conservation.arizona.edu - Disturbance Ecology

Efectiveness of pre-fre forest management on post-fre forest conditions in southeastern Arizona

aburnett93 — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 23:15:34 +0000

Authors

Kira L. Hefty

Jeffrey K. Gillan

Jena Trejo

John L. Koprowski

Additional Information

Fire Ecology

Date of publication:

2024

Topics

wildfire

wildfire effects

forest management

Research Categories

Disturbance Ecology

Modeling a hot, dry future: Substantial range reductions in suitable environment projected under climate change for a semiarid riparian predator guild

aburnett93 — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 21:50:00 +0000

Authors

Brian R. Blais

John L. Koprowski

Additional Information

Plos One

Date of publication:

2024

Topics

climate change

Research Categories

Disturbance Ecology Spatial Ecology Threatened and Endangered Species

Movement response of small mammals to burn severity reveals importance of microhabitat features

aburnett93 — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 21:36:28 +0000

Authors

Sandy A. Slovikosky

Melissa J. Merrick

Marina Morandini

John L. Koprowski

Additional Information

Journal of Mammalogy

Date of publication:

2024

Topics

wildfire

fire intensity

habitat selection

Research Categories

Disturbance Ecology Spatial Ecology

Shrub avoidance by an open-adapted ground squirrel in a shrub-encroached environment

aburnett93 — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 21:29:42 +0000

Authors

Alexandra D. Burnett

John L. Koprowski

Additional Information

Plos One

Date of publication:

2024

Topics

shrub encroachment

habitat selection

Research Categories

Behavioral Ecology Disturbance Ecology Spatial Ecology

Foraging Behavior Response of Small Mammals to Different Burn Severities

aburnett93 — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 21:26:18 +0000

Authors

Marina Morandini

Maria Vittoria Mazzamuto

John L. Koprowski

Additional Information

Fire

Date of publication:

2023

Topics

wildfire

wildfire effects

behavior

behavioral response

GUD

predation

Mt. Graham red squirrel

Research Categories

Disturbance Ecology Sky Islands Threatened and Endangered Species

Assessing thermal ecology of herpetofauna across a heterogeneous microhabitat mosaic in a changing aridland riparian system

aburnett93 — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 20:45:50 +0000

Authors

Brian Blais

Daniel Velasco

Marie Frackiewicz

Avery Low

John Koprowski

Additional Information

Environmental Research Ecology

Date of publication:

2023

Topics

climate change

physiology

infrared thermography

Research Categories

Disturbance Ecology

Effects of disturbances and environmental changes on an aridland riparian generalist

aburnett93 — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 18:31:19 +0000

Authors

Brian Blais

Samantha Johnson

John Koprowski

Additional Information

PeerJ

Date of publication:

2023

Topics

climate change

Research Categories

Behavioral Ecology Disturbance Ecology Spatial Ecology

Multiscale effects of habitat loss and degradation on occurrence and landscape connectivity of a threatened subspecies

aburnett93 — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 21:47:19 +0000

Authors

Kira Hefty

John Koprowski

Land use change can result in complex environments of varying habitat quality and permeability that directly and indirectly influence the effectiveness of natural areas for wildlife conservation. To assess how isolation and degradation of protected natural areas may affect long-term conservation efforts across the range of a sensitive subspecies, we used multiscale occupancy analysis, species distribution modeling, and circuit theory to identify hotspot areas of occurrence and potential landscape connectivity among areas of high quality habitat within and between protected natural areas. Big Cypress fox squirrels (Sciurus niger avicennia: BCFS) are state-threatened subspecies of fox squirrel endemic to forested wetlands in southwest Florida, which have been highly altered by human activities. Probability of occupancy of BCFS among conservation areas varied widely due to differences in environmental features (Hedge's g = 1.4705, 95% CI: 1.074–1.763). Fine-scale features indicative of habitat degradation, such as increasing midstory vegetation cover and decreasing bromeliad cover, negatively influenced BCFS occurrence. Home-range-level tree canopy cover differentially affected probability of occupancy dependent on proximity to urban areas. Additionally, home-range-level high summer temperature differentially affected probability of occupancy dependent on proximity to cypress domes. Habitat was distributed patchily both within and among conservation areas, separated by large areas of unsuitable vegetation communities and urbanized features that were barriers to movement. Considering the threat of increasing isolation of conservation areas due to continued development as well as current and impending degradation caused by land use and climate change within conservation area boundaries, we suggest a strong need for interagency coordination to improve, maintain, and acquire rights for protection of additional remaining habitat.

