Erik is interested in questions at the nexus of basic and applied science, especially those that also inform management and conservation efforts for species, communities, and ecosystems.
Research Interest
Dr. Erik Beever has published over 100 articles in diverse scientific journals and in numerous subdisciplines of biology. He has performed field research on plants, soils, amphibians, birds, reptiles, fishes, and insects, as well as small, medium, and large mammals. His work has spanned salt-scrub, sagebrush-steppe, alpine, subalpine, subarctic, riparian, primary and secondary temperate and tropical forest, and coastal ecosystems of the western hemisphere. In addition to seeking to understand mechanisms of biotic responses to long-term weather patterns and variability, he has also focused on disturbance ecology and monitoring in conservation reserves, all at community to landscape scales, as well as other topics of conservation ecology, wildlife biology, and landscape ecology. He is a member of the IUCN Protected Areas Specialist Group, the IUCN Lagomorph Specialist Group, as well as The Wildlife Society, Society for Conservation Biology, American Society of Mammalogists, and Sigma Xi.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 1999. University of Nevada, Reno. Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology
B.S. 1993. University of California, Davis. Biological Sciences
Science and Products
Geographic and taxonomic variation in adaptive capacity among mountain-dwelling small mammals: implications for conservation status and actions
Spatio-temporal variability in the strength, directionality, and relative importance of climate on occupancy and population densities in a philopatric mammal, the American pika (Ochotona princeps)
Understanding local adaptation to prepare populations for climate change
Linking evolutionary potential to extinction risk: Applications and future directions
Antecedent climatic conditions spanning several years influence multiple land-surface phenology events in semi-arid environments
RAD adaptive management for transforming ecosystems
Applying assessments of adaptive capacity to inform natural-resource management in a changing climate
Is the grass always greener? Land surface phenology reveals differences in peak and season-long vegetation productivity responses to climate and management
Managing for RADical ecosystem change: Applying the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework
Factors influencing distributional shifts and abundance at the range core of a climate-sensitive mammal
Identification of Global Priorities for New Mountain Protected and Conserved Areas
Freezing in a warming climate: Marked declines of a subnivean hibernator after a snow drought
Non-USGS Publications**
horse grazing and other management practices. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Nevada, Reno.
**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.
Evaluating Species’ Adaptive Capacity in a Changing Climate: Applications to Natural-Resource Management in the Northwestern U.S.
Adaptive Capacity: The Linchpin for Understanding and Addressing Species Vulnerability to Climate Change Impacts
Adaptive Capacity: the linchpin for understanding and addressing species vulnerability to climate-change impacts
Design, Analysis, Monitoring, and Conservation of Ecological Dynamics at Broad Scales
Species and Ecosystem Responses to Global Change
Grazing, Ungulate, and Disturbance Ecology
Integrating Climate and Biological Data into Management Decisions for the Greater Sage-Grouse and their Habitats
Using a Collaborative Modeling Approach to Explore Climate and Landscape Change in the Northern Rockies and Inform Adaptive Management
Climatic data associated with American-pika survey (2011-2021) locations in 3 regions of the Rocky Mountains
Model performance and output variables for phenological events across land cover types in the Northwestern Plains, 1989-2014
Hoary Marmot Abundance in North Cascades National Park 2007-2008 and 2016-2017
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 70
Geographic and taxonomic variation in adaptive capacity among mountain-dwelling small mammals: implications for conservation status and actions
