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Helen Sofaer

Helen Sofaer is a Research Ecologist at the Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center in Hawaii.

Science and Products

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Close up face view of a queensland longhorn beetle specimen

Invader in Hawai‘i, the Queensland Longhorn Beetle

Acalolepta aesthetica, known as the Queensland Longhorn Beetle, is a wood-boring beetle that has recently emerged as a problematic invader on the Hawai‘i Island. We are determining its current range and identifying patterns of host tree use, focusing on culturally important and native trees.
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Ecosystems, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center
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Invader in Hawai‘i, the Queensland Longhorn Beetle

Acalolepta aesthetica, known as the Queensland Longhorn Beetle, is a wood-boring beetle that has recently emerged as a problematic invader on the Hawai‘i Island. We are determining its current range and identifying patterns of host tree use, focusing on culturally important and native trees.
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Image Collage of Landsat, pollinator, and volcanologist

Developing a macroecological understanding of invasive plant impacts based on abundance and trait data

Understanding invasive plant impacts can provide insight into community assembly and inform the development of successful management strategies. The impacts of invasive species depend on how they alter patterns of abundance within recipient communities and on the characteristics of the invaders and the affected species. Research has suggested that common species may be more impacted by invasions,
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John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
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Developing a macroecological understanding of invasive plant impacts based on abundance and trait data

Understanding invasive plant impacts can provide insight into community assembly and inform the development of successful management strategies. The impacts of invasive species depend on how they alter patterns of abundance within recipient communities and on the characteristics of the invaders and the affected species. Research has suggested that common species may be more impacted by invasions,
Learn More
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Color photo of green cheatgrass

Assessing the Proliferation, Connectivity, and Consequences of Invasive Fine Fuels

Invasive annual grasses (fine fuels) are a significant challenge for land and wildlife management.
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Ecosystems, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Land Management Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center
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Assessing the Proliferation, Connectivity, and Consequences of Invasive Fine Fuels

Invasive annual grasses (fine fuels) are a significant challenge for land and wildlife management.
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Aerial photo of the prairie pothole region of North American

Webinar: Projecting Climate Change Impacts on Wetland-Dependent Birds in the Prairie Pothole Region

View this webinar to learn how scientists are projecting the impacts of climate change on birds in the Prairie Pothole Region.
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Ecosystems, Climate Adaptation Science Centers
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Webinar: Projecting Climate Change Impacts on Wetland-Dependent Birds in the Prairie Pothole Region

View this webinar to learn how scientists are projecting the impacts of climate change on birds in the Prairie Pothole Region.
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delta waters with a significant amount of floating vegetation

The Role of Climate in Shaping Invasive Plant Abundance across Different Spatial Locations

Invasive plants are a major land management problem in the Western U.S. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is the most prominent and problematic invader in cold deserts, with negative effects on rangeland fire patterns, wildlife habitats, and forage/vegetation. Red brome (B. madritensis) is an invader in the Mojave Desert, and can similarly introduce a new fire patterns to sensitive warm desert scrub. T
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Climate Adaptation Science Centers
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The Role of Climate in Shaping Invasive Plant Abundance across Different Spatial Locations

Invasive plants are a major land management problem in the Western U.S. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is the most prominent and problematic invader in cold deserts, with negative effects on rangeland fire patterns, wildlife habitats, and forage/vegetation. Red brome (B. madritensis) is an invader in the Mojave Desert, and can similarly introduce a new fire patterns to sensitive warm desert scrub. T
Learn More
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The RAM room VisWall display using 24 individual monitor outputs

Documenting, Mapping, and Predicting Invasive Species Using the Fort Collins Science Center's RAM (Resource for Advanced Modeling)

The Resource for Advanced Modeling room provides a collaborative working environment for up to 20 scientists, supported with networked, wireless computing capability for running and testing various scientific models (e.g., Maxent, Boosted Regression Trees, Logistic Regression, MARS, Random Forest) at a variety of spatial scales, from county to global levels. Models use various predictor layers...
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Ecosystems, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Invasive Species Program, Fort Collins Science Center
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Documenting, Mapping, and Predicting Invasive Species Using the Fort Collins Science Center's RAM (Resource for Advanced Modeling)

The Resource for Advanced Modeling room provides a collaborative working environment for up to 20 scientists, supported with networked, wireless computing capability for running and testing various scientific models (e.g., Maxent, Boosted Regression Trees, Logistic Regression, MARS, Random Forest) at a variety of spatial scales, from county to global levels. Models use various predictor layers...
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INHABIT species potential distribution across the contiguous United States (ver. 3.0, February 2023)

