WERC Highlights -- July 2007

Carnivore Lecture: On August 8, USGS scientist Erin Boydston will deliver a public lecture on carnivores, as part of the Orange County Natural History Lecture Series, hosted by the Santa Ana Zoo, Santa Ana, California. Her lecture title is “Conservation of wide-ranging species in fragmented landscapes: space utilization patterns of bobcats and other carnivores.” See: http://www.santaanazoo.org/calendar.htm. (Erin Boydston, Irvine, CA, 714-508-4704, eboydston@usgs.gov)

Study Clarifies Subspecies Variation in a Common Manzanita: Arctostaphylos glandulosa Eastw., one of the widest-ranging manzanitas, is distributed from Baja California or Oregon. This species of manzanita forms a platform-like burl at the base of the main stem, from which the plant is capable of resprouting after fires, although other species in the genus lack this trait and regenerate solely from dormant seeds in the soil. Particularly in the southern half of its range, this chaparral shrub exhibits complex patterns of morphological variation that have long presented challenges to biological classification. USGS and San Francisco State University scientists analyzed morphological traits from over 1,400 individuals from throughout the range of A. glandulosa to determine patterns of traits used in classification that are linked with ecological and geographical distributions. Their analyses suggest the hypothesis that this species comprises two lineages with a common origin that have diverged into forms that are glandular and ones that are not. This study clarifies some ambiguity and confusion in the most recent classification of subspecific variation in A. glandulosa and forms the basis for the treatment of this species in the next edition of the standard flora for the region, the Jepson Manual. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3170, jon_keeley@usgs.gov) Citation: Keeley, J.E., M.C. Vasey, and V.T. Parker. 2007. Subspecific variation in the widespread burl-forming Arctostaphylos glandulosa. Madroño 54:42-62.

Declines in Seabird Abundance off Southern California Coast: A 2007 publication in Studies in Avian Biology indicates that seabird abundance has declined off the southern California coast in the past two decades, and that these declines may be warning signs of environmental degradation in the region or effects of larger forces such as climate change. From 1999 to 2002, a team of researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey and Humboldt State University, in cooperation with the Minerals Management Service, conducted a project to study the at-sea distribution and abundance of seabirds off the southern California coast, from Cambria, California, to the United States-Mexico border. This region includes critical habitat for numerous seabird species, and more than 20 species of seabirds breed here, primarily on the Channel Islands, including 4 threatened or endangered species. Using aerial surveys, researchers identified 54 species of seabirds, belonging to 12 families, and data indicate that about 1 million seabirds use the area off southern California during January, with slightly reduced abundances in May and September. Current seabird densities were 14 percent (January), 57 percent (May), and 42 percent (September) below historical estimates of 20 years ago. Species with notable declines included common murres, sooty shearwaters, and Bonaparte's gulls. But not all species declined—brown pelicans, Xantus's murrelets, Cassin's auklets, ashy storm-petrels, western gulls, and Brandt's cormorants increased in abundance. (Josh Ackerman, Davis, CA, 530-752-0485, jackerman@usgs.gov; John Takekawa, Vallejo, CA, 707-562-2000, john_takekawa@usgs.gov) Citation: Mason, J.W., G.J. McChesney, W.R. McIver, H.R. Carter, J.Y. Takekawa, R.T. Golightly, J.T. Ackerman, D.L. Orthmeyer, W.M. Perry, J.L. Yee, M.O. Pierson, and M.D. McCrary. 2007. At-sea distribution and abundance of seabirds off southern California: a 20-year comparison. Studies in Avian Biology 33:1-101.

