Wildlife and Terrestrial Species

Rangelands are natural ecosystems where the native vegetation consists predominantly of grasses, grass-like plants, forbs, or shrubs. Rangelands include natural grasslands, savannas, shrublands, oak and pinyon-juniper woodlands, many deserts, tundra, alpine communities, marshes, and wet meadows.

Genetic and demographic analyses are key to understanding mechanisms of population and species declines and recovery potential. They are equally important to managers assessing risk of extinction relative to the provisions of the Endangered Species Act, and for establishing recovery goals and planning recovery actions. In addition to the methodologically and conceptually complex nature of these...

This research theme informs adaptive management and siting decsions in relation to bats at wind and solar power-generation facilities.

Predicted climate impacts on arid U.S. Great Basin wetlands will alter their number, distribution, and quality (e.g., salinity). The scarcity and isolation of these wetlands make them essential not only to wildlife but to ranchers, farmers, and urban areas that rely on their ecosystem services. Great Basin wetlands are important habitats for migratory birds at high volumes, but they become...

Quaking aspen stands typically support higher avian abundance and diversity than surrounding habitat types, and our current distribution and abundance of bird species in the Great Basin is likely tied to the persistence of aspen on the landscape. Aspen populations are declining in much of the West due to changes in fire frequency, competition with conifers, animal grazing, drought, disease, and...

Special status species and habitats are often sentinels of accelerated ecosystem change and, by definition, are priorities for protection, restoration, or focused management.

Many species of amphibians and reptiles are declining or facing population threats in the West related to habitat loss, habitat alteration, introduction of non-native species, and other factors. Our work focuses on the status and trends of resident herpetofauna and how to better manage their habitats. Much of the effort is undertaken with cooperators, particularly with other agencies in the...

Amphibian populations world-wide are declining for reasons that include disease, habitat loss, and invasive species. Our research addresses these threats as part of the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI), a nationwide, federally funded program. We work with resource managers to provide information that improves understanding of status of amphibians and the implications of...

Raptors, or birds of prey, are often used to indicate the state of an ecosystem, and monitoring their populations can help us to understand ecosystem processes. Raptors are particularly good animals for monitoring because they are big and therefore charismatic and easy to observe. Whether we’re monitoring nesting biology and reproductive output, counting individuals on roads, or setting up trail...

The Migratory Connectivity Project (MCP) is an effort to research, collect, and provide information about animal movement and full lifecycle biology, particularly for North American bird species, to agencies and NGOs interested in their conservation.

Migration is an amazing annual event. Every year billions of animals – birds, mammals, insects, and fish – make long-distance journeys from breeding grounds to wintering grounds. Most northern hemisphere birds migrate southward, but there are many other ways that birds move seasonally. If we want to protect birds that take these long distance journeys, we need to understand why they move, why they...

In 2012, scientists noticed that nearly a third of polar bears sampled in a study in Alaska were suffering from hair loss and poor health. Drs. Lizabeth Bowen and A. Keith Miles of WERC used new technology to track down and identify the factors responsible for driving disease in Alaskan polar bears.