The rapid expansion of western juniper into neighboring plant communities during the past 130 years has caused considerable concern because of increased soil erosion, reduced stream
flows; reduced forage production; altered wildlife habitat; changes in plant community composition, structure, and biodiversity; and the replacement of mesic and semi-arid plant communities...
The Lakes Basin Bibliography consists of over 600 references relating to the natural resources of Oregon’s Lakes Basin. Forty percent of the items listed are available to anyone online though not all links are persistent. The remaining sixty percent are held in at least one library either in print or...
Fire is an important disturbance mechanism in big sagebrush (Artemisia
tridentata) communities, yet little is known about wildlife population dynamics during
post-fire habitat succession. I estimated the abundance of small mammals and birds in
relation to fire history in mountain big sagebrush (A.t. spp. vaseyana) communities on the
Sheldon National...
Skunks, opossum, raccoons, coyotes, deer, and elk often are lumped into the unofficial taxonomic family “nuisance wildlife.” Actually, any kind of wildlife can fit this description, from rattlesnakes to woodpeckers, and even beavers. Most often, however, problems caused by nuisance wildlife can be managed or avoided altogether.
The semi-arid sagebrush steppe ecosystem is one of the largest biomes in
North America. The steppe provides critical habitat and forage for wildlife and is
economically important to recreation and livestock industries. However, the ecosystem
is threatened primarily due to several negative effects associated with expansion of the
exotic annual...
• Premise of the study: Seed longevity and persistence in soil seed banks may be especially important for population persistence in ecosystems where opportunities for seedling establishment and disturbance are unpredictable. The fire regime, an important driver of population dynamics in sagebrush steppe ecosystems, has been altered by exotic annual...
Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) have experienced declines throughout their range over the last 50 years. Long-term declines in sage-grouse abundance in Nevada and Oregon have been attributed to reduced productivity. From 1995-1997, sage-grouse production on Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR), Nevada was greater compared to Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge...
Seeding is a vital tool to facilitate recovery of degraded ecosystems, but low seedling recruitment rates limit the utility of this practice in a range of ecosystems across the globe. Plant functional traits impact individual fitness through effects on growth, reproduction and survival. Consequently, seed and seedling trait variation among...
We are at risk of losing the sagebrush steppe in the floristic Great Basin to the invasion of Bromus tectorum L., cheatgrass. The floristic Great Basin includes the Central Basin and Range, the Northern Basin and Range, and the Snake River Plain. The Great Basin receives most of its precipitation...