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Seth Munson, Ph.D.

Seth Munson is an ecologist with the Southwest Biological Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona. His research focuses on plant-soil interactions in dryland ecosystems and how these interactions are affected by climate and land use changes.

Much of Seth's research aims to understand the dynamics of dryland ecosystems at long temporal and broad spatial scales, and employs a multidisciplinary approach. His work seeks to improve the management of arid and semi-arid lands, including determining effective ecological restoration strategies, and is done in close collaboration with several land management agencies.

Check the Science Tab for a List of Current Research Projects.

Research Interests:    

Plant Ecology, Ecosystem Ecology, Dryland Ecology, Restoration Ecology, Soil Erosion

Current Positions:

Research Ecologist, US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, AZ

Adjunct Faculty, Northern Arizona University, Department of Biological Sciences, Flagstaff, AZ

Adjunct Faculty, Arizona State University, School of Life Sciences, Phoenix, AZ

Past Positions:  

Jan 2011 - Dec 2013; Research Ecologist (Mendenhall Fellow), US Geological Survey, Geology and Environmental Change Science Center, Denver, CO

Dec 2008 - Jan 2011; Ecologist, US Geological Survey, Canyonlands Research Station, Moab, Utah 

May 2004 - Nov 2008; Research Assistant, Colorado State University, Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Fort Collins, CO

Sep 2002 – May 2004;  Research Associate, University of New Mexico, Biology Department, Albuquerque, NM

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D. Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, May 2009

    B.A. Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN, May 2001

Science and Products

Filter Total Items: 17
link
Desert shrubs

The Gemini Solar Project

The United States is developing renewable energy resources, especially solar, at a rapid rate. Although renewable energy development is widely perceived by the public as “green technology,” construction, operation, maintenance, and eventual decommissioning of facilities all have known and potential negative impacts to natural resources, including plant communities and wildlife. This is especially...
By
Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center
link

The Gemini Solar Project

The United States is developing renewable energy resources, especially solar, at a rapid rate. Although renewable energy development is widely perceived by the public as “green technology,” construction, operation, maintenance, and eventual decommissioning of facilities all have known and potential negative impacts to natural resources, including plant communities and wildlife. This is especially...
Learn More
link
Global Drought Effects - A networked drought experiment and Austin Rueda, hard at work.

A global synthesis of multi-year drought effects on terrestrial ecosystems

Drought impacts on terrestrial ecosystems have increased globally in the 21st century, and droughts are expected to become more frequent, extreme, and spatially extensive in the future. Historical site-based observations are inadequate to predict how future extreme water deficits will affect the global terrestrial surface, because future droughts and their impacts may be more extreme than they hav
By
John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
link

A global synthesis of multi-year drought effects on terrestrial ecosystems

Drought impacts on terrestrial ecosystems have increased globally in the 21st century, and droughts are expected to become more frequent, extreme, and spatially extensive in the future. Historical site-based observations are inadequate to predict how future extreme water deficits will affect the global terrestrial surface, because future droughts and their impacts may be more extreme than they hav
Learn More
link
Fire in Boulder, Colorado

Learning From the Past and Planning for the Future: Experience-Driven Insight Into Managing for Ecosystem Transformations Induced by Drought and Wildfire

Drought and wildfire pose enormous threats to the integrity of natural resources that land managers are charged with protecting. Recent observations and modeling forecasts indicate that these stressors will likely produce catastrophic ecosystem transformations, or abrupt changes in the condition of plants, wildlife, and their habitats, in regions across the country in coming decades. In this p
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Southwest Climate Science Center, Climate Adaptation Science Center
link

Learning From the Past and Planning for the Future: Experience-Driven Insight Into Managing for Ecosystem Transformations Induced by Drought and Wildfire

Drought and wildfire pose enormous threats to the integrity of natural resources that land managers are charged with protecting. Recent observations and modeling forecasts indicate that these stressors will likely produce catastrophic ecosystem transformations, or abrupt changes in the condition of plants, wildlife, and their habitats, in regions across the country in coming decades. In this p
Learn More
link
Fire in Boulder, Colorado

Learning From the Past and Planning for the Future: Experience-Driven Insight Into Managing for Ecosystem Transformations Induced by Drought and Wildfire

Drought and wildfire pose enormous threats to the integrity of natural resources that land managers are charged with protecting. Recent observations and modeling forecasts indicate that these stressors will likely produce catastrophic ecosystem transformations, or abrupt changes in the condition of plants, wildlife, and their habitats, in regions across the country in coming decades. In this p
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Southwest Climate Science Center, Climate Adaptation Science Center
link

Learning From the Past and Planning for the Future: Experience-Driven Insight Into Managing for Ecosystem Transformations Induced by Drought and Wildfire

Drought and wildfire pose enormous threats to the integrity of natural resources that land managers are charged with protecting. Recent observations and modeling forecasts indicate that these stressors will likely produce catastrophic ecosystem transformations, or abrupt changes in the condition of plants, wildlife, and their habitats, in regions across the country in coming decades. In this p
Learn More
link
An experimental garden nestled against the La Salle Mountains in Utah.

