Miguel Villarreal, PhD
Biography
Miguel Villarreal is a Research Geographer with the Western Geographic Science Center in Menlo Park, CA. Miguel received his Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Arizona and B.A. from the University of California, Davis.
Research and Professional Experience
2011-Present: Research Geographer, U.S. Geological Survey
2011-2013: Mendenhall Fellow, U.S. Geological Survey
2009-2011: Postdoctoral Research Associate, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona
2006-2009: Research Associate, Arizona Remote Sensing Center, University of Arizona
2001- 2005: Research Associate, Geography and Regional Development, University of Arizona
Publications:
Villarreal, M.L., S.L. Haire, J.M. Iniguez, C. Cortés Montaño, and T.B. Poitras. 2019. Distant Neighbors: Recent wildfire patterns of the Madrean Sky Islands of Southwestern United States and Northwestern México. Fire Ecology 15(2). [Open access - Link]
Norman, L.M., Villarreal, M.L., Niraula, R., Haberstich, M., Wilson, N.R. Modelling Development of Riparian Ranchlands Using Ecosystem Services at the Aravaipa Watershed, SE Arizona. Land 8(4), 64. [Open access - Link]
Waller, E.K., Villarreal, M.L., Poitras, T.B., Nauman, T.W., Duniway, M.C. 2018. Landsat time series analysis of fractional plant cover changes on abandoned energy development sites. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 73, 407-419. [Link]
Poitras, T.B., Villarreal, M.L., Waller, E.K., Nauman, T.N, Miller, M.E. and M.C. Duniway. 2018. Identifying optimal remotely-sensed variables for ecosystem monitoring in Colorado Plateau drylands. Journal of Arid Environments 153, 76-87. [Link]
Petrakis, R.E., Villarreal, M.L., Wu, Z., Hetzler, R., Middleton, B.R., Norman, L.M., 2018. Evaluating and monitoring forest fuel treatments using remote sensing applications in Arizona, U.S.A. Forest Ecology and Management 413, 48–61. [Link]
Villarreal, M.L., Labiosa, W.B, and Aiello, D., 2017, Evaluating land-use change scenarios for the Puget Sound Basin, Washington, within the ecosystem recovery target model-based framework: U.S. Geological Survey OpenFile Report 2017–1057, 14 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20171057.
Petrakis, R.E., van Leeuwen, W.J.D., Villarreal, M.L., Tashjian, P., Dello Russo, R., Scott, C.A., 2017. Historical Analysis of Riparian Vegetation Change in Response to Shifting Management Objectives on the Middle Rio Grande. Land 6, 29. [Link]
Nauman, T.W., Duniway, M.C., Villarreal, M.L., Poitras, T.B., 2017. Disturbance automated reference toolset (DART): Assessing patterns in ecological recovery from energy development on the Colorado Plateau. Science of The Total Environment 584–585, 476–488. [Link]
Bunting, E.L., Munson, S.M., Villarreal, M.L. 2017. Climate lags and legacy effects on dryland plant communities in the southwestern U.S.. Ecological Indicators 74:216-229. [Link]
Munson, S.M., Sankey, T.T., Xian, G., Villarreal, M.L. and Homer, C.G. 2016. Decadal shifts in grasses and woody plants are driven by prolonged drying and modified by topo-edaphic properties. Ecological Applications. [Link]
Villarreal, M.L., Norman, L.M., Buckley, S. Wallace, C.S. and Coe, M. 2016. Multi-index time series monitoring of drought and fire effects on desert grasslands. Remote Sensing of Environment, 183:186-197. [Open Access: Link]
Wilson, N.R., Norman, L.M. Villarreal, M.L., Gass, L., Tiller, R., Salywon, A. 2016. Comparison of remote sensing indices for monitoring of desert cienegas. Arid Land Research and Management. [Open Access:Link].
