James Grace, Ph.D.
James Grace is a Senior Research Scientist at the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.
BACKGROUND
2015 - present Senior Research Scientist. U.S. Geological Survey, ST
2002 - 2014 Senior Research Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, GS-15
1993 - 2019 Adjunct Professor, Department of Biology, University of Louisiana
2002 – 2005 Affiliate Faculty, School of Renewable Natural Resources, LSU
1992 - 2002 Research Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Division
1990 - 1993 Professor, Department of Botany, Louisiana State University
1985 - 1990 Associate Professor, Department of Botany, Louisiana State Univ.
1989 Visiting Professor, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium
1986 Visiting Scientist, Div. Wildlife, CSIRO, Darwin, Australia
1980‑1985 Assistant Professor, Dept. Botany and Microbiology, Univ. Arkansas summer
After graduate school, he held faculty positions at the University of Arkansas and Louisiana State University, where he reached the level of Full Professor. In 2000, he received the millennium Meritorious Research Award from the Society of Wetland Scientists and in 2003 received the National Science Excellence Award from the U.S. Geological Survey. He was selected to be a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America and promoted to the Senior Scientist ranks in 2014. Since 2019 he has been designated as a ‘Highly-Cited Researcher’ by the Web of Science in recognition of his scientific impact during the past decade. In 2021 he received the Presidential Rank Award, which is given out by the President of the United States and is the highest performance award given to career senior scientists and administrators. He has published over 200 papers and reports, including 3 books, one on competitive interactions, one on community analysis, and one on structural equation modeling. As of 2020, Grace has given over 200 invited lectures and workshops in 9 countries during his career.
For more information, search 'Jim Grace USGS'.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Michigan State University
M.S., Clemson University
B.S., Biology, Presbyterian College
Science and Products
Productivity is a poor predictor of plant species richness
Local richness along gradients in the Siskiyou herb flora: R. H. Whittaker revisited
Landscape-scale analyses suggest both nutrient and antipredator advantages to Serengeti herbivore hotspots
Ecological contingency in the effects of climatic warming on forest herb communities
Predicting performance for ecological restoration: A case study using Spartina altemiflora
On the specification of structural equation models for ecological systems
Climate change effects on an endemic-rich edaphic flora: resurveying Robert H. Whittaker's Siskiyou sites (Oregon, USA)
Fire rehabilitation effectiveness: a chronosequence approach for the Great Basin
Elevated CO2 enhances biological contributions to elevation change in coastal wetlands by offsetting stressors associated with sea-level rise
Beneath the veil: Plant growth form influences the strength of species richness-productivity relationships in forests
Elevated CO2 enhances biological contributions to elevation change in coastal wetlands by offsetting stressors associated with sea-level rise
Delayed conifer mortality after fuel reduction treatments: Interactive effects of fuel, fire intensity, and bark beetles
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Productivity is a poor predictor of plant species richness
For more than 30 years, the relationship between net primary productivity and species richness has generated intense debate in ecology about the processes regulating local diversity. The original view, which is still widely accepted, holds that the relationship is hump-shaped, with richness first rising and then declining with increasing productivity. Although recent meta-analyses questioned the gAuthorsPeter B. Adler, Eric W. Seabloom, Elizabeth T. Borer, Helmut Hillebrand, Yann Hautier, Andy Hector, W. Stanley Harpole, Lydia R. O'Halloran, James B. Grace, T. Michael Anderson, Jonathan D. Bakker, Lori A. Biederman, Cynthia S. Brown, Yvonne M. Buckley, Laura B. Calabrese, Cheng-Jin Chu, Elsa E. Cleland, Scott L. Collins, Kathryn L. Cottingham, Michael J. Crawley, Ellen Ingman Damschen, Kendi F. Davies, Nicole M. DeCrappeo, Philip A. Fay, Jennifer Firn, Paul Frater, Eve I. Gasarch, Daneil S. Gruner, Nicole Hagenah, Janneke Hille Ris Lambers, Hope Humphries, Virginia L. Jin, Adam D. Kay, Kevin P. Kirkman, Julia A. Klein, Johannes M.H. Knops, Kimberly J. La Pierre, John G. Lambrinos, Wei Li, Andrew S. MacDougall, Rebecca L. McCulley, Brett A. Melbourne, Charles E. Mitchell, Joslin L. Moore, John W. Morgan, Brent Mortensen, John L. Orrock, Suzanne M. Prober, David A. Pyke, Anita C. Risch, Martin Schuetz, Melinda D. Smith, Carly J. Stevens, Lauren L. Sullivan, Gang Wang, Peter D. Wragg, Justin P. Wright, Louie H. YangLocal richness along gradients in the Siskiyou herb flora: R. H. Whittaker revisited
In his classic study in the Siskiyou Mountains (Oregon, USA), one of the most botanically rich forested regions in North America, R. H. Whittaker (1960) foreshadowed many modern ideas on the multivariate control of local species richness along environmental gradients related to productivity. Using a structural equation model to analyze his data, which were never previously statistically analyzed,AuthorsJames B. Grace, Susan Harrison, Ellen Ingman DamschenLandscape-scale analyses suggest both nutrient and antipredator advantages to Serengeti herbivore hotspots
