Progress 07/01/15 to 06/30/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff, as well as the basic ecological sciences community. Changes/Problems:N/A What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided training in field ecological research for 2.5 graduate students and 4 undergraduate technicians. Kourtney Harding and Jeremiah Armentrout, MS students at USU, were primarily responsible for collecting the S. wetlandicus data; Harding has completed her thesis using these data. April Darger performed many of the germination trials and greenhouse care. Maria Catalano and Hannah Johnson, undergraduate students at USU, were research technicians working on various aspects of this project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dissemination to the scientific and management communities were made with poster presentations at professional meetings and peer-reviewed publications. In addition, I had informal consultations on both woodland and shrubland dynamics with personnel from the Bureau of Land Management, the US Forest Service, and the NGO Grand Canyon Trust. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?N/A
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Investigate the soil and vegetation characteristics associated with S. wetlandicus distribution and experimentally determine the potential for re-establishing S. wetlandicus on reclaimed well pads. 1) Major activities completed: Collected vegetation and soils data, perfected germination protocol, raised seedlings in greenhouse for planting out experiments, conducted analyses and interpretation of data. 2) Specific objectives met: Collected line-point intercept data in all habitat types, collected soils data, performed analyses on vegetation relationships, germinated seeds and potted seedlings in the greenhouse, repotted seedlings as necessary, inoculated plants with mycorrhiza to improve health and growth. 3) Significant results achieved, including major findings, developments, or conclusions (both positive and negative): Our results suggest strongly that the threatened S. wetlandicus is not associated with any particular plant community or indicator species; there are no differences in the vegetative communities between occupied and unoccupied undisturbed rangelands. However, we showed that reclaimed well pads have vegetation communities that are vastly different from vegetation in occupied habitat. In addition, we developed and refined a successful protocol for germinating S. wetlandicus seeds. 4) Key impacts or other accomplishments realized: Results suggest that S. wetlandicus is not a habitat specialist, suggesting that its populations perhaps can be augmented by establishment in presently unoccupied areas to mitigate for damage to existing populations during energy development. In addition, we have developed a successful germination protocol so seedlings for transplantation can be produced, presumably on a large scale; germination and initial establishment are the bottlenecks. However, evidence suggests that reclamation of well pads, and likely roads and pipelines as well, has been inadequate to create suitable habitat. Together these results are critical for developing management plants to balance energy development and species conservation across 460,009 acres (186,159 hectares) of the Uintah Basin, the region of Utah with the greatest energy reserves. Objective 2: Experimentally and observationally investigate key biotic and abiotic drivers of patterns of P. fasciculata recruitment to develop a foundation for future funded studies that will go into greater detail. 1) Major activities completed: There was a lack of fruit production in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 so few activities were possible. There was fruit production summer 2019, although it was generally not abundant and was patchy. I established 4 subpopulations (plots) for long term monitoring, each along a different drainage. I then marked 50 individuals per plot and recorded presence/absence of fruits. I also collected fruits for future experiments. Grew seedlings in the greenhouse for potential future experimental out-planting. Collected leaf material for genetic analysis. 2) Specific objectives met: Genetic analyses were conducted by a colleague to determine whether shrub clumps were the result of vegetative spread of genetic individuals or of multiple recruitment events. Grew seedlings for potential future experimental planting. Collected seeds necessary for future dispersal and germination experiments. Censused for fruiting. 3) Significant results achieved, including major findings, developments, or conclusions (both positive and negative): Genetic analyses demonstrated that shrub clumps arise both through vegetative spread and through multiple recruitment events. Censuses revealed that fruiting is irregular and that many years no fruit are produced at the population level. Results of 2019 fruiting surveys were as follows: Plot DER1 (1619 m elevation), 0/50 plants with fruits; Plot DER2 (1630 m), 0/50 with fruits; Plot DER3 (1726 m), 5/50 with fruits; and Plot DER4 (1763 m), 17/50 with fruits, indicating spatial variation in fruit production when it does occur. 