Ed is a Biologist with the Southwest Biological Science Center based out of the Canyonlands Research Station in Moab, Utah. He spends his days setting up and tinkering with large micrometeorological and soil sensor arrays throughout the Colorado Plateau and points beyond.
Ed received his BA in Plant Biology from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. While an undergrad he worked in the Ehleringer Lab, mostly with stable isotope mass spectrometers at SIRFER and it was there that he was introduced to the world of plant ecophysiology and all of its fun, electronic gadgets. Ed then spent two years working in a chemistry lab at Native Plants Inc. doing HPLC and GC methods-development, creating assays for various natural product extracts from neem seeds and pyrethrum daisies. From there he went on to pursue an MA in Plant Ecophysiology from the University of Colorado in Boulder running gas exchange and nitrogen fixation experiments on alpine clovers from Niwot Ridge. He worked for several years at Cornell University in the Dawson Lab doing physiology experiments while climbing around in the tops of sugar maple trees, as well as methods-development for the newly formed Cornell University Stable Isotope Lab. In the middle of his years back in lush, green, rainy, upstate New York, he took a hiatus and spent a year working with high alpine and Atacama Desert plants at the Universidad de La Serena in Chile in the Squeo Lab. Longing to return to the desert southwest, he found his niche within the US Geological Survey in Moab, UT. Who knew the USGS had biologists and ecologists, not just geologists and mappers? And they are doing amazing scientific research on all kinds of stuff. He was initially hired to create a gas exchange system to concurrently measure carbon dioxide exchange and nitrogen fixation on biological soil crust organisms. It turns out that these biocrust organisms can do many of the same things (and more) that plants can do. However, unlike most plants, biocrusts can completely dry out and, later, when it rains or snows, come back to life and do it all over again. Over the years Ed has set up several automated gas exchange systems which measure soil crust CO2 fluxes. He set up an Eddy Flux tower to measure CO2 flux at a landscape scale in a desert ecosystem. He has also helped design, set up and maintain long-term climate change experiments, some with dozens of temperature-controlled plots simulating warmer future climate conditions and others simulating a potentially drier future climate. All of these experimental setups require constant monitoring and maintenance of thousands of sensors measuring soil moisture, temperature, wind, light, pressure, precipitation, and the associated telemetry systems used to collect their data. As a plant ecophysiologist, Ed finds this type of work not only to be engaging and exciting, but also a lot of fun. On his time off he also enjoys backcountry skiing, mountain biking, hiking, or whitewater rafting among many other outdoor activities.
Professional Experience
1999 - present: Biologist, USGS, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, UT
1997 - 1999: Research Technician, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
1996 - 1997: Research Technician, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Chile
1995 - 1996: Research Technician, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Education and Certifications
M.A., 1995: University of Colorado, Boulder, CO. Major: Plant Physiological Ecology
B.S., 1989: University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT. Major: Plant Biology; Minor: Chemistry
Science and Products
Droughting a megadrought: Ecological consequences of a decade of experimental drought atop aridification on the Colorado Plateau
Climatic controls on soil carbon accumulation and loss in a dryland ecosystems
Manufacturing simple and inexpensive soil surface temperature and gravimetric water content sensors
Patterns of longer-term climate change effects on CO2 efflux from biocrusted soils differ from those observed in the short term
The concurrent use of novel soil surface microclimate measurements to evaluate CO2 pulses in biocrusted interspaces in a cool desert ecosystem
Observations of net soil exchange of CO2 in a dryland show experimental warming increases carbon losses in biocrust soils
Warming and increased precipitation frequency on the Colorado Plateau: Implications for biological soil crusts and soil processes
Physiological ecology of desert biocrust moss following 10 years exposure to elevated CO2: Evidence for enhanced photosynthetic thermotolerance
Rain pulse response of soil CO2 exchange by biological soil crusts and grasslands of the semiarid Colorado Plateau, United States
Carbon, water, and energy fluxes in a semiarid cold desert grassland during and following multiyear drought
Carbon exchange in biological soil crust communities under differential temperatures and soil water contents: Implications for global change
Diazotrophic community structure and function in two successional stages of biological soil crusts from the Colorado Plateau and Chihuahuan Desert
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Drought & Grazing Experiment: Understanding Impacts and Identifying Mitigation Strategies
Wind Erosion and Dust Emissions on the Colorado Plateau
Long-Term Vegetation Change on the Colorado Plateau
Vegetation cover, ground cover, plant mortality, and species abundance across an experimental drought treatment on the Colorado Plateau from 2010-2022