Mechanistic explanations of herbivore spatial distribution have focused largely on either resource‐related (bottom‐up) or predation‐related (top‐down) factors. We studied direct and indirect influences on the spatial distributions of Serengeti herbivore hotspots, defined as temporally stable areas inhabited by mixed herds of resident grazers. Remote sensing and variation in landscape features wereAuthorsT. Michael Anderson, J. Grant C. Hopcraft, Stephanie Eby, Mark Ritchie, James B. Grace, Han OlffEcological contingency in the effects of climatic warming on forest herb communities
Downscaling from the predictions of general climate models is critical to current strategies for mitigating species loss caused by climate change. A key impediment to this downscaling is that we lack a fully developed understanding of how variation in physical, biological, or land-use characteristics mediates the effects of climate change on ecological communities within regions. We analyzed changAuthorsSusan Harrison, Ellen Ingman Damschen, James B. GracePredicting performance for ecological restoration: A case study using Spartina altemiflora
The success of population-based ecological restoration relies on the growth and reproductive performance of selected donor materials, whether consisting of whole plants or seed. Accurately predicting performance requires an understanding of a variety of underlying processes, particularly gene flow and selection, which can be measured, at least in part, using surrogates such as neutral marker genetAuthorsS.E. Travis, J.B. GraceOn the specification of structural equation models for ecological systems
The use of structural equation modeling (SEM) is often motivated by its utility for investigating complex networks of relationships, but also because of its promise as a means of representing theoretical concepts using latent variables. In this paper, we discuss characteristics of ecological theory and some of the challenges for proper specification of theoretical ideas in structural equation modeAuthorsJames B. Grace, T. Michael Anderson, Han Olff, S.M. ScheinerClimate change effects on an endemic-rich edaphic flora: resurveying Robert H. Whittaker's Siskiyou sites (Oregon, USA)
Species with relatively narrow niches, such as plants restricted (endemic) to particular soils, may be especially vulnerable to extinction under a changing climate due to the enhanced difficulty they face in migrating to suitable new sites. To test for community-level effects of climate change, and to compare such effects in a highly endemic-rich flora on unproductive serpentine soils vs. the florAuthorsEllen Ingman Damschen, Susan Harrison, James B. GraceFire rehabilitation effectiveness: a chronosequence approach for the Great Basin
Federal land management agencies have invested heavily in seeding vegetation for emergency stabilization and rehabilitation (ES&R) of non-forested lands. ES&R projects are implemented to reduce post-fire dominance of non-native annual grasses, minimize probability of recurrent fire, quickly recover lost habitat for sensitive species, and ultimately result in plant communities with desirable chAuthorsDavid A. Pyke, David S. Pilliod, Jeanne C. Chambers, Matthew L. Brooks, James GraceElevated CO2 enhances biological contributions to elevation change in coastal wetlands by offsetting stressors associated with sea-level rise
1. Sea-level rise, one indirect consequence of increasing atmospheric CO2, poses a major challenge to long-term stability of coastal wetlands. An important question is whether direct effects of elevated CO 2 on the capacity of marsh plants to accrete organic material and to maintain surface elevations outweigh indirect negative effects of stressors associated with sea-level rise (salinity and flooAuthorsJ. A. Cherry, K.L. McKee, J.B. GraceBeneath the veil: Plant growth form influences the strength of species richness-productivity relationships in forests
Aim: Species richness has been observed to increase with productivity at large spatial scales, though the strength of this relationship varies among functional groups. In forests, canopy trees shade understorey plants, and for this reason we hypothesize that species richness of canopy trees will depend on macroclimate, while species richness of shorter growth forms will additionally be affected byAuthorsB. Oberle, J.B. Grace, J.M. ChaseElevated CO2 enhances biological contributions to elevation change in coastal wetlands by offsetting stressors associated with sea-level rise
1. Sea-level rise, one indirect consequence of increasing atmospheric CO2, poses a major challenge to long-term stability of coastal wetlands. An important question is whether direct effects of elevated CO 2 on the capacity of marsh plants to accrete organic material and to maintain surface elevations outweigh indirect negative effects of stressors associated with sea-level rise (salinity and flooAuthorsJ. A. Cherry, K.L. McKee, J.B. GraceDelayed conifer mortality after fuel reduction treatments: Interactive effects of fuel, fire intensity, and bark beetles
Many low‐elevation dry forests of the western United States contain more small trees and fewer large trees, more down woody debris, and less diverse and vigorous understory plant communities compared to conditions under historical fire regimes. These altered structural conditions may contribute to increased probability of unnaturally severe wildfires, susceptibility to uncharacteristic insect outbAuthorsA. Youngblood, J.B. Grace, J.D. Mciver - News