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
Occurrence of oral deformities in larval anurans
Habitat relationships of birds overwintering in a managed coastal prairie
Biogeographic affinity helps explain productivity-richness relationships at regional and local scales
Does species diversity limit productivity in natural grassland communities?
Large-scale causes of variation in the serpentine vegetation of California
Environmental and plant community determinants of species loss following nitrogen enrichment
Forage nutritive quality in the Serengeti ecosystem: The roles of fire and herbivory
Species richness and soil properties in Pinus ponderosa forests: A structural equation modeling analysis
Prescribed fire and cutting as tools for reducing woody plant succession in a created salt marsh
Structural equation modeling and natural systems
The Interface Between Theory and Data in Structural Equation Models
Predicting the persistence of coastal wetlands to global change stressors
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Filter Total Items: 180
Occurrence of oral deformities in larval anurans
We quantified deformities in the marginal papillae, tooth rows, and jaw sheaths of tadpoles from 13 population samples representing three families and 11 sites in the southeastern United States. Oral deformities were observed in all samples and in 13.5-98% of the specimens per sample. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (chytrid) infections were detected in three samples. There was high variability amoAuthorsD.L. Drake, R. Altig, J.B. Grace, S.C. WallsHabitat relationships of birds overwintering in a managed coastal prairie
Grassland birds are considered to be rapidly declining in North America. Management approaches for grassland birds frequently rely on prescribed burning to maintain habitat in suitable condition. We evaluated the relationships among years since burn, vegetation structure, and overwintering grassland bird abundance in coastal prairie. Le Conte's Sparrows (Ammodramus leconteii) were most common in aAuthorsH.Q. Baldwin, J.B. Grace, W.C. Barrow, F.C. RohwerBiogeographic affinity helps explain productivity-richness relationships at regional and local scales
The unresolved question of what causes the observed positive relationship between large-scale productivity and species richness has long interested ecologists and evolutionists. Here we examine a potential explanation that we call the biogeographic affinity hypothesis, which proposes that the productivity-richness relationship is a function of species' climatic tolerances that in turn are shaped bAuthorsS. Harrison, J.B. GraceDoes species diversity limit productivity in natural grassland communities?
Theoretical analyses and experimental studies of synthesized assemblages indicate that under particular circumstances species diversity can enhance community productivity through niche complementarity. It remains unclear whether this process has important effects in mature natural ecosystems where competitive feedbacks and complex environmental influences affect diversity-productivity relationshipAuthorsJ.B. Grace, T.M. Anderson, M. D. Smith, E. Seabloom, S.J. Andelman, G. Meche, E. Weiher, L.K. Allain, H. Jutila, M. Sankaran, J. Knops, M. Ritchie, M. R. WilligLarge-scale causes of variation in the serpentine vegetation of California
Serpentine vegetation in California ranges from forest to shrubland and grassland, harbors many rare and endemic species, and is only moderately altered by invasive exotic species at the present time. To better understand the factors regulating the distribution of common/representative species, endemic/rare species, and the threat of exotics in this important flora, we analyzed broad-scale communiAuthorsJ.B. Grace, H.D. Safford, S. HarrisonEnvironmental and plant community determinants of species loss following nitrogen enrichment
Global energy use and food production have increased nitrogen inputs to ecosystems worldwide, impacting plant community diversity, composition, and function. Previous studies show considerable variation across terrestrial herbaceous ecosystems in the magnitude of species loss following nitrogen (N) enrichment. What controls this variation remains unknown. We present results from 23 N-addition expeAuthorsC.M. Clark, E.E. Cleland, S.L. Collins, J.E. Fargione, L. Gough, K.L. Gross, S.C. Pennings, K.N. Suding, J.B. GraceForage nutritive quality in the Serengeti ecosystem: The roles of fire and herbivory
Fire and herbivory are important determinants of nutrient availability in savanna ecosystems. Fire and herbivory effects on the nutritive quality of savanna vegetation can occur directly, independent of changes in the plant community, or indirectly, via effects on the plant community. Indirect effects can be further subdivided into those occurring because of changes in plant species composition orAuthorsT.M. Anderson, M.E. Ritchie, E. Mayemba, S. Eby, J.B. Grace, S.J. McNaughtonSpecies richness and soil properties in Pinus ponderosa forests: A structural equation modeling analysis
Question: How are the effects of mineral soil properties on understory plant species richness propagated through a network of processes involving the forest overstory, soil organic matter, soil nitrogen, and understory plant abundance? Location: North-central Arizona, USA. Methods: We sampled 75 0.05-ha plots across a broad soil gradient in a Pinus ponderosa (ponderosa pine) forest ecosystem. We eAuthorsD.C. Laughlin, S.R. Abella, W.W. Covington, J.B. GracePrescribed fire and cutting as tools for reducing woody plant succession in a created salt marsh
This paper reports on efforts to reduce woody successional growth by the native shrub Iva frutescens L. in a created salt marsh by using prescribed fire and cutting. Experimental treatments included a winter burn, cutting plants at ground level, and a combination burn-and-cut treatment, with replicate plots of each. Iva frutescens proved to be extremely hardy, with zero mortality following the cutAuthorsA.B. Owens, C.E. Proffitt, J.B. GraceStructural equation modeling and natural systems
This book, first published in 2006, presents an introduction to the methodology of structural equation modeling, illustrates its use, and goes on to argue that it has revolutionary implications for the study of natural systems. A major theme of this book is that we have, up to this point, attempted to study systems primarily using methods (such as the univariate model) that were designed only forAuthorsJames B. GraceThe Interface Between Theory and Data in Structural Equation Models
Structural equation modeling (SEM) holds the promise of providing natural scientists the capacity to evaluate complex multivariate hypotheses about ecological systems. Building on its predecessors, path analysis and factor analysis, SEM allows for the incorporation of both observed and unobserved (latent) variables into theoretically based probabilistic models. In this paper we discuss the interfaAuthorsJames B. Grace, Kenneth A. BollenPredicting the persistence of coastal wetlands to global change stressors
Despite progress toward understanding the response of coastal wetlands to increases in relative sea-level rise and an improved understanding of the effect of elevated CO2 on plant species allocation patterns, we are limited in our ability to predict the response of coastal wetlands to the effects associated with global change. Static simulations of the response of coastal wetlands to sea-level riAuthorsG. Guntenspergen, Karen McKee, D. Cahoon, J. Grace, P. Megonigal - News