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47 results for “sagebrush”
Scaling landscape fire history in sagebrush: Wildfires not historically frequent in the main population of threatened Gunnison Sage-grouse
<p>The main population of ∼5,000 Threatened Gunnison sage-grouse (GUSG; Centrocercus minimus) in Colorado depends on sagebrush that are killed by wildfires, with recovery taking decades, so frequent fire is a threat, but did it occur historically? Early land surveys showed that the historical (preindustrial) fire rotation (FR), the expected period to burn area equal to a focal land area, was 90-143 years in GUSG ranges, which is not frequent fire (≤25 years). However, recent research, based on fire scars on trees at ten sites near sagebrush, suggested some frequent fire historically in the main population. That study was not spatial, essential to estimate FR, so spatial data were created in GIS with land-survey reconstructions, survey dates, fire-scar sites, Thiessen polygons around sites, and sagebrush. The previous study assumed fires that burned 2+ sites likely burned across sagebrush. Historical FRs were calculated several ways over a common period. A recovery estimate of FR was 90-135 years, a land-survey estimate 82-131 years, and three spatial scar-based estimates 93-107 years, showing agreement. However, comparing land-survey and fire-scar results showed that using fire scars spatially only 43% matched land surveys. Detailed analysis showed that 10 fire-scar sites were insufficient to detect historical fire sizes and distributions across the large 168,753 ha sagebrush area. An adequate historical fire reconstruction could require ∼45-60 fire-scar sites, making only ∼30,000 ha of sagebrush feasible. Using the two remaining methods, which cross-validate, showed frequent fire did not occur historically in the study area, as historical FRs were 82-135 years. </p>
Mean Annual Herbaceous Cover for the Sagebrush Biome, USA (2020 - 2022)
<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and other invasive annual grasses are the single largest threat to sagebrush rangeland health and resilience (Doherty et al. 2022). To address this challenge, NRCS’ Working Lands for Wildlife, the Western Governors Association (WGA), and diverse partners are helping implement a new proactive spatial plan to tackle invasive annuals known as “Defend the Core” (Maestas et al. 2022). Foundational to implementing this new approach is the creation of a common spatial map of invasion severity to guide strategic actions. In 2020, a WGA-led cheatgrass working group an annual herbaceous cover map that summarized the extent of annuals using three remotely-sensed data products for the years 2016 - 2018 (Maestas et al. 2020). This updated product reports annual herbaceous cover for the years 2020 - 2022 using only cover data from the Rangeland Analysis Platform. Data coverage includes all rangelands within the U.S. sagebrush biome. </p> <p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The goal of the annual herbaceous cover map is to support a common spatial strategy for tackling invasive annual grasses across the western U.S. As with all remote sensing-based products, the map presented here is best used alongside local knowledge and data. The map is intended to facilitate cross-boundary regional planning, and it is anticipated that state and local partners will further refine priority areas for management using additional information.</p> <p><strong>Methodology: </strong>This product used the Rangeland Analysis Platform V3 cover product from years 2020, 2021, and 2022. A mean composite was generated from the yearly raster data using the ‘annual herbaceous functional type’ (AFG) layer, representing percent cover of annual forb and grasses. The methodology for producing the cover product is described in Allred et al. 2021. Cover error for AFG in RAP Cover V3 was 7.0% (MAE) and 11.0% (RMSE). More information can be found at <a href="https://rangelands.app/products/">https://rangelands.app/products/</a>. The data is clipped to the extent of the sagebrush biome using the data from Jeffries and Finn (2019). </p> <p>Some important considerations must be kept in mind when using this product. First, the data layer depicts cover for all annual herbaceous species, not just invasive annual grasses. However, annual herbaceous cover is a useful surrogate for invasive annuals on arid rangelands in the sagebrush biome where native annuals typically represent a small proportion of vegetation cover most years. Second, the product reflects modeled predictions, so error must also be considered. This data product is best suited to highlight patterns of invasive annuals where they are known to be widely distributed and cannot be used in isolation to confirm the absence of invasive species. </p> <p><strong>Time Period of Data:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Start Date: 2020-01-01</li> <li>End Date: 2022-12-31</li> </ul> <p><strong>Coordinate Reference System</strong>: Data are in WGS84 Geographic Coordinate System (EPSG:4326); spatial resolution is approximately 30m.