Fire, flow and dynamic equilibrium in stream macroinvertebrate communities
Arkle, R.S., Pilliod, D.S., Strickler, K.M., 2010, Fire, flow and dynamic equilibrium in stream macroinvertebrate communities: Freshwater Biology, v. 55, p. 299-314.
David S Pilliod
My research focuses on evaluating effects of disturbances, such as wildfire and invasive species, and effectiveness of restoration in a variety of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Biography
I lead a team of scientists that develop tools and models to improve understanding of ecological systems and solve challenging problems in natural resource management. We primarily address questions related to wildlife habitat, species conservation, and restoration. Our research team also develops data management and decision support systems to facilitate adaptive management, especially in western rangelands. We primarily work on issues affecting the Intermountain West and Great Basin regions of the U.S.
Education
Ph.D. Ecology, 2001, Idaho State University
B.A. Biology, 1991, University of California - Santa Cruz
Specialty
Monitoring design, amphibian and reptile biology, wildlife ecology, stream ecology, fire ecology
Research Interests
inventory and monitoring, wildlife-habitat relationships, population dynamics, disturbance ecology, conservation biology
Science and Products
Date published: May 23, 2019
Status: Active Cheatgrass and Medusahead
Invasive annual grasses, such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae), are one of the most significant stressors to rangeland ecosystems in the western U.S. Their expansion and dominance across this area are the most damaging ecosystem agents on this iconic landscape.
Date published: January 1, 2018
Status: Active Improving the Success of Post-Fire Adaptive Management Strategies in Sagebrush Steppe
Sagebrush steppe is one of the most widely distributed ecosystems in North America. Found in eleven western states, this important yet fragile ecosystem is dominated by sagebrush, but also contains a diversity of native shrubs, grasses, and flowering plants. It provides critical habitat for wildlife like pronghorn and threatened species such as the greater sage-grouse, and is grazed by...
Contacts: David S Pilliod, John Bradford
Attribution: Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Date published: November 27, 2017
Status: Active Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Biology Team (FRESC)
Wildlife respond to changes in their environment, some of which are dramatic and others subtle. To fully understand the factors that drive changes in populations and communities, we need better information on wildlife ecology in natural and human-altered landscapes. We conduct research and provide technical assistance to address applied questions about the ecology and conservation of wildlife...
Contacts: David S Pilliod
Date published: November 14, 2017
Status: Active Wildlife Responses to Climate, Land Use, and Invasive Species
Wildlife issues drive many federal and state land management decisions, either because of litigation or mandates to protect habitat and limit extinction risks. We conduct applied research to meet this need, particularly related to the effects of natural (disease, predation) and anthropogenic (habitat loss, invasive species) stressors on wildlife populations and communities. Research on the...
Contacts: David S Pilliod
Date published: November 14, 2017
Status: Active Tools and Techniques for Monitoring Wildlife Habitats, Communities, and Populations
Resource monitoring is critically important for documenting trends and learning from the past (i.e., adaptive management), yet it has been plagued with poor design and execution. We are developing and testing novel approaches to wildlife monitoring, including the use of non-invasive field sampling and molecular markers to determine patterns of species occurrence and population abundance...
Contacts: David S Pilliod
Date published: November 9, 2017
Status: Active Fire, Fuel Treatments, and Restoration Ecology
Land managers have invested considerable funding to decrease fuel loads and restore resilient ecosystems in forests and rangelands, using techniques such as grazing, mowing, herbicides, and thinning. Yet, little information is available about how such restoration activities have influenced wildlife species and habitats. We are conducting empirical studies and developing novel approaches to...
Contacts: David S Pilliod
Date published: May 3, 2018
Land Treatment Exploration Tool
The Land Treatment Exploration Tool is designed for resource managers to use when planning land treatments. The tool provides useful summaries of environmental characteristics of planned treatment areas and facilitates adaptive management practices by comparing those characteristics to other similar treatments within a specified distance or area of interest. ...
Date published: November 23, 2013
Land Treatment Digital Library (LTDL)
The Land Treatment Digital Library (LTDL) was created by the USGS to catalog legacy land treatment information on Bureau of Land Management lands in the western United States. The LTDL can be used by federal managers and scientists for compiling information for data-calls, producing maps, generating reports, and conducting analyses at varying spatial and temporal scales.
Date published: July 24, 2013
Data Entry Module for the Land Treatment Digital Library (LTDL)
This software allows agencies, organizations, and individuals to download an empty, stand-alone Land Treatment Digital Library database to individual or networked computers. Data entered in these databases may be submitted to the USGS for possible inclusion in the online Land Treatment Digital Library (https://ltdl.wr.usgs.gov).
