WERC Highlights -- December 2005

Yosemite Wildlife Move Uphill: Some of Yosemite National Park’s wildlife are shifting their range into higher elevations, and rising temperature is among possible causes under consideration, according to the Grinnell Resurvey Project by the University of California-Berkeley’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. USGS scientist Les Chow of the Western Ecological Research Center has assisted in the first three years of the study, revisiting sites in Yosemite National Park surveyed by Joseph Grinnell and colleagues nearly 100 years ago. Grinnell, the founding director of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, and his colleagues traveled throughout California between 1904 and the late 1930s, gathering thousands of vertebrate specimens. These specimens, along with field notes and photographs comprise a huge database that enables today’s biologists to better understand how California’s landscapes have changed over time. By comparing recent data on small mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians with those collected by the Grinnell team, the current researchers have found several striking range shifts in small mammals. Examples include: alpine chipmunks, found as low as 7,000 feet in the early 1900s, are now restricted to elevations above 10,000 feet; pikas were found by Grinnell’s team at 7,800 feet, but now are found only above 9,500 feet. Other species, such as the pinyon mouse, western harvest mouse, and Inyo shrew, are still found at their previous elevations but have also expanded their ranges higher. While Yosemite is the first stop in the resurvey effort, the project expects to eventually revisit over 200 of the 700 sites in California visited by the Grinnell team. For more about the Grinnell Resurvey Project: http://mvz.berkeley.edu/. (Les Chow, El Portal, CA, 209-379-1307, les_chow@usgs.gov)

Frequent Fire Boosts Alien Plant Invasion in California Shrublands: Non-native grasses and forbs have displaced shrublands over a significant portion of the California landscape and this process continues today. Some researchers have hypothesized that this invasion is primarily driven by atmospheric pollution from ozone and nitrogen oxides. However, in the December 2005 issue of Ecological Applications, USGS research scientist Jon Keeley and colleagues found that the speed of woody plant recovery after fire and the level of alien seed banks present at the time of fire most directly affect alien dominance, and that pollution effects are not significant. Keeley et al. cite the occurrence of serious alien plant invasions in coastal areas as well as interior basins as evidence that regional differences in air pollution do not explain patterns of invasions. Frequent fire is currently the most important disturbance factor responsible for displacing native shrublands with alien-dominated grasslands because it affects the prefire stand structure, enabling establishment of alien plants. These shrubland landscapes currently experience an unnaturally high frequency of fire, and are thus at risk for alien invasion. The vast majority of alien species in California are opportunistic species that capitalize on disturbance. This research raises serious issues about the use of prescription burning and other fuel manipulations in California shrubland ecosystems. For more (Publication Brief for Resource Managers): http://www.werc.usgs.gov/pubbriefs/keeleypbdec2005.html. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3170, jon_keeley@usgs.gov) Citation: Keeley, J. E., M. Baer-Keeley, and C. J. Fotheringham. 2005. Alien plant dynamics following fire in mediterranean-climate California shrublands. Ecological Applications 15:2109–2125.

Postfire Seeding: In a January 2006 article in the Journal of Forestry, several USGS scientists and colleagues at UCLA and the USDA Forest Service give their perspective on the ineffectiveness of postfire seeding in California and the U.S. Southwest, its potential negative ecological consequences, and the need for monitoring programs to provide resource managers and researchers the information needed to make informed and ecologically sound decisions on postfire landscapes. Nonnative grass seeds, usually the choice for such postfire broadcasts, may be washed away by rain before they can sprout (to halt erosion as intended) or dry up from lack of rain after sprouting, and can interfere with many fire-prone native species that typically sprout in the first year following fire, inhibit forest regeneration, reduce natural biodiversity, and enhance invasion of other nonnative plants. Broadcasts of native seeds as an alternative may be useful in only limited cases, and there are issues of genetic compatibility and contamination, as well as inadequate seed sources. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3170, jon_keeley@usgs.gov) Citation: Keeley, J. E., C. D. Allen, J. Betancourt, G. W. Chong, C. J. Fotheringham, and H. D. Safford. 2006. A 21st century perspective on postfire seeding. Journal of Forestry 104(1):1-2.

Roadrunners May Prefer Coastal Sage Scrub to Roads: Greater roadrunners in San Diego County, California, appear to be more common in areas with high cover of coastal sage scrub, an endangered plant community in southern California. This finding by USGS scientists Mark Mendelsohn (who conducted this research for his recently completed M.S. thesis at San Diego State University) and Robert Fisher, and collaborators at SDSU did not come as a big surprise since this was a known habitat association. However, that roadrunners were detected more often in areas where the federally threatened California gnatcatcher was also found, but where roads were absent (despite the bird's name!), were unexpected results. Additionally, roadrunner detectability was greatly enhanced by call-broadcasting and listening for vocal responses by the bird during surveys, as well as on days when there was pre-dawn moonlight. (Mark Mendelsohn, San Diego, CA, 619-225-6428, mmendelsohn@usgs.gov). Citation: Mendelsohn, M.B. 2005. Occurrence of the Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) in fragmented southern California habitat patches. M.S. thesis. San Diego State University, San Diego, CA.