Meteorological measurements from five weather stations in Grand and San Juan Counties in southeastern Utah (ver. 2.0, April 2023)
Meteorological measurements from five locations within the Badger Wash study area near Mack, Colorado (ver. 2.0, April 2023)
Science and Products
- Publications
Droughting a megadrought: Ecological consequences of a decade of experimental drought atop aridification on the Colorado Plateau
Global dryland vegetation communities will likely change as ongoing drought conditions shift regional climates towards a more arid future. Additional aridification of drylands can impact plant and ground cover, biogeochemical cycles, and plant-soil feedbacks, yet how and when these crucial ecosystem components will respond to drought intensification requires further investigation. Using a long-terAuthorsRebecca A Finger-Higgens, Tara Boyce Belnap Bishop, Jayne Belnap, Erika L. Geiger, Edmund E. Grote, David Hoover, Sasha C. Reed, Michael C. DuniwayClimatic controls on soil carbon accumulation and loss in a dryland ecosystems
Arid and semiarid ecosystems drive year-to-year variability in the strength of the terrestrial carbon (C) sink, yet there is uncertainty about how soil C gains and losses contribute to this variation. To address this knowledge gap, we embedded C-depleted soil mesocosms, containing litter or biocrust C inputs, within an in situ dryland ecosystem warming experiment. Over the course of one year, chanAuthorsBonnie G. Waring, Kenneth R Smith, Edmund E. Grote, Armin J. Howell, Robin H. Reibold, Colin L Tucker, Sasha C. ReedManufacturing simple and inexpensive soil surface temperature and gravimetric water content sensors
Quantifying temperature and moisture at the soil surface is essential for understanding how soil surface biota respond to changes in the environment. However, at the soil surface these variables are highly dynamic and standard sensors do not explicitly measure temperature or moisture in the upper few millimeters of the soil profile. This paper describes methods for manufacturing simple, inexpensivAuthorsArmin J. Howell, Colin Tucker, Edmund E. Grote, Maik Veste, Jayne Belnap, Gerhard Kast, Bettina Weber, Sasha C. ReedPatterns of longer-term climate change effects on CO2 efflux from biocrusted soils differ from those observed in the short term
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are predicted to be sensitive to the increased temperature and altered precipitation associated with climate change. We assessed the effects of these factors on soil carbon dioxide (CO2) balance in biocrusted soils using a sequence of manipulations over a 9-year period. We warmed biocrusted soils by 2 and, later, by 4°C to better capture updated forecasts of futuAuthorsAnthony Darrouzet-Nardi, Sasha C. Reed, Edmund E. Grote, Jayne BelnapThe concurrent use of novel soil surface microclimate measurements to evaluate CO2 pulses in biocrusted interspaces in a cool desert ecosystem
Carbon cycling associated with biological soil crusts, which occupy interspaces between vascular plants in drylands globally, may be an important part of the coupled climate-carbon cycle of the Earth system. A major challenge to understanding CO2 fluxes in these systems is that much of the biotic and biogeochemical activity occurs in the upper few mm of the soil surface layer (i.e., the ‘mantle ofAuthorsColin Tucker, Theresa A. McHugh, Armin J. Howell, Richard Gill, Bettina Weber, Jayne Belnap, Edmund E. Grote, Sasha C. ReedObservations of net soil exchange of CO2 in a dryland show experimental warming increases carbon losses in biocrust soils
Many arid and semiarid ecosystems have soils covered with well-developed biological soil crust communities (biocrusts) made up of mosses, lichens, cyanobacteria, and heterotrophs living at the soil surface. These communities are a fundamental component of dryland ecosystems, and are critical to dryland carbon (C) cycling. To examine the effects of warming temperatures on soil C balance in a drylanAuthorsAnthony N. Darrouzet-Nardi, Sasha C. Reed, Edmund E. Grote, Jayne BelnapWarming and increased precipitation frequency on the Colorado Plateau: Implications for biological soil crusts and soil processes
Aims Changes in temperature and precipitation are expected to influence ecosystem processes worldwide. Despite their globally large extent, few studies to date have examined the effects of climate change in desert ecosystems, where biological soil crusts are key nutrient cycling components. The goal of this work was to assess how increased temperature and frequency of summertime precipitation affeAuthorsTamara J. Zelikova, David C. Housman, Ed E. Grote, Deborah A. Neher, Jayne BelnapPhysiological ecology of desert biocrust moss following 10 years exposure to elevated CO2: Evidence for enhanced photosynthetic thermotolerance
In arid regions, biomes particularly responsive to climate change, mosses play an important biogeochemical role as key components of biocrusts. Using the biocrust moss Syntrichia caninervis collected from the Nevada Desert Free Air CO2 Enrichment Facility, we examined the physiological effects of 10 years of exposure to elevated CO2, and the effect of high temperature events on the photosyntheticAuthorsKirsten K. Coe, Jayne Belnap, Edmund E. Grote, Jed P. SparksRain pulse response of soil CO2 exchange by biological soil crusts and grasslands of the semiarid Colorado Plateau, United States