Year Published: 2019
Integration of eDNA-based biological monitoring within the US Geological Survey’s national streamgage network
This study explores the feasibility and utility of integrating environmental DNA (eDNA) assessments of species occurrences into the US Geological Survey’s national streamgage network. We used an existing network of five gages in southwest Idaho to explore the type of information that could be gained as well as the associated costs and limitations...
Pilliod, David; Laramie, Matthew; McCoy, Dorene; Maclean, Scott
Year Published: 2019
Adding invasive species bio-surveillance to the U.S. Geological Survey streamgage network
The costs of invasive species in the United States alone are estimated to exceed US$100 billion per year so a critical tactic in minimizing the costs of invasive species is the development of effective, early-detection systems. To this end, we evaluated the efficacy of adding environmental (e)DNA surveillance to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)...
Sepulveda, Adam J.; Schmidt, Christian; Amberg, Jon J.; Hutchins, Patrick R.; Stratton, Christian; Mebane, Christopher A.; Laramie, Matthew; Pilliod, David
Year Published: 2019
Transient population dynamics impede restoration and may promote ecosystem transformation after disturbance
The apparent failure of ecosystems to recover from increasingly widespread disturbance is a global concern. Despite growing focus on factors inhibiting resilience and restoration, we still know very little about how demographic and population processes influence recovery. Using inverse and forward demographic modelling of 531 post‐fire sagebrush...
Shriver, Robert K.; Andrews, Caitlin M.; Arkle, Robert; Barnard, David; Duniway, Michael C.; Germino, Matthew J.; Pilliod, David S.; Pyke, David A.; Welty, Justin; Bradford, John B.
Year Published: 2019
Soil characteristics are associated with gradients of big sagebrush canopy structure after disturbance
Reestablishing shrub canopy cover after disturbance in semi-arid ecosystems, such as sagebrush steppe, is essential to provide wildlife habitat and restore ecosystem functioning. While several studies have explored the effects of landscape and climate factors on the success or failure of sagebrush seeding, the influence of soil properties on...
Barnard, David; Germino, Matthew J.; Arkle, Robert; Bradford, John; Duniway, Michael; Pilliod, David; Pyke, David; Shriver, Robert; Welty, Justin
Year Published: 2019
Effects of climate change on habitat and connectivity for populations of a vulnerable, endemic salamander in Iran
Habitat loss and fragmentation are among the biggest threats to amphibian populations and anthropogenic climate change may exacerbate these. The response of Iran's amphibians to climate change is uncertain and yet making an accurate prediction of how the species will respond is critical for conservation. We assessed how expected future climate...
Ashrafzadeh, Mohammad Reza; Naghipour, Ali Asghar; Haidarian, Maryam; Kusza, Szilvia; Pilliod, David S.View Citation
Ashrafzadeh, M.R., Naghipour, A.A., Haidarian, M., Kusza, S., Pilliod, D.S., 2019, Effects of climate change on habitat and connectivity for populations of a vulnerable, endemic salamander in Iran: Global Ecology and Conservation, v. 19, p. e00637, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00637.
Year Published: 2019
The ecological uncertainty of wildfire fuel breaks: examples from the sagebrush steppe
Fuel breaks are increasingly being implemented at broad scales (100s to 10,000s of square kilometers) in fire‐prone landscapes globally, yet there is little scientific information available regarding their ecological effects (eg habitat fragmentation). Fuel breaks are designed to reduce flammable vegetation (ie fuels), increase the safety and...
Shinneman, Douglas; Germino, Matthew J.; Pilliod, David S.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Vaillant, Nicole; Coates, Peter S.
Year Published: 2019
Can’t see the random forest for the decision trees: Selecting predictive models for restoration ecology
Improving predictions of restoration outcomes is increasingly important to resource managers for accountability and adaptive management, yet there is limited guidance for selecting a predictive model from the multitude available. The goal of this paper was to identify an optimal predictive framework for restoration ecology using eleven modeling...
Barnard, David; Germino, Matthew; Pilliod, David; Arkle, Robert; Applestein, Cara; Davidson, Bill; Fisk, Matthew
Year Published: 2019
Functional and geographic components of risk for climate sensitive vertebrates in the Pacific Northwest, USA
Rarity and life history traits inform multiple dimensions of intrinsic risk to climate and environmental change and can help systematically identify at-risk species. We quantified relative geographic rarity (area of occupancy), climate niche breadth, and life history traits for 114 freshwater fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in the U.S. Pacific...
Meryl Mims; Deanna H. Olson; Pilliod, David S.; Dunham, Jason B.
Year Published: 2019
Appropriate sample sizes for monitoring burned pastures in sagebrush steppe: How many plots are enough, and can one size fit all?
Statistically defensible information on vegetation conditions is needed to guide rangeland management decisions following disturbances such as wildfire, often for heterogeneous pastures. Here we evaluate the number of plots needed to make informed adaptive management decisions using >2000 plots sampled on the 2015 Soda Fire that burned across...