Soulard, C.E., Albano, C., Villarreal, M.L., Walker, J. 2016. Continuous 1985–2012 Landsat monitoring to assess fire effects on meadows in Yosemite National Park, California. Remote Sensing, 8(5): 371 [Open Access:Link]
Villarreal, M.L., Webb, R.H., Norman, L.M., Psillas, J.L., Rosenberg, A.S., Carmichael, S., Petrakis, R.E. and Sparks, P.E. 2014. Modelling landscape-scale erosion potential related to vehicle disturbances along the USA-Mexico border. Land Degradation and Development, 27(4): 1106–1121. [Link]
Norman, L.M., Villarreal, M.L., Pulliam, R.H., Minckley, R., Gass, L., Tolle, C. and Coe, M.A. 2014. Remote sensing analysis of riparian vegetation response to desert marsh restoration in the Mexican Highlands. Ecological Engineering, 70, 241–254. [Link]
Villarreal, M.L., van Riper III, C., Petrakis, R.E. 2014. Conflation and aggregation of spatial data improve predictive models for species with limited habitats: A case of the threatened yellow-billed cuckoo in Arizona, USA. Applied Geography 47, 57–69. [Link]
Villarreal, M.L., Norman, L.M., Webb, R.H., and Turner, R.M., 2013. Historical and contemporary geographic data reveal complex spatial and temporal responses of vegetation to climate and land stewardship. Land, 2 (2): 194–224. [Open Access: Link]
Villarreal, M.L., Norman, L.M., Boykin, K.G., and Wallace, C.S.A. 2013. Biodiversity losses and conservation trade-offs: Assessing future urban growth scenarios for a North American trade corridor. International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management, 9 (2): 90-103. [Open Access: Link]
Wallace, C.S.A., Villarreal, M.L., and van Riper III, C. 2013. Influence of monsoon-related riparian phenology on yellow-billed cuckoo habitat selection in Arizona. Journal of Biogeography, 40: 2094-2107 [Link].
Norman, L.M., Villarreal, M.L., Niraula, R., Meixner, T, Frisvold, G. and Labiosa, W. 2013. Framing scenarios of binational water policy with a tool to visualize, quantify, and valuate changes in ecosystem services. Water, 5(3):852-874. [Open Access: Link]
Studd, S.E., Drake, S., Villarreal, M.L., Fallon E. and Crumbacher, L. 2013. Vegetation inventory, mapping, and classification report, Fort Bowie National Historic Site. Natural Resource Report NPS/SODN/NRR—2013/673. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. [Link]
Villarreal, M.L., Gass, L., Norman, L.M., Sankey, J.B., Wallace, C.S.A. McMacken, D, Childs, J.L., and Petrakis, R. 2013. Examining wildlife responses to phenology and wildfire using a landscape-scale camera trap network. Pages 503-505 in Gottfried, G.J., Folliott, P.F., Gebow, B.S., Eskew, L.G. and Collins, L.C. (eds). Merging science and management in a rapidly changing world: Biodiversity and management of the Madrean Archipelago III. RMRS-P-67. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 593 p. [Open access: Link]
Wallace, C.S.A., Villarreal, M.L., and Van Riper III, C. 2013. Mapping Landscape Phenology Preference of Yellow-billed Cuckoo with AVHRR data. Pages 506-508 in Gottfried, G.J., Folliott, P.F., Gebow, B.S., Eskew, L.G. and Collins, L.C. (eds). Merging science and management in a rapidly changing world: Biodiversity and management of the Madrean Archipelago III. RMRS-P-67. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 593 p. [Open access:Link]
Villarreal, M.L., van Riper III, C., van Riper, C.J., Johnson M.J., and Selleck, S.S. 2012. Synthesis: Informing collaborative conservation and management of Colorado Plateau resources. Pages 317-327 in van Riper III, C., Villarreal, M.L., van Riper, C.J., and Johnson, M.J. (Eds.). The Colorado Plateau V: Research, environmental planning, and management for collaborative conservation. The University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.