Contemporary climate change is modifying the distribution, morphology, phenology, physiology, evolution, and interspecific interactions of species. Effects of climate change are mediated not only through the magnitude of change experienced (exposure) and an animal's sensitivity to such changes, but also through the ability of the population or species to adjust to climatic variability and change gAuthorsErik A. Beever, Jennifer L. Wilkening, Peter D. Billman, Lindsey Leigh Thurman, Kristina A. Ernest, David H. Wright, Alisha M. Gill, April C. Craighead, Nolan A. Helmstetter, Leona K. Svancara, Meghan J. Camp, Sabuj Bhattacharyya, Jedediah Fitzgerald, Jocelyn M. R. Hirose, Marie L. Westover, Francis D. Gerraty, Kelly B. Klingler, Danielle A. Schmidt, Dylan K. Ryals, Richard N. Brown, Steven L. Clark, Neil Clayton, Gail H. Collins, Kyle A. Cutting, Daniel F. Doak, Clinton W. Epps, Janet E. Foley, Johnnie French, Charles L. Hayes, Zachary A. Mills, Lucas Moyer-Horner, Lyle B. Nichols, Kate B. Orlofsky, Mary M. Peacock, Nicholas C. Penzel, Johnny Peterson, Nathan G. Ramsay, Tom Rickman, Megan M. Robinson, Hillary L. Robison, Karen M. C. Rowe, Kevin C. Rowe, Michael A. Russello, Adam B. Smith, Joseph A. E. Stewart, Will W. Thompson, James H. Thorne, Matthew D. Waterhouse, Shana S. Weber, Kenneth C. WilsonSpatio-temporal variability in the strength, directionality, and relative importance of climate on occupancy and population densities in a philopatric mammal, the American pika (Ochotona princeps)
Species distribution models (SDMs) have been widely employed to evaluate species–environment relationships. However, when extrapolated over broad spatial scales or through time, these models decline in their predictive ability due to variation in how species respond to their environment. Many models assume species–environment relationships remain constant over space and time, hindering their abiliAuthorsPeter D. Billman, Erik A. Beever, Marie L. Westover, Dylan K. RyalsUnderstanding local adaptation to prepare populations for climate change
Adaptation within species to local environments is widespread in nature. Better understanding this local adaptation is critical to conserving biodiversity. However, conservation practices can rely on species’ trait averages or can broadly assume homogeneity across the range to inform management. Recent methodological advances for studying local adaptation provide the opportunity to fine-tune efforAuthorsMariah H. Meek, Erik A. Beever, Soraia Barbosa, Sarah W. Fitzpatrick, Nicholas K. Fletcher, Cinnamon S. Mittan-Moreau, Brendan N. Reid, Shane C. Campbell-Staton, Nancy Green, Jessica J. HellmannLinking evolutionary potential to extinction risk: Applications and future directions
Extinction-risk assessments play a major role in prioritizing conservation action at national and international levels. However, quantifying extinction risk is challenging, especially when including the full suite of adaptive responses to environmental change. In particular, evolutionary potential (EP), the capacity to evolve genetically based changes that increase fitness under changing conditionAuthorsBrenna R. Forester, Erik A. Beever, Catherine Darst, Jennifer Szymanski, W. Chris FunkAntecedent climatic conditions spanning several years influence multiple land-surface phenology events in semi-arid environments
Ecological processes are complex, often exhibiting non-linear, interactive, or hierarchical relationships. Furthermore, models identifying drivers of phenology are constrained by uncertainty regarding predictors, interactions across scales, and legacy impacts of prior climate conditions. Nonetheless, measuring and modeling ecosystem processes such as phenology remains critical for management of ecAuthorsDavid J. A. Wood, Paul C. Stoy, Scott Powell, Erik A. BeeverRAD adaptive management for transforming ecosystems
Intensifying global change is propelling many ecosystems toward irreversible transformations. Natural resource managers face the complex task of conserving these important resources under unprecedented conditions and expanding uncertainty. As once familiar ecological conditions disappear, traditional management approaches that assume the future will reflect the past are becoming increasingly untenAuthorsAbigail Lynch, Laura Thompson, John M. Morton, Erik A. Beever, Michael Clifford, Douglas Limpinsel, Robert T. Magill, Dawn R. Magness, Tracy A. Melvin, Robert A. Newman, Mark T. Porath, Frank J. Rahel, Joel H. Reynolds, Gregor W. Schuurman, Suresh Sethi, Jennifer L. WilkeningApplying assessments of adaptive capacity to inform natural-resource management in a changing climate
Adaptive capacity (AC)—the ability of a species to cope with or accommodate climate change—is a critical determinant of species vulnerability. Using information on species’ AC in conservation planning is key to ensuring successful outcomes. We identified connections between a list of species’ attributes (e.g., traits, population metrics, and behaviors) that were recently proposed for assessing speAuthorsLindsey Leigh Thurman, John E. Gross, Claudia Mengelt, Erik A. Beever, Laura Thompson, Gregor W. Schuurman, Christopher Hoving, Julian D. OldenIs the grass always greener? Land surface phenology reveals differences in peak and season-long vegetation productivity responses to climate and management