RestoreNet: Distributed Field Trial Network for Dryland Restoration

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers and land managers are co-producing a network of restoration field trial sites on DOI and surrounding lands in the southwestern U.S. The network systematically tests restoration treatments across a broad range of landscape, soil, and climate conditions. Each site in the network is used to test suitable seed mixes and treatments that promote plant...
By
Ecosystems, Energy & Wildlife, Environments Program, Status and Trends Program, Southwest Biological Science Center
link

RestoreNet: Distributed Field Trial Network for Dryland Restoration

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers and land managers are co-producing a network of restoration field trial sites on DOI and surrounding lands in the southwestern U.S. The network systematically tests restoration treatments across a broad range of landscape, soil, and climate conditions. Each site in the network is used to test suitable seed mixes and treatments that promote plant...
Learn More
link
Drill rig in the distance off a dirt road in a semi-aid system.

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...
By
Energy & Wildlife, Environments Program, Southwest Biological Science Center
link

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...
Learn More
link
Pinyon-juniper and sagebrush on Juniper Mountain, NV

Ecology and Management of Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands: State of the Science

Pinyon-juniper woodlands are a major part of western landscapes and are valued for recreational use, cultural resources, watershed protection, and wildlife habitats. These woodlands have been identified by several stakeholders, including natural resource management entities, federal and state agencies, and numerous tribal nations, as important ecosystems that are currently threatened by land treat
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center
link

Ecology and Management of Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands: State of the Science

Pinyon-juniper woodlands are a major part of western landscapes and are valued for recreational use, cultural resources, watershed protection, and wildlife habitats. These woodlands have been identified by several stakeholders, including natural resource management entities, federal and state agencies, and numerous tribal nations, as important ecosystems that are currently threatened by land treat
Learn More
link
Pinyon-juniper and sagebrush on Juniper Mountain, NV

Ecology and Management of Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands: State of the Science

Pinyon-juniper woodlands are a major part of western landscapes and are valued for recreational use, cultural resources, watershed protection, and wildlife habitats. These woodlands have been identified by several stakeholders, including natural resource management entities, federal and state agencies, and numerous tribal nations, as important ecosystems that are currently threatened by land treat
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center
link

Ecology and Management of Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands: State of the Science

Pinyon-juniper woodlands are a major part of western landscapes and are valued for recreational use, cultural resources, watershed protection, and wildlife habitats. These woodlands have been identified by several stakeholders, including natural resource management entities, federal and state agencies, and numerous tribal nations, as important ecosystems that are currently threatened by land treat
Learn More
link
Tree mortality during California’s extreme drought

Understanding Changes to the Timing of Natural Events (Phenology) for Plants in the Water-Limited Southwest

In many places around the world, spring events, like warming temperatures, are coming earlier and fall events are coming later than they have in the past. These changes have implications for the phenology, or the timing of natural life events (e.g. the timing of plant flowering in Spring or leaves falling in Autumn), of many plant species. However, not all species and regions are changing at the s
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center
link

Understanding Changes to the Timing of Natural Events (Phenology) for Plants in the Water-Limited Southwest

In many places around the world, spring events, like warming temperatures, are coming earlier and fall events are coming later than they have in the past. These changes have implications for the phenology, or the timing of natural life events (e.g. the timing of plant flowering in Spring or leaves falling in Autumn), of many plant species. However, not all species and regions are changing at the s
Learn More
link
Tree mortality during California’s extreme drought

Understanding Changes to the Timing of Natural Events (Phenology) for Plants in the Water-Limited Southwest

In many places around the world, spring events, like warming temperatures, are coming earlier and fall events are coming later than they have in the past. These changes have implications for the phenology, or the timing of natural life events (e.g. the timing of plant flowering in Spring or leaves falling in Autumn), of many plant species. However, not all species and regions are changing at the s
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center
link

Understanding Changes to the Timing of Natural Events (Phenology) for Plants in the Water-Limited Southwest

In many places around the world, spring events, like warming temperatures, are coming earlier and fall events are coming later than they have in the past. These changes have implications for the phenology, or the timing of natural life events (e.g. the timing of plant flowering in Spring or leaves falling in Autumn), of many plant species. However, not all species and regions are changing at the s
Learn More
link
A wheat field (right panel) adjacent to a grassland (left panel) that was restored

Restoration and Ecosystem Recovery Dynamics in Arid and Semiarid Landscapes

Dryland regions have been degraded by invasive species, wildfire, overgrazing, agricultural conversion, energy development, recreational activity, and urban growth. These disturbances and others are accelerated by one of the fastest growing human populations in the country and a pressing background of decreasing water availability due to drought and elevated temperatures that are projected to...
By
Southwest Biological Science Center
link

Restoration and Ecosystem Recovery Dynamics in Arid and Semiarid Landscapes

Dryland regions have been degraded by invasive species, wildfire, overgrazing, agricultural conversion, energy development, recreational activity, and urban growth. These disturbances and others are accelerated by one of the fastest growing human populations in the country and a pressing background of decreasing water availability due to drought and elevated temperatures that are projected to...
Learn More
link
Map of 2000 and 2010 perennial vegetation cover (left insets), and change in perennial vegetation cover between 2000 and 2010

Plant Responses to Drought and Climate Change in the Southwestern United States

Land managers face tremendous challenges in the future as drought and climate change alter the abundance, distribution, and interactions of plant species. These challenges will be especially daunting in the southwestern US, which is already experiencing elevated temperatures and prolonged droughts, resulting in reduced soil moisture in an already water-limited environment. These changes will...
By
Southwest Biological Science Center
link

