Treesearch

High-elevation subalpine forests are experiencing rapid changes in climatic conditions, biological disturbances, and wildfire regimes. Despite this, evidence is mixed as to whether they will undergo major ecological transformation or be resilient to a confluence of global change drivers. Here we use subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) and Englemann spruce (Picea engelmannii), which form co-dominant forests through much of the western United States, to investigate how species' demographic responses to global change influence forest community-wide resilience. We do this by adapting and building...

Ground-based measurements of smoke from prescribed fires in the southeastern US during the burning seasons of 2021 through 2024 are used to assess ozone (O3) and PM2.5 mass formation and their changes with age in 69 smoke events. O3 production occurred in nearly all plumes (31 out of 32) measured between 12:00 and 18:00. The O3 to carbon monoxide ratio (ΔO3/ΔCO) increased from 5.32 to 143 ppb ppm−1 as plumes aged from 1 to 480 min, showing a rapid initial increase, doubling in approximately 60 min, followed by a gradual slow down. Residual O3 from daytime fires was detected during the...

Managers often rely on predictions of species distributions and habitat suitability to inform conservation and management decisions. Although numerous approaches are available to develop models to make these predictions, few approaches exist to update existing models as new data accumulate. There is a need for updatable models to ensure good modeling practices in an aim to keep pace with change in the environment and change in data availability to continue to use the best-available science to inform decisions. We demonstrated a workflow to deliver predictive models to user groups within...

Gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) populations have apparently declined across the Midwestern United States which may be reflected in their distributional patterns and occupancy. To assess the severity of gray fox population declines and potential changing space use patterns, we used two temporally independent datasets collected using camera traps at the same sites during 2008–2010 and 2022–2023 within a 16,058-km2 area of southern Illinois, USA. We then developed three predictive occupancy models that allowed comparison of gray fox spatial patterns and occupancy estimates over time. We...

Riverine fishes face many challenges including habitat degradation and climate change, which alter the productivity of the riverscapes in which fish live, reproduce, and feed. Understanding the watershed portfolio of foraging and growth opportunities that sustain productive and resilient fish populations is important for prioritizing conservation and restoration. However, the spatiotemporal distribution and availability of fish food are poorly understood relative to other factors such as abiotic habitat quantity and quality (e.g., water temperature). In this paper, we build on the concept...

Food webs vary in space and time. The structure and spatial arrangement of food webs are theorized to mediate temporal dynamics of energy flow, but empirical corroboration in intermediate-scale landscapes is scarce. River-floodplain landscapes encompass a mosaic of aquatic habitat patches and food webs, supporting a variety of aquatic consumers of conservation concern. How the structure and productivity of these patch-scale food webs change through time, and how floodplain restoration influences their dynamics, are unevaluated. We measured productivity and food-web dynamics across a mosaic...

As wildfire regimes shift, resource managers are concerned about potential threats to aquatic ecosystems and the species they support, especially fishes. However, predicting fish responses can be challenging because wildfires affect aquatic ecosystems via multiple pathways. Application of whole-ecosystem approaches, such as food web modeling, can act as heuristic tools that offer valuable insights that account for these different mechanisms. We applied a dynamic food web simulation model that mechanistically linked stream trophic dynamics to the myriad effects that wildfires can have on...

Rangelands around the globe are experiencing management challenges associated with existing and emerging stressors, including more frequent and severe fires, woody species expansion, annual grass invasion, heavy, repeated growing season grazing, and climate change. Disturbance is an essential part of rangeland systems. Yet climate change is likely to affect rangelands most directly by increasing the likelihood, severity, and extent of long term, negative impacts from disturbance. We conducted a synthesis of key vulnerabilities to climate change for Northwest US rangelands. These rangelands...

Accurate positioning in the forest (e.g., less than 1–2 m horizontal error) is needed to leverage the potential of high-resolution auxiliary data sources such as airborne or satellite imagery, lidar, and photogrammetric heights used in forest monitoring. Unfortunately, typical short duration occupations in the forest with budget Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS; GPS is the American constellation) receivers are generally inaccurate (horizontal errors >5–20 m). This study demonstrates that accurate GNSS positioning is feasible beneath 40 to 60 m-tall closed-canopy conifer forests of...

The complex social-ecological dynamics of homelessness in natural resource management have become increasingly apparent in recent years. Systematically understanding and engaging with these dynamics across sectors, disciplines, and landscapes has presented a conceptual and methodological challenge for both practitioners and researchers. Though some interdisciplinary research has expanded in recent years, the understanding it has fostered largely remains fragmented across disciplines, and its implications for practice are poorly understood. To help create connections across this fragmented...