Alexa J. McKerrow, PhD
Alexa McKerrow is an ecologist and remote sensing analyst. In 2008 she started her USGS career and now works within the Biogeographic Branch of the Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program developing and analyzing national biodiversity data for terrestrial and aquatic systems.
Alexa McKerrow has a B.S. in Biology from Colorado State University, a Master of Science in Forestry and a Ph.D. in Botany from North Carolina State University. Currently Alexa helps coordinate research and data development related to land cover and species distribution modeling. Specifically Alexa is involved with the National Gap Analysis Project (Terrestrial and Aquatic) and the U.S. National Vegetation Classification.
As a member of the Biogeographic Branch of SAS, Alexa represents the USGS in a variety of collaborative efforts including the Advisory Team for the LANDFIRE Program, the Multi-Resolution Landscape Characterization Consortium, the Federal Geographic Data Committee - Vegetation Subcommittee, Ecological Society of America Panel on Vegetation Classification, as well as the Southeast Regional Committee of the National Wildland Fire Cohesive Strategy. At North Carolina State University, she serves as adjunct faculty with the Department of Applied Ecology where she gets the opportunity to work with students and other researches on integrating regional and national datasets in landscape and conservation analyses.
Science and Products
Aquatic Gap Analysis Vision
The Aquatic Gap Analysis Project (AGAP) works to synthesize existing data and generate new data products to answer complex questions about aquatic species, their habitats and their conservation needs at multiple scales. AGAP is working to build a national data framework that makes data management and sharing efficient.
Species Vision
Our goal is to build species range and predicted habitat maps to support state, regional, and national biodiversity assessments for the conservation status of native vertebrate species and to facilitate the application of this information to land management activities. These data are intended to describe patterns of species geographic location and basic habitat associations.
Land Cover Vision
The goal of the GAP/LANDFIRE National Terrestrial Ecosystems 2011 data is to provide accurate, seamless data on the vegetation and land cover of the United States. The map legend based on NatureServe’s ecological system classification scheme provides detailed information on the vegetation types at a plant community level.
The Gap Analysis Process and Importance
A Gap Analysis consists of mapping three data layers — land cover, predicted distributions of vertebrate species, and a stewardship layer depicting both location and conservation status of protected areas. This data is then assessed to determine how much of a target species’ (plant or animal) habitat is in conserved areas.
Analysis and Visualization of Climate Information to Support USFWS Species Status Assessments
Under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) must evaluate the status of at-risk plants and animals in the U.S. A Species Status Assessment (SSA) is a scientific assessment prepared for each at-risk species to help inform a range of management decisions under the Endangered Species Act. SSA’s are currently needed for more than 350 species, 250 of which are...
SERAP: Assessment of Climate and Land Use Change Impacts on Terrestrial Species
Researchers from North Carolina State University and the USGS integrated models of urbanization and vegetation dynamics with the regional climate models to predict vegetation dynamics and assess how landscape change could impact priority species, including North American land birds. This integrated ensemble of models can be used to predict locations where responses to climate change are...
SERAP: Modeling of Global and Land Use Change Impacts
The Southeastern United States spans a broad range of physiographic settings and maintains exceptionally high levels of faunal diversity. Unfortunately, many of these ecosystems are increasingly under threat due to rapid human development, and management agencies are increasingly aware of the potential effects that climate change will have on these ecosystems. Natural resource managers...
Southeast Regional Assessment Project (SERAP): Assessing Global Change Impacts on Natural and Human Systems in the Southeast
The Southeastern United States spans a broad range of physiographic settings and maintains exceptionally high levels of faunal diversity. Unfortunately, many of these ecosystems are increasingly under threat due to rapid human development, and management agencies are increasingly aware of the potential effects that climate change will have on these ecosystems. Natural resource managers...
Science and Products
Aquatic Gap Analysis Vision
The Aquatic Gap Analysis Project (AGAP) works to synthesize existing data and generate new data products to answer complex questions about aquatic species, their habitats and their conservation needs at multiple scales. AGAP is working to build a national data framework that makes data management and sharing efficient.
Species Vision
Our goal is to build species range and predicted habitat maps to support state, regional, and national biodiversity assessments for the conservation status of native vertebrate species and to facilitate the application of this information to land management activities. These data are intended to describe patterns of species geographic location and basic habitat associations.
Land Cover Vision
The goal of the GAP/LANDFIRE National Terrestrial Ecosystems 2011 data is to provide accurate, seamless data on the vegetation and land cover of the United States. The map legend based on NatureServe’s ecological system classification scheme provides detailed information on the vegetation types at a plant community level.
The Gap Analysis Process and Importance
A Gap Analysis consists of mapping three data layers — land cover, predicted distributions of vertebrate species, and a stewardship layer depicting both location and conservation status of protected areas. This data is then assessed to determine how much of a target species’ (plant or animal) habitat is in conserved areas.
Analysis and Visualization of Climate Information to Support USFWS Species Status Assessments
Under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) must evaluate the status of at-risk plants and animals in the U.S. A Species Status Assessment (SSA) is a scientific assessment prepared for each at-risk species to help inform a range of management decisions under the Endangered Species Act. SSA’s are currently needed for more than 350 species, 250 of which are...
SERAP: Assessment of Climate and Land Use Change Impacts on Terrestrial Species
Researchers from North Carolina State University and the USGS integrated models of urbanization and vegetation dynamics with the regional climate models to predict vegetation dynamics and assess how landscape change could impact priority species, including North American land birds. This integrated ensemble of models can be used to predict locations where responses to climate change are...
SERAP: Modeling of Global and Land Use Change Impacts
The Southeastern United States spans a broad range of physiographic settings and maintains exceptionally high levels of faunal diversity. Unfortunately, many of these ecosystems are increasingly under threat due to rapid human development, and management agencies are increasingly aware of the potential effects that climate change will have on these ecosystems. Natural resource managers...
Southeast Regional Assessment Project (SERAP): Assessing Global Change Impacts on Natural and Human Systems in the Southeast
The Southeastern United States spans a broad range of physiographic settings and maintains exceptionally high levels of faunal diversity. Unfortunately, many of these ecosystems are increasingly under threat due to rapid human development, and management agencies are increasingly aware of the potential effects that climate change will have on these ecosystems. Natural resource managers...