Plant Responses to Drought and Climate Change in the Southwestern United States

Land managers face tremendous challenges in the future as drought and climate change alter the abundance, distribution, and interactions of plant species. These challenges will be especially daunting in the southwestern US, which is already experiencing elevated temperatures and prolonged droughts, resulting in reduced soil moisture in an already water-limited environment. These changes will...
Learn More

Remotely sensed fine-fuel data for Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge (BANWR) from 2015 to 2020

These data were compiled to estimate fine-fuel abundance and distribution across the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in southern Arizona, USA. The objectives of the study were to develop and validate annual estimates of fine fuel (biomass of herbaceous vegetation) for the refuge and to assess changes in fine fuels through time in response to wildfire and prescribed fire. These data represent
By
Southwest Biological Science Center

Plant trait and soil moisture data associated with ontogenetic trait shifts - seedlings display high trait variability during early stages of development

These tabular data were compiled to document how key plant trait values change during plant development, particularly seedling stages, and in relation to soil moisture. An objective of our study was to answer three main research questions: (1) Do seedling trait values differ across early to late stages of seedling development and do those trajectories vary among plant species and functional types
By
Southwest Biological Science Center

Data for Dust deposited on snow cover in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, 2011-2016: Compositional variability bearing on snow-melt effects

Light-absorbing particles in atmospheric dust deposited on snow cover (dust-on-snow, DOS) diminish albedo and accelerate the timing and rate of snow melt. Identification of these particles and their effects are relevant to snow-radiation modeling and water-resource management. Laboratory-measured reflectance of DOS samples from the San Juan Mountains (USA) were compared with DOS mass loading, part
By
Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Pinyon and Juniper location data, including a literature review citation list of Pinyon-Juniper systems from 1909 to 2018

These data were compiled for a comprehensive review of pinyon-juniper communities including Pinus edulis, Pinus monophylla, Juniperus osteosperma, Juniperus monosperma, and Juniperus scopulorum. Compiled are a list of references cataloged by the topic of interest resulting from the literature search. The characterization for each reference includes the focal species, descriptions of the site(s) th
By
Southwest Biological Science Center

Dataset for plant production responses to climate across water-limited regions

This dataset was constructed from readily available open source climate and vegetation data, like Landsat. This dataset represents the vegetation and climate conditions for a large number of points across the major deserts of the SW USA. The dataset was constructed in order to use the climate pivot point approach (Munson et al. 2013) at the landscape level. Originally this dataset was much larger
By
Southwest Biological Science Center

Plant production responses to precipitation differ along an elevation gradient and are enhanced under extremes (Northern Arizona, 1991-2016)

This dataset is from a precipitation manipulation experiment conducted at five grassland sites along an elevation gradient near Flagstaff, AZ. The data consist of pre- (1991 - 2010, 2015) and post-experimental (2016) treatment plant production and precipitation measurements. The plant production measurements were taken from satellite and hand-held spectroradiometer, in addition to plot-based harve
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center

Rangeland Ecology Monitoring Data, Utah, 1967-2013

These data represent compiled long-term rangeland monitoring data collected from June to September, 1967 to 2013 at 96 permanently marked sites in 15 livestock grazing allotments in near Hanksville, Utah. The Rangeland rangeland monitoring data were collected by a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) field office in south-central Utah. Monitoring consisted of estimating canopy cover of perennial plant
By
Southwest Biological Science Center
Filter Total Items: 88

Protocol for installing and monitoring a RestoreNet restoration field trial network site

RestoreNet is an ecological restoration experiment that is networked across multiple sites, spanning dryland ecosystems in the southwestern United States. The experiment is organized and led by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest (RAMPS). This protocol functions to provide guidance to additional partners on how to set up a RestoreNet site an
By
Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center

Dominant Sonoran Desert plant species have divergent phenological responses to climate change

The southwestern U.S. is a global hotspot of climate change. Models project that temperatures will continue to rise through the end of the 21st century, accompanied by significant changes to the hydrological cycle. Within the Sonoran Desert, a limited number of studies have documented climate change impacts on the phenology of native plant species. Much of this phenological work to understand clim
By
Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center

Directional selection shifts trait distributions of planted species in dryland restoration

The match between species trait values and local abiotic filters can restrict community membership. An often-implicit assumption of this relationship is that abiotic filters select for a single locally optimal strategy, though difficulty in isolating effects of the abiotic environment from those of dispersal limitation and biotic interactions has resulted in few empirical tests of this assumption.
By
Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center

Remotely sensed fine-fuel changes from wildfire and prescribed fire in a semi-arid grassland

The spread of flammable invasive grasses, woody plant encroachment, and enhanced aridity have interacted in many grasslands globally to increase wildfire activity and risk to valued assets. Annual variation in the abundance and distribution of fine-fuel present challenges to land managers implementing prescribed burns and mitigating wildfire, although methods to produce high-resolution fuel estima
By
Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center, Western Geographic Science Center

Does restoration of plant diversity trigger concomitant soil microbiome changes in dryland ecosystems?