</p> <p><strong>Data format: </strong>Cloud Optimized GeoTiff</p> <p><strong>Data Value: </strong>Percent (%) annual herbaceous cover</p> <p><strong>Data type: </strong>Byte </p> <p><strong>Nodata value: </strong>255</p> <p><strong>Bounding Coordinates:</strong></p> <ul> <li>West: -122.116081408</li> <li>East: -102.260259357</li> <li>North: 49.0016614443</li> <li>South: 34.2918384983</li> </ul> <p><strong>Keywords:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Terrestrial ecosystems</li> <li>Vegetation</li> <li>Invasive species</li> <li>Grassland ecosystems</li> <li>Remote sensing</li> <li>Grasslands</li> <li>Cheatgrass</li> <li>Great Basin</li> <li>Biota</li> <li>Geoscientific information</li> </ul> <p><strong>Access Constraints: </strong>This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a> Data are provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, express or implied.</p> <p><strong>Use Constraints:</strong> None. </p> <p><strong>Previous Version(s): </strong>Maestas et al. 2020</p> <p><strong>Data Credit: </strong>University of Montana, USDA-NRCS</p> <p><strong>Data Attribution: </strong>Allred et al. 2021</p>
Modified Ecosystem Demography (ED2) model with sagebrush (shrub) parameters
<p># Original Ecosystem Demography (ED2) model was developed by Moorcroft et al., 2001 and Medvigy et al., 2009, and team, which is available at github (https://github.com/EDmodel/ED2).</p> <p># This repository contains modified Ecosystem Demography (ED2) model for sagebrush (shrub) PFT. In order to do so we primarily updated ed_params.F90 with additional PFT, which is represented by number '18'. For the initial works, we selected allometrics equations for temperate PFTs in ED2 to develop coefficients (parameters) related to allometric relationships (such as dbh to height , dbh to leaf biomass etc). We used cube root of volume to represent diameter to calculate allometric equations for shrubs, since they do not have clear main trunk like trees. Another source code ed_max_dims.F90 was also changed to update PFT dimensions. </p> <p># This repository also includes namelist (ED2IN) file used to run sensitivity and optimization of sagebrush parameters. </p> <p>References</p> <p>Medvigy, D., Wofsy, S. C., Munger, J. W., Hollinger, D. Y., and Moorcroft, P. R.: Mechanistic scaling of ecosystemfunction and dynamics in space and time: Ecosystem Demography model version 2, J. Geophys. Res., 114, G01002, doi:10.1029/2008JG000812, 2009.</p> <p>Moorcroft, P. R., Hurtt, G. C., Pacala, S. W.: A method for scaling vegetation dynamics: the Ecosystem Demography model (ED), Ecol. Monogr., 71, 557–586, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9615(2001)071%5b0557:AMFSVD%5d2.0.CO;2">https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9615(2001)071[0557:AMFSVD]2.0.CO;2</a>, 2001.</p>
New indicators of ecological resilience and invasion resistance to support prioritization and management in the sagebrush biome, United States
<p>Ecosystem transformations to altered or novel ecological states are accelerating across the globe. Indicators of ecological resilience to disturbance and resistance to invasion can aid in assessing risks and prioritizing areas for conservation and restoration. The sagebrush biome encompasses parts of 11 western states and is experiencing rapid transformations due to human population growth, invasive species, altered disturbance regimes, and climate change. We built on prior use of static soil moisture and temperature regimes to develop new, ecologically relevant and climate-responsive indicators of both resilience and resistance. Our new indicators were based on climate and soil water availability variables derived from process-based ecohydrological models that allow predictions of future conditions. We asked: (1) Which variables best indicate resilience and resistance? (2) What are the relationships among the indicator variables and resilience and resistance categories? (3) How do patterns of resilience and resistance vary across the area? We assembled a large database (n = 24,045) of vegetation sample plots from regional monitoring programs and derived multiple climate and soil water availability variables for each plot from ecohydrological simulations. We used USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service National Soils Survey Information, Ecological Site Descriptions, and expert knowledge to develop and assign ecological types and resilience and resistance categories to each plot. We used random forest models to derive a set of 19 climate and water availability variables that