Robert S Arkle
I am a Supervisory Ecologist at the USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center. My research focuses on population ecology, community ecology, and restoration in forests and shrublands of the Intermountain West.
My research focuses on how stochastic and anthropogenic disturbances influence species, communities, and habitats. I am interested in how these interactions can affect the outcome of management actions such as habitat restoration or exotic species removal efforts. My experience is in modeling species-habitat relationships, interspecific interactions, habitat connectivity, climate suitability, and in using multivariate approaches to assess community structure and composition. Much of my work has focused on the effects of landscape-scale disturbance or restoration on patch-scale community structure and composition in forest and sagebrush ecosystems. I have worked in several biomes and community types of western North America including studies in alpine lakes and meadows, coniferous forests, riparian forests, mountain streams, sagebrush shrublands, and grasslands. In these systems, I have studied communities of plants, biotic soil crusts, aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, salmonids, birds, small mammals, and ungulate mammals.
Professional Experience
2011 - Present: Supervisory Ecologist, USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise, ID
2007 - 2011: Ecologist, USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise, ID
2004 - 2007: Lecturer, Department of Biological Sciences, California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, CA
Education and Certifications
M.S., Biological Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA (2007)
B.S., Biological Sciences (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology), University of California, Irvine, CA (2002)
Science and Products
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Reptiles under the conservation umbrella of the greater sage‐grouse
Transient population dynamics impede restoration and may promote ecosystem transformation after disturbance
Soil characteristics are associated with gradients of big sagebrush canopy structure after disturbance
Can’t see the random forest for the decision trees: Selecting predictive models for restoration ecology
Appropriate sample sizes for monitoring burned pastures in sagebrush steppe: How many plots are enough, and can one size fit all?
Adapting management to a changing world: Warm temperatures, dry soil, and interannual variability limit restoration success of a dominant woody shrub in temperate drylands
Fuels guide and database for intact and invaded big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) ecological sites—User manual
An introduction and practical guide to use of the Soil-Vegetation Inventory Method (SVIM) data
Thresholds and hotspots for shrub restoration following a heterogeneous megafire
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on greater sage-grouse published since January 2015
Methodological considerations of terrestrial laser scanning for vegetation monitoring in the sagebrush steppe
Lidar aboveground vegetation biomass estimates in shrublands: Prediction, uncertainties and application to coarser scales
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Science and Products
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Reptiles under the conservation umbrella of the greater sage‐grouse
Transient population dynamics impede restoration and may promote ecosystem transformation after disturbance
Soil characteristics are associated with gradients of big sagebrush canopy structure after disturbance
Can’t see the random forest for the decision trees: Selecting predictive models for restoration ecology
Appropriate sample sizes for monitoring burned pastures in sagebrush steppe: How many plots are enough, and can one size fit all?
Adapting management to a changing world: Warm temperatures, dry soil, and interannual variability limit restoration success of a dominant woody shrub in temperate drylands
Fuels guide and database for intact and invaded big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) ecological sites—User manual
An introduction and practical guide to use of the Soil-Vegetation Inventory Method (SVIM) data
Thresholds and hotspots for shrub restoration following a heterogeneous megafire
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on greater sage-grouse published since January 2015
Methodological considerations of terrestrial laser scanning for vegetation monitoring in the sagebrush steppe
Lidar aboveground vegetation biomass estimates in shrublands: Prediction, uncertainties and application to coarser scales
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.