4) Key impacts or other accomplishments realized: Preliminary results help us begin to more thoroughly understand shrub recruitment throughout the semi-arid rangelands of the Intermountain West. Gained initial insight into drivers of plant reproduction in this desert environment. Results of fruiting surveys suggest climatic influence of fruiting, with fruit production increasing with elevation and less harsh conditions. The value of this information will grow with time and additional censuses. These ongoing results will help inform sustainable management of these desert rangelands that are used for both cattle and sheep grazing. Objective 3: Monitor the spatial and temporal pattern of tree seedling recruitment and tree mortality in four woodland plots spanning a 350 m elevational gradient in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM). 1) Major activities completed: Annual censusing for survival and recruitment, as well as downloading of. Dataloggers. 2) Specific objectives met: All mapped individuals were revisited annually to census for mortality and to thoroughly survey for new seedlings to be marked, measured, and mapped. Dataloggers were downloaded 1-2 times per year. 3) Significant results achieved, including major findings, developments, or conclusions (both positive and negative): No recruitment of new individuals occurred during the life of this project. Similarly, no saplings or adults died. Although there has been periodic seedling recruitment in the plots during the first 10 years of the overall project, there has been no successful recruitment to the populations in the 15 years of this overall study. Our ongoing work is critical for developing the basic scientific foundations to improve management decisions affecting these woodland ecosystems, which cover about 17,000,000 acres of woodlands in the western US including large parts of Utah. Because woodland management is contentious, with some groups arguing for removal of most trees and others advocating preservation of all, reliable information on natural recruitment and mortality across a range of climatic conditions is critical. Because of the slow dynamics of these woodlands reliable data require long-term studies. In sum, all parts of this project have contributed to a Change in Knowledge that is critical for wise land management. Although an understanding of the ecological processes addressed in this project and changes in management paradigms develop relatively slowly, knowledge that we are producing contribute to a Change in Actions and, ultimately, to a Change in Condition of the land and of the rural and urban communities deriving diverse values from healthy rangelands. This project has also contributed to a Change in Condition by adding to our basic ecological understanding of plant recruitment in semiarid environments.
Publications
|
Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19
Outputs
Target Audience:Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff, as well as the basic ecological sciences community. Changes/Problems:None at this point. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has already provided training in field ecological research for 2.5 graduate students and 4 undergraduate technicians. Kourtney Harding and Jeremiah Armentrout, MS students at USU, were primarily responsible for collecting the S. wetlandicus data; Harding has completed her thesis using these data. April Darger performed many of the germination trials and greenhouse care. Maria Catalano and Hannah Johnson, undergraduate students at USU, were research technicians working on various aspects of this project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?No formal presentations were made, but I had informal consultations on woodland dynamics with personnel from the Bureau of Land Management, the US Forest Service, and the NGO Grand Canyon Trust. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period we will: 1) For the S. wetlandicus study we will work on publications and continue to raise seedlings to the size suitable for out-planting to the field. 2) For the desert almond study, we will monitor animal use with camera traps, follow the fates of seeds with the use of passive inductive transponder technology, and set up germination experiments. We will continue to raise seedlings in the greenhouse. 3) For the woodland study we will continue to monitor temperature and relative humidity with data loggers and monitor emergence and mortality of trees.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Investigate the soil and vegetation characteristics associated with S. wetlandicus distribution and experimentally determine the potential for re-establishing S. wetlandicus on reclaimed well pads. 1) Major activities completed: Continued raising seedlings in greenhouse for eventual planting out for experiments. 2) Specific objectives met: Continued to repot seedlings in the greenhouse to improve growth; inoculated plants with mycorrhiza to improve health and growth. 