) quantifying the natural riparian vegetation water use within the Little Colorado River watershed using a literature search for comparable riparian ET estimates, and (2) in conjunction with the given area of stream-side plant cover on the Navajo Nation...
Authors
Pamela Nagler
The biggest bang for the buck: Cost‐effective vegetation treatment outcomes across drylands of the western United States The biggest bang for the buck: Cost‐effective vegetation treatment outcomes across drylands of the western United States
Restoration and rehabilitation are globally implemented to improve ecosystem condition but often without tracking treatment expenditures relative to ecological outcomes. We evaluated the cost‐effectiveness of widely conducted woody plant and herbaceous invasive plant removals and seeding treatments in drylands of the western United States from 2004 to 2018 to determine how land managers...
Authors
Seth Munson, Ethan Yackulic, Lucas Bair, Stella Copeland, Kevin Gunnell
Ultra‐high‐resolution mapping of biocrusts with Unmanned Aerial Systems Ultra‐high‐resolution mapping of biocrusts with Unmanned Aerial Systems
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) occur in drylands globally where they support ecosystem functioning by increasing soil stability, reducing dust emissions and modifying soil resource availability (e.g. water, nutrients). Determining biocrust condition and extent across landscapes continues to present considerable challenges to scientists and land managers. Biocrusts grow in patches...
Authors
Caroline Havrilla, Miguel Villarreal, Jacob DiBiase, Michael Duniway, Nichole Barger
The pervasive and multifaceted influence of biocrusts on water in the world’s drylands The pervasive and multifaceted influence of biocrusts on water in the world’s drylands
The capture and use of water are critically important in drylands, which collectively constitute Earth's largest biome. Drylands will likely experience lower and more unreliable rainfall as climatic conditions change over the next century. Dryland soils support a rich community of microphytic organisms (biocrusts), which are critically important because they regulate the delivery and...
Authors
David J. Eldridge, Sasha C. Reed, Samantha Travers, Matthew Bowker, Fernando Maestre, Jingyi Ding, Caroline Havrilla, Emilio Rodriguez-Caballero, Nichole Barger, Bettina Weber, Anita Antoninka, Jayne Belnap, Bala Chaudhary, Akasha Faist, Scott Ferrenberg, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald, Oumarou M Issa, Y. Zhao
Seasonal and individual event-responsiveness are key determinants of carbon exchange across plant functional types Seasonal and individual event-responsiveness are key determinants of carbon exchange across plant functional types
Differentiation in physiological activity is a critical component of resource partitioning in resource-limited environments. For example, it is crucial to understand how plant physiological performance varies through time for different functional groups to forecast how terrestrial ecosystems will respond to change. Here, we tracked the seasonal progress of 13 plant species representing...
Authors
Daniel Winkler, Jayne Belnap, Michael Duniway, David Hoover, Sasha C. Reed, Hannah Yokum, Richard Gill
Seasonal and individual event-responsiveness are key determinants of carbon exchange across plant functional types Seasonal and individual event-responsiveness are key determinants of carbon exchange across plant functional types
Differentiation in physiological activity is a critical component of resource partitioning in resource-limited environments. For example, it is crucial to understand how plant physiological performance varies through time for different functional groups to forecast how terrestrial ecosystems will respond to change. Here, we tracked the seasonal progress of 13 plant species representing...
Authors
Daniel Winkler, Jayne Belnap, Michael Duniway, David Hoover, Sasha C. Reed, Hannah Yokum, Richard Gill
RestoreNet: An emerging restoration network reveals controls on seeding success across dryland ecosystems RestoreNet: An emerging restoration network reveals controls on seeding success across dryland ecosystems
Drylands are Earth's largest terrestrial biome and support one‐third of the global population. However, they are also highly vulnerable to land degradation. Despite widespread demand for dryland restoration and rehabilitation, little information is available to help land managers effectively re‐establish native perennial vegetation across drylands.RestoreNet is an emerging dryland...
Authors
Caroline Havrilla, Seth Munson, Molly McCormick, Katherine Laushman, Kathleen Balazs, Bradley Butterfield
What could explain δ13C signatures in biocrust cyanobacteria of drylands? What could explain δ13C signatures in biocrust cyanobacteria of drylands?
Dryland ecosystems are increasing in geographic extent and contribute greatly to interannual variability in global carbon dynamics. Disentangling interactions among dominant primary producers, including plants and autotrophic microbes, can help partition their contributions to dryland C dynamics. We measured the δ13C signatures of biological soil crust cyanobacteria and dominant plant...
Authors
Eva Stricker, Grace Cain, Jennifer Rudgers, Robert Sinsabaugh, Vanessa Fernandes, Corey Nelson, Ana Giraldo Silva, Ferran Garcia-Pichel, Jayne Belnap, Anthony Darrouzet-Nardi
Biological soil crusts in ecological restoration: Emerging research and perspectives Biological soil crusts in ecological restoration: Emerging research and perspectives
Drylands encompass over 40% of terrestrial ecosystems and face significant anthropogenic degradation causing a loss of ecosystem integrity, services, and deterioration of social‐ecological systems. To combat this degradation, some dryland restoration efforts have focused on the use of biological soil crusts (biocrusts): complex communities of cyanobacteria, algae, lichens, bryophytes...
Authors
Anita Antoninka, Akasha Faist, Emilio Rodriguez-Caballero, Kristina E. Young, V Bala Chaudhary, Lea Condon, David Pyke
Robust ecological drought projections for drylands in the 21st century Robust ecological drought projections for drylands in the 21st century
(Bradford) Dryland ecosystems may be especially vulnerable to expected 21st century increases in temperatures and aridity because they are tightly controlled by patterns of moisture availability. However, climate impact assessments in drylands are difficult because ecological dynamics are dictated by drought conditions that are difficult to define and complex to estimate from climate...
Authors
John B. Bradford, Daniel Schlaepfer, William Lauenroth, Kyle Palmquist
Unexpected hybridization reveals the utility of genetics in native plant restoration Unexpected hybridization reveals the utility of genetics in native plant restoration
Native plant materials (NPMs) are increasingly utilized during the restoration of disturbed plant communities. Here, we analyze next‐generation genetic sequencing data for Hilaria jamesii, a dominant graminoid across drylands of the southwestern United States, and document that the species' only commercially‐available NPM, ‘Viva’, is a hybrid between H. jamesii and its sister species, H...
Authors
Daniel Winkler, Robert Massatti
Multiple mechanisms determine the effect of warming on plant litter decomposition in a dryland Multiple mechanisms determine the effect of warming on plant litter decomposition in a dryland
In drylands, where soil fertility is typically low, plant litter decomposition provides particularly critical carbon and nitrogen inputs into soil. Although climate change is projected to increase the already large global extent of drylands, it is unknown how warmer temperatures will affect core ecosystem processes, such as plant litter decomposition, in these systems. To address this...
Authors
Peter Chuckran, Robin Reibold, Heather Throop, Sasha C. Reed