van Riper III, C., Villarreal, M.L., van Riper, C.J., and Johnson, M.J. (Eds). 2012. The Colorado Plateau V: Research, environmental planning, and management for collaborative conservation. The University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ. [Link]
Villarreal, M.L., van Leeuwen, W.J.D., and Leon-Romo, J.R. 2012. Mapping and monitoring riparian vegetation distribution, structure and composition with regression tree models and post-classification change metrics. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 33:13, 4266-4290. [Link]
Villarreal, M.L., Drake, S., Marsh, S.E., and McCoy, A.L. 2012. The influence of wastewater subsidy, flood disturbance and neighbouring land use on current and historical patterns of riparian vegetation in a semi-arid watershed. River Research and Applications 28: 1230-1245. [Link]
Norman, L.M., Villarreal, M.L., Lara-Valencia, F., Wilson, S., Yuan, Y., Nie, W., Amaya, G., and Sleeter, R. 2012. Mapping Socio-Environmentally Vulnerable Populations Access and Exposure to Ecosystem Services at the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands. Applied Geography 34:413-424. [Link]
Norman, L.M., Feller, M., and Villarreal, M.L. 2012. Developing spatially explicit footprints of plausible land-use scenarios in the Santa Cruz Watershed, Arizona and Sonora. Landscape and Urban Planning, 107(3): 225-235. [Open Access: Link]
Villarreal, M.L., Norman, L.M., and Labiosa, W.B. 2012. Assessing the vulnerability of human and biological communities to changing ecosystem services using a GIS-based multi-criteria decision support tool. pp. 427-434 in R. Seppelt, A.A. Voinov, S. Lange, D. Bankamp (Eds.) (2012): International Environmental Modelling and Software Society (iEMSs) 2012 International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software. Managing Resources of a Limited Planet: Pathways and Visions under Uncertainty, Sixth Biennial Meeting, Leipzig, Germany. ISBN: 978-88-9035-742-8 [Open Access: Link]
Villarreal, M.L., van Riper, C., Lovich, R.E., Palmer, R. L., Nauman, T., Studd, S., Drake, S., Malusa, J. Rosenberg, A., and Pearce, R. L. 2011. An Inventory and Monitoring Plan for a Sonoran Desert Ecosystem: Barry M. Goldwater Range – West. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2011-1232, 103 p. [Open Access: Link]
Quijada-Mascarenas, A., van Riper III, C., James, D., Lopez-Hoffman, L., Sharp, C., Gimblett, R., Scott, M.L., Norman, L.M., Medellin, R. Callegary, J.B., List, R. Wallace, C., Holm, P. Glenn, E., Leenhouts, J. Esque, T., Culver, M., Webb, R., Steidl, J., Villarreal, M.L., Nagler, P., Lackner, W., Sturm, M. Castillo-Gamez, R., and Ceballos, G. 2012. Desarrollo de un programa de monitoreo a nivel ecosistema en el muro fronterizo México-Estados Unidos. En Cordova, A. y C. de la Parra (coordinadores) El muro fronterizo entre México y Estados Unidos. Espacios, instrumentos y actores para un diálogo constructivo. El Colegio de la Frontera Norte. Tijuana, México. pp 165-185.
Villarreal, M.L., Norman, L.M., Webb, R.H., Boyer D.E., and Turner, R.M. 2011. Unravelling long-term vegetation change patterns in a binational watershed using multitemporal land cover data and historical repeat photography. Proceedings of MULTITEMP2011, 6th International Workshop on the Analysis of Multitemporal Remote Sensing Images. Bruzzone, L. and F. Bovolo (Eds.). IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society, IEEE Xplore, p. 101-104. [Link]
Villarreal, M. L., van Leeuwen, W.J.D., Romo, J.R., and Hubbard, J. A. 2011. Assessing landscape dynamics using multitemporal remotely sensed imagery in the Sonoran Desert Network. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/SODN/NRTR—2011/513. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. [Open Access: Link]
Villarreal, M.L., Norman, L. M., Wallace, C. S. A., and van Riper III, C. 2011. A Multi-temporal (1979-2009) Land Use/Land Cover Data Set of the Bi-National Upper Santa Cruz Watershed. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2011-1131, 26 p. and database [Open Access: Link]
Wallace, C.S.A., Villarreal, M.L., and Norman, L.M. 2011. Development of a high-resolution binational vegetation map of the Santa Cruz River riparian corridor and surrounding watershed, southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2011-1143, 22 p. [Open Access: Link]
Norman, L.M., Villarreal, M.L., Wallace, C.S.A., Gil Anaya, C.Z., Diaz Arcos, I., and Gray, F. 2010. A high-resolution land-use map; Nogales, Sonora, Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2010-1156, 21 p. [Open Access: Link]
Drake, S., Buckley, S., Villarreal, M.L., Studd, S., and Hubbard, A.J. 2009. Vegetation classification, distribution and mapping report: Tumacácori National Historical Park. Natural Resource Report NPS/SODN/NRR-2009/148. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. [Open Access: Link]
Buckley, S., Hubbard, J. A., Studd, S., Drake, S., Villarreal, M.L., and Greene, J. 2009. Vegetation classification, distribution, and mapping report: Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. Natural Resource Report NPS/SODN/NRR—2009/158. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. [Open Access: Link]
Villarreal, M.L. and Yool, S.R. 2008. Analysis of fire-related vegetation patterns in the Huachuca Mountains, AZ and Sierra los Ajos, Sonora, Mexico. Fire Ecology 4(1): 15-33. [Open Access: Link]
Science and Products
Soil Compaction and Erosion
Extensive off-highway vehicle (OHV) use on desert lands can directly and indirectly lead to human health problems and impact soil, vegetation, and wildlife habitat. Soil pulverization and loosening caused by OHVs contribute to dust hazards, and to respiratory illnesses and diseases (e.g., valley fever) in adjacent, downwind communities. Repeated soil compaction by OHVs can also degrade...