Vegetation phenology—the seasonal timing and duration of vegetative phases—is controlled by spatiotemporally variable contributions of climatic and environmental factors plus additional potential influence from human management. We used land surface phenology derived from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer and climate data to examine variability in vegetation productivity and phenologicaAuthorsDavid J. A. Wood, Scott Powell, Paul C. Stoy, Lindsey Leigh Thurman, Erik A. BeeverManaging for RADical ecosystem change: Applying the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework
Ecosystem transformation involves the emergence of persistent ecological or social–ecological systems that diverge, dramatically and irreversibly, from prior ecosystem structure and function. Such transformations are occurring at increasing rates across the planet in response to changes in climate, land use, and other factors. Consequently, a dynamic view of ecosystem processes that accommodates rAuthorsAbigail Lynch, Laura Thompson, Erik A. Beever, Augustin C. Engman, Cat Hawkins Hoffman, Stephen T. Jackson, Trevor J. Krabbenhoft, David J Lawrence, Douglas Limpinsel, Robert T. Magill, Tracy Melvin, John M. Morton, Robert Newman, Jay Peterson, Mark T. Porath, Frank J. Rahel, Gregor Schuurman, Suresh Sethi, Jennifer L. WilkeningFactors influencing distributional shifts and abundance at the range core of a climate-sensitive mammal
Species are frequently responding to contemporary climate change by shifting to higher elevations and poleward to track suitable climate space. However, depending on local conditions and species’ sensitivity, the nature of these shifts can be highly variable and difficult to predict. Here, we examine how the American pika (Ochotona princeps), a philopatric, montane lagomorph, responds to climaticAuthorsPeter D Billman, Erik A. Beever, Dave B. McWethy, Lindsey Leigh Thurman, Kenny C WilsonIdentification of Global Priorities for New Mountain Protected and Conserved Areas
Mountain ecosystems are extremely diverse and fragile. They include astonishing biodiversity in terms of number of taxa and endemicity, and globally provide the most diverse range of ecosystem services. The world’s system of protected and conserved areas includes many outstanding areas within the earth’s mountainous landscape: about 19% of mountain areas are protected or conserved, globally. FurthAuthorsPeter Jacobs, Erik A. Beever, Clinton Carbutt, Marc Foggin, Diego Juffe-Bignoli, Madeline Thomas Martin, Shane Orchard, Roger SayreFreezing in a warming climate: Marked declines of a subnivean hibernator after a snow drought
Recent snow droughts associated with unusually warm winters are predicted to increase in frequency and affect species dependent upon snowpack for winter survival. Changes in populations of some cold‐adapted species have been attributed to heat stress or indirect effects on habitat from unusually warm summers, but little is known about the importance of winter weather to population dynamics and howAuthorsAaron Johnston, Roger G Christophersen, Erik A. Beever, Jason I. RansomNon-USGS Publications**
G.S. Casper, E. Beever, U. Gafvert, and S.M. Nadeau. 2018. Amphibian Monitoring Protocol (Version 2.0). Natural Resource Report NPS/GLKN/NRR—2018/1761. National Park Service, Great Lakes Inventory & Monitoring Network, Ashland, WI.S.K. Windels, Beever, E.A., J. Paruk, A. Nelson, L. Siegel, D. Evers, and C.C. MacNulty. 2013. Effects of water-level management on nesting success of common loons. Journal of Wildlife Management 77(8):1626-1638.Beever, E.A. 1999. Species- and community-level responses to disturbance imposed by feral
horse grazing and other management practices. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Nevada, Reno.
Beever, E.A. and P.F. Brussard. 2000. Charismatic megafauna or exotic pest? Interactions between popular perceptions of feral horses (Equus caballus) and their management and research. Pages 413-418 In: T.P. Salmon and A.C. Crabb, editors. Proceedings of the 19th International Vertebrate Pest Conference, University of California, DavisDunham, J. B., B. R. Dickerson, E. Beever, R. D. Duncan, and G. L. Vinyard. 2000. Effects of food limitation and emigration on self-thinning in experimental minnow cohorts. Journal of Animal Ecology 69(6):927-934.Beever, E.A. and P.F. Brussard. 2000. Examining ecological consequences of feral horse grazing using exclosures. Western North American Naturalist 60(3):236-254.