best predicted resilience and resistance categories. Our models had relatively high multiclass accuracy (80% for resilience; 75% for resistance). Top indicator variables for both resilience and resistance included mean temperature, coldest month temperature, climatic water deficit, and summer and driest month precipitation. Variable relationships and patterns differed among ecoregions but reflected environmental gradients; low resilience and resistance were indicated by warm and dry conditions with high climatic water deficits, and moderately high to high resilience and resistance were characterized by cooler and moister conditions with low climatic water deficits. The new, ecologically-relevant indicators provide information on the vulnerability of resources and likely success of management actions and can be used to develop new approaches and tools for prioritizing areas for conservation and restoration actions.</p>
New indicators of ecological resilience and invasion resistance to support prioritization and management in the sagebrush biome, United States
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Sagebrush plant community response to livestock grazing in the context of abiotic variability
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The Highs and Lows of Grazing: Effects of Ungulates and Elevation on Grassland and Sagebrush Steppe Vegetation Composition in Yellowstone National Park
<p>Yellowstone National Park’s Northern Range is emblematic for the wolves, bison and elk that inhabit its grassland and sagebrush-steppe habitats. Their interactions and populations have been the focus of considerable conservation debate. Recent changes in ungulate populations provide an opportunity to examine their influence on the vegetation communities. We conducted expansive vegetation surveys along an elevation gradient and at exclosure sites where ungulates were unable to graze. We collected a large database (n = 620 quadrats), which we analyzed using classic community ecology approaches. We found that non-native species have higher abundances at low elevations, and that grazing by ungulates reduces beta diversity and native cover, while promoting non-native cover. The magnitude of these changes are greater in bison-dominated than elk-dominated areas of Yellowstone, suggesting that bison may be overgrazing. These results provide valuable insights into major factors shaping vegetation communities, while also contextualizing management practices in a world-renowned ecosystem.</p> <p> </p> <p>Please respect licensing, and contact the corresponding author for permission to use this dataset in any research or publications. </p>
Data for: Causal mechanisms for negative impacts of energy development inform management triggers for sagebrush birds
<p>Estimated population trends can identify declining species to focus biological conservation, but monitoring may fail to illuminate causes of population change and strategies for reversing declines. Monitoring programs can relate trends with environmental attributes to test causal hypotheses, but typical analytical approaches do not explicitly support causal inference, diluting available data for informing conservation. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) extended Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions with a quasi-experimental sampling design over a 10-year period (2010–2019) to evaluate impacts of oil and gas development on sagebrush birds within the Atlantic Rim Natural Gas Development Project in southern Wyoming. We analyzed resulting data using a multi-scale community occupancy model to estimate trends in species occupancy and richness relevant to management triggers. Additionally, we employed path analysis to evaluate mechanisms underlying observed trends to inform potential management responses. Fine-scale occupancy for sage thrasher (<em>Oreoscoptes montanus</em>) declined within the high-development stratum at a rate sufficient to meet an<em> a priori</em> management trigger established by the BLM. Two additional sagebrush-associated species, Brewer's (<em>Spizella breweri</em>) and sagebrush sparrow (<em>Artemisiospiza nevadensis</em>), exhibited negative development relationships with trend, as did overall species richness, and richness of grassland, sagebrush, and generalist guilds. We identified well pad density and invasive plants associated with energy development as causal factors contributing to these negative development impacts. We demonstrate an analytical approach for both estimating occupancy trends and identifying underlying causes to inform conservation action. Reducing the development footprint, including well pad density and associated invasive plants, could help reduce or limit impacts on birds within this landscape.</p>
Do plant-soil feedbacks promote coexistence in a sagebrush steppe?