3) Significant results achieved, including major findings, developments, or conclusions (both positive and negative): continued analyses continue to strongly support the interpretation that the threatened cactus S. wetlandicus is not associated with any particular undisturbed plant community in the study; there are no differences in the vegetative communities between occupied and unoccupied undisturbed rangelands. However, reclaimed well pads have vegetation communities that are vastly different from vegetation in occupied habitat. In addition, we are continuing to refine our protocol for growing S. wetlandicus seedlings, as noted above with the mycorrhiza inoculation. 4) Key impacts or other accomplishments realized: Results suggest that S. wetlandicus is not a habitat specialist, suggesting that its populations perhaps can be augmented by establishment in presently unoccupied areas to mitigate for damage to existing populations during energy development. In addition, we have developed a successful germination protocol so seedlings for transplantation can be produced, presumably on a large scale; germination and initial establishment are the bottlenecks. However, evidence suggests that reclamation of well pads, and likely roads and pipelines as well, has been inadequate to create suitable habitat. Together these results are critical for developing management plans to balance energy development and species conservation across 460,009 acres (186,159 hectares) of the Uintah Basin, the region of Utah with the greatest energy reserves. Objective 2: Experimentally and observationally investigate key biotic and abiotic drivers of patterns of P. fasciculata recruitment to develop a foundation for future funded studies that will go into greater detail. 1) Major activities completed: 2019 had improved winter/spring precipitation at the Desert Experimental Range compared to 2018. Probably as a consequence, there was fruit production summer 2019, although it was generally not abundant and was patchy. I established 4 subpopulations (plots) for long term monitoring, each along a different drainage. I then marked 50 individuals per plot and recorded presence/absence of fruits. I also collected fruits for future experiments. Lastly, we continued to grow seedlings in the greenhouse for future experimental out-planting. 2) Specific objectives met: Continue to grow seedlings for future experimental planting. Collected seeds necessary for future dispersal and germination experiments. 3) Significant results achieved, including major findings, developments, or conclusions (both positive and negative): Results of fruiting surveys were as follows: Plot DER1 (1619 m elevation), 0/50 with fruits; Plot DER2 (1630 m), 0/50 with fruits; Plot DER3 (1726 m), 5/50 with fruits; and Plot DER4 (1763 m), 17/50 with fruits. 4) Key impacts or other accomplishments realized: Gained initial insight into drivers of plant reproduction in this desert environment. Results of fruiting surveys suggest climatic influence on fruiting, with fruit production increasing with elevation and less harsh conditions. The value of this information will grow with time and additional censuses. These ongoing results will help inform sustainable management of these desert rangelands that are used for both cattle and sheep grazing. Objective 3: Monitor the spatial and temporal pattern of tree seedling recruitment and tree mortality in four woodland plots spanning a 350 m elevational gradient in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM). 1) Major activities completed: The four woodland plots were re-censused and data loggers (temperature and relative humidity) were downloaded. 2) Specific objectives met: All mapped individuals were revisited to census for mortality. Plots were thoroughly surveyed searching for new seedlings to be marked, measured, and mapped. 3) Significant results achieved, including major findings, developments, or conclusions (both positive and negative): No recruitment occurred in 2019. No saplings or adults died. Although there has been periodic seedling recruitment in the plots there has been no successful recruitment to the populations in the 14 years of this study. Our ongoing work is critical for developing the basic scientific foundations to improve management decisions affecting these woodland ecosystems, which cover about 17,000,000 acres of woodlands in the western US including large parts of Utah. Because woodland management is contentious, with some groups arguing for removal of most trees and others advocating preservation of all, reliable information on natural recruitment and mortality across a range of climatic conditions is critical. Because of the slow dynamics of these woodlands reliable data require long-term studies. In sum, we continue to contribute to a Change in Knowledge that is critical for wise land management. Although an understanding of the ecological processes addressed in this project and changes in management paradigms develop relatively slowly, knowledge that we are producing contribute to a Change in Actions and, ultimately, to a Change in Condition of the land and of the rural and urban communities deriving diverse values from healthy rangelands. This project has also contributed to a Change in Condition by adding to our basic ecological understanding of plant recruitment in semiarid environments.