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
Principles of effective USA federal fire management plans
Detecting the influence of rare stressors on rare species in Yosemite National Park using a novel stratified permutation test
Implications of scale-independent habitat specialization on persistence of a rare small mammal
Impacts of fire management on aboveground tree carbon stocks in Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Conservation buffer distance estimates for Greater Sage-Grouse: a review
Relationships between annual plant productivity, nitrogen deposition and fire size in low-elevation California desert scrub
Long-term effects of seeding after wildfire on vegetation in Great Basin shrubland ecosystems
Synergistic interactions between leaf beetle herbivory and fire enhance tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) mortality
Short-term vegetation response following mechanical control of saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) on the Virgin River, Nevada, USA
Assessing fire effects on forest spatial structure using a fusion of Landsat and airborne LiDAR data in Yosemite National Park
Models of invasion and establishment of African Mustard (Brassica tournefortii)
Quantifying restoration effectiveness using multi-scale habitat models: implications for sage-grouse in the Great Basin
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Filter Total Items: 90
Principles of effective USA federal fire management plans
Federal fire management plans are essential implementation guides for the management of wildland fire on federal lands. Recent changes in federal fire policy implementation guidance and fire science information suggest the need for substantial changes in federal fire management plans of the United States. Federal land management agencies are also undergoing land management planning efforts that wiAuthorsMarc D. Meyer, Susan L. Roberts, Robin Wills, Matthew L. Brooks, Eric M. WinfordDetecting the influence of rare stressors on rare species in Yosemite National Park using a novel stratified permutation test
Statistical models often use observational data to predict phenomena; however, interpreting model terms to understand their influence can be problematic. This issue poses a challenge in species conservation where setting priorities requires estimating influences of potential stressors using observational data. We present a novel approach for inferring influence of a rare stressor on a rare speciesAuthorsJohn R. Matchett, Philip B. Stark, Steven M. Ostoja, Roland A. Knapp, Heather C. McKenny, Matthew L. Brooks, William T. Langford, Lucas N. Joppa, Eric L. BerlowImplications of scale-independent habitat specialization on persistence of a rare small mammal
We assessed the habitat use patterns of the Amargosa vole Microtus californicus scirpensis , an endangered rodent endemic to wetland vegetation along a 3.5 km stretch of the Amargosa River in the Mojave Desert, USA. Our goals were to: (1) quantify the vole’s abundance, occupancy rates and habitat selection patterns along gradients of vegetation cover and spatial scale; (2) identify the processes tAuthorsMichael Cleaver, Robert C. Klinger, Steven Anderson, Paul A. Maier, Jonathan ClarkImpacts of fire management on aboveground tree carbon stocks in Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Forest biomass on Sierra Nevada landscapes constitutes one of the largest carbon stocks in California, and its stability is tightly linked to the factors driving fire regimes. Research suggests that fire suppression, logging, climate change, and present management practices in Sierra Nevada forests have altered historic patterns of landscape carbon storage, and over a century of fire suppression aAuthorsJohn R. Matchett, James A. Lutz, Leland W. Tarnay, Douglas G. Smith, Kendall M.L. Becker, Matthew L. BrooksConservation buffer distance estimates for Greater Sage-Grouse: a review
This report was prepared at the request of the U.S. Department of the Interior and is a compilation and summary of published scientific studies that evaluate the influence of anthropogenic activities and infrastructure on Greater Sage-Grouse(Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) populations. The purpose of this report is to provide a convenient reference for land managers and others wAuthorsDaniel J. Manier, Zachary H. Bowen, Matthew L. Brooks, Michael L. Casazza, Peter S. Coates, Patricia A. Deibert, Steven E. Hanser, Douglas H. JohnsonRelationships between annual plant productivity, nitrogen deposition and fire size in low-elevation California desert scrub