Biological activity in arid grasslands is strongly dependent on moisture. We examined gas exchange of biological soil crusts (biocrusts), the underlying soil biotic community, and the belowground respiratory activity of C3 and C4 grasses over 2 years in southeast Utah, USA. We used soil surface CO2 flux and the amount and carbon isotope composition (δ13C) of soil CO2 as indicators of belowground aAuthorsDavid R. Bowling, Edmund E. Grote, Jayne BelnapCarbon, water, and energy fluxes in a semiarid cold desert grassland during and following multiyear drought
The net exchanges of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and energy were examined in a perennial Colorado Plateau grassland for 5 years. The study began within a multiyear drought and continued as the drought ended. The grassland is located near the northern boundary of the influence of the North American monsoon, a major climatic feature bringing summer rain. Following rain, evapotranspiration peaked abAuthorsDavid R. Bowling, S. Bethers-Marchetti, C.K. Lunch, Edmund E. Grote, Jayne BelnapCarbon exchange in biological soil crust communities under differential temperatures and soil water contents: Implications for global change
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are an integral part of the soil system in arid regions worldwide, stabilizing soil surfaces, aiding vascular plant establishment, and are significant sources of ecosystem nitrogen and carbon. Hydration and temperature primarily control ecosystem CO2 flux in these systems. Using constructed mesocosms for incubations under controlled laboratory conditions, we examAuthorsEdmund E. Grote, Jayne Belnap, David C. Housman, Jed P. SparksDiazotrophic community structure and function in two successional stages of biological soil crusts from the Colorado Plateau and Chihuahuan Desert
The objective of this study was to characterize the community structure and activity of N2-fixing microorganisms in mature and poorly developed biological soil crusts from both the Colorado Plateau and Chihuahuan Desert. Nitrogenase activity was approximately 10 and 2.5 times higher in mature crusts than in poorly developed crusts at the Colorado Plateau site and Chihuahuan Desert site, respectiveAuthorsChris M. Yeager, J. L. Kornosky, David C. Housman, Edmund E. Grote, Jayne Belnap, Cheryl R. KuskeNon-USGS Publications**
Pausch, R.C., Grote, E.E., Dawson, T.E., 2000, Estimating water use by sugar maple trees—considerations when using heat-pulse methods in trees with deep functional sapwood: Tree Physiology, v. 20, no. 4, p. 217–227, https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/20.4.217.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
- Science
Drought & Grazing Experiment: Understanding Impacts and Identifying Mitigation Strategies
Drylands (sometimes called ‘deserts’ or ‘arid and semi-arid' ecosystems) are defined by water scarcity. Understanding how land-use activities may effect dryland ecosystems and dryland ecological processes is a high priority for land conservation and management. Grazing by domestic livestock (typically cattle but also sheep and goats) is the most widespread land-use in drylands globally and a large...Wind Erosion and Dust Emissions on the Colorado Plateau
Wind erosion of soils and dust emissions are a significant resource management challenge on the Colorado Plateau. Loss of topsoil and associated aeolian sediment (wind-driven sediment) movement can lead to reduced soil fertility as well as abrasion and burial of vegetation. Dust in the atmosphere poses a threat to human health, visual resources, and regional water supplies (due to interactions...Long-Term Vegetation Change on the Colorado Plateau
The Colorado Plateau, centered around the four corners area of the Southwest, and includes much of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, is a large and important component of U.S. drylands. This important home to mountains, desert basins, dramatic canyons, arid woodlands, and grasslands is also one of North America’s most rapidly warming hot spots, with rates of warming of up to 2-3° C within... - Data
Vegetation cover, ground cover, plant mortality, and species abundance across an experimental drought treatment on the Colorado Plateau from 2010-2022
These data were compiled to assess the response of vegetation and biological soil crusts to drought in a semi-arid ecosystem on the Colorado Plateau near Moab, Utah. Objective(s) of our study were to explore how vegetation cover, soil conditions, and growing season nitrogen (N) availability are impacted by multifaceted drying climate conditions using data from a long-term precipitation reduction eMeteorological measurements from five weather stations in Grand and San Juan Counties in southeastern Utah (ver. 2.0, April 2023)
These data were compiled from six automated weather stations that together provide several points in the meteorological record across a latitudinal and elevational gradient in southeastern Utah. Recorded data from these weather stations are associated with several different studies. Meteorological data are important for quantifying short term weather events as well as longer term climate trends. SMeteorological measurements from five locations within the Badger Wash study area near Mack, Colorado (ver. 2.0, April 2023)
These data are records collected from an automated weather station and four stand-alone tipping bucket rain gauges each with their own data logger that were in operation between February 2005 and December 2019 in the Badger Wash Study Area near Mack, Colorado as part of a larger project funded by the Bureau of Land Management. These files are hourly-interval data from the automated weather station - Multimedia