Partners for a San Diego County Plant Atlas: San Diego County, California, with more botanical diversity (over 2,000 species, many of which are rare, threatened, or endangered) than any other county in the contiguous United States, is in the middle of a monumental undertaking to document the region's flora. Led by the San Diego Natural History Museum, and supported by several partners including the USGS, hundreds of trained, volunteer parabotanists are combing the county to compile a fully vouchered, geographically referenced, and web-accessible database. In the project's first two years alone, over 15,000 specimens have been contributed, including more than 100 new county records. In addition to submitting many plants, USGS scientist Mark Mendelsohn has teamed up with several other governmental and private-sector agency representatives and stakeholders on the Atlas's advisory group to guide the effort to completion. See http://www.sdplantatlas.org for more information on the atlas. (Mark Mendelsohn, San Diego, CA, 619-225-6428, mmendelsohn@usgs.gov)

Innovative Technology for Data Sharing Poster Wins 2005 OFWIM Award: “Bios: Key Partnership and Innovative Technology Enable Improved Data Sharing in Southern California” won Best Poster Award during the 2005 Organization of Fish and Wildlife Information Managers (OFWIM) annual meeting in Tallahassee, Florida. The December 2005 OFWIM newsletter includes a citation. Roxanne Broadway of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center was recognized for her clear, concise, and informative presentation, and the poster was recognized for being visually appealing and thoroughly addressing the subject. A collaborative effort, the Biogeographic Information and Observation System (BIOS) uses an innovative GIS application and customized ArcIMS user interface to provide stakeholders with internet access to a wide variety of biological data. The poster was the work of Tom Lupo, California Department of Fish and Game; Tony McKinney, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Jennifer Pollack, USGS National Biological Information Infrastructure; and Robert Fisher, Roxanne Broadway, Felicia Sirchia, Bill Perry, and Chris Brown (photos), USGS WERC. The OFWIM is a non-profit organization whose goal is to promote the management and conservation of natural resources by facilitating technology and information exchange among fish and wildlife information managers. To read the December 2005 OFWIM Newsletter: http://www.ofwim.org/docs/2005/OFWIMDecemberNews2005.pdf (Robert N. Fisher, San Diego, CA, 858-637-6882, rfisher@usgs.gov)

USGS Fire Science Featured: The lead article in the December 12, 2005, issue of the newsletter of The California Chaparral Field Institute highlighted presentations from the 4th USGS Wildland Fire Science Workshop recently held in Tucson, Arizona. For more: http://www.californiachaparral.com/pages/1/index.htm. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3170, jon_keeley@usgs.gov)

Grinnell Resurvey: USGS scientist Les Chow of the Western Ecological Research Center was interviewed for a December 8, 2005, Land Letter story on an ongoing study by UC Berkeley’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, with assistance from USGS, which has revealed that populations of some species have moved to higher altitudes in Yosemite National Park since Joseph Grinnell and colleagues surveyed the park’s wildlife almost 100 years ago, and that rising temperatures may be a factor in range shifts. (Les Chow, El Portal, CA, 209-379-1307, les_chow@usgs.gov)

Training Fire Incident Resource Advisors: USGS scientist Matt Brooks of the Western Ecological Research Center will be among DOI instructors for a Fire Incident Resource Advisor training course to be held January 17-19, 2006, in Laughlin, Nevada. The primary sponsor is the NPS Pacific West Regional Office. The course is intended to provide DOI employees with the skills and knowledge to serve as resource advisors during fire management actions, with an emphasis on fire and resource issues relevant to the Mojave Desert. Brooks will provide information on Mojave Desert fire regimes and general fire effects. The Mojave Desert experienced a very active fire season in 2005, and there is a need for training additional employees in advance of a potentially busy fire season in 2006. (Matt Brooks, Henderson, CA, 702-564-4615, matt_brooks@usgs.gov)

Carnivore Research: USGS scientist Erin Boydston of the Western Ecological Research Center was interviewed for a December 14, 2005, story in the Lansing State Journal about her graduate adviser Kay Holekamp at Michigan State University, with whom she studied hyenas: http://lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051214/NEWS06/512140375&SearchID=73229450899222. (Erin Boydston, Henderson, NV, 702-564-4504, eboydston@usgs.gov)

Desert Tortoises: On Dec. 2, 2005, USGS scientist Kristin Berry of the Western Ecological Research Center was interviewed for an article on desert tortoise behavior in Reptile Magazine, for publication in February. Berry also had an initial contact by Animal Planet, which may at some future time produce a story about her study on tortoise social behavior at Ft. Irwin. (Kristin Berry, Moreno Valley, CA, 951-697-5361, kristin_berry@usgs.gov)

Grinnell Resurvey: USGS scientist Les Chow of the Western Ecological Research Center was interviewed in a Dec. 5, 2005, story by the Los Angeles Times on the Grinnell Resurvey Project of vertebrate species at Yosemite National Park, which is enabling scientists to examine changes that have occurred over the past century. The LA Times story also appeared in the Newark Star Ledger (NJ), Pittsburg Post Gazette, Kansas City Star, Seattle Times, and at KTLA (Los Angeles). News story URLs: http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-me-yosemite5dec05,1,6594220.story?coll=la-news-environment http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1133850447186590.xml&coll=1 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05340/617765.stm http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/13345145.htm http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002667013_yosemite06.html http://ktla.trb.com/news/la-me-yosemite5dec05,0,2190066.story?coll=ktla-news-1 (Leslie Chow, El Portal, CA, 209-379-1307, les_chow@usgs.gov)