WERC Highlights -- June 2005

Recognition of USGS Scientist by Cooper Ornithological Society: The Cooper Ornithological Society (COS) recently awarded an honorary membership to USGS scientist Barbara Kus in recognition of her past outstanding service to the Society. Kus is serving her second term on COS Board of Directors, and has served as Book Review Editor for their journal, The Condor. Kus’ association with the Cooper Ornithological Society began with her 1984 Frances R. Roberts Award for best student paper at the annual meeting. Kus and her students have since presented numerous professional papers at COS annual meetings. She has been Chair and a student paper judge for a number of years, and hosted an annual COS meeting in San Diego. Kus’ graduate work explored questions surrounding flocking and predator avoidance in wintering shorebirds along the California coast. At the USGS Western Ecological Research Center, Kus’ current research focuses on neotropical migratory birds in restored woodlands, with a special emphasis on the endangered least Bell’s vireo and southwestern willow flycatcher. (Barbara Kus, San Diego, CA, 858-637-6881, barbara_kus@usgs.gov)

Fire Akin to Herbivores in Shaping Ecosystems Globally: In a review article in the July issue of the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution, scientist Jon Keeley of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center and coauthor William J. Bond (University of Cape Town, South Africa) present a different perspective on wildland fire, commonly regarded as an ecosystem disturbance. They contend that fire is more than a disturbance, such as cyclones or floods, but a natural ecosystem process much like herbivory; and as such is critical to the proper functioning of many systems. Like plant eaters, fire “feeds” on complex organic molecules and converts them to organic and mineral products. Fire differs from herbivory in that it regularly consumes both dead and living material, requires no protein for its growth, has broad dietary preferences, and commonly consumes plants that are inedible for herbivores. The authors suggest that models that attempt to understand global vegetation distribution based solely on climate and soils are likely to misjudge some landscapes that owe their vegetation distribution to historical patterns of burning. For more: http://www.werc.usgs.gov/pubbriefs/keeleypbjun2005.html. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3170, jon_keeley@usgs.gov) Citation: Bond, W. J. and J. E. Keeley. 2005. Fire as a global ‘herbivore’: the ecology and evolution of flammable ecosystems. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 20:387–394.

Invasive Plants and Fire: In a June 28 story in the Victorville Daily Press about a recent fire in the Mojave Desert, scientist Matt Brooks of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center commented that invasive nonnative plants can increase fuel loads and make desert fires more prevalent: http://www.vvdailypress.com/2005/111996400864597.html. Brooks was also interviewed June 30 for a desert fire story in the Arizona Daily Star (story expected over the weekend). (Matt Brooks, Henderson, NV, 702-564-4615, matt_brooks@usgs.gov)

Elephant Seals: Scientist Brian Hatfield of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center discussed the history of the elephant seal colony near Point Piedras Blancas in a June 28 story in the Los Angeles Times: http://www.latimes.com/features/outdoors/la-os-seals28jun28,1,7955429.story?coll=la-headlines-outdoors. (Brian Hatfield, San Simeon, CA, 805-927-3893, brian_hatfield@usgs.gov)

Declining Amphibians: Scientist Gary Fellers of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center, has been invited to give a talk at the at the joint meetings of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Herpetologists League, and Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, which will be held on July 6-11, 2005, in Tampa, Florida. He will speak about declining amphibians in the Sierra Nevada of California. His research strongly suggests that organophosphorus pesticides that are applied to agricultural areas in the Central Valley of California drift on the prevailing winds into the mountains where they are causing declines in amphibian populations. Recent laboratory experiments done in collaboration with Don Sparling (retired USGS scientist) support these findings by showing that concentrations of pesticides measured in the field are sufficient to significantly reduce growth rates and survival of tadpoles. For more: http://www.dce.ksu.edu/jointmeeting/. (Gary Fellers, Point Reyes, CA, 415-464-5185, gary_fellers@usgs.gov)

Fire and Miocene Expansion of Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands: In a recent study in the journal Ecology Letters, researchers Jon Keeley of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center and Philip Rundel of the University of California, Los Angeles, hypothesize that late Miocene climate changes created a fire climate capable of replacing woodlands with C4 (tall-grass) grasslands (e.g., such as those in southern Arizona and New Mexico) in widely separate parts of the globe. These authors argue that previous models of global CO2 changes do not seem to explain changes in grasslands documented for the Late Miocene. They maintain that the factors driving the late Miocene expansion of these grasses were the same as those responsible for maintenance of these grasslands today. Critical elements were seasonality that sustained high biomass production part of the year, followed by a dry season that greatly reduced fuel moisture, coupled with a monsoon climate that generated abundant lightning-igniting fires. As woodlands became more open from burning, the high light conditions favored the more mesic tall-grass grasslands (C4) over arid short-grass prairies (C3), and in a feedback process the elevated productivity of tall-grasses increased highly combustible fuel loads that further increased fire activity. Fossil evidence shows that C4 grasslands replaced woodlands; many contemporary C4 grasslands are fire dependent and are invaded by woodlands upon cessation of burning. Throughout the world today, tropical and subtropical savannas and grasslands are dominated by C4 grasses, often comprising 90% or more of the grass flora. For more: http://www.werc.usgs.gov/seki/keeley.asp. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3170, jon_keeley@usgs.gov) Citation: Keeley, J. E., and P. W. Rundel. 2005. Fire and the Miocene expansion of C4 grasslands. Ecology Letters 8:683-690.

Northern Elephant Seals: Scientist Brian Hatfield of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center was interviewed this week by the Los Angeles Times for an upcoming story (expected in July) in the travel section. Hatfield discussed the history of the elephant seal colony near Point Piedras Blancas, California, which USGS has monitored since 1990. (Brian Hatfield, San Simeon, CA, 805-927-3893, brian_hatfield@usgs.gov)

Declining Amphibians: Scientist Gary Fellers of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center, has been invited to give a talk at the Fifth World Congress of Herpetology to be held June 19-24 in Stellenbosch, South Africa. He will speak about declining amphibians in the Sierra Nevada of California. His research strongly suggests that organophosphorus pesticides that are applied to agricultural areas in the Central Valley of California drift on the prevailing winds into the mountains where they are causing declines in amphibian populations. Recent laboratory experiments done in collaboration with Don Sparling (retired USGS scientist) support these findings by showing that concentrations of pesticides measured in the field are sufficient to significantly reduce growth rates and survival of tadpoles. For more: http://www.wits.ac.za/haa/5wch.htm. (Gary Fellers, Point Reyes, CA, 415-464-5185, gary_fellers@usgs.gov)

Bird Populations: On June 17, 2005, scientist James Rourke of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center will present a paper titled “An Evaluation of Fluctuating Asymmetry as a Tool in Identifying Imperiled Bird Populations” at the Cooper Ornithological Society 75th annual meeting, to be held at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California, June 14-18, 2005. The paper’s other authors are Barbara Kus (WERC) and Douglas Deutschman (San Diego State University). For more: http://www.humboldt.edu/%7Ecosmeet/. (James Rourke, San Diego, CA, 858-637-6887, jrourke@usgs.gov)

Invasive Species and Fire: Scientist Jon Keeley of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center was interviewed on May 31, 2005, by KPCC-FM (Southern California Public Radio) regarding invasive species issues for an upcoming program on mediterranean plant communities in southern California. The story will feature the University of California’s Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve, which contains chaparral and oak woodlands. A human-caused fire in November 1993 burned 17,000 acres in the reserve; researchers are tracking the regrowth of vegetation on charred slopes. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3170, jon_keeley@usgs.gov)