Brooks, J.R., Buchmann, N., Phillips, S.L., Ehleringer, B., Evans, R.D., Lott, M., Martinelli, L.A., Pockman, W.T., Sandquist, D.R., Sparks, J.P., Sperry, L., Williams, D., Ehleringer, J.R., 2002, Heavy and light beer- A carbon isotope approach to detect C4 carbon in beers of different origins, styles, and prices: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, v. 50, p. 6413-6418.
Sue Phillips
Sue Phillips is the Aridlands Research Manager at the Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) in Corvallis, Oregon. She manages the Snake River Field Station in Boise, Idaho, and supports the amazingly talented group of research scientists and support staff in that unit.
Biography
She’s been with the USGS since 1997, working as a manager and supervisory biologist. Before joining FRESC's management team, her research focused on the plant, soil, and physiological ecology of arid and semiarid ecosystems, primarily those of the southwestern U.S., but also Africa, the Middle East, Australia, Ecuador, and central Mexico. Before joining the USGS, she spent eight years as a Research Associate at the University of Utah, where she received her M.S. in Plant Physiological Ecology. She received her B.S. in Biology in 1986 from the University of Colorado and worked as a field and lab assistant, then Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) sub-project manager, at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research.
Education:
B.S. University of Colorado, Boulder, CO. December 1986; Environmental, Population and Organismal Biology major with an emphasis in Plant Ecology
M.S. University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT. 1996; Biology major with an emphasis in Plant Physiological Ecology
Professional Positions:
1983-1985 Research Assistant, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, Boulder, CO
1985-1987 LTER Subproject Manager, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, Boulder, CO
1989-1996 Senior Research Specialist, Biology Department, University of Utah, Salt Lake City ,UT
1996-1997 Research Associate, Biology Department, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
1996-1997 Biologist, National Park Service, Moab ,UT
1997-2007 Biologist, USGS Canyonlands Field Station, Moab, UT
2007-2009 Supervisory Biologist, USGS Canyonlands Field Station, Moab, UT
2009-present Aridlands Research Manager, USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, OR
Science and Products
Year Published: 2011
The influence of stream channels on distributions of Larrea tridentata and Ambrosia dumosa in the Mojave Desert, CA, USA: Patterns, mechanisms and effects of stream redistribution
Drainage channels are among the most conspicuous surficial features of deserts, but little quantitative analysis of their influence on plant distributions is available. We analysed the effects of desert stream channels (‘washes’) on Larrea tridentata and Ambrosia dumosa density and cover on an alluvial piedmont in the Mojave...
Schwinning, S.; Sandquist, D.R.; Miller, D.M.; Bedford, D.R.; Phillips, S.L.; Belnap, J.Attribution: Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC), , Energy and Minerals, Ecosystems, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center
View Citation
The influence of stream channels on distributions of Larrea tridentata and Ambrosia dumosa in the Mojave Desert, CA, USA: Patterns, mechanisms and effects of stream redistribution; 2011; Article; Journal; Ecohydrology; Schwinning, S.; Sandquist, D. R.; Miller, D. M.; Bedford, D. R.; Phillips, S. L.; Belnap, J.
Year Published: 2009
Sediment losses and gains across a gradient of livestock grazing and plant invasion in a cool, semi-arid grassland, Colorado Plateau, USA
Large sediment fluxes can have significant impacts on ecosystems. We measured incoming and outgoing sediment across a gradient of soil disturbance (livestock grazing, plowing) and annual plant invasion for 9 years. Our sites included two currently ungrazed sites: one never grazed by livestock and dominated by perennial grasses/well-developed...
Belnap, J.; Reynolds, R.L.; Reheis, M.C.; Phillips, S.L.; Urban, F.E.; Goldstein, H.L.View Citation
Sediment losses and gains across a gradient of livestock grazing and plant invasion in a cool, semi-arid grassland, Colorado Plateau, USA; 2009; Article; Journal; Aeolian Research; Belnap, J.; Reynolds, R. L.; Reheis, M. C.; Phillips, S. L.; Urban, F. E.; Goldstein, H. L.
Year Published: 2008
Global change and biological soil crusts: Effects of ultraviolet augmentation under altered precipitation regimes and nitrogen additions
Biological soil crusts (BSCs), a consortium of cyanobacteria, lichens, and mosses, are essential in most dryland ecosystems. As these organisms are relatively immobile and occur on the soil surface, they are exposed to high levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation and atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition, rising temperatures, and alterations in...
Belnap, J.; Phillips, S.L.; Flint, S.; Money, J.; Caldwell, M.View Citation
Global change and biological soil crusts: Effects of ultraviolet augmentation under altered precipitation regimes and nitrogen additions; 2008; Article; Journal; Global Change Biology; Belnap, J.; Phillips, S. L.; Flint, S.; Money, J.; Caldwell, M.
Year Published: 2008
Visually assessing the level of development and soil surface stability of cyanobacterially dominated biological soil crusts
Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are an integral part of dryland ecosystems and often included in long-term ecological monitoring programs. Estimating moss and lichen cover is fairly easy and non-destructive, but documenting cyanobacterial level of development (LOD) is more difficult. It requires sample collection for laboratory analysis, which...