Beever, E.A. 2000. The roles of optimism in conservation biology. Conservation Biology 14(3):907-909.Beever, E.A. and D.A. Pyke. 2002. Research plan for lands administered by the U.S. Department of Interior in the Interior Columbia Basin & Snake River Plateau. U.S. Geological Survey, Information and Technology Report 2002-003. 76 p.Beever, E.A. 2002. Persistence of pikas in two low-elevation national monuments in the western United States. Park Science 21(2):23-29.Beever, E.A., P.F. Brussard, and J. Berger. 2003. Patterns of extirpation among isolated populations of pikas (Ochotona princeps) in the Great Basin. Journal of Mammalogy 84(1):37-54.Haig, S.M, E.A. Beever, et al. 2006. Taxonomy and listing of subspecies under the U.S. ESA: challenges for conservation and policy implementation. Conservation Biology 20(6):1584-1594Bowen, K.D., S.D. McMahon, and E.A. Beever. 2007. Geographic distribution. Elaphe vulpina (Western Foxsnake). Herpetological Review 38(4):486Johnson, S.E., E.L. Mudrak, E.A. Beever, S. Sanders, and D.M. Waller. 2008. Comparing power among three sampling methods for monitoring forest vegetation. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 38:143-156.Beever, E.A., R.J. Tausch, and W.E. Thogmartin. 2008. Landscape- and local-scale responses of vegetation to removal of horse grazing from Great Basin (U.S.A.) mountain ranges. Plant Ecology 196(2):163-184.Beever, E.A., and A.T. Smith. 2008. Ochotona princeps. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4Bowen, K.D., E.A. Beever, and U.B. Gafvert. 2009. Improving the design of amphibian surveys using soil data: a case study in two wilderness areas. Natural Areas Journal 29(2):117-125.Beever, E.A. 2009. Ecological silence of the grasslands, forests, wetlands, mountains, and seas. Conservation Biology 23(5):1320-1322.Beever, E.A., C. Ray, P.W. Mote, and J.L. Wilkening. 2010. Testing alternative models of climate-mediated extirpations. Ecological Applications 20(1):164-178.Bowen, K.B., and E.A. Beever. 2010. Daytime amphibian surveys at three National Lakeshores in the Western Great Lakes ecoregion. Reptiles & Amphibians 17(1):26-35.Rodhouse, T.J., E.A. Beever, L.K. Garrett, K.M. Irvine, M. Munts, C. Ray, and M.R. Shardlow. 2010. Distribution of American pikas in a low-elevation lava landscape: conservation implications from the range periphery. Journal of Mammalogy 91(5):1287-1299.Bowen, K.B., and E.A. Beever. 2010. Pilot amphibian monitoring at Apostle Islands, Pictured Rocks, and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshores: analysis and recommendations. NPS Natural Resource Report NPS/GLKN/NRTR–2010/360. ix + 49 pp.Wilkening, J.L., C. Ray, E.A. Beever, and P.F. Brussard. 2011. Modeling contemporary range retraction in Great Basin pikas (Ochotona princeps) using data on microclimate and microhabitat. Quaternary International 235:77-88.Beever, E.A., C. Ray, J.L. Wilkening, P.F. Brussard, and P.W. Mote. 2011. Contemporary climate change alters the pace and drivers of extinction. Global Change Biology 17(6):2054-2070Beever, E.A., and C.L. Aldridge. 2011. Influences of free-roaming equids on sagebrush ecosystems, with a focus on Greater Sage-grouse. INVITED article, Studies in Avian Biology 38:273-290.Belant, J., and Beever, E.A. 2011. Ecological consequences of climate change: Introduction. In: Ecological consequences of climate change: mechanisms, conservation, and management. CRC Press (Taylor and Francis Group).Beever, E.A., and J. Belant. 2011. Ecological consequences of climate change: synthesis and research needs. Pages 285-294 In: Ecological consequences of climate change: mechanisms, conservation, and management. CRC Press (Taylor and Francis Group).Beever, E.A., and J. Belant, Editors. 2011. Ecological consequences of climate change: mechanisms, conservation, and management. CRC Press (Taylor and Francis Group). xix + 314 pp.Beever, E.A., C. Ray, J.L. Wilkening, P.W. Mote, and P.F. Brussard. 2011. Landscape-scale conservation and management of montane wildlife: contemporary climate may be changing the rules. Intermountain Journal of Science 17(1-4):41-42.Beever, E.A., and A.T. Smith. 2011. Ochotona princeps. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2.Calkins, M.T., E.A. Beever, K.G. Boykin, J.K. Frey, and M.C. Andersen. 2012. Not-so-splendid isolation: modeling climate-mediated range collapse of a montane mammal (Ochotona princeps) across numerous ecoregions. Ecography 35(9):780-791.Ray, C., E.A. Beever, and S. Loarie. 2012. Retreat of the American pika: up the mountain or into the void? Invited chapter (pages 245-270) in : Brodie, J.F., E. Post, and D.F. Doak, editors, Wildlife conservation in a changing climate. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL.**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
Evaluating Species’ Adaptive Capacity in a Changing Climate: Applications to Natural-Resource Management in the Northwestern U.S.