Although precipitation is correlated with fire size in desert ecosystems and is typically used as an indirect surrogate for fine fuel load, a direct link between fine fuel biomass and fire size has not been established. In addition, nitrogen (N) deposition can affect fire risk through its fertilisation effect on fine fuel production. In this study, we examine the relationships between fire size anAuthorsLeela E. Rao, John R. Matchett, Matthew L. Brooks, Robert Johns, Richard A. Minnich, Edith B. AllenLong-term effects of seeding after wildfire on vegetation in Great Basin shrubland ecosystems
1. Invasive annual grasses alter fire regimes in shrubland ecosystems of the western USA, threatening ecosystem function and fragmenting habitats necessary for shrub-obligate species such as greater sage-grouse. Post-fire stabilization and rehabilitation treatments have been administered to stabilize soils, reduce invasive species spread and restore or establish sustainable ecosystems in which naAuthorsKevin C. Knutson, David A. Pyke, Troy A. Wirth, Robert S. Arkle, David S. Pilliod, Matthew L. Brooks, Jeanne C. Chambers, James B. GraceSynergistic interactions between leaf beetle herbivory and fire enhance tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) mortality
The combined effects of herbivory and fire on plant mortality were investigated using prescribed burns of tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima Lebed) exposed to herbivory by the saltcedar leaf beetle (Chrysomelidae: Diorhabda carinulata Desbrocher). Tamarix stands in the Humboldt Sink (NV, USA) were divided into three treatments: summer burn (August 2006), fall burn (October 2006) and control (unburned),AuthorsGail M. Drus, Tom L. Dudley, Carla M. Antonio, Thomas J. Even, Matt L. Brooks, J.R. MatchettShort-term vegetation response following mechanical control of saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) on the Virgin River, Nevada, USA
Tamarisk (a.k.a. saltcedar, Tamarix spp.) is an invasive plant species that occurs throughout western riparian and wetland ecosystems. It is implicated in alterations of ecosystem structure and function and is the subject of many local control projects, including removal using heavy equipment. We evaluated short-term vegetation responses to mechanical Tamarix spp. removal at sites ranging from 2 tAuthorsSteven M. Ostoja, Matthew L. Brooks, Tom Dudley, Steven R. LeeAssessing fire effects on forest spatial structure using a fusion of Landsat and airborne LiDAR data in Yosemite National Park
Mosaics of tree clumps and openings are characteristic of forests dominated by frequent, low- and moderate-severity fires. When restoring these fire-suppressed forests, managers often try to reproduce these structures to increase ecosystem resilience. We examined unburned and burned forest structures for 1937 0.81 ha sample areas in Yosemite National Park, USA. We estimated severity for fires fromAuthorsVan R. Kane, Malcolm P. North, James A. Lutz, Derek J. Churchill, Susan L. Roberts, Douglas F. Smith, Robert J. McGaughey, Jonathan T. Kane, Matthew L. BrooksModels of invasion and establishment of African Mustard (Brassica tournefortii)
Introduced exotic plants can drive ecosystem change. We studied invasion and establishment ofBrassica tournefortii (African mustard), a noxious weed, in the Chemehuevi Valley, western Sonoran Desert, California. We used long-term data sets of photographs, transects for biomass of annual plants, and densities of African mustard collected at irregular intervals between 1979 and 2009. We suggest thatAuthorsKristin H. Berry, Timothy A. Gowan, David M. Miller, Matthew L. BrooksQuantifying restoration effectiveness using multi-scale habitat models: implications for sage-grouse in the Great Basin
A recurrent challenge in the conservation of wide-ranging, imperiled species is understanding which habitats to protect and whether we are capable of restoring degraded landscapes. For Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), a species of conservation concern in the western United States, we approached this problem by developing multi-scale empirical models of occupancy in 211 randomly locAuthorsRobert S. Arkle, David S. Pilliod, Steven E. Hanser, Matthew L. Brooks, Jeanne C. Chambers, James B. Grace, Kevin C. Knutson, David A. Pyke, Justin L. Welty - News