David A Pyke
Biography
Education
Ph.D. Botany, 1983, Washington State University
M.S. Forest and Range Management, 1977, Washington State University
B.S. Range Management (Wildlife option), 1976, Washington State University
Specialty
Plant ecology, restoration ecology, monitoring and assessments of ecosystem status of rangelands (grassland, shrublands and savannas)
Research Interests
Population ecology of native and invasive plants in the Intermountain West. Monitoring protocols for ecosystem integrity on wild lands. Restoration ecology of native plants on disturbed and invaded lands.
Personal Interests
Skiing, Cycling, Baseball, Softball, Gardening, & Beer Brewing
Background
Former Assistant Center Director of FRESC 1996-1999
Science and Products
Multi-scale responses of soil stability and invasive plants to removal of non-native grazers from an arid conservation reserve
Disturbances and ecosystem recovery from disturbance both involve numerous processes that operate on multiple spatial and temporal scales. Few studies have investigated how gradients of disturbance intensity and ecosystem responses are distributed across multiple spatial resolutions and also how this relationship changes through time during...
Beever, Erik A.; Huso, Manuela M. P.; Pyke, David A.Available nitrogen: A time-based study of manipulated resource islands
Spatial and temporal heterogeneity of available nitrogen are critical determinants of the distribution and abundance of plants and animals in ecosystems. Evidence for the resource island theory suggests that soils below tree and shrub canopies contain higher amounts of resources, including available nitrogen, than are present in interspace areas....
Stubbs, Michelle M.; Pyke, David A.Establishing native grasses in a big sagebrush-dominated site: an intermediate restoration step
Many semiarid rangelands in the Great Basin, U.S.A., are shifting dominance to woody species as a consequence of land degradation including intense livestock grazing and fire suppression. Whereas past rehabilitation efforts in Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) steppes removed the shrub and added introduced forage grasses to successfully shift...
Huber-Sannwald, Elisabeth; Pyke, David A.Monitoring temporal change in riparian vegetation of Great Basin National Park
Disturbance in riparian areas of semiarid ecosystems involves complex interactions of pulsed hydrologic flows, herbivory, fire, climatic effects, and anthropogenic influences. We resampled riparian vegetation within ten 10-m × 100-m plots that were initially sampled in 1992 in 4 watersheds of the Snake Range, east central Nevada. Our finding...
Beever, Erik A.; Pyke, David A.; Chambers, Jeanne C.; Landau, Fred; Smith, S.D.Plant invaders, global change and landscape restoration
Modifications in land uses, technology, transportation and biogeochemical cycles currently influence the spread of organisms by reducing the barriers that once restricted their movements. We provide an overview of the spatial and temporal extent for agents of environmental change (land and disturbance transformations, biogeochemical modifications...
Pyke, D.A.; Knick, S.T.Short-term responses of desert soil and vegetation to removal of feral burros and domestic cattle (California)
Beever, Erik A.; Pyke, David A.Integrated monitoring of hydrogeomorphic, vegetative, and edaphic conditions in riparian ecosystems of Great Basin National Park, Nevada
In semiarid regions such as the Great Basin, riparian areas function as oases of cooler and more stable microclimates, greater relative humidity, greater structural complexity, and a steady flow of water and nutrients relative to upland areas. These qualities make riparian areaʼs attractive not only to resident and migratory wildlife, but also to...
Beever, Erik A.; Pyke, D.A.Effects of invasive alien plants on fire regimes
Plant invasions are widely recognized as significant threats to biodiversity conservation worldwide. One way invasions can affect native ecosystems is by changing fuel properties, which can in turn affect fire behavior and, ultimately, alter fire regime characteristics such as frequency, intensity, extent, type, and seasonality of fire. If the...
Brooks, M.L.; D'Antonio, C. M.; Richardson, D.M.; DiTomaso, J.M.; Grace, J.B.; Hobbs, R.J.; Keeley, J. E.; Pellant, M.; Pyke, D.Science for the changing Great Basin
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), with its multidisciplinary structure and role as a federal science organization, is well suited to provide integrated science in the Great Basin of the western United States. A research strategy developed by the USGS and collaborating partners addresses critical management issues in the basin, including invasive...
Beever, Erik; Pyke, David A.Interactions of cattle grazing and climate change- hierarchical data analysis
No abstract available.
Clausnitzer, D.; Huso, Manuela M. P.; Pyke, David A.; Belnap, Jayne; Graham, T.B.; Sanford, R. L.; Phillips, S.L.New proposed national resources inventory protocols on nonfederal rangelands
No abstract available.
Spaeth, K.E.; Pierson, F.B.; Herrick, J.E.; Shaver, P.; Pyke, David A.; Pellant, Mike; Thompson, D.; Dayton, B.Restoring forbs for sage grouse habitat: Fire, microsites, and establishment methods
The decline and range reduction of sage grouse populations are primarily due to permanent loss and degradation of sagebrusha??grassland habitat. Several studies have shown that sage grouse productivity may be limited by the availability of certain preferred highly nutritious forb species that have also declined within sagebrush ecosystems of the...
Wirth, Troy A.; Pyke, David A.