Invasive Plants and Fire: USGS scientist Jon Keeley was interviewed by NPR News on July 25 about links between fire fuel breaks and the spread of invasive plants. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3170, jon_keeley@usgs.gov)

Invasive Plants and Fire: USGS scientist Lesley DeFalco was interviewed by NPR News on July 26 and by LiveScience.com on July 25 about the competitive effects of red brome on native perennials of the Mojave Desert. Red brome is an annual invasive species known for fueling desert wildfires. (Lesley DeFalco, Henderson, NV, 702-564-4507, lesley_defalco@usgs.gov)

The Biggest Tree: USGS scientist Nate Stephenson was interviewed by the Christian Science Monitor for an upcoming feature on the General Sherman giant sequoia, the world's largest tree. Stephenson spoke in particular about how the tree's age is estimated, and the causes of its great size. (Nate Stephenson, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3176, nstephenson@usgs.gov)

Mountain Yellow-legged Frogs: USGS scientist Robert Fisher was interviewed in an article in the August issue of Zoonooz (the San Diego Zoo magazine) about the captive breeding program under way for mountain yellow-legged frogs at San Diego Zoo’s Conservation and Research for Endangered Species center. See: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/zoonooz/0708_issue.html. (Robert Fisher, San Diego, CA, 619-225-6422, rfisher@usgs.gov)

Mercury Risks in Waterbirds: The cover article in the summer 2007 issue of Tideline, the newsletter of the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, describes a large collaborative project funded by the CalFed Ecosystem Restoration Program, in which biologists of the USGS, USFWS, San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, and PRBO Conservation Science are investigating the risks of mercury to waterbirds breeding within the San Francisco Bay estuary. See: http://www.fws.gov/desfbay/pdf/Tidelines/tideline%20summer%2007C.pdf . The article was also featured on the USFWS home page and is currently featured at the USFWS contaminants home page: http://www.fws.gov/contaminants/Documents/Hg_tideline_summer_2007C1-3.pdf . (Josh Ackerman, Davis, CA, 530-752-0485, jackerman@usgs.gov)

Human Influence on California Fire Regimes: A new study quantifies how distribution of housing developments and the kinds of fire fuels at the wildland-urban interface can help predict fires in California, a state that experiences monumental fire hazards. The study, published in the July issue of Ecological Applications by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Oregon State University, Forest Service Northern Research Station, and the U.S. Geological Survey, underscores the importance of using human as well as biological and physical factors to assess fire risk. The study reports that humans and their spatial distribution explain a large proportion of the variability in number of fires, but that area burned is more a function of vegetation type. Fire risk is greatest at intermediate levels of development, and appears to be affected by the spatial arrangement of housing development. See: http://www.werc.usgs.gov/pubbriefs/keeleypbjul2007.html. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3170, jon_keeley@usgs.gov) Citation: Syphard, A.D., V.C. Radeloff, J.E. Keeley, T.J. Hawbaker, M.K. Clayton, S.I. Stewart, and R.B. Hammer. 2007. Human influence on California fire regimes. Ecological Applications 17:1388–1402.

Calibrating a Forest Landscape Model to Simulate Frequent Fire in Mediterranean-type Shrublands: The immediate post-fire response strategies of many chaparral plant species are well documented. However, little is understood about the long-term dynamics of shrubland ecosystems in the face of increasing urbanization, invasion of non-native grasses, and altered fire regimes. Thus, models that simulate the high-frequency fire and post-fire response strategies characteristic of California Mediterranean landscape will be important tools for evaluating potential landscape change scenarios. A team of scientists from San Diego State University, University of Missouri-Columbia, University of California-Los Angeles, and USGS has refined a forest landscape succession model (LANDIS) to operate on an annual time step and to simulate altered fire regimes in a southern California Mediterranean landscape. These new refinements and calibrations allow simulations for a southern California landscape that experiences fire rotation intervals as low as 5 years. In previous related research, modifications enabled researchers to use LANDIS for the southern California foothills and mountains landscape where the historical fire rotation intervals (ranging from 30 to more than 500 years) exceeded the 10-year time step of the model. The new study was published in a recent issue of Environmental Modelling & Software. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3170, jon_keeley@usgs.gov) Citation: Syphard, A.D., J. Yang, J. Franklin, H.S. He, and J.E. Keeley. 2007. Calibrating a forest landscape model to simulate frequent fire in Mediterranean-type shrublands. Environmental Modelling &Software 22:1641-1653.

