Matthew Brooks
Dr. Matthew Brooks is an Ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey's Western Ecological Research Center.
His primary research emphasis is on the ecology and management of alien plants and fire in the deserts and mountains of western North America. Other research topics include drought, wildlife ecology, ecological restoration, and the ecological effects of various land-use regimes. Dr. Brooks serves on the editorial boards of the journals Fire Ecology and Rangeland Ecology and Management, and was a charter editorial board member of Invasive Plant Science and Management. Dr. Brooks has taught at the high school, community college, and university levels and has advised numerous Master's and Doctoral students.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Biology, concentration in Ecology and Population Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 1998
M.A., Biology, California State University, Fresno, CA 1992
Teaching Credential, Biology/Physical Sciences, California State University, Fresno, CA 1990
B.S., Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 1987
Science and Products
Research and application highlight: Effectiveness of postfire seeding to reduce cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) growth and reproduction in recently burned sagebrush steppe
Plant community patterns in unburned and burned blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) shrublands in the Mojave Desert
Effects of increased soil nitrogen on the dominance of alien annual plants in the Mojave Desert
Fuels and fire regimes in creosostebush, blackbrush, and interior chaparral shrublands
Alien annual plants and wildfire in desert tortoise habitat: status, ecological effects, and management
Sampling methods and trapping success trends for the Mohave ground squirrel (Spermophilus mohavensis)
Alien plants and fire in desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) habitat of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts
Peak fire temperatures and effects on annual plants in the Mojave Desert
Fire and exotic grasses changing Mojave's face
Competition between alien annual grasses and native annual plants in the Mojave Desert
Book review: A natural history of the Sonoran Desert
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 90
Research and application highlight: Effectiveness of postfire seeding to reduce cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) growth and reproduction in recently burned sagebrush steppe
No abstract available at this timeAuthorsM.L. BrooksPlant community patterns in unburned and burned blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) shrublands in the Mojave Desert
The blackbrush vegetation type is dominated by Coleogyne ramossisima, which is thought to preclude the coexistence of many other plant species. Fire can remove blackbrush cover and possibly increase plant species richness and evenness. Fire also may increase the frequency and cover of alien annual grasses, thereby intensifying landscape flammability. We tested these predictions in unburned and burAuthorsMatthew L. Brooks, John R. MatchettEffects of increased soil nitrogen on the dominance of alien annual plants in the Mojave Desert
1. Deserts are one of the least invaded ecosystems by plants, possibly due to naturally low levels of soil nitrogen. Increased levels of soil nitrogen caused by atmospheric nitrogen deposition may increase the dominance of invasive alien plants and decrease the diversity of plant communities in desert regions, as it has in other ecosystems. Deserts should be particularly susceptible to even smallAuthorsMatthew L. BrooksFuels and fire regimes in creosostebush, blackbrush, and interior chaparral shrublands
No abstract available at this timeAuthorsM.L. Brooks, T. C. Esque, T. DuckAlien annual plants and wildfire in desert tortoise habitat: status, ecological effects, and management
No abstract available.AuthorsM.L. Brooks, T. C. EsqueSampling methods and trapping success trends for the Mohave ground squirrel (Spermophilus mohavensis)
No abstract available.AuthorsM.L. Brooks, J.R. MatchettAlien plants and fire in desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) habitat of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts
No abstract available.AuthorsM.L. Brooks, T. C. EsquePeak fire temperatures and effects on annual plants in the Mojave Desert
Very little is known about the behavior and effects of fire in the Mojave Desert, because fire was historically uncommon. However, fire has become more frequent since the 1970s with increased dominance of the invasive annual grasses Bromus rubens and Schismus spp., and land managers are concerned about its ecological effect. In this paper, I describe patterns of peak fire temperature and their effAuthorsMatthew L. BrooksFire and exotic grasses changing Mojave's face
No abstract available at this timeAuthorsM.L. Brooks, T. C. EsqueCompetition between alien annual grasses and native annual plants in the Mojave Desert
Alien annual grasses in the genera Bromus and Schismus are widespread and abundant in the Mojave Desert, and negative correlations between these aliens and native annual plants suggest that competition may occur between them. Effects of competition were evaluated by thinning alien annual grass seedlings and measuring the responses of native annual plants at three sites in the central, southcentralAuthorsMatthew L. BrooksBook review: A natural history of the Sonoran Desert
Review info: A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert. Edited by S. J. Phillips and P. W. Comus. 2000. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Press, Tucson AZ, and University of California Press, Berkeley CA. 628 pp. Cloth ISBN 0-520-22029-3 Paper ISBN 0-520-21980-5.AuthorsMatthew L. Brooks - News