Drylands are highly vulnerable to land degradation, and despite increasing efforts, restoration success remains low. Although often ignored in the design and deployment of management strategies, soil microbial communities might be critical for dryland restoration due to their central role in promoting soil stability, nutrient cycling and plant establishment.We collected soil samples from eight dry
By
Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center

Grasslands maintain stability in productivity through compensatory effects and dominant species stability under extreme precipitation patterns

Extreme climatic events are likely to intensify under climate change and can have different effects on ecosystems depending on their timing and magnitude. Understanding how productivity responds to extreme precipitation patterns requires assessing stability and vulnerability during critical growing periods at the plant community level. In this study, we experimentally imposed two contrasting types
By
Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center

USGS RAMPS (Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest) newsletter – Summer 2021 edition

No abstract available.
By
Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center

Biotic and abiotic treatments as a bet-hedging approach to restoring plant communities and soil functions

Two related concepts in restoration ecology include the relative interchangeability of biotic and abiotic restoration treatments for initiating recovery and bet hedging using multiple restoration approaches to increase the likelihood of favorable restoration outcomes. We used these concepts as a framework to implement a factorial experiment including biotic (outplanting greenhouse-grown individual
By
Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center

Ontogenetic trait shifts: Seedlings display high trait variability during early stages of development

Characterizing variation in plant functional traits is often key to understanding community-level processes and predicting ecosystem responses to environmental change. Trait-based ecology has focused on interspecific trait variation, but sources and consequences of within-species ontogenetic trait variation, particularly during early stages of development, remain understudied.Using a manipulative
By
Ecosystems, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center

Drivers of seedling establishment success in dryland restoration efforts

Restoration of degraded drylands is urgently needed to mitigate climate change, reverse desertification and secure livelihoods for the two billion people who live in these areas. Bold global targets have been set for dryland restoration to restore millions of hectares of degraded land. These targets have been questioned as overly ambitious, but without a global evaluation of successes and failures
By
Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center

Responses of soil extracellular enzyme activities and bacterial community composition to seasonal stages of drought in a semiarid grassland

Extreme drought can strongly impact belowground communities and biogeochemical processes, including soil microbial community composition and extracellular enzyme activities (EEAs), which are considered key agents in ecosystem carbon (C) and nutrient cycling. However, our understanding of how seasonal timing of drought during the growing season affects soil microbial communities and their activity
By
Ecosystems, Climate Research and Development Program, Land Change Science Program, Southwest Biological Science Center

Shrub influence on soil carbon and nitrogen in a semi-arid grassland is mediated by precipitation and largely insensitive to livestock grazing

Dryland (arid and semi-arid) ecosystems globally provide more than half of livestock production and store roughly one-third of soil organic carbon (SOC). Biogeochemical pools are changing due to shrub encroachment, livestock grazing, and climate change. We assessed how vegetation microsite, grazing, and precipitation interacted to affect SOC and total nitrogen (TN) at a site with long-term grazing
By
Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center

Pre-USGS Publications

Bontti, E.E., J.P. DeCant, S.M. Munson, M.A. Gathany, A. Przeszlowska, M.L. Haddix, S. Owens, I.C. Burke, W.J. Parton, and M.E. Harmon. 2009. Litter decomposition in grasslands of Central North America (US Great Plains). Global Change Biology 15: 1356–1363.
Munson, S.M. and W.K. Lauenroth. 2009. Plant population and community responses to removal of the dominant species in the shortgrass steppe. Journal of Vegetation Science 20: 224–232.
Munson, S.M. and W.K. Lauenroth. 2012. Plant community recovery following restoration in semiarid grasslands. Restoration Ecology 20: 656–663.
Munson, S.M., W.K. Lauenroth, and I.C. Burke. 2012. Soil carbon and nitrogen recovery on semiarid Conservation Reserve Program lands. Journal of Arid Environments 79: 25–31
Munson, S.M. 2013. Plant responses, climate pivot points, and tradeoffs in water-limited ecosystems. Ecosphere 4: 109.
Li, J., G.S. Okin, J.E. Herrick, J. Belnap, S.M. Munson, and M.E. Miller. 2010. A simple method to estimate threshold friction velocity of wind erosion in the field. Geophysical Research Letters 37: L10402.
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Tips for Dryland Restoration - Summer 2021

Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest (RAMPS)

A Program of the Southwest Biological Science Center & Ecosystems Mission...

Read Article
link

Tips for Dryland Restoration - Spring 2021

Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest (RAMPS)

A Program of the Southwest Biological Science Center & Ecosystems Mission...

Read Article
link

Tips for Dryland Restoration - Summer 2020

This season's edition of the Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest Newsletter contains recent program highlights including...

Read Article
link

RESEARCH BRIEF: RestoreNet Report Card

RestoreNet is a networked ecological experiment testing restoration treatments across the arid Southwest. Seven experimental sites were installed in...

Read Article
link

RESEARCH BRIEF: Cost- benefit analysis of vegetation removal + seeding

Weighing costs relative to outcomes: woody and invasive plant removal followed by seeding in shrublands and woodlands.

New study by RAMPS...

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link

Tips for Dryland Restoration - Spring 2020

This season's edition of the Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest Newsletter contains recent program highlights including...

Read Article
link

Plant Functional Groups Affect Ecological Drought in Semiarid Grasslands

Plant functional groups have contrasting effects on soil water availability by affecting interception, uptake, and transpiration.