Applestein, Cara; Germino, Matthew J.; Pilliod, David; Fisk, Matthew; Arkle, Robert
Year Published: 2018
Identification of bees in southwest Idaho—A guide for beginners
This document was prepared to help scientists and the public, both of whom may not be familiar with bee taxonomy, learn how to practically identify bees in sagebrush steppe and shrubland habitats in southwest Idaho. We provide information to identify bees to the level of family and genus. A tentative list of the bee genera captured at sites used...
Sun, Emily R.; Pilliod, David S.View Citation
Sun, E.R., and Pilliod, D.S., 2018, Identification of bees in southwest Idaho—A guide for beginners: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1448, 84 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1448.
Year Published: 2018
Insect communities in big sagebrush habitat are altered by wildfire and post‐fire restoration seeding
Natural resource managers sow grass, forb, and shrub seeds across millions of hectares of public lands in the western United States to restore sagebrush‐steppe ecosystems burned by wildfire. The effects of post‐fire vegetation treatments on insect communities in these ecosystems have not been investigated.We conducted the first investigation of...
Rohde, Ashley T.; Pilliod, David S.; Novak, Stephen J.
Year Published: 2018
Adapting management to a changing world: Warm temperatures, dry soil, and interannual variability limit restoration success of a dominant woody shrub in temperate drylands
Restoration and rehabilitation of native vegetation in dryland ecosystems, which encompass over 40% of terrestrial ecosystems, is a common challenge that continues to grow as wildfire and biological invasions transform dryland plant communities. The difficulty in part stems from low and variable precipitation, combined with limited understanding...
Shriver, Robert K.; Andrews, Caitlin M.; Pilliod, David S.; Arkle, Robert; Welty, Justin; Germino, Matthew J.; Duniway, Michael C.; Pyke, David A.; Bradford, John B.Attribution: Southwest Biological Science Center, Ecosystems, Southwest, United States of America, Wildland Fire Science
View Citation
Shriver, R.K., Andrews, C.M., Pilliod, D.S., Arkle, R.S., Welty, J.L., Germino, M.J., Duniway, M.C., Pyke, D.A., and Bradford, J.B., 2018, Adapting management to a changing world--Warm temperatures, dry soil, and interannual variability limit restoration success of a dominant woody shrub in temperate drylands: Global Change Biology, online, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14374.
Pre-USGS Publications
The relation between forest structure and soil burn severity
Jain, T.B., Graham, R.T., Pilliod, D.S., 2006, The relation between forest structure and soil burn severity In Andrews, P.L., Butler, B.W., eds., Fuels management: How to measure success, Proceedings: RMRS-P-41, Fort Collins, CO, USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, p. 615-631.
Wildlife and Invertebrate Response to Fuel Reduction Treatments in Dry Coniferous Forests of the Western United States - A Synthesis
Pilliod, D.S., Bull, E.L., Hayes, J.L., Wales, B.C., 2006, Wildlife and Invertebrate Response to Fuel Reduction Treatments in Dry Coniferous Forests of the Western United States - A Synthesis: USDA, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station RMRS-GTR-173, p. 34.
Lack of significant changes in the herpetofauna of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota, since the 1920s
Hossack, B.R., Corn, P.S., Pilliod, D.S., 2005, Lack of significant changes in the herpetofauna of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota, since the 1920s: American Midland Naturalist, v. 154, p. 423-432.
Population structure of Columbia spotted frogs (Rana luteiventris) is strongly affected by the landscape
Funk, W., Blouin, M.S., Corn, P.S., Maxell, B.A., Pilliod, D.S., Amish, S., Allendorf, F.W., 2005, Population structure of Columbia spotted frogs (Rana luteiventris)is strongly affected by the landscape: Molecular Ecology, v. 14, p. 483-496.
The Wildlife Habitat Response Model- Environmental Consequences Fact Sheet
Pilliod, D.S., 2005, The Wildlife Habitat Response Model- Environmental Consequences Fact Sheet - 15: USDA Rocky Mountain Research Station RMRS-RN-23-15-WWW, p. 2.
Dunham, J.B., Pilliod, D.S., Young, M., 2004, Assessing the Consequences of Nonnative Trout in Headwater Ecosystems in Western North America: Fisheries, v. 29, no. 6, p. 18-26, https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1577/1548-8446(2004)29[18:ATCONT]2.0.CO;2.
Wildlife Responses to Fuels Treatments - Key Considerations - Fuels planning - science synthesis and integration; environmental consequences fact sheet
Pilliod, D.S., 2004, Wildlife Responses to Fuels Treatments- Key Considerations - Fuels planning- science synthesis and integration; environmental consequences fact sheet 20024: USDA Rocky Mountain Research Station RMRS-RN-23-4WWW, p. 2.