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Aslan, C., Beckman, N., Rogers, H., Bronstein, J., Zurell, D., Hartig, F., Shea, K., Pejchar, L., Neubert, M., Poulsen, J., HilleRisLambers, J., Miriti, M., Loiselle, B., Effiom, E., Zambrano, J., Schupp, E. W., Pufal, G., Johnson, J., Bullock, J., Brodie, J., Bruna, E., Cantrell, S., Decker, R., Fricke, E., Gurski, K., Hastings, A., Kogan, O., Powell, J. A., Razafindratsima, O., Sandor, M., Schreiber, S., Snell, R., Strickland, C., & Zhou, Y. (2019, February). Employing plant functional groups to advance seed dispersal ecology and conservation. AoB Plants, 11(2), plz006.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
G�mez, J. M., Schupp, E. W., & Jordano, P. (2019). Synzoochory: the ecological and evolutionary relevance of a dual interaction. To appear in Biological Reviews.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Johnson, J. S., Cantrell, R. S., Cosner, C., Hartig, F., Hastings, A., Rogers, H. S., Schupp, E. W., Shea, K., Teller, B. J., Yu, X., Zurell, D., & Pufal, G. (2019, March 28). Rapid changes in seed dispersal traits may modify plant responses to global change. AoB Plants, 11(3).
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Rogers, H. C., Beckman, N., Hartig, F., Johnson, J. S., Pufal, G., Shea, K., Zurell, D., Bullock, J. M., Cantrell, S., Loiselle, B., Pejchar, L., Razafindratsima, O., Sandor, M., Schupp, E. W., Strickland, C., & Zambrano, J. (2019, October). The total dispersal kernel: a review and future directions. AoB Plants, 11(5), plz042.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Presentations
Zimmer, S. (Presenter & Author), Schupp, E. W. (Author Only), Boettinger, J. L. (Author Only), Thacker, E. (Author Only), Reeves, M. C. (Author Only), Ecological Society of America, "Forage inventory, modeling and variability in the Uintah and Ouray Reservation," Louisville, Kentucky. (August 12, 2019)
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Schupp, E. W., Zwolak, R., Jones, L. R., Snell, R. S., Beckman, N. G., Aslan, C., Cavazos, B. R., Effiom, E., Fricke, E. C., Monta�o-Centellas, F., Poulsen, J., Razafindratsima, O. H., Sandor, M. E., & Shea, K. (2019, December 14). Intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of intraspecific variation in seed dispersal are diverse and pervasive. AoB Plants, 11(6).
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Wilder, L. E., Veblen, K. E., Schupp, E. W., & Monaco, T. (2019, July). Seedling emergence patterns of six restoration species in soils from two big sagebrush plant communities. Western North American Naturalist, 79, 233-246.
|
Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff, as well as the basic ecological sciences community. Changes/Problems:None at this point. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has already provided training in field ecological research for 2.5 graduate students and 4 undergraduate technicians. Kourtney Harding and Jeremiah Armentrout, MS students at USU, were primarily responsible for collecting the S. wetlandicus data; Harding has completed her thesis using these data. April Darger performed many of the germination trials and greenhouse care. Maria Catalano and Hannah Johnson, undergraduate students at USU, were research technicians working on various aspects of this project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?One poster was presented on habitat associations of Sclerocactus wetlandicus in the 2018 calendar year. Boettinger, J.L., E.W. Schupp, J.M. Norton, J. Armentrout, and K. Harding. Soil Habitat Characteristics for a Rare Cactus Can Guide Energy Development, Soil Reclamation, and Plant Reintroduction. International Union of Soil Science, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Attendees include academic researchers, government researchers, policy makers, and private enterprise (e.g. consulting firms). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period we will: 1) For the S. wetlandicus study we will work on publications and continue to raise seedlings to the size suitable for out-planting to the field. 2) For the desert almond study, if there is fruit production in 2018 we will monitor animal use with camera traps and set up germination experiments. We will continue to raise seedlings in the greenhouse. 3) For the woodland study we will continue to monitor temperature and relative humidity with data loggers and monitor emergence and mortality of trees.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Investigate the soil and vegetation characteristics associated with S. wetlandicus distribution and experimentally determine the potential for re-establishing S. wetlandicus on reclaimed well pads. 1) Major activities completed: Continued raising seedlings in greenhouse for eventual planting out for experiments. 