Raptors that inhabit sagebrush steppe and grassland ecosystems in the western United States may be threatened by continued loss and modification of their habitat due to energy development, conversion to agriculture, and human encroachment. Actions to protect these species are hampered by a lack of reliable data on such basic...
Potential for large prairie remnants to provide habitat for grassland-obligate wildlife may be compromised by
nonsustainable range-management practices. In 1979–1980, high nesting densities of 3 species of hawks in the genus
Buteo—Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis), Red-tailed Hawk (B. jamaicensis), and Swainson’s Hawk (B. swainsoni)—were
documented on the Zumwalt Prairie and...
The effect of disturbance on the resistant propagule community (RPC) of ectomycorrhizal
fungi has been given relatively little attention. In this study we investigate the effects of
heat, one important factor of fire disturbances, on the ability of ectomycorrhizal RPC fungi
to colonize Pinus jeffreyi seedlings in greenhouse bioassays. Prior...
Livestock grazing is a widespread source of habitat modification, and may affect populations of ground-nesting grassland birds by influencing rates of nest failure. Nesting attempts can fail for various reasons, and determining risk of failure from specific causes associated with livestock grazing would enhance development of range management practices in...
We compiled existing data and information to characterize the condition and trends in high priority natural resources in Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve (EBLA, or "the Reserve"). We identified 29 indicators to evaluate seven major resource concerns. For each indicator we attempted to define reference conditions to which we could...
The federally threatened northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) is the focus of intensive
conservation efforts that have led to much forested land being reserved as habitat for the owl and associated wildlife
species throughout the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Recently, however, a relatively new threat to spotted...
An emerging area in environmental toxicology is the role that chemicals and chemical mixtures have on the cells of the human immune system. This is an important area of research that has been most widely pursued in relation to autoimmune diseases and allergy/asthma as opposed to cancer causation. This is...