Nicole DeCrappeo is the Regional Administrator of the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC), one of the nine regional centers that form the National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Center Network. This position was formerly known as "Center Director".
Nicole DeCrappeo is the Regional Administrator of the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center. Prior to this position, she served as Deputy Director for the Alaska CASC, Deputy Director for the NW CASC, and Research Coordinator of the NW CASC. Her research experience includes 10 years with the U.S. Geological Survey Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, where she studied the links between native and exotic invasive plants, soil biological communities, and nutrient cycling in arid lands of the western U.S. She has also worked on topics ranging from biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in tallgrass prairies to climate change effects on soil communities in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. Nicole has a Ph.D. in Soil Science from Oregon State University, an M.S. in Ecology from Colorado State University, and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from American University.
Science and Products
Fungal and bacterial contributions to nitrogen cycling in cheatgrass-invaded and uninvaded native sagebrush soils of the western USA
The integrated rangeland fire management strategy actionable science plan
Plant diversity predicts beta but not alpha diversity of soil microbes across grasslands worldwide
Herbivores and nutrients control grassland plant diversity via light limitation
Soil-plant-microbial relations in hydrothermally altered soils of Northern California
Predicting invasion in grassland ecosystems: Is exotic dominance the real embarrassment of richness?
Development and application of a soil organic matter-based soil quality index in mineralized terrane of the Western US
Nitrogen limitation, 15N tracer retention, and growth response in intact and Bromus tectorum-invaded Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis communities
Productivity is a poor predictor of plant species richness
Ecosystem health in mineralized terrane — Data from podiform chromite (Chinese Camp mining district, California), quartz alunite (Castle Peak and Masonic mining districts, Nevada/California), and Mo/Cu porphyry (Battle Mountain mining district, Nevada) de
A model for nematode locomotion in soil
Contributions to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy
Nitrogen cycling rates from sagebrush and cheatgrass-invaded soils in the Northern Great Basin (2008)
Science and Products
- Publications
Fungal and bacterial contributions to nitrogen cycling in cheatgrass-invaded and uninvaded native sagebrush soils of the western USA
AimThere is interest in determining how cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) modifies N cycling in sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) soils of the western USA.MethodsTo gain insight into the roles of fungi and bacteria in N cycling of cheatgrass-invaded and uninvaded sagebrush soils, the fungal protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide (CHX), and the bacteriocidal compound, bronopol (BRO) were comAuthorsNicole DeCrappeo, Elizabeth J. DeLorenze, Andrew T Giguere, David A. Pyke, Peter J. BottomleyThe integrated rangeland fire management strategy actionable science plan
The Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy (hereafter Strategy, DOI 2015) outlined the need for coordinated, science-based adaptive management to achieve long-term protection, conservation, and restoration of the sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem. A key component of this management approach is the identification of knowledge gaps that limit implementation of effective strategies to meetAuthorsCameron L. Aldridge, Ken Berg, Chad S. Boyd, Stephen P. Boyte, John B. Bradford, Ed Brunson, John H. Cissel, Courtney J. Conway, Anna D. Chalfoun, Jeanne C. Chambers, Patrick Clark, Peter S. Coates, Michele R. Crist, Dawn M. Davis, Nicole DeCrappeo, Patricia A. Deibert, Kevin E. Doherty, Louisa B. Evers, Deborah M. Finch, Sean P. Finn, Matthew J. Germino, Nancy F. Glenn, Corey Gucker, John A. Hall, Steven E. Hanser, Douglas W. Havlina, Julie A. Heinrichs, Matt Heller, Collin G. Homer, Molly E. Hunter, Ruth W. Jacobs, Jason W. Karl, Richard Kearney, Susan K Kemp, Francis F. Kilkenny, Steven T. Knick, Karen Launchbaugh, Daniel J. Manier, Kenneth E. Mayer, Susan E. Meyer, Adrian P. Monroe, Eugénie MontBlanc, Beth A. Newingham, Michael L. Pellant, Susan L. Phillips, David S. Pilliod, Mark A. Ricca, Bryce A. Richardson, Jeffrey A. Rose, Nancy Shaw, Roger L. Sheley, Douglas J. Shinneman, Lief A. Wiechman, Bruce K. WyliePlant diversity predicts beta but not alpha diversity of soil microbes across grasslands worldwide
Aboveground–belowground interactions exert critical controls on the composition and function of terrestrial ecosystems, yet the fundamental relationships between plant diversity and soil microbial diversity remain elusive. Theory predicts predominantly positive associations but tests within single sites have shown variable relationships, and associations between plant and microbial diversity acrosAuthorsSuzanne M. Prober, Jonathan W. Leff, Scott T. Bates, Elizabeth T. Borer, Jennifer Firn, W. Stanley Harpole, Eric M. Lind, Eric W. Seabloom, Peter B. Adler, Jonathan D. Bakker, Elsa E. Cleland, Nicole DeCrappeo, Elizabeth DeLorenze, Nicole Hagenah, Yann Hautier, Kirsten S. Hofmockel, Kevin P. Kirkman, Johannes M. H. Knops, Kimberly J. La Pierre, Andrew S. MacDougall, Rebecca L. McCulley, Charles E. Mitchell, Anita C. Risch, Martin Schuetz, Carly J. Stevens, Ryan J. Williams, Noah FiererHerbivores and nutrients control grassland plant diversity via light limitation
Human alterations to nutrient cycles and herbivore communities are affecting global biodiversity dramatically. Ecological theory predicts these changes should be strongly counteractive: nutrient addition drives plant species loss through intensified competition for light, whereas herbivores prevent competitive exclusion by increasing ground-level light, particularly in productive systems. Here weAuthorsElizabeth T. Borer, Eric W. Seabloom, Daniel S. Gruner, W. Stanley Harpole, Helmut Hillebrand, Eric M. Lind, Peter B. Alder, Juan Alberti, T. Michael Anderson, Jonathan D. Bakker, Lori Biederman, Dana Blumenthal, Cynthia S. Brown, Lars A. Brudvig, Yvonne M. Buckley, Marc Cadotte, Cheng-Jin Chu, Elsa E. Cleland, Michael J. Crawley, Pedro Daleo, Ellen Ingman Damschen, Kendi F. Davies, Nicole M. DeCrappeo, Guozhen Du, Jennifer Firn, Yann Hautier, Robert W. Heckman, Andy Hector, Janneke HilleRisLambers, Oscar Iribarne, Julia A. Klein, Johannes M.H. Knops, Kimberly J. La Pierre, Andrew D.B. Leakey, Wei Li, Andrew S. MacDougall, Rebecca L. McCulley, Brett A. Melbourne, Charles E. Mitchell, Joslin L. Moore, Brent Mortensen, Lydia R. O'Halloran, John L. Orrock, Jesús Pascual, Suzanne M. Prober, David A. Pyke, Anita C. Risch, Martin Schuetz, Melinda D. Smith, Carly J. Stevens, Lauren L. Sullivan, Ryan J. Williams, Peter D. Wragg, Justin P. Wright, Louie H. YangSoil-plant-microbial relations in hydrothermally altered soils of Northern California
Soils developed on relict hydrothermally altered soils throughout the Western USA present unique opportunities to study the role of geology on above and belowground biotic activity and composition. Soil and vegetation samples were taken at three unaltered andesite and three hydrothermally altered (acid-sulfate) sites located in and around Lassen VolcanicNational Park in northeastern California. InAuthorsS.W. Blecker, L.L. Stillings, N.M. DeCrappeo, J.A. IppolitoPredicting invasion in grassland ecosystems: Is exotic dominance the real embarrassment of richness?
