Daniel is a plant ecophysiologist and evolutionary ecologist studying how populations respond to global climate change. He is a Research Ecologist with USGS and works with the BLM's Native Plant Program where he studies adaptive traits of native plants. He also conducts research throughout the desert southwest and in alpine areas of Colorado, Mexico, and Japan.
Daniel aims to identify solutions and strategies to enhance conservation efforts and equip managers with the tools necessary to respond to global climate change. His research bridges ecological experimentation with modern restoration, molecular, and ecophysiological methods to understand native plant adaptation primarily in arid and semi-arid dryland ecosystems. Daniel also studies the evolutionary ecology of invasive species and their impacts in protected systems, including lands managed by the NPS, BLM, USFWS, and USFS. Congruent with his studies in global change, Daniel is also interested in the social dimensions of decision-making in management and conservation.
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The iconic giant saguaro cactus in the Sonoran Desert
Informing seed transfer guidelines and native plant materials development: Research supporting restoration across the Colorado Plateau and beyond
Genetics for Western Restoration and Conservation (GWRC)
Genomic Research Supporting Western Conservation
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The iconic giant saguaro cactus in the Sonoran Desert
The saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) is a keystone species that grows only in the Sonoran Desert of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. The USGS’ Southwest Biological Science Center is working to better understand the species’ biological features, its role as a keystone species that supports greater than 100 other plant and animal species, and its responses to climate change...Informing seed transfer guidelines and native plant materials development: Research supporting restoration across the Colorado Plateau and beyond
As restoration needs for natural landscapes grow due to higher frequency and/or intensity disturbances, pressure from invasive species, and impacts resulting from changing climates, considerable time and resources are being invested to guide the development and deployment of native plant materials (NPMs). Across lower elevations of the Colorado Plateau, a region composed primarily of public land...Genetics for Western Restoration and Conservation (GWRC)
Research using genetic principles, methods, and data provides critical information for restoration and conservation science. Genetic research may rely only upon genomic sequencing techniques, which generate abundant, genome-wide DNA sequences that can provide a glimpse into a species’ evolutionary history and adaptations. Genetic research may also look at an organism’s physical traits to...Genomic Research Supporting Western Conservation
In the western United States (U.S.), there are many regionally restricted, rare species resulting from complex demographic and ecological processes through time. In addition to the inherent risks associated with being rare (i.e., having few individuals spread over a limited area that could be disproportionately affected by chance events), anthropogenic disturbances are increasing in magnitude... - Data
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