Read Article
link

Wildfire and Invasive Species Drives Increasing Size and Cost of Public Land Restoration Efforts

An examination of long-term data for lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management finds that land treatments in the southwestern United States are...

Read Article
link

Predicting Plant Responses to Drought

A new U.S. Geological Survey study shows how plants’ vulnerability to drought varies across the landscape; factors such as plant structure and soil...

Read Article

Science and Products

  • Science
    Filter Total Items: 17
    link
    Desert shrubs

    The Gemini Solar Project

    The United States is developing renewable energy resources, especially solar, at a rapid rate. Although renewable energy development is widely perceived by the public as “green technology,” construction, operation, maintenance, and eventual decommissioning of facilities all have known and potential negative impacts to natural resources, including plant communities and wildlife. This is especially...
    By
    Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center
    link

    The Gemini Solar Project

    The United States is developing renewable energy resources, especially solar, at a rapid rate. Although renewable energy development is widely perceived by the public as “green technology,” construction, operation, maintenance, and eventual decommissioning of facilities all have known and potential negative impacts to natural resources, including plant communities and wildlife. This is especially...
    Learn More
    link
    Global Drought Effects - A networked drought experiment and Austin Rueda, hard at work.

    A global synthesis of multi-year drought effects on terrestrial ecosystems

    Drought impacts on terrestrial ecosystems have increased globally in the 21st century, and droughts are expected to become more frequent, extreme, and spatially extensive in the future. Historical site-based observations are inadequate to predict how future extreme water deficits will affect the global terrestrial surface, because future droughts and their impacts may be more extreme than they hav
    By
    John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
    link

    A global synthesis of multi-year drought effects on terrestrial ecosystems

    Drought impacts on terrestrial ecosystems have increased globally in the 21st century, and droughts are expected to become more frequent, extreme, and spatially extensive in the future. Historical site-based observations are inadequate to predict how future extreme water deficits will affect the global terrestrial surface, because future droughts and their impacts may be more extreme than they hav
    Learn More
    link
    Fire in Boulder, Colorado

    Learning From the Past and Planning for the Future: Experience-Driven Insight Into Managing for Ecosystem Transformations Induced by Drought and Wildfire

    Drought and wildfire pose enormous threats to the integrity of natural resources that land managers are charged with protecting. Recent observations and modeling forecasts indicate that these stressors will likely produce catastrophic ecosystem transformations, or abrupt changes in the condition of plants, wildlife, and their habitats, in regions across the country in coming decades. In this p
    By
    Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Southwest Climate Science Center, Climate Adaptation Science Center
    link

    Learning From the Past and Planning for the Future: Experience-Driven Insight Into Managing for Ecosystem Transformations Induced by Drought and Wildfire

    Drought and wildfire pose enormous threats to the integrity of natural resources that land managers are charged with protecting. Recent observations and modeling forecasts indicate that these stressors will likely produce catastrophic ecosystem transformations, or abrupt changes in the condition of plants, wildlife, and their habitats, in regions across the country in coming decades. In this p
    Learn More
    link
    Fire in Boulder, Colorado

    Learning From the Past and Planning for the Future: Experience-Driven Insight Into Managing for Ecosystem Transformations Induced by Drought and Wildfire

    Drought and wildfire pose enormous threats to the integrity of natural resources that land managers are charged with protecting. Recent observations and modeling forecasts indicate that these stressors will likely produce catastrophic ecosystem transformations, or abrupt changes in the condition of plants, wildlife, and their habitats, in regions across the country in coming decades. In this p
    By
    Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Southwest Climate Science Center, Climate Adaptation Science Center
    link

    Learning From the Past and Planning for the Future: Experience-Driven Insight Into Managing for Ecosystem Transformations Induced by Drought and Wildfire

    Drought and wildfire pose enormous threats to the integrity of natural resources that land managers are charged with protecting. Recent observations and modeling forecasts indicate that these stressors will likely produce catastrophic ecosystem transformations, or abrupt changes in the condition of plants, wildlife, and their habitats, in regions across the country in coming decades. In this p
    Learn More
    link
    An experimental garden nestled against the La Salle Mountains in Utah.

    RestoreNet: Distributed Field Trial Network for Dryland Restoration

    U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers and land managers are co-producing a network of restoration field trial sites on DOI and surrounding lands in the southwestern U.S. The network systematically tests restoration treatments across a broad range of landscape, soil, and climate conditions. Each site in the network is used to test suitable seed mixes and treatments that promote plant...
    By
    Ecosystems, Energy & Wildlife, Environments Program, Status and Trends Program, Southwest Biological Science Center
    link

    RestoreNet: Distributed Field Trial Network for Dryland Restoration

    U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers and land managers are co-producing a network of restoration field trial sites on DOI and surrounding lands in the southwestern U.S. The network systematically tests restoration treatments across a broad range of landscape, soil, and climate conditions. Each site in the network is used to test suitable seed mixes and treatments that promote plant...
    Learn More
    link
    Drill rig in the distance off a dirt road in a semi-aid system.