We developed habitat suitability models for invasive plant species selected by Department of Interior land management agencies. We applied the modeling workflow developed in Young et al. 2020 to species not included in the original case studies. Our methodology balanced trade-offs between developing highly customized models for a few species versus fitting non-specific and generic models for numer
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Fort Collins Science Center

Data to create and evaluate distribution models for invasive species for different geographic extents

We developed habitat suitability models for invasive plant species selected by Department of Interior land management agencies. We applied the modeling workflow developed in Young et al. 2020 to species not included in the original case studies. Our methodology balanced trade-offs between developing highly customized models for a few species versus fitting non-specific and generic models for numer
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Fort Collins Science Center

Great Basin predicted potential cheatgrass abundance, with model estimation and validation data from 2011-2019

This data release includes data and metadata describing 1) the rule set used to create vegetation type categories for the Great Basin; 2) estimation and validation data used to fit models of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) cover; and 3) mapped predictions of potential cheatgrass abundance.
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Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center

Presence and abundance data and models for four invasive plant species

We developed habitat suitability models for four invasive plant species of concern to Department of Interior land management agencies. We generally followed the modeling workflow developed in Young et al. 2020, but developed models both for two data types, where species were present and where they were abundant. We developed models using five algorithms with VisTrails: Software for Assisted Habita
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Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center

Co-occurrence and Occupancy Dynamics of Mourning Doves and Eurasian Collared-Doves

Data on mourning dove and Eurasian collared-dove occurrences, and associated covariates.
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Fort Collins Science Center

Data on the impacts of garlic mustard from a weeding experiment in Pennsylvania 2006-2016

Data were collected on the abundance of plants in a 10-year weeding experiment of garlic mustard, located at Trillium Trails Park in Pennsylvania. Garlic mustard was weeded annually to suppress its abundance, and the impacts of garlic mustard were measured based on the response of the plant community to garlic mustard weeding. Because garlic mustard is known to suppress mycorrhizal fungi, the myco
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Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center

Non-native and synanthropic bird data derived from 2010-2012 Breeding Bird Survey and associated landscape metrics from 2011 NLCD

Locations of and proportional abundance of non-native and synanthropic passerines were extracted from Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data from 2010-2012. Information characterizing the spatial variation and the associated amount, aggregation, and diversity of developed and agricultural land cover types was extracted from the National Land Cover Datasets of 2011. Data supported analyses in the publicat
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Fort Collins Science Center

Abundance of wetland-dependent birds at Breeding Bird Survey routes and associated land cover and climate information

Estimation and validation data for site by species matrices used in the publication 'Clustering and ensembling approaches to support surrogate-based species management' by H.R. Sofaer et al. 2019 Diversity and Distributions
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Fort Collins Science Center

Measurements of plant abundance with reference to dominant plants in Illinois wetlands

Data were collected on plant abundance in Illinois with the goal of determining correlations between the abundance of dominant plant taxa and other plant species.
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Fort Collins Science Center

Breeding Bird Survey songbird occurrences during 1977-1979 and 2012-2014 in conterminous U.S.

Data used in: "Misleading prioritizations from modeling range shifts under climate change" by H.R. Sofaer, C.S. Jarnevich, and C.H. Flather. Breeding Bird Survey data (version 2014.0) for songbirds were summarized over historical (1977-1979) and recent (2012-2014) time periods at routes in the conterminous U.S. Avian occurrence data were combined with information on climate and l
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Fort Collins Science Center

Data associated with Sofaer and Jarnevich 'Accounting for sampling patterns reverses the relative importance of trade and climate for the global sharing of exotic plants'

These data were analyzed for the publication 'Accounting for sampling patterns reverses the relative importance of trade and climate for the global sharing of exotic plants': Aim: Exotic species distributions reflect patterns of human-mediated dispersal, species climatic tolerances, and a suite of other biotic and abiotic factors. The relative importance of each of these factors will shape how the
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Fort Collins Science Center

Data used to estimate and project the effects of climate and land use change on wetland densities in the Prairie Pothole Region

These data were used to estimate models relating climate and land cover to wetland densities and develop projections under climate and land use change. Data for model estimation were derived from historical climate data, estimates of hydrological processes based on the Variable Infiltration Capacity model, National Wetlands Inventory, and the National Land Cover Database. Wetland densities were ba
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Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Filter Total Items: 24

Invaders at the doorstep: Using species distribution modeling to enhance invasive plant watch lists

Watch lists of invasive species that threaten a particular land management unit are useful tools because they can draw attention to invasive species at the very early stages of invasion when early detection and rapid response efforts are often most successful. However, watch lists typically rely on the subjective selection of invasive species by experts or on the use of spotty occurrence records.
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Ecosystems, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS), Fort Collins Science Center