California Red-Legged Frog Movement and Habitat Use: The California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) was once an abundant frog throughout much of central and southern California. It is now rare in the Sierra Nevada foothills and the southern portion of its range. In parts of the central Coast Range, however, large, vigorous populations remain. Most protection efforts for this threatened species have focused on breeding sites. A scarcity of information on habitat use beyond the breeding site has made it difficult to evaluate requirements for nonbreeding habitat and connecting migration corridors. Nonbreeding habitats are critically important for California red-legged frogs, especially for individuals that breed in temporary bodies of water, according to a recent USGS study published in the Journal of Herpetology. The study provides insights into movement and habitat use of this species in a coastal environment and establishes a basis for making decisions about habitat protection. See: http://www.werc.usgs.gov/pubbriefs/fellerspbjul2007.html. (Gary Fellers, Pt. Reyes, CA, 415-464-5185, gary_fellers@usgs.gov) Citation: Fellers, G. M., and P. M. Kleeman. 2007. California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) movement and habitat use: Implications for conservation. Journal of Herpetology 41:276–286.

Yosemite Bog-Orchid in the News: A large response from the news media followed the joint news release announcement by USGS, NPS, and the New York State Museum of a new species, the Yosemite bog-orchid. The new species is an endemic plant of Yosemite National Park and is described in the journal Madroño, the journal of the California Botanical Society. Media interest has included the Associated Press (AP story carried on websites of the Washington Post, CNN, and more than 200 other news sites), Fresh Bee (front page story), Union Democrat, Stockton Record, Press-Enterprise, several local weekly newspapers, and the BBC and California broadcast media (KTVU TV, KCBS radio, KXJS-NPR). The story also ran on NPR (national). (Peggy Moore, El Portal, CA, 209-379-1309, peggy_moore@usgs.gov)

California Chaparral Fires: Greenwire (July 19), Yubanet.com (July 18), SpatialNews.com (July 19), and WebWire.com (July 19) wrote stories about a study by USGS scientist Jon Keeley and colleagues on the influence of humans and urban sprawl on California fire regimes; he was also contacted by High Country News and interviewed by the Orange County Register. The study, published in the July issue of Ecological Applications, underscores the importance of using human and landscape factors in fire-risk assessments and mapping. Keeley was accompanied in the field on July 15 for a photoshoot by the Los Angeles Times and interviewed on July 17 by LA Magazine for upcoming fire stories. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3170, jon_keeley@usgs.gov)

Water for Wildlife Handbook: USGS scientist Drew Stokes was acknowledged in a new publication by Bat Conservation International, Water for Wildlife, a guide for ranchers and range managers on wildlife (bat) friendly drinking troughs. Stokes contributed data regarding bat use of troughs and trough information, such as dimensions. See: http://www.batcon.org/home/index.asp?idPage=62&idSubPage=56. (Drew Stokes, San Diego, CA, 619-225-6449, dstokes@usgs.gov)

Salt Ponds: On July 10, USGS scientists Nicole Athearn spoke with Estuary Newsletter regarding bird use of salt ponds that are undergoing restoration for an upcoming update story in the newsletter on the San Francisco South Bay salt pond restoration project. (Nicole Athearn, Vallejo, CA, 707-562-2002, nathearn@usgs.gov)

Climate Change and Fire: On June 28, USGS scientist Jan van Wagtendonk was contacted by 60 Minutes. They want to do a story on climate change and fire and will be visiting the Sierra Nevada sometime this summer. (Jan van Wagtendonk, El Portal, CA, 209-379-1306, jan_van_wagtendonk@usgs.gov)