Seasonal migration of Columbia spotted frogs (Rana luteiventris) among complementary resources in a high mountain basin
Pilliod, D.S., Peterson, C.R., Ritson, P.I., 2002, Seasonal migration of Columbia spotted frogs (Rana luteiventris) among complementary resources in a high mountain basin: Canadian Journal of Zoology, v. 80, p. 1849-1862.
Assessing the accuracy of GAP analysis predicted distributions of Idaho amphibians and reptiles
Peterson, C.R., Burton, S.R., Pilliod, D.S., Lee, J.R., Cossell Jr., J.O., Llewellyn, R.L., 2001, Assessing the accuracy of GAP analysis predicted distributions of Idaho amphibians and reptiles: GAP Analysis Bulletin, v. 10, p. 25-28.
Local and landscape effects of introduced trout on amphibians in historically fishless watersheds
Pilliod, D.S., Peterson, C.R., 2001, Local and landscape effects of introduced trout on amphibians in historically fishless watersheds: Ecosystems, v. 4, p. 322-333.
Evaluating effects of fish stocking on amphibian populations in wilderness lakes
Pilliod, D.S., Peterson, C.R., 2000, Evaluating effects of fish stocking on amphibian populations in wilderness lakes In Cole, D.N., McCool, S.F., Borrie, W.T., O'Loughlin, J., eds., Wilderness science in a time of change conference—Volume 5: Wilderness ecosystems, threats, and management; 2000 May 23–27; Missoula, MT, Proceedings: RMRS-P-15_VOL-5, Ogden, UT, USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, p. 328-335.
Date published: October 2, 2019
Looking for Rattlesnakes on a Sunny Day in Idaho
Boise State University Master’s student Kristina Parker and her volunteer assistants are on the lookout for rattlesnakes on a sunny September day in Idaho.
Date published: October 1, 2019
Detecting Invasive and Rare Species with the National Streamflow Network
Two recently published papers suggest the integration of environmental DNA, or eDNA, sampling at select National Streamflow Network streamgages in the U.S. Northwest is feasible.
Date published: August 2, 2019
The Wildlife Society Magazine Article Addresses Climate Sensitivity of Overlooked Species
Research from a recently published study in Biological Conservation is the topic of an upcoming article in a magazine of The Wildlife Society, covering important news and trends in the wildlife profession.
Date published: June 27, 2019
Why Sagebrush Re-establishment After Fire is so Difficult
Big sagebrush ecosystems are particularly sensitive to wildfires and life history information on big sagebrush is scarce and vital for restoration success.
Date published: December 14, 2018
Guide to Bees of Southern Idaho
Bees are an important part of natural ecosystems and thriving agricultural systems in southwest Idaho and other areas of the United States. Both introduced and native bees can provide ecosystem services by pollinating native plants and agricultural crops such as fruit trees.
Date published: November 2, 2018
Multispecies Analysis of Climate Sensitivity in the Pacific Northwest
Species rarity and life history traits are known within the field of conservation biology to be associated with extinction risk and may also be employed to inform their sensitivity or capacity to adapt to future climates.
Date published: October 5, 2018
A Database Tool for Estimating Fuel Loadings Across a Range of Intact to Degraded Sagebrush Habitats in Southern Idaho
USGS researchers created an interactive Fuels Guide and Database, providing vegetation and fuel loading information and photographs for big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) ecological sites in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA) in southern Idaho.
Date published: September 28, 2018
Large-scale Review of Amphibian Species and Community Response to Climate Change
Amphibian species and community richness has been declining in North America and climate change may play a role in these declines. Global climate change has led to a range shift of many wildlife species and thus understanding how these changes in species distribution can be used to predict amphibian community responses that may improve conservation efforts.
Attribution: Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC), Fort Collins Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK), Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Southwest Biological Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Western Ecological Research Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Date published: August 10, 2018
Land Treatment Exploration Tool Fact Sheet
Land restoration and rehabilitation efforts usually involve soil and vegetation manipulations, which influence landscapes and ecosystems. These manipulations, or treatments, historically have been planned on a case-by-case basis with decisions made from personal experience of past successes or failures.
Date published: July 20, 2018
ClimateEngine.org Helps Assess Effectiveness of Riparian Restoration Projects
Assessments of restoration effectiveness in riparian areas depend on quality monitoring data, which can be both expensive and difficult to collect.
Date published: July 2, 2018
Reptile Diversity and Abundance at the Idaho National Guard Orchard Combat Training Center and Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area
Forty years of snake and lizard surveys help scientists understand the consequences of invasive species, wildfires, and other environmental stressors in sagebrush ecosystems.
Date published: June 22, 2018
Pollinator Use of Forbs in the Soda Fire Area
Pollinating insects are in serious decline across the United States, which not only impacts agricultural plants, but native plants as well.