Erik Beever, Ph.D.
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
Freezing in a warming climate: Marked declines of a subnivean hibernator after a snow drought
Persist in place or shift in space? Evaluating the adaptive capacity of species to climate change
Context-dependent effects of livestock grazing in deserts of western North America
Introduction: Defining and interpreting ecological disturbances
Discovery of the yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico: Examining competing hypotheses for range extension
Evaluating mechanisms of plant‐mediated effects on herbivore persistence and occupancy across an ecoregion
An integrated framework for ecological drought across riverscapes of North America
Social–ecological mismatches create conservation challenges in introduced species management
Ecological consequences of anomalies in atmospheric moisture and snowpack
Change in dominance determines herbivore effects on plant biodiversity
Conservation challenges emerging from free-roaming horse management: a vexing social-ecological mismatch
Adaptive population divergence and directional gene flow across steep elevational gradients in a climate‐sensitive mammal
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.
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Filter Total Items: 71
Freezing 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 N. Johnston, Roger G Christophersen, Erik A. Beever, Jason I. RansomPersist in place or shift in space? Evaluating the adaptive capacity of species to climate change
Assessing the vulnerability of species to climate change serves as the basis for climate‐adaptation planning and climate‐smart conservation, and typically involves an evaluation of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity (AC). AC is a species’ ability to cope with or adjust to changing climatic conditions, and is the least understood and most inconsistently applied of these three factors. WeAuthorsLindsey L. Thurman, Bruce Stein, Erik A. Beever, Wendy Foden, Sonya Geange, Nancy Green, John E. Gross, David J Lawrence, Olivia E. LeDee, Julian D. Olden, Laura Thompson, Bruce YoungContext-dependent effects of livestock grazing in deserts of western North America
This chapter provides a general review of grazing disturbance by large mammalian grazers and the role of ecological context in moderating its effects, with emphasis on North American deserts. It discusses the ecological consequences of cessation of livestock grazing and present a case study from the Mojave Desert, United States of America. A primary effect of grazing is selective removal and ingesAuthorsKari E. Veblen, Erik A. Beever, David A. PykeIntroduction: Defining and interpreting ecological disturbances
Within the field of ecology, disturbance can be defined as a physical force, agent, or process, either abiotic or biotic, causing a perturbation or stress, to an ecological component or system, relative to a specified reference state and/or system. Disturbance drive ecosystems, and our understanding of how disturbances interact with biological diversity and scales of space, time, and ecological coAuthorsErik A. Beever, Suresh Andrew Sethi, Suzanne Prange, Dominick DellaSalaDiscovery of the yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico: Examining competing hypotheses for range extension
The yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) reaches the southern edge of its geographic range in New Mexico, where it is known from the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo Mountains. We provide a synopsis of the geographic range of M. flaviventris in New Mexico and report 5 recent records from the Jemez Mountains, Los Alamos and Sandoval Counties. Of the 5 records from the Jemez Mountains, 3 were oAuthorsJennifer K. Frey, Erik A. Beever, Charles D Hathcock, Robert Parmenter, Marie L WestoverEvaluating mechanisms of plant‐mediated effects on herbivore persistence and occupancy across an ecoregion
Contemporary climate change is rapidly creating one of the greatest challenges for management and conservation during the 21st century. Mountain ecosystems, which have a high degree of spatial heterogeneity and contain numerous habitat specialists, have been identified as particularly vulnerable. We used data from multiple years across sites spanning a >40 million ha ecoregion to test hypotheses rAuthorsJennifer L. Wilkening, Evan J. Cole, Erik A. BeeverAn integrated framework for ecological drought across riverscapes of North America