    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...
    By
    Energy & Wildlife, Environments Program, Southwest Biological Science Center
    link

    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...
    Learn More
    link
    Pinyon-juniper and sagebrush on Juniper Mountain, NV

    Ecology and Management of Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands: State of the Science

    Pinyon-juniper woodlands are a major part of western landscapes and are valued for recreational use, cultural resources, watershed protection, and wildlife habitats. These woodlands have been identified by several stakeholders, including natural resource management entities, federal and state agencies, and numerous tribal nations, as important ecosystems that are currently threatened by land treat
    By
    Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center
    link

    Ecology and Management of Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands: State of the Science

    Pinyon-juniper woodlands are a major part of western landscapes and are valued for recreational use, cultural resources, watershed protection, and wildlife habitats. These woodlands have been identified by several stakeholders, including natural resource management entities, federal and state agencies, and numerous tribal nations, as important ecosystems that are currently threatened by land treat
    Learn More
    link
    Pinyon-juniper and sagebrush on Juniper Mountain, NV

    Ecology and Management of Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands: State of the Science

    Pinyon-juniper woodlands are a major part of western landscapes and are valued for recreational use, cultural resources, watershed protection, and wildlife habitats. These woodlands have been identified by several stakeholders, including natural resource management entities, federal and state agencies, and numerous tribal nations, as important ecosystems that are currently threatened by land treat
    By
    Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center
    link

    Ecology and Management of Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands: State of the Science

    Pinyon-juniper woodlands are a major part of western landscapes and are valued for recreational use, cultural resources, watershed protection, and wildlife habitats. These woodlands have been identified by several stakeholders, including natural resource management entities, federal and state agencies, and numerous tribal nations, as important ecosystems that are currently threatened by land treat
    Learn More
    link
    Tree mortality during California’s extreme drought

    Understanding Changes to the Timing of Natural Events (Phenology) for Plants in the Water-Limited Southwest

    In many places around the world, spring events, like warming temperatures, are coming earlier and fall events are coming later than they have in the past. These changes have implications for the phenology, or the timing of natural life events (e.g. the timing of plant flowering in Spring or leaves falling in Autumn), of many plant species. However, not all species and regions are changing at the s
    By
    Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center
    link

    Understanding Changes to the Timing of Natural Events (Phenology) for Plants in the Water-Limited Southwest

    In many places around the world, spring events, like warming temperatures, are coming earlier and fall events are coming later than they have in the past. These changes have implications for the phenology, or the timing of natural life events (e.g. the timing of plant flowering in Spring or leaves falling in Autumn), of many plant species. However, not all species and regions are changing at the s
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    Tree mortality during California’s extreme drought

    Understanding Changes to the Timing of Natural Events (Phenology) for Plants in the Water-Limited Southwest

    In many places around the world, spring events, like warming temperatures, are coming earlier and fall events are coming later than they have in the past. These changes have implications for the phenology, or the timing of natural life events (e.g. the timing of plant flowering in Spring or leaves falling in Autumn), of many plant species. However, not all species and regions are changing at the s
    By
    Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center
    link

    Understanding Changes to the Timing of Natural Events (Phenology) for Plants in the Water-Limited Southwest

    In many places around the world, spring events, like warming temperatures, are coming earlier and fall events are coming later than they have in the past. These changes have implications for the phenology, or the timing of natural life events (e.g. the timing of plant flowering in Spring or leaves falling in Autumn), of many plant species. However, not all species and regions are changing at the s
    Learn More
    link
    A wheat field (right panel) adjacent to a grassland (left panel) that was restored

    Restoration and Ecosystem Recovery Dynamics in Arid and Semiarid Landscapes

    Dryland regions have been degraded by invasive species, wildfire, overgrazing, agricultural conversion, energy development, recreational activity, and urban growth. These disturbances and others are accelerated by one of the fastest growing human populations in the country and a pressing background of decreasing water availability due to drought and elevated temperatures that are projected to...
    By
    Southwest Biological Science Center
    link

    Restoration and Ecosystem Recovery Dynamics in Arid and Semiarid Landscapes

    Dryland regions have been degraded by invasive species, wildfire, overgrazing, agricultural conversion, energy development, recreational activity, and urban growth. These disturbances and others are accelerated by one of the fastest growing human populations in the country and a pressing background of decreasing water availability due to drought and elevated temperatures that are projected to...
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    Map of 2000 and 2010 perennial vegetation cover (left insets), and change in perennial vegetation cover between 2000 and 2010

    Plant Responses to Drought and Climate Change in the Southwestern United States

    Land managers face tremendous challenges in the future as drought and climate change alter the abundance, distribution, and interactions of plant species. These challenges will be especially daunting in the southwestern US, which is already experiencing elevated temperatures and prolonged droughts, resulting in reduced soil moisture in an already water-limited environment. These changes will...
    By
    Southwest Biological Science Center
    link

    Plant Responses to Drought and Climate Change in the Southwestern United States

    Land managers face tremendous challenges in the future as drought and climate change alter the abundance, distribution, and interactions of plant species. These challenges will be especially daunting in the southwestern US, which is already experiencing elevated temperatures and prolonged droughts, resulting in reduced soil moisture in an already water-limited environment. These changes will...
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  • Data

    Remotely sensed fine-fuel data for Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge (BANWR) from 2015 to 2020