Belnap, J.; Phillips, S.L.; Witwicki, D.L.; Miller, M.E.View Citation
Visually assessing the level of development and soil surface stability of cyanobacterially dominated biological soil crusts; 2008; Article; Journal; Journal of Arid Environments; Belnap, J.; Phillips, S. L.; Witwicki, D. L.; Miller, M. E.
Year Published: 2007
Dynamics of cover, UV-protective pigments, and quantum yield in biological soil crust communities of an undisturbed Mojave Desert shrubland
Biological soil crusts are an integral part of dryland ecosystems. We monitored the cover of lichens and mosses, cyanobacterial biomass, concentrations of UV-protective pigments in both free-living and lichenized cyanobacteria, and quantum yield in the soil lichen species Collema in an undisturbed Mojave Desert shrubland. During our sampling time...
Belnap, Jayne; Phillips, Susan L.; Smith, Stanley D.View Citation
Dynamics of cover, UV-protective pigments, and quantum yield in biological soil crust communities of an undisturbed Mojave Desert shrubland; 2007; Article; Journal; Flora: Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants; Belnap, J.; Phillips, S. L.; Smith, S. D.
Year Published: 2007
Wind erodibility of soils at Fort Irwin, California (Mojave Desert), USA, before and after trampling disturbance: Implications for land management
Recently disturbed and 'control' (i.e. less recently disturbed) soils in the Mojave Desert were compared for their vulnerability to wind erosion, using a wind tunnel, before and after being experimentally trampled. Before trampling, control sites had greater cyanobacterial biomass, soil surface stability, threshold friction velocities (TFV, i.e....
Belnap, J.; Phillips, S.L.; Herrick, J.E.; Johansen, J.R.View Citation
Wind erodibility of soils at Fort Irwin, California (Mojave Desert), USA, before and after trampling disturbance: Implications for land management; 2007; Article; Journal; Earth Surface Processes and Landforms; Belnap, J.; Phillips, S. L.; Herrick, J. E.; Johansen, J. R.
Year Published: 2005
Evidence for micronutrient limitation of biological soil crusts: Importance to arid-lands restoration
Desertification is a global problem, costly to national economies and human societies. Restoration of biological soil crusts (BSCs) may have an important role to play in the reversal of desertification due to their ability to decrease erosion and enhance soil fertility. To determine if there is evidence that lower fertility may hinder BSC...
Bowker, M.A.; Belnap, J.; Davidson, D.W.; Phillips, S.L.View Citation
Evidence for micronutrient limitation of biological soil crusts: Importance to arid-lands restoration; 2005; Article; Journal; Ecological Applications; Bowker, M. A.; Belnap, J.; Davidson, D. W.; Phillips, S. L.
Year Published: 2005
Soil biota can change after exotic plant invasion: Does this affect ecosystem processes?
Invasion of the exotic annual grass Bromus tectorum into stands of the native perennial grass Hilaria jamesii significantly reduced the abundance of soil biota, especially microarthropods and nematodes. Effects of invasion on active and total bacterial and fungal biomass were variable, although populations generally increased after 50+ years of...
Belnap, J.; Phillips, S.L.; Sherrod, S.K.; Moldenke, A.View Citation
Soil biota can change after exotic plant invasion: Does this affect ecosystem processes?; 2005; Article; Journal; Ecology; Belnap, J.; Phillips, S. L.; Sherrod, S. K.; Moldenke, A.
Year Published: 2004
Response of desert biological soil crusts to alterations in precipitation frequency
Biological soil crusts, a community of cyanobacteria, lichens, and mosses that live on the soil surface, occur in deserts throughout the world. They are a critical component of desert ecosystems, as they are important contributors to soil fertility and stability. Future climate scenarios predict alteration of the timing and amount of precipitation...
Belnap, J.; Phillips, S.L.; Miller, M.E.View Citation
Response of desert biological soil crusts to alterations in precipitation frequency; 2004; Article; Journal; Oecologia; Belnap, J.; Phillips, S. L.; Miller, M. E.
Year Published: 2003
Soil fertility in deserts: a review on the influence of biological soil crusts and the effect of soil surface disturbance on nutrient inputs and losses
Sources of desert soil fertility include parent material weathering, aeolian deposition, and on-site C and N biotic fixation. While parent materials provide many soil nutrients, aeolian deposition can provide up to 75% of plant-essential nutrients including N, P, K, Mg, Na, Mn, Cu, and Fe. Soil surface biota are often sticky, and help retain wind-...
Reynolds, R.; Phillips, S.; Duniway, M.; Belnap, J.
Year Published: 2002
Temporal variation in community composition, pigmentation, and Fv/Fm of desert cyanobacterial soil crusts
Summers on the Colorado Plateau (USA) are typified by harsh conditions such as high temperatures, brief soil hydration periods, and high UV and visible radiation. We investigated whether community composition, physiological status, and pigmentation might vary in biological soil crusts as a result of such conditions. Representative surface cores...