Climate change is increasing the severity and extent of extreme droughts events, posing a critical threat to freshwater ecosystems, particularly with increasing human demands for diminishing water supplies. Despite the importance of drought as a significant driver of ecological and evolutionary dynamics, current understanding of drought consequences for freshwater biodiversity is very limited. WAuthorsRyan Kovach, Jason B. Dunham, Robert Al-Chokhachy, Craig Snyder, Erik A. Beever, Gregory T. Pederson, Abigail Lynch, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Christopher P. Konrad, Kristin Jaeger, Alan H. Rea, Adam J. Sepulveda, Patrick M. Lambert, Jason M. Stoker, J. Joseph Giersch, Clint C. MuhlfeldSocial–ecological mismatches create conservation challenges in introduced species management
Introduced species can have important effects on the component species and processes of native ecosystems. However, effective introduced species management can be complicated by technical and social challenges. We identify “social–ecological mismatches” (that is, differences between the scales and functioning of interacting social and ecological systems) as one such challenge. We present three casAuthorsErik A. Beever, Daniel Simberloff, Sarah L. Crowley, Robert Al-Chokhachy, Hazel A. Jackson, Steven L. PetersenEcological consequences of anomalies in atmospheric moisture and snowpack
Although increased frequency of extreme‐weather events is one of the most secure predictions associated with contemporary climate change, effects of such events on distribution and abundance of climate‐sensitive species remain poorly understood. Montane ecosystems may be especially sensitive to extreme weather because of complex abiotic and biotic interactions that propagate from climate‐driven reAuthorsAaron N. Johnston, Jason E. Bruggeman, Roger Christophersen, Aidan Beers, Erik A. Beever, Jason I. RansomChange in dominance determines herbivore effects on plant biodiversity
Herbivores alter plant biodiversity (species richness) in many of the world’s ecosystems, but the magnitude and the direction of herbivore effects on biodiversity vary widely within and among ecosystems. One current theory predicts that herbivores enhance plant biodiversity at high productivity but have the opposite effect at low productivity. Yet, empirical support for the importance of site prodAuthorsSally E. Koerner, Melinda D. Smith, Deron E. Burkepile, Niall P. Hanan, Meghan L. Avolio, Scott L. Collins, Alan K. Knapp, Nathan P. Lemoine, Elisabeth J. Forrestel, Stephanie Eby, Dave I. Thompson, Gerardo A. Aguado-Santacruz, John P. Anderson, T. Michael Anderson, Ayana Angassa, Sumanta Bagchi, Elisabeth S. Bakker, Gary Bastin, Lauren E. Baur, Karen H. Beard, Erik A. Beever, Patrick J. Bohlen, Elizabeth H. Boughton, Don Canestro, Ariela Cesa, Enrique Chaneton, Jimin Cheng, Carla M. D'Antonio, Claire Deleglise, Fadiala Dembélé, Josh Dorrough, David J. Eldridge, Barbara Fernandez-Going, Silvia Fernández-Lugo, Lauchlan H. Fraser, Bill Freedman, Gonzalo García-Salgado, Jacob R. Goheen, Liang Guo, Sean Husheer, Moussa Karembé, Johannes M. H. Knops, Tineke Kraaij, Andrew Kulmatiski, Minna-Maarit Kytöviita, Felipe Lezama, Gregory Loucougaray, Alejandro Loydi, Daniel G. Milchunas, Suzanne J. Milton, John W. Morgan, Claire Moxham, Kyle C. Nehring, Han Olff, Todd M. Palmer, Salvador Rebollo, Corinna Riginos, Anita C. Risch, Marta Rueda, Mahesh Sankaran, Takehiro Sasaki, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Nick L. Schultz, Martin Schütz, Angelika Schwabe, Frances Siebert, Christian Smit, Karen A. Stahlheber, Christian Storm, Dustin J. Strong, Jishuai Su, Yadugiri V. Tiruvaimozhi, Claudia Tyler, James Val, Martijn L. Vandegehuchte, Kari E. Veblen, Lance Vermeire, David Ward, Jianshuang Wu, Truman P. Young, Qiang Yu, Tamara J. ZelikovaConservation challenges emerging from free-roaming horse management: a vexing social-ecological mismatch
Horses have been associated with human societies for millennia, and for many have come to symbolize wildness, power, resilience, and freedom. Although equids were extirpated from North America 10 000-12 000 years ago, descendants of domestic horses now roam freely in the USA and 17 other countries across six continents. In landscape-scale and experimental investigations, free-roaming horses (EquusAuthorsErik A. Beever, Lynn Huntsinger, Steven L. PetersenAdaptive population divergence and directional gene flow across steep elevational gradients in a climate‐sensitive mammal
The American pika is a thermally sensitive, alpine lagomorph species. Recent climate-associated population extirpations and genetic signatures of reduced population sizes range-wide indicate the viability of this species is sensitive to climate change. To test for potential adaptive responses to climate stress, we sampled pikas along two elevational gradients (each ~470 to 1640 m) and employed thrAuthorsMatthew D. Waterhouse, Liesl P. Erb, Erik A. Beever, Michael A. RusselloNon-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.
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