    These data were compiled to estimate fine-fuel abundance and distribution across the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in southern Arizona, USA. The objectives of the study were to develop and validate annual estimates of fine fuel (biomass of herbaceous vegetation) for the refuge and to assess changes in fine fuels through time in response to wildfire and prescribed fire. These data represent
    By
    Southwest Biological Science Center

    Plant trait and soil moisture data associated with ontogenetic trait shifts - seedlings display high trait variability during early stages of development

    These tabular data were compiled to document how key plant trait values change during plant development, particularly seedling stages, and in relation to soil moisture. An objective of our study was to answer three main research questions: (1) Do seedling trait values differ across early to late stages of seedling development and do those trajectories vary among plant species and functional types
    By
    Southwest Biological Science Center

    Data for Dust deposited on snow cover in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, 2011-2016: Compositional variability bearing on snow-melt effects

    Light-absorbing particles in atmospheric dust deposited on snow cover (dust-on-snow, DOS) diminish albedo and accelerate the timing and rate of snow melt. Identification of these particles and their effects are relevant to snow-radiation modeling and water-resource management. Laboratory-measured reflectance of DOS samples from the San Juan Mountains (USA) were compared with DOS mass loading, part
    By
    Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

    Pinyon and Juniper location data, including a literature review citation list of Pinyon-Juniper systems from 1909 to 2018

    These data were compiled for a comprehensive review of pinyon-juniper communities including Pinus edulis, Pinus monophylla, Juniperus osteosperma, Juniperus monosperma, and Juniperus scopulorum. Compiled are a list of references cataloged by the topic of interest resulting from the literature search. The characterization for each reference includes the focal species, descriptions of the site(s) th
    By
    Southwest Biological Science Center

    Dataset for plant production responses to climate across water-limited regions

    This dataset was constructed from readily available open source climate and vegetation data, like Landsat. This dataset represents the vegetation and climate conditions for a large number of points across the major deserts of the SW USA. The dataset was constructed in order to use the climate pivot point approach (Munson et al. 2013) at the landscape level. Originally this dataset was much larger
    By
    Southwest Biological Science Center

    Plant production responses to precipitation differ along an elevation gradient and are enhanced under extremes (Northern Arizona, 1991-2016)

    This dataset is from a precipitation manipulation experiment conducted at five grassland sites along an elevation gradient near Flagstaff, AZ. The data consist of pre- (1991 - 2010, 2015) and post-experimental (2016) treatment plant production and precipitation measurements. The plant production measurements were taken from satellite and hand-held spectroradiometer, in addition to plot-based harve
    By
    Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center

    Rangeland Ecology Monitoring Data, Utah, 1967-2013

    These data represent compiled long-term rangeland monitoring data collected from June to September, 1967 to 2013 at 96 permanently marked sites in 15 livestock grazing allotments in near Hanksville, Utah. The Rangeland rangeland monitoring data were collected by a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) field office in south-central Utah. Monitoring consisted of estimating canopy cover of perennial plant
    By
    Southwest Biological Science Center
  • Publications
    Filter Total Items: 88

    Protocol for installing and monitoring a RestoreNet restoration field trial network site

    RestoreNet is an ecological restoration experiment that is networked across multiple sites, spanning dryland ecosystems in the southwestern United States. The experiment is organized and led by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest (RAMPS). This protocol functions to provide guidance to additional partners on how to set up a RestoreNet site an
    By
    Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center

    Dominant Sonoran Desert plant species have divergent phenological responses to climate change

    The southwestern U.S. is a global hotspot of climate change. Models project that temperatures will continue to rise through the end of the 21st century, accompanied by significant changes to the hydrological cycle. Within the Sonoran Desert, a limited number of studies have documented climate change impacts on the phenology of native plant species. Much of this phenological work to understand clim
    By
    Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center

    Directional selection shifts trait distributions of planted species in dryland restoration

    The match between species trait values and local abiotic filters can restrict community membership. An often-implicit assumption of this relationship is that abiotic filters select for a single locally optimal strategy, though difficulty in isolating effects of the abiotic environment from those of dispersal limitation and biotic interactions has resulted in few empirical tests of this assumption.
    By
    Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center

    Remotely sensed fine-fuel changes from wildfire and prescribed fire in a semi-arid grassland

    The spread of flammable invasive grasses, woody plant encroachment, and enhanced aridity have interacted in many grasslands globally to increase wildfire activity and risk to valued assets. Annual variation in the abundance and distribution of fine-fuel present challenges to land managers implementing prescribed burns and mitigating wildfire, although methods to produce high-resolution fuel estima
    By
    Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center, Western Geographic Science Center

    Does restoration of plant diversity trigger concomitant soil microbiome changes in dryland ecosystems?