Remote Sensing of Biological Soil Crusts
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts, photoautotrophic soil surface communities comprised of cyanobacteria, algae, bryophytes, lichens, and fungi, occur in drylands globally where they contribute to ecosystem functioning by increasing soil stability, reducing dust emissions, and modifying soil resource availability (e.g., water, nutrients) (Fig 1.3.1). Despite increasing recognition and interest...
Remote Sensing of Invasive Annual Grasses
One of the major ecological consequences of increasing global connectivity is the introduction, establishment, and spread of non-native species into new ecosystems. The rate and extent of biological invasions continues to increase globally, often at considerable environmental and economic costs. Once established, non-native species can transform ecosystems, complicating land management...
Remote Sensing of Energy Development
Oil and gas development across the western United States has increased substantially in recent decades, including within the Colorado Plateau. The Colorado Plateau is a high desert region of grasslands, shrublands, and woodlands and is home to a large number of world-renowned national and tribal parks and monuments (e.g., Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands, Monument Valley, and...
Remote Sensing and Dryland Management
Drylands (areas characterized by low precipitation, high evapotranspiration, and low soil moisture) occupy around 40-45% of the earth’s surface. Many drylands contain high biodiversity and provide essential ecosystem services (e.g., livestock forage, agricultural production, pollination) for nearly 1/3 of the world’s population who live in drylands. Given limited precipitation and other...
Ecosystem Modelling and Decision Support
The Ecosystem Modelling and Decision Support Project seeks to understand how drivers of ecosystem change like wildfire, drought, and land use affected past spatial and temporal patterns of vegetation communities and wildlife. Research methods involve 1) analyzing field-collected information (e.g. long-term plot/transect data, repeat photography) on soils, vegetation, and/or wildlife with...
Southwest Energy Development and Drought (SWEDD)
Deserts of the southwestern US are replete with oil and gas deposits as well as sites for solar, wind, and geothermal energy production. In the past, many of these resources have been too expensive to develop, but increased demand and new technologies have led to an increase in exploration and development. However, desert ecosystems generally have low resilience to disturbance. More frequent,...
Rating fire danger from the ground up
Soil moisture information could improve assessments of wildfire probabilities and fuel conditions, resulting in better fire danger ratings.
Matthew Levi; Erik S. Krueger; Grant J. Snitker; Tyson Ochsner; Villarreal, Miguel L.; Emile H. Elias; Dannele E. Peck A mosaic of land tenure and ownership creates challenges and opportunities for transboundary conservation in the US-Mexico borderlands
In the Madrean Sky Islands of western North America, a mixture of public and private land ownership and tenure creates a complex situation for collaborative efforts in conservation. In this case study, we describe the current ownership and management structures in the US-Mexico borderlands where social, political, and economic conditions create...
Villarreal, Miguel L.; Haire, Sandra L.; Juan Carlos Bravo; Norman, Laura M. Landsat time series assessment of invasive annual grasses following energy development
Invasive annual grasses are of concern in many areas of the Western United States because they tolerate resource variability and have high reproductive capacity, with propagules that are readily dispersed in disturbed areas like those created and maintained for energy development. Early-season invasive grasses “green up” earlier than the most...