Natural resource managers are confronted with the pressing challenge to develop conservation plans that address complex ecological and societal needs against the backdrop of a rapidly changing climate. Climate change vulnerability assessments (CCVAs) provide valuable information that helps guide management and conservation actions in this regard. An essential component to CCVAs is understanding adAdaptive Capacity: The Linchpin for Understanding and Addressing Species Vulnerability to Climate Change Impacts
Different species have different ways of coping with changing climate conditions. Some species may move to more-favorable habitats, others may change their behavior (such as by shifting their diets), and still others may change the timing of life-cycle events (such as migration). The ability of a species to accommodate changing conditions is known as its “adaptive capacity”. Understanding the adaAdaptive Capacity: the linchpin for understanding and addressing species vulnerability to climate-change impacts
When prioritizing natural resource management activities, managers need to understand how plant and animal species differ in terms of their vulnerability to variation in environmental conditions caused by climate change. Species vulnerability to climate change is controlled by (1) exposure to changing environmental conditions, (2) sensitivity to direct and indirect effects of those changing...Design, Analysis, Monitoring, and Conservation of Ecological Dynamics at Broad Scales
There is increasing recognition that the spatial context in which any ecological process or phenomenon occurs has great bearing on the outcome of that process. Since 1994, we have been working on numerous field investigations and conceptual developments to inform how ecological resources can be managed and conserved across jurisdictional boundaries and broad spatial extents. Because such spatially...Species and Ecosystem Responses to Global Change
We work with a diverse collection of researchers, resource managers, and conservation practitioners to address the “how” and “why” questions that underlie species-and ecosystem-level responses to long-term weather patterns. Although it is more challenging, this level of more-mechanistic understanding is critical for informing climate-adaptation actions and strategies. We use a diversity of study...Grazing, Ungulate, and Disturbance Ecology
We work with a diverse collection of other researchers and resource managers, at local to national and international levels, to address ways in which herbivory and grazing systems interact with the broader ecosystems in which they occur. We investigate whether long-term weather patterns may interact synergistically to affect how soils, vegetation, and other animals respond to grazing or browsing...Integrating Climate and Biological Data into Management Decisions for the Greater Sage-Grouse and their Habitats
Climate affects both the demographics of the Greater sage-grouse bird and the condition and long-term viability of their habitats, including sage-steppe communities. This project builds on collaboration among federal land managers, state wildlife biologists, scientists, and other organizations to create a long-term framework for implementing adaptive management for the sage-grouse. The study examiUsing a Collaborative Modeling Approach to Explore Climate and Landscape Change in the Northern Rockies and Inform Adaptive Management
Federal land managers need an adaptive management framework to accommodate changing conditions and that allows them to effectively link the appropriate science to natural resource management decision-making across jurisdictional boundaries. FRAME-SIMPPLLE is a collaborative modeling process designed to accomplish this goal by coupling the adaptive capabilities of the SIMPPLLE modeling system with - Data
Climatic data associated with American-pika survey (2011-2021) locations in 3 regions of the Rocky Mountains
Patch-level summary of 8 climatic characteristics at each of 1,865 talus patches across 3 regions in the Rocky Mountains. Dataset notes the year in which the patch was surveyed for pikas, the values of its climatic characteristics (estimated from the ClimateNA dataset), the name of each talus patch, and which of the 3 regions each patch occurs in.Model performance and output variables for phenological events across land cover types in the Northwestern Plains, 1989-2014
Many aspects of recurring plant developmental events – vegetation phenology – are measured by remote sensing. By consistently measuring the timing and magnitude of the growing season, it is possible to study the complex relationships among drivers of the seasonal cycle of vegetation, including legacy conditions. We studied the role of current and legacy climate, and contextual factors on the landHoary Marmot Abundance in North Cascades National Park 2007-2008 and 2016-2017
USGS and NPS biologists used distance sampling to estimate abundance of hoary marmots (Marmota caligata) in North Cascades National Park, Washington, USA during 2007-2008 and 2016-2017. Biologists resurveyed hoary marmots in 2016 and 2017 at 78 point-count stations across 19 sites surveyed by NPS in 2007-2008. Data include marmot detection distances and survey conditions used to estimate abundance - Multimedia
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