2) Specific objectives met: Repotted seedlings in the greenhouse to improve growth. 3) Significant results achieved, including major findings, developments, or conclusions (both positive and negative): Refined analyses continue to strongly support the interpretation that the threatened cactus S. wetlandicus is not associated with any particular undisturbed plant community in the study; there are no differences in the vegetative communities between occupied and unoccupied undisturbed rangelands. However, reclaimed well pads have vegetation communities that are vastly different from vegetation in occupied habitat. In addition, we are continuing to refine our protocol for growing S. wetlandicus seedlings. 4) Key impacts or other accomplishments realized: Results suggest that S. wetlandicus is not a habitat specialist, suggesting that its populations perhaps can be augmented by establishment in presently unoccupied areas to mitigate for damage to existing populations during energy development. In addition, we have developed a successful germination protocol so seedlings for transplantation can be produced, presumably on a large scale; germination and initial establishment are the bottlenecks. However, evidence suggests that reclamation of well pads, and likely roads and pipelines as well, has been inadequate to create suitable habitat. Together these results are critical for developing management plants to balance energy development and species conservation across 460,009 acres (186,159 hectares) of the Uintah Basin, the region of Utah with the greatest energy reserves. Objective 2: Experimentally and observationally investigate key biotic and abiotic drivers of patterns of P. fasciculata recruitment to develop a foundation for future funded studies that will go into greater detail. 1) Major activities completed: 2018 was the driest winter/spring ever recorded at the Desert Experimental Range; likely as a consequences of this there was again a total lack of fruit production in 2018. Due to this, no additional field work was done on this objective. However, we continued to grow seedlings in the greenhouse for future experimental planting. 2) Specific objectives met: Continue to grow seedlings for future experimental planting. 3) Significant results achieved, including major findings, developments, or conclusions (both positive and negative): N/A. 4) Key impacts or other accomplishments realized: N/A. Objective 3: Monitor the spatial and temporal pattern of tree seedling recruitment and tree mortality in four woodland plots spanning a 350 m elevational gradient in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM). 1) Major activities completed: The four woodland plots were re-censused and data loggers (temperature and relative humidity) were downloaded. 2) Specific objectives met: All mapped individuals were revisited to census for mortality. Plots were thoroughly surveyed searching for new seedlings to be marked, measured, and mapped. 3) Significant results achieved, including major findings, developments, or conclusions (both positive and negative): No recruitment occurred in 2018, which was an extremely dry year in southern Utah. Despite the apparent drought stress, no saplings or adults died. Although there has been periodic seedling recruitment in the plots there has been no successful recruitment to the populations in the 13 years of this study. Our ongoing work is critical for developing the basic scientific foundations to improve management decisions affecting these woodland ecosystems, which cover about 17,000,000 acres of woodlands in the western US including large parts of Utah. Because woodland management is contentious, with some groups arguing for removal of most trees and others advocating preservation of all, reliable information on natural recruitment and mortality across a range of climatic conditions is critical. Because of the slow dynamics of these woodlands reliable data require long-term studies. In sum, we continue to contribute to a Change in Knowledge that is critical for wise land management. Although an understanding of the ecological processes addressed in this project and changes in management paradigms develop relatively slowly, knowledge that we are producing contribute to a Change in Actions and, ultimately, to a Change in Condition of the land and of the rural and urban communities deriving diverse values from healthy rangelands. This project has also contributed to a Change in Condition by adding to our basic ecological understanding of plant recruitment in semiarid environments.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Roundy, B. A., Chambers, J. C., Pyke, D. A., Miller, R. %., Tausch, R. J., Schupp, E. W., Rau, B., & Gruell, T. (2018, September 13). Resilience and resistance in sagebrush ecosystems are associated with seasonal soil temperature and water availability. Ecosphere, 9, e02417.