Ecosystem Dynamics

Branch Chief: Zack Bowen

FORT scientists in the Ecosystem Dynamics Branch investigate a diversity of natural resource problems at the landscape and systems levels related to wildfire, riparian ecology, reference ecosystems, herbivore-ecosystem interactions, and integrated assessments of the urban-wildland interface.

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In the News

USGS Model Helps Explain Trends in Greater Sage-Grouse Range Reduction

Long-term trends in landscape conditions have significantly reduced sagebrush habitat and populations of greater sage-grouse, according to a new FORT study examining the bird’s chances of survival. Using the study findings, investigators developed a model that predicts where the birds are most likely to persist and where they are at risk of disappearing. The resulting maps graphically illustrate these likelihoods and can help federal and state land managers prioritize areas for conservation. The new study, by Colorado State University and USGS investigator Dr. Cameron Aldridge and colleagues from other institutions, is the first range-wide assessment conducted on sage-grouse that relates species distribution to past and present landscape conditions. It is due to be published soon in the scientific journal, Diversity and Distributions. For the full news release, go to http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/.

 Range–wide patterns of greater sage–grouse persistence (Publication Brief)

  More Ecosystem Dynamics Headlines

Publications:

 Effects of a natural dam-break flood on geomorphology and vegetation on the Elwha River, Washington, U.S.A.

 Fixing nitrogen levels

 Climate-induced changes in nitrogen dynamics in Loch Vale Watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park

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