Regional models do not outperform continental models for invasive species

Aim: Species distribution models can guide invasive species prevention and management by characterizing invasion risk across space. However, extrapolation and transferability issues pose challenges for developing useful models for invasive species. Previous work has emphasized the importance of including all available occurrences in model estimation, but managers attuned to local processes may be
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Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

Potential cheatgrass abundance within lightly invaded areas of the Great Basin

ContextAnticipating where an invasive species could become abundant can help guide prevention and control efforts aimed at reducing invasion impacts. Information on potential abundance can be combined with information on the current status of an invasion to guide management towards currently uninvaded locations where the threat of invasion is high.ObjectivesWe aimed to support management by develo
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Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

INHABIT: A web-based decision support tool for invasive plant species habitat visualization and assessment across the contiguous United States

Narrowing the communication and knowledge gap between producers and users of scientific data is a longstanding problem in ecological conservation and land management. Decision support tools (DSTs), including websites or interactive web applications, provide platforms that can help bridge this gap. DSTs can most effectively disseminate and translate research results when producers and users collabo
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Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

Management foundations for navigating ecological transformation by resisting, accepting, or directing social-ecological change

Despite striking global change, management to ensure healthy landscapes and sustained natural resources has tended to set objectives on the basis of the historical range of variability in stationary ecosystems. Many social–ecological systems are moving into novel conditions that can result in ecological transformation. We present four foundations to enable a transition to future-oriented conservat

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Ecosystems, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center

A science agenda to inform natural resource management decisions in an era of ecological transformation

Earth is experiencing widespread ecological transformation in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems that is attributable to directional environmental changes, especially intensifying climate change. To better steward ecosystems facing unprecedented and lasting change, a new management paradigm is forming, supported by a decision-oriented framework that presents three distinct management c
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Ecosystems, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center

Modelling presence versus abundance for invasive species risk assessment

AimInvasive species prevention and management can be guided by comparisons of invasion risk across space and among species. Species distribution models are widely used to assess invasion risk and typically estimate suitability for species presence. However, suitability for presence may not capture patterns of abundance and impact. We asked how models estimating suitability for presence versus suit
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Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

Negative effects of an allelopathic invader on AM fungal plant species drive community‐level responses

The mechanisms causing invasive species impact are rarely empirically tested, limiting our ability to understand and predict subsequent changes in invaded plant communities. Invader disruption of native mutualistic interactions is a mechanism expected to have negative effects on native plant species. Specifically, disruption of native plant‐fungal mutualisms may provide non‐mycorrhizal plant invad
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Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

Ecological forecasting—21st century science for 21st century management

Natural resource managers are coping with rapid changes in both environmental conditions and ecosystems. Enabled by recent advances in data collection and assimilation, short-term ecological forecasting may be a powerful tool to help resource managers anticipate impending near-term changes in ecosystem conditions or dynamics. Managers may use the information in forecasts to minimize the adverse ef
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Ecosystems, Water Resources, Wildlife Program (unpublished), Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS), Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

A modeling workflow that balances automation and human intervention to inform invasive plant management decisions at multiple spatial scales

Predictions of habitat suitability for invasive plant species can guide risk assessments at regional and national scales and inform early detection and rapid-response strategies at local scales. We present a general approach to invasive species modeling and mapping that meets objectives at multiple scales. Our methodology is designed to balance trade-offs between developing highly customized model
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Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

Human-associated species dominate passerine communities across the United States

AimHuman development and agriculture can have transformative and homogenizing effects on natural systems, shifting the composition of ecological communities towards non-native and native species that tolerate or thrive under human-dominated conditions. These impacts cannot be fully captured by summarizing species presence, as they include dramatic changes to patterns of species abundance. However,
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Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

Co-occurrence and occupancy dynamics of mourning doves and Eurasian collared-doves

Understanding how land cover and potential competition with invasive species shape patterns of occupancy, extirpation, and colonization of native species across a landscape can help target management for declining native populations. Mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) populations have declined throughout the United States from 1965–2015. The expansion of the Eurasian collared‐dove (Streptopelia deca
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Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

High-throughput calculations of climatch scores

Matching climate envelopes allows people to examine how potential invasive species may match habitats. This repository contains code for using the climatchR package for high-throughput calculations of climatch scores for species using GBIF data. Climatch is based upon the climatch algorithm as implemented through the climatchR package.
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Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

climatchR: An implementation of Climatch in R

Matching climate envelopes of allows people to examine how potential invasive species may match habitats. The Australian government created Climatch to do allow for these comparisons. However, this webpage does not allow for readily scripting climate matching. Hence, the authors created climatchR, an R package (R Core Team 2020) implementing the climatch method in R. This was created to allow auto
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Ecosystems, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

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