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Zimmer, S. (Presenter & Author), Boettinger, J. L. (Other), Schupp, E. W. (Other), 2018 National Tribal GIS Conference, "Geospatial analyses to improve rangeland vegetation inventory of the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation," Bureau of Indian Affairs, Albuquerque, MN. (November 7, 2018)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Schupp, E. W., Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, "How might climate change affect seed dispersal by animals?," New Orleans, LA. (August 6, 2018)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Galetti, M. (Coordinator/Organizer), Jordano, P. (Coordinator/Organizer), Schupp, E. W. (Coordinator/Organizer), Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, "Organized Oral Session: Seed Dispersal in the Anthropocene," New Orleans, LA. (August 6, 2018)
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Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17
Outputs
Target Audience:Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff, as well as the basic ecological sciences community. Changes/Problems:None at this point What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has already provided training in field ecological research for 2.5 graduate students and 3.5 undergraduate technicians. Kourtney Harding and Jeremiah Armentrout, MS students at USU, were primarily responsible for collecting the S. wetlandicus data; Harding has completed her thesis using these data. April Darger performed many of the germination trials and greenhouse care. Leland Bennion, Kate Bushman, and Maria Catalano, undergraduate students at USU, were research technicians working on various aspects of this project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Three posters were presented on habitat associations of Sclerocactus wetlandicus in the 2017 calendar year. All were presented with Boettinger, J.L., J. Armentrout, K. Harding, and J. Norton as co-authors. 1) Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting. This conference is attended by basic and applied ecologists from around the world. Most attendees are academic researchers, but many scientists and some policy makers from state and federal agencies also attend. 2) 14th Biennial Conference of Science & Management on the Colorado Plateau & Southwest Region. This regional conference is attended by a relatively even mix of academic researchers, state and federal scientists, and land managers. 3) Soil Science Society of America Annual Meeting. This meeting is attended by soil scientists from around the world. Attendees include academic researchers, government researchers, and private enterprise (e.g. consulting firms). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period we will: 1) For the S. wetlandicus study we will work on publications and continue to raise seedlings to the size suitable for out-planting to the field. 2) For the desert almond study, if there is fruit production in 2018 we will monitor animal use with camera traps and set up germination experiments. We will continue to raise seedlings in the greenhouse. 3) For the woodland study we will continue to monitor temperature and relative humidity with data loggers and monitor emergence and mortality of trees.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Investigate the soil and vegetation characteristics associated with S. wetlandicus distribution and experimentally determine the potential for re-establishing S. wetlandicus on reclaimed well pads. 1) Major activities completed: Continued analyses and interpretation of data, completed a final round of seed germination, continued raising seedlings in greenhouse for eventual planting out for experiments. 2) Specific objectives met: Refined analyses on vegetation relationships, germinated the last round of seeds, and potted seedlings in the greenhouse. 3) Significant results achieved, including major findings, developments, or conclusions (both positive and negative): Refined analyses continue to strongly support the interpretation that the threatened cactus S. wetlandicus is not associated with any particular undisturbed plant community in the study; there are no differences in the vegetative communities between occupied and unoccupied undisturbed rangelands. However, reclaimed well pads have vegetation communities that are vastly different from vegetation in occupied habitat. In addition, we are continuing to refine our protocol for growing S. wetlandicus seedlings. 4) Key impacts or other accomplishments realized: Results suggest that S. wetlandicus is not a habitat specialist, suggesting that its populations perhaps can be augmented by establishment in presently unoccupied areas to mitigate for damage to existing populations during energy development. In addition, we have developed a successful germination protocol so seedlings for transplantation can be produced, presumably on a large scale. However, evidence suggests that reclamation of well pads, and likely roads and pipelines as well, has been inadequate to create suitable habitat. Together these results are critical for developing management plants to balance energy development and species conservation across 460,009 acres (186,159 hectares) of the Uintah Basin, the region of Utah with the greatest energy reserves. Objective 2: Experimentally and observationally investigate key biotic and abiotic drivers of patterns of P. fasciculata recruitment to develop a foundation for future funded studies that will go into greater detail. 