    Drylands are highly vulnerable to land degradation, and despite increasing efforts, restoration success remains low. Although often ignored in the design and deployment of management strategies, soil microbial communities might be critical for dryland restoration due to their central role in promoting soil stability, nutrient cycling and plant establishment.We collected soil samples from eight dry
    By
    Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center

    Grasslands maintain stability in productivity through compensatory effects and dominant species stability under extreme precipitation patterns

    Extreme climatic events are likely to intensify under climate change and can have different effects on ecosystems depending on their timing and magnitude. Understanding how productivity responds to extreme precipitation patterns requires assessing stability and vulnerability during critical growing periods at the plant community level. In this study, we experimentally imposed two contrasting types
    By
    Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center

    USGS RAMPS (Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest) newsletter – Summer 2021 edition

    No abstract available.
    By
    Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center

    Biotic and abiotic treatments as a bet-hedging approach to restoring plant communities and soil functions

    Two related concepts in restoration ecology include the relative interchangeability of biotic and abiotic restoration treatments for initiating recovery and bet hedging using multiple restoration approaches to increase the likelihood of favorable restoration outcomes. We used these concepts as a framework to implement a factorial experiment including biotic (outplanting greenhouse-grown individual
    By
    Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center

    Ontogenetic trait shifts: Seedlings display high trait variability during early stages of development

    Characterizing variation in plant functional traits is often key to understanding community-level processes and predicting ecosystem responses to environmental change. Trait-based ecology has focused on interspecific trait variation, but sources and consequences of within-species ontogenetic trait variation, particularly during early stages of development, remain understudied.Using a manipulative
    By
    Ecosystems, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Climate Adaptation Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center

    Drivers of seedling establishment success in dryland restoration efforts

    Restoration of degraded drylands is urgently needed to mitigate climate change, reverse desertification and secure livelihoods for the two billion people who live in these areas. Bold global targets have been set for dryland restoration to restore millions of hectares of degraded land. These targets have been questioned as overly ambitious, but without a global evaluation of successes and failures
    By
    Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center

    Responses of soil extracellular enzyme activities and bacterial community composition to seasonal stages of drought in a semiarid grassland

    Extreme drought can strongly impact belowground communities and biogeochemical processes, including soil microbial community composition and extracellular enzyme activities (EEAs), which are considered key agents in ecosystem carbon (C) and nutrient cycling. However, our understanding of how seasonal timing of drought during the growing season affects soil microbial communities and their activity
    By
    Ecosystems, Climate Research and Development Program, Land Change Science Program, Southwest Biological Science Center

    Shrub influence on soil carbon and nitrogen in a semi-arid grassland is mediated by precipitation and largely insensitive to livestock grazing

    Dryland (arid and semi-arid) ecosystems globally provide more than half of livestock production and store roughly one-third of soil organic carbon (SOC). Biogeochemical pools are changing due to shrub encroachment, livestock grazing, and climate change. We assessed how vegetation microsite, grazing, and precipitation interacted to affect SOC and total nitrogen (TN) at a site with long-term grazing
    By
    Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center

    Pre-USGS Publications

    Bontti, E.E., J.P. DeCant, S.M. Munson, M.A. Gathany, A. Przeszlowska, M.L. Haddix, S. Owens, I.C. Burke, W.J. Parton, and M.E. Harmon. 2009. Litter decomposition in grasslands of Central North America (US Great Plains). Global Change Biology 15: 1356–1363.
    Munson, S.M. and W.K. Lauenroth. 2009. Plant population and community responses to removal of the dominant species in the shortgrass steppe. Journal of Vegetation Science 20: 224–232.
    Munson, S.M. and W.K. Lauenroth. 2012. Plant community recovery following restoration in semiarid grasslands. Restoration Ecology 20: 656–663.
    Munson, S.M., W.K. Lauenroth, and I.C. Burke. 2012. Soil carbon and nitrogen recovery on semiarid Conservation Reserve Program lands. Journal of Arid Environments 79: 25–31
    Munson, S.M. 2013. Plant responses, climate pivot points, and tradeoffs in water-limited ecosystems. Ecosphere 4: 109.
    Li, J., G.S. Okin, J.E. Herrick, J. Belnap, S.M. Munson, and M.E. Miller. 2010. A simple method to estimate threshold friction velocity of wind erosion in the field. Geophysical Research Letters 37: L10402.
  • News
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    Tips for Dryland Restoration - Summer 2021

    Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest (RAMPS)

    A Program of the Southwest Biological Science Center & Ecosystems Mission...

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    link

    Tips for Dryland Restoration - Spring 2021

    Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest (RAMPS)

    A Program of the Southwest Biological Science Center & Ecosystems Mission...

    Read Article
    link

    Tips for Dryland Restoration - Summer 2020

    This season's edition of the Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest Newsletter contains recent program highlights including...

    Read Article
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    RESEARCH BRIEF: RestoreNet Report Card

    RestoreNet is a networked ecological experiment testing restoration treatments across the arid Southwest. Seven experimental sites were installed in...

    Read Article
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    RESEARCH BRIEF: Cost- benefit analysis of vegetation removal + seeding

    Weighing costs relative to outcomes: woody and invasive plant removal followed by seeding in shrublands and woodlands.

    New study by RAMPS...

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    Tips for Dryland Restoration - Spring 2020

    This season's edition of the Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest Newsletter contains recent program highlights including...

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    Plant Functional Groups Affect Ecological Drought in Semiarid Grasslands

    Plant functional groups have contrasting effects on soil water availability by affecting interception, uptake, and transpiration.

    Read Article
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    Wildfire and Invasive Species Drives Increasing Size and Cost of Public Land Restoration Efforts

    An examination of long-term data for lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management finds that land treatments in the southwestern United States are...

    Read Article
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    Predicting Plant Responses to Drought

    A new U.S. Geological Survey study shows how plants’ vulnerability to drought varies across the landscape; factors such as plant structure and soil...

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