Bowker, M.A.; Reed, S.C.; Belnap, J.; Phillips, S.L.View Citation
Temporal variation in community composition, pigmentation, and Fv/Fm of desert cyanobacterial soil crusts; 2002; Article; Journal; Microbial Ecology; Bowker, M. A.; Reed, S. C.; Belnap, J.; Phillips, S. L.
Year Published: 2002
Treatment effects on performance of N-fixing lichens in disturbed crusts of the Colorado Plateau
Biological soil crusts arrest soil erosion and supply nitrogen to arid ecosystems. To understand their recovery from disturbance, we studied performances of Collema spp. lichens relative to four experimental treatments plus microtopography of soil pedicels, oriented north-northwest to south-southeast in crusts. At sites in Needles (NDLS) and...
Davidson, Diane W.; Bowker, Mathew; George, Dylan; Phillips, Susan L.; Belnap, JayneView Citation
Treatment effects on the performance of nitrogen-fixing lichens in disturbed crusts of the Colorado Plateau; 2002; Article; Journal; Ecological Applications; Davidson, Diane W.; Bowker, Mathew; George, Dylan; Phillips, S.; Belnap, Jayne
Pre-USGS Publications
Ecophysiological factors contributing to the distributions of several Quercusspecies in the Intermountain West
Ehleringer, J.R., Phillips, S.L., 1996, Ecophysiological factors contributing to the distributions of several Quercusspecies in the Intermountain West: Annales des Sciences Forestieres, v. 53, p. 291-302.
Ehleringer JR, Sandquist DR, Phillips SL. 1997. Burning coal seams in southern Utah: a natural system for studies of plant responses to elevated CO2. In: A. Raschi, F. Migleietta, R. Tugnetti and P. van Gardingen (eds), Plant Responses to Elevated CO2: Evidence from Natural Springs. Cambridge Univ Press. pp 56-68.
Ehleringer JR, Phillips SL. 1996. Ecophysiological factors contributing to the distributions of several Quercus species in the Intermountain West. Ann For. Sci. 53:291-302.
Lin G, Phillips SL, Ehleringer JR. 1996. Monsoonal precipitation responses of shrubs in a cold desert community on the Colorado Plateau. Oecologia 106:8-17.
Phillips SL, Ehleringer JR. 1995. Limited uptake of summer precipitation by bigtooth maple (Acer grandidentatum Nutt.) and Gambel’s oak (Quercus gambelii Nutt.). Trees 9:214-219.
Schuster WSF, Sandquist DR, Phillips SL, Ehleringer JR. 1994. High levels of genetic variation in populations of four dominant aridland plant species in Arizona. J. of Arid Environ. 27:159-167.
Effect of changes in leaf water oxygen isotopic changes on discrimination against C18O16O during photosynthetic gas exchange
Flanagan LB, Phillips SL, Ehleringer JR, Lloyd J, Farquhar GD. 1994. Effect of changes in leaf water oxygen isotopic changes on discrimination against C18O16O during photosynthetic gas exchange. Aust. J. Plant Phys. 21:221-234.
Sandquist DR, Schuster WSF, Donovan LA, Phillips SL, Ehleringer JR. 1993. Differences in carbon isotope discrimination between seedlings and adults of southwestern desert perennial plants. Southwestern Nat. 38(3):212-217.
Schuster WSF, Phillips SL, Sandquist DR, Ehleringer JR. 1992. Heritability of carbon isotope discrimination in Gutierrezia microcephala (Asteraceae). Amer. J. Bot. 79(2):216-221.
Schuster WSF, Sandquist DR, Phillips SL, Ehleringer JR. 1992. Comparisons of carbon isotope discrimination in populations of aridland plant species differing in lifespan. Oecologia 91:332-337.
Ehleringer JR, Phillips SL, Comstock JP. 1992. Seasonal variation in the carbon isotopic composition of desert plants. Functional Ecology 6:396-404.
Ehleringer JR, Phillips SL, Schuster WSF, Sandquist DR. 1991. Differential utilization of summer rains by desert plants. Oecologia 88(3): 430-434.
Comparative water use patterns of Quercus gambelii and Acer grandidentatum in Red Butte Canyon, Utah
Phillips SL. 1996. Comparative water use patterns of Quercus gambelii and Acer grandidentatum in Red Butte Canyon, Utah. MS Thesis, University of Utah.
Procedures manual for plant community dynamics subproject
Pollak O, Phillips SL, Shaw K, Herger L. 1988. Procedures manual for plant community dynamics subproject. Long-Term Ecological Research Data Report 88/1, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, Boulder, CO.
Effect of changes in leaf water oxygen isotopic changes on discrimination against C18O16O during photosynthetic gas exchange
Flanagan LB, Phillips SL, Ehleringer JR, Lloyd J, Farquhar GD. 1994. Effect of changes in leaf water oxygen isotopic changes on discrimination against C18O16O during photosynthetic gas exchange. Aust. J. Plant Phys. 21:221-234.