<p>Recent studies have shown the potential for negative plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) to promote stable coexistence but have not quantified the stabilizing effect relative to other coexistence mechanisms. We conducted a field experiment to test the role of PSFs in stabilizing coexistence among four dominant sagebrush steppe species that appear to coexist stably, based on previous work with observational data and models. We then integrated the effects of PSF treatments on focal species across germination, survival, and first-year growth. To contribute to stable coexistence, soil microbes should have host-specific effects that result in negative feedbacks. Over two replicated growing seasons, our experiments consistently showed that soil microbes have negative effects on plant growth, but these effects were rarely host-specific. The uncommon host-specific effects were mostly positive at the germination stage and negative for growth. Integrated effects of PSF across early life-stage vital rates showed that PSF-mediated self-limitation occasionally had large effects on projected plant biomass but occurred inconsistently between years. Our results suggest that while microbially-mediated PSF may not be a common mechanism of coexistence in this community, it may still affect the relative abundance of dominant plant species via changes in host fitness. Our work also serves as a blueprint for future investigations that aim to identify underlying processes and test alternative mechanisms to explain important patterns in community ecology.</p>
Data from: Historical fire regimes and contemporary fire effects within sagebrush habitats of Gunnison Sage-grouse
<p>The historical role of fire in sagebrush (<em>Artemisia</em> <em>tridentata</em>) landscapes remains poorly understood yet is important to inform management and conservation of obligate species such as the threatened Gunnison Sage-grouse (GUSG; <em>Centrocercus</em> <em>minimus</em>). We reconstructed fire histories from tree-ring fire-scars at sagebrush-forest ecotones (10 sites, 111 trees) to better understand the role of fire in sagebrush landscapes of the Upper Gunnison Basin (UGB), Colorado, and how fire may have changed following European-American settlement. We assessed likely influences of historical fire by surveying plant composition and structure at 100 sagebrush sites with and without recent (2001–2020) fire. </p> <p>Tree-ring fire-scars revealed a history of repeated low-severity fire at sagebrush-forest ecotones until 1892, followed by over a century without fire. Between 1684 and 1892, the mean fire interval (MFI) among sites averaged 41.3 years (ranging from 18.2 to 79.7 years). Fire over this period occurred synchronously at two or more sites on average every 23.6 years, consistent with spread between sites. Most (70%) of the historical fires burned in the early growing season when strong winds can spread fire through sagebrush. Recent burns, relative to unburned sites exhibited greater reductions in sagebrush (<em>Artemisia</em> <em>tridentata</em>; 27% vs. 6%) and concomitant increases in herbaceous (40% vs. 55%) cover. These differences declined with time since fire but persisted for at least two decades. Burns were dominated by a suite of native perennial grasses, forbs, and a re-sprouting shrub species. Historically, such openings may have served as seasonal GUSG habitat. Burns exhibited slightly increased cover (4% vs. 1%) of a widely-planted non-native perennial grass, crested wheatgrass (<em>Agropyron</em> <em>cristatum</em>). </p> <p>Our results suggest that parts of the UGB sagebrush landscapes were characterized historically by frequent fire and dynamic vegetation mosaics that included open, grassy patches. These findings are consistent with the use of prescribed fire to restore and maintain this ecological process and vegetation heterogeneity. However, the contemporary context for fire has changed, and now includes substantially reduced (Endangered Species Act) ESA-listed GUSG populations, increased risk of non-native plant invasion, and climate warming. These circumstances highlight new risks, information needs, and opportunities for key knowledge co-production via management-research partnerships. </p>
Restoration temporarily supports the resilience of sagebrush-steppe ecosystems subjected to repeated fires
<p>Many ecosystems are experiencing increased fire frequencies and species invasions that can erode their resilience and cause a shift to alternative states. In the sagebrush-steppe, a semi-arid shrubland ecosystem in North America, restoration treatments are often implemented following wildfire to enhance their resilience to invasion. However, little is known about the long-term effectiveness of these treatments. We investigated whether repeated restoration efforts provide greater resilience in sagebrush-steppe communities initially dominated by species with different post-fire regeneration traits and subjected to compounding wildfires and invasion by <em>Bromus tectorum</em> over 25 years.