Additional Information

Conservation Science and Practice

Date of publication:

2021

Topics

small mammal

Research Categories

Disturbance Ecology Spatial Ecology Threatened and Endangered Species

Endemic population response to increasingly severe fire: A cascade of endangerment for the Mt. Graham red squirrel

mmerrick — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 16:50:11 +0000

Authors

Melissa J. Merrick

Marina Morandini

Vicki L. Greer

John L. Koprowski

Drought, past fire suppression, insect invasion, and high-severity fire represent a disturbance cascade characteristic of forests in the western United States. The result is altered forest ecosystems diminished in their function and capacity to support biodiversity. Small habitat specialists are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of disturbances because of their limited movement capacity and high site fidelity. Research suggests that small mammals suffer limited direct mortality from fire but are increasingly vulnerable to local extirpation because of secondary impacts that include habitat loss and reduced food availability, survival, and reproduction. We examine the direct and secondary impacts of increasingly severe fire events on the endangered Mt. Graham red squirrel—a model system to demonstrate how disturbances can threaten the persistence of range-limited species. We document survival, space use, and displacement prior to and following fires and discuss implications for conservation. We suggest that management plans address future threats, including disturbance-related habitat loss.

Additional Information

BioScience

Date of publication:

2021

Topics

Mt. Graham red squirrel

wildfire

disturbance cascade

spatial habitat take

disturbance displacement

Research Categories

Behavioral Ecology Disturbance Ecology Sky Islands Spatial Ecology Threatened and Endangered Species

Ecological responses to flow variation inform river dolphin conservation

mmerrick — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 16:44:59 +0000

Authors

Shambhu Paudel

John L. Koprowski

Usha Thakuri

Rajesh Sigdel

Ram Chandra Gautam

Many environmental flow (e-flow) studies and applications have predominantly used state—(i.e., at a single time point) and rate—(i.e., temporal change) based demographic characteristics of species representing lower trophic levels (e.g., fish communities) to build flow-ecology relationships, rather than using a process that incorporates population dynamics. Recent studies have revealed the importance of incorporating data on species traits when building flow-ecology relationships. The effects of flow on keystone megafauna species (i.e., body mass ≥ 30 kg) reverberate through entire food webs; however, the relationships between flow and these species are not well understood, limiting the scope of the relationships used in flow management. Here, we fill this gap by incorporating the habitat selection traits at different flows of a freshwater apex predator, Ganges River dolphin (GRD, Platanista gangetica gangetica), which plays a significant role in maintaining the structure, functions and integrity of the aquatic ecosystem. Using temporally and spatially measured GRD habitat selection traits, we quantified flow-ecology responses in the Karnali River of Nepal during the low-flow season when habitat was heavily reduced and water demand was highest. We define ecological responses as suitable habitat templates with enough usable surface area to support GRD fitness by improving reproduction and survival. We measured the available and occupied habitats to develop flow-ecology responses. Variation in flow resulted in substantial differences in the ecological response across time and space, suggesting that aquatic species adjusted in a variety of habitats to support their life histories and maintain viable populations. The limited availability of suitable habitats combined with uninformed water regulations by humans likely places GRDs under severe physiological stress during low-water seasons (i.e., January–April), suggesting that reduced flows contribute to the process of endangering and extirpating highly sensitive endemic aquatic biodiversity. Our study reveals that ad hoc or experience-based flow management is no longer tenable to maintain the integrity and functionality of aquatic ecosystems. We stress that quantifying the flow-ecology relationships of foundational species, particularly megafauna, in response to flow variation is crucial for monitoring the effects of water alterations and determining the minimum flows needed for maintaining healthy and functional freshwater ecosystems in the Anthropocene.

Additional Information

Nature Scientific Reports

Date of publication:

2020

Topics

Ganges River dolphin

freshwater ecosystem

aquatic mammal

apex predator

flow ecology

Research Categories

Behavioral Ecology Disturbance Ecology Threatened and Endangered Species