Complex natural resource issues require understanding a web of interactions among ecosystem components that are (1) interdisciplinary, involving both biotic and abiotic processes and multiple taxonomic groups; (2) spatially complex, involving movements of animals, water, and air-borne materials across multiple landscape units and jurisdictions; and (3) temporally complex, encompassing long time scales, response lags, and large natural variation. Scientists in the Ecosystem Dynamics Branch of the U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center (FORT), investigate a diversity of complex natural resource questions at the landscape and systems levels, with a focus on Energy Development and Changing Land Uses, Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change and Atmospheric Deposition, Herbivore-Ecosystem Interactions, and Fire Effects on Ecosystems.
Applied research and integrated regional assessments emphasize spatially explicit analyses of ecosystem components affected by energy development and land-use changes in the western United States. Topics include sagebrush-steppe ecology; sagebrush habitat assessments; the effects of human activities (including energy development, transportation, recreation, and grazing) on habitat health and wildlife behavior; habitat fragmentation and migration corridors; and development of decision support tools for managers and decision-makers.
Research on Federal trust lands, especially in the mountains of western national parks and forests, addresses long-term ecosystem dynamics associated with climate change and atmospheric deposition. Studies include ecosystem biogeochemistry, nitrogen deposition, forest dieback, and assessment of forest biomes ranging from the Arctic to the desert Southwest. FORT scientists are collaborating with researchers from around the world to describe and document global patterns of climate-induced forest dieback.
Data from these studies help inform ungulate management decisions on public lands, typically in large, jurisdictionally complex landscapes. Recent work involves investigations on the impacts of herd size and movements of elk, bison, and wild horses on various ecosystem components. Specifically, scientific efforts include (1) quantifying interactions among carnivores, herbivores, plants, and soils; (2) determining the effects of ungulate herbivory on ecosystem processes and vegetation communities; (3) testing survey techniques for more accurate population estimates; and (4) evaluating contraceptive methods for managing wild horse populations.
This research examines the effects of fire on plant and animal communities at various spatial and temporal scales. Using interdisciplinary approaches, scientists investigate responses of ecosystems to wildfire and prescription burns, including varying burn sizes and intensities.
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.fort.usgs.gov/ED/About.asp
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