1) Major activities completed: Due to a lack of fruit production in 2017 no additional field work was done on this objective. However, we continued to grow seedlings in the greenhouse for future experimental planting. 2) Specific objectives met: Continue to grow seedlings for future experimental planting. 3) Significant results achieved, including major findings, developments, or conclusions (both positive and negative): N/A. 4) Key impacts or other accomplishments realized: N/A. Objective 3: Monitor the spatial and temporal pattern of tree seedling recruitment and tree mortality in four woodland plots spanning a 350 m elevational gradient in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM). 1) Major activities completed: The four woodland plots were re-censused and data loggers (temperature and relative humidity) were downloaded. 2) Specific objectives met: All mapped individuals were revisited to census for mortality. Plots were thoroughly surveyed searching for new seedlings to be marked, measured, and mapped. 3) Significant results achieved, including major findings, developments, or conclusions (both positive and negative): No recruitment occurred in 2017. Although no saplings or adults died, the last remaining pine seedlings from the relatively large 2011 cohort died. Consequently, although there has been periodic seedling recruitment in the plots there has been no successful recruitment to the populations in the 12 years of this study. Our ongoing work is critical for developing the basic scientific foundations to improve management decisions affecting these woodland ecosystems, which cover about 17,000,000 acres of woodlands in the western US including large parts of Utah. Because woodland management is contentious, with some groups arguing for removal of most trees and others advocating preservation of all, reliable information on natural recruitment and mortality across a range of climatic conditions is critical. Because of the slow dynamics of these woodlands reliable data require long-term studies. In sum, all parts of this project to date have contributed to a Change in Knowledge that is critical for wise land management. Although an understanding of the ecological processes addressed in this project and changes in management paradigms develop relatively slowly, knowledge that we are producing contribute to a Change in Actions and, ultimately, to a Change in Condition of the land and of the rural and urban communities deriving diverse values from healthy rangelands. This project has also contributed to a Change in Condition by adding to our basic ecological understanding of plant recruitment in semiarid environments.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Lewis, M. B., Schupp, E. W., Monaco, T. A. (2017). Road dust correlated with decreased reproduction of the endangered Utah shrub Hesperidanthus suffrutescens. Western North American Naturalist(77), 430-439.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Schupp, E. W., Jordano, P., G�mez, J. M. (2017). A general framework for effectiveness concepts in mutualisms. Ecology Letters, 20, 577-590.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Pyke, D. A., Chambers, J. C., Pellant, M., Miller, R. F., Beck, J. L., Doescher, P. S., Roundy, B. A., Schupp, E. W., Knick, S. T., Brunson, M. W., McIver, J. D. (2017). Restoration Handbook for Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystems with Emphasis on Great Sage-Grouse Habitat--Part 3. Site Level Restoration Decisions (vol. USGS Circular 1426). Corvallis, OR: US Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center. https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/cir1426
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Boettinger, J. L. (Presenter & Author), Schupp, E. W. (Author Only), Harding, K. T. (Author Only), Armentrout, J. D. (Author Only), Norton, J. M. (Author Only), Soil Science Society of America Annual Meeting, "Habitat associations of the threatened Sclerocactus wetlandicus: vegetation and soil characteristics," Tampa, Florida. (October 23, 2017)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Schupp, E. W. (Author Only), Boettinger, J. L. (Presenter & Author), Harding, K. T. (Author Only), Armentrout, J. D. (Author Only), Norton, J. M. (Author Only), 14th Biennial Conference of Science & Management on the Colorado Plateau & Southwest Region, "Habitat associations of the threatened Sclerocactus wetlandicus: vegetation and soil characteristics," Flagstaff, Arizna. (August 6, 2017 - August 11, 2017)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Boettinger, J. L. (Presenter & Author), Schupp, E. W. (Author Only), Harding, K. T. (Author Only), Armentrout, J. D. (Author Only), Norton, J. M. (Author Only), Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, "Habitat associations of the threatened Sclerocactus wetlandicus: vegetation and soil characteristics," Portland, Oregon. (August 6, 2017 - August 11, 2017)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Schupp, E. W. (Presenter & Author), Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, "Sources of inter-individual variation in seed dispersal: A plants perspective," Portland, Oregon. (August 6, 2017 - August 11, 2017)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Schupp, E. W., Mediterranean Ecology Society/Spanish Terrestrial Ecology Association Meeting, "How might climate change affect seed dispersal by animals?," Sevilla, Spain. (February 2, 2017)