Villarreal, Miguel L.; Soulard, Christopher E.; Eric Waller Distant neighbors: recent wildfire patterns of the Madrean Sky Islands of southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico
BackgroundInformation about contemporary fire regimes across the Sky Island mountain ranges of the Madrean Archipelago Ecoregion in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico can provide insight into how historical fire management and land use have influenced fire regimes, and can be used to guide fuels management, ecological restoration,...
Villarreal, Miguel L.; Haire, Sandra L.; Iniguez, Jose M.; Cortés Montaño, Citlali; Poitras, Travis B. Landsat time series analysis of fractional plant cover changes on abandoned energy development sites
Oil and natural gas development in the western United States has increased substantially in recent decades as technological advances like horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have made extraction more commercially viable. Oil and gas pads are often developed for production, and then capped, reclaimed, and left to recover when no longer...
Waller, Eric K.; Villarreal, Miguel L.; Poitras, Travis B.; Nauman, Travis W.; Duniway, Michael C. Evaluating and monitoring forest fuel treatments using remote sensing applications in Arizona, U.S.A.
The practice of fire suppression across the western United States over the past century has led to dense forests, and when coupled with drought has contributed to an increase in large and destructive wildfires. Forest management efforts aimed at reducing flammable fuels through various fuel treatments can help to restore frequent fire regimes and...
Petrakis, Roy; Villarreal, Miguel L.; Wu, Zhuoting; Hetzler, Robert; Middleton, Barry R.; Norman, Laura M. Identifying optimal remotely-sensed variables for ecosystem monitoring in Colorado Plateau drylands
Water-limited ecosystems often recover slowly following anthropogenic or natural disturbance. Multitemporal remote sensing can be used to monitor ecosystem recovery after disturbance; however, dryland vegetation cover can be challenging to accurately measure due to sparse cover and spectral confusion between soils and non-photosynthetic vegetation...
Poitras, Travis B.; Villarreal, Miguel L.; Waller, Eric K.; Nauman, Travis W.; Miller, Mark E.; Duniway, Michael C.
Evaluating land-use change scenarios for the Puget Sound Basin, Washington, within the ecosystem recovery target model-based framework
The Puget Sound Basin, Washington, has experienced rapid urban growth in recent decades, with varying impacts to local ecosystems and natural resources. To plan for future growth, land managers often use scenarios to assess how the pattern and volume of growth may affect natural resources. Using three different land-management scenarios for the...
Villarreal, Miguel L.; Aiello, Danielle; Labiosa, Bill Historical analysis of riparian vegetation change in response to shifting management objectives on the Middle Rio Grande
Riparian ecosystems are valuable to the ecological and human communities that depend on them. Over the past century, they have been subject to shifting management practices to maximize human use and ecosystem services, creating a complex relationship between water policy, management, and the natural ecosystem. This has necessitated research on the...
Petrakis, Roy; van Leeuwen, Willem J.D.; Villarreal, Miguel L.; Tashjian, Paul; Dello Russo, Regina; Scott, Christopher A. Climate legacy and lag effects on dryland plant communities in the southwestern U.S.
Climate change effects on vegetation will likely be strong in the southwestern U.S., which is projected to experience large increases in temperature and changes in precipitation. Plant communities in the southwestern U.S. may be particularly vulnerable to climate change as the productivity of many plant species is strongly water-limited. This...
Bunting, Erin; Munson, Seth M.; Villarreal, Miguel L. Disturbance automated reference toolset (DART): Assessing patterns in ecological recovery from energy development on the Colorado Plateau
A new disturbance automated reference toolset (DART) was developed to monitor human land surface impacts using soil-type and ecological context. DART identifies reference areas with similar soils, topography, and geology; and compares the disturbance condition to the reference area condition using a quantile-based approach based on a satellite...
Nauman, Travis W.; Duniway, Michael C.; Villarreal, Miguel L.; Poitras, Travis B. Multi-index time series monitoring of drought and fire effects on desert grasslands
The Western United States is expected to undergo both extended periods of drought and longer wildfire seasons under forecasted global climate change and it is important to understand how these disturbances will interact and affect recovery and composition of plant communities in the future. In this research paper we describe the temporal response...
Villarreal, Miguel L.; Norman, Laura M.; Buckley, Steven; Wallace, Cynthia S.A.; Coe, Michelle A.