</p> <p>We studied 37 permanent transects (Columbia Basin, Washington, USA) in which species abundance was recorded multiple times from 1992 to 2017. We quantified community change and its relationship with fire, restoration, and moisture availability. Resilience was evaluated by quantifying community resistance and stability indices.</p> <p>The greatest change occurred in communities where the obligate seeding shrub <em>Artemisia tridentata</em> was initially common. Repeated fires led to the extirpation of this shrub and eventual dominance of <em>B. tectorum</em>. Herbicide applications temporarily suppressed <em>B. tectorum</em> post-fire. Seeding treatments and above average precipitation initially increased native cover. Although communities where resprouting species were common showed the least change, repeated fires did lead to a gradual but substantial decline (86%) in resprouting shrubs.</p> <p><em>Synthesis and applications:</em> Our findings show that repeated restoration efforts, together with elevated precipitation, can support native species re-establishment in systems experiencing altered disturbance regimes and species invasions. Our unique long-term dataset demonstrates, however, that many such interventions have short-lived effects due to the strong "unhelpful resilience" of highly invaded systems. This implicitly suggests that many such systems have experienced fundamental shifts in ecosystem state. The likelihood of this occurring is strongly associated with the dominant species post-fire regeneration traits. We predict that community composition and resilience will continue to degrade in the sagebrush-steppe unless management prioritizes fire suppression and an adaptive restoration approach that considers resource availability.</p>
Mojave Bell's Sparrow (Artemisiospiza bellii canescens) and Sagebrush Sparrow (Artemisiospiza nevadensis) captures at western Arizona sites, February 2014
<p>Bell's Sparrows (<em>Artemisiospiza</em> <em>belli</em>)) have only recently been recognized as distinct from Sagebrush Sparrows (<em>A. nevadensis</em>), and the "Mojave" subspecies (<em>A. b. canescens</em>) shares an overlapping wintering distribution with Sagebrush Sparrow in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts of southeastern California and western Arizona. We lack understanding of the 2 species' respective wintering habitat preferences and the degree to which they interact or segregate on their wintering grounds due to the difficulty in separating them in the field and to their previous classification as one species. We captured and sampled 74 <em>Artemisiospiza</em> sparrows from 5 sites across western Arizona, supporting field identifications with genetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA to confirm species and molecular sexing of sampled individuals. Bell's Sparrows and Sagebrush Sparrows segregated into different habitat types across our study area, with only one species detected at 4 of 5 study sites. Bell's Sparrows comprised 82 percent (n = 33) of Artemisiospiza sparrows captured at the 5th site at Robbins Butte. Broadly, Sagebrush Sparrows were found in more upland, well-drained locations that were sparsely vegetated with xerophytic scrub. Bell's Sparrows were found in more vegetated locations with halophytic Mojave seablite (<em>Suaeda nigra</em>) and saltbush (<em>Atriplex</em>) adjacent to mesquite and tamarisk woodlands. Bell's Sparrow sex ratios were significantly female-biased (binomial test: n = 56, observed k = 48 females, expected k = 28 females for assumed p = 0.5, Pr (k ≤ 8 or k ≥ 48) < 0.0001; 95% CI = 0.369 – 0.631 for assumed p = 0.5) at Fort Mohave and Robbins Butte, the 2 sites where Bell's Sparrows were found. Our observed sex-ratios and well-documented year-round presence of Bell's Sparrows on and near the breeding grounds suggest that Bell's Sparrow males and females employ different migration strategies, a phenomenon not previously documented for this taxon.</p>
Data from: Feeding and damage-induced volatile cues make beetles disperse and produce a more even distribution of damage for sagebrush
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Interannual variation in climate contributes to contingency in post-fire restoration outcomes in seeded sagebrush steppe
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Sagebrush vegetation response to experimental drought
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Restoration temporarily supports the resilience of sagebrush-steppe ecosystems subjected to repeated fires
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Data and code from: Fitness consequences of parasitism in a changing world: A case study with bird blow flies and sagebrush songbirds
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Data from: Weak interspecific interactions in a sagebrush steppe? Conflicting evidence from observations and experiments
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Do plant-soil feedbacks promote coexistence in a sagebrush steppe?
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Data from: Historical fire regimes and contemporary fire effects within sagebrush habitats of Gunnison Sage-grouse
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