Invasions have increased the size of regional species pools, but are typically assumed to reduce native diversity. However, global-scale tests of this assumption have been elusive because of the focus on exotic species richness, rather than relative abundance. This is problematic because low invader richness can indicate invasion resistance by the native community or, alternatively, dominance by aAuthorsEric Seabloom, Elizabeth Borer, Yvonne Buckley, Elsa E. Cleland, Kendi Davies, Jennifer Firn, W. Stanley Harpole, Yann Hautier, Eric M. Lind, Andrew MacDougall, John L. Orrock, Suzanne M. Prober, Peter Adler, Juan Alberti, T. Michael Anderson, Jonathan D. Bakker, Lori A. Biederman, Dana Blumenthal, Cynthia S. Brown, Lars A. Brudvig, Maria Caldeira, Cheng-Jin Chu, Michael J. Crawley, Pedro Daleo, Ellen Ingman Damschen, Carla M. D'Antonio, Nicole M. DeCrappeo, Chris R. Dickman, Guozhen Du, Philip A. Fay, Paul Frater, Daniel S. Gruner, Nicole Hagenah, Andrew Hector, Aveliina Helm, Helmut Hillebrand, Kirsten S. Hofmockel, Hope C. Humphries, Oscar Iribarne, Virginia L. Jin, Adam Kay, Kevin P. Kirkman, Julia A. Klein, Johannes M.H. Knops, Kimberly J. La Pierre, Laura M. Ladwig, G. John, Andrew D.B. Leakey, Qi Li, Wei Li, Rebecca McCulley, Brett Melbourne, E. Charles, Joslin L. Moore, John Morgan, Brent Mortensen, Lydia R. O'Halloran, Meelis Pärtel, Jesús Pascual, David A. Pyke, Anita C. Risch, Roberto Salguero-Gómez, Mahesh Sankaran, Martin Schuetz, Anna Simonsen, Melinda Smith, Carly Stevens, Lauren Sullivan, Glenda M. Wardle, Elizabeth M. Wolkovich, Peter D. Wragg, Justin Wright, Louie YangDevelopment and application of a soil organic matter-based soil quality index in mineralized terrane of the Western US
Soil quality indices provide a means of distilling large amounts of data into a single metric that evaluates the soil’s ability to carry out key ecosystem functions. Primarily developed in agroecosytems, then forested ecosystems, an index using the relation between soil organic matter and other key soil properties in more semi-arid systems of the Western US impacted by different geologic mineralizAuthorsS.W. Blecker, Lisa L. Stillings, M.C. Amacher, J.A. Ippolito, N.M. DeCrappeoNitrogen limitation, 15N tracer retention, and growth response in intact and Bromus tectorum-invaded Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis communities
Annual grass invasion into shrub-dominated ecosystems is associated with changes in nutrient cycling that may alter nitrogen (N) limitation and retention. Carbon (C) applications that reduce plant-available N have been suggested to give native perennial vegetation a competitive advantage over exotic annual grasses, but plant community and N retention responses to C addition remain poorly understooAuthorsDana L. Witwicki, Paul S. Doescher, David A. Pyke, Nicole M. DeCrappeo, Steven S. PerakisProductivity 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. YangEcosystem health in mineralized terrane — Data from podiform chromite (Chinese Camp mining district, California), quartz alunite (Castle Peak and Masonic mining districts, Nevada/California), and Mo/Cu porphyry (Battle Mountain mining district, Nevada) de
The myriad definitions of soil/ecosystem quality or health are often driven by ecosystem and management concerns, and they typically focus on the ability of the soil to provide functions relating to biological productivity and/or environmental quality. A variety of attempts have been made to create indices that quantify the complexities of soil quality and provide a means of evaluating the impactAuthorsSteve W. Blecker, Lisa L. Stillings, Michael C. Amacher, James A. Ippolito, Nicole M. DeCrappeoA model for nematode locomotion in soil
Locomotion of nematodes in soil is important for both practical and theoretical reasons. We constructed a model for rate of locomotion. The first model component is a simple simulation of nematode movement among finite cells by both random and directed behaviours. Optimisation procedures were used to fit the simulation output to data from published experiments on movement along columns of soil orAuthorsH. William Hunt, Diana H. Wall, Nicole DeCrappeo, John S. Brenner - Science
Contributions to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy
USGS scientists are contributing to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy, a strategy intended to provide guidance so that efforts to conserve the iconic greater sage-grouse can be expanded to the entire sagebrush biome to benefit the people and wildlife that depend on it. - Data
Nitrogen cycling rates from sagebrush and cheatgrass-invaded soils in the Northern Great Basin (2008)
This dataset contains data supporting the paper: DeCrappeo, N.M., DeLorenze, E.J., Giguere, A.T., Pyke, D.A., and Bottomley, P.J. Fungal and bacterial contributions to nitrogen cycling in cheatgrass-invaded and uninvaded native sagebrush soils of the western USA (accepted at the journal Plant and Soil). The purpose of the study was to evaluate the relative contributions of soil bacteria and fungi - News