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Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16
Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audience Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff, as well as the basic ecological sciences community. Changes/Problems:Changes/Problems None at this point. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Opportunities This project has already provided training in field ecological research for two graduate students and three undergraduate technicians. Kourtney Harding and Jeremiah Armentrout, MS students at USU, were primarily responsible for collecting the S. wetlandicus data; Harding has defended a thesis using these data and will soon submit the final version to the university. Leland Bennion and Kate Bushman, undergraduate students at USU, were research technicians working on various aspects of this project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dissemination 1) Oral presentation at the Utah Rare Plant Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT (presented as first author with J. Boettinger, K. Harding, J. Armentrout, and J. Norton). "Sclerocactus wetlandicus habitat associations." This meeting is attended by state and federal land managers (e.g State Trust Lands, Fish & Wildlife Service), representatives of NGOs (e.g. The Nature Conservancy, Utah Native Plants Society), and consultants working with rare plants. 2) Two poster presentations at the Western Regional Soil Survey Conference, Fairbanks, AK (presented with Boettinger, J.L., J. Armentrout, K. Harding, and J. Norton). "Habitat associations of the threatened Sclerocactus wetlandicus: soil characteristics" and "Habitat associations of the threatened Sclerocactus wetlandicus: the vegetative community." This conference is attended by soil scientists and plant ecologists from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and academics from western Land Grant Universities. This year's theme dealt largely with plant-soil relationships. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Plan of Work During the next reporting period we will: 1) For the S. wetlandicus study we will work on publications, germinate a new batch of seeds, and continue to raise seedlings to the size suitable for out-planting to the field. 2) For the desert almond study, if there is fruit production in 2017 we will monitor animal use with camera traps and set up germination experiments. 3) For the woodland study we will continue to monitor temperature and relative humidity with data loggers and monitor emergence and mortality of trees.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Accomplishments Objective 1: Investigate the soil and vegetation characteristics associated with S. wetlandicus distribution and experimentally determine the potential for re-establishing S. wetlandicus on reclaimed well pads. 1) Major activities completed: Continued analyses and interpretation of data, completed another round of seed germination, continued raising seedlings in greenhouse for eventual planting out for experiments. 2) Specific objectives met: Performed analyses on vegetation relationships, germinated seeds and potted seedlings in the greenhouse. 3) Significant results achieved, including major findings, developments, or conclusions (both positive and negative): Analyses strongly support the interpretation that the threatened cactus S. wetlandicus is not associated with any particular undisturbed plant community in the study; there are no differences in the vegetative communities between occupied and unoccupied undisturbed rangelands. However, reclaimed well pads have vegetation communities that are vastly different from vegetation in occupied habitat. In addition, we continued to refine our protocol for germinating S. wetlandicus seeds. 4) Key impacts or other accomplishments realized: Results so far suggest that S. wetlandicus is not a habitat specialist which implies that its populations perhaps can be augmented by establishment in presently unoccupied areas to mitigate for damage to existing populations during energy development. In addition, we have developed a successful germination protocol so seedlings for transplantation can be produced, presumable on a large scale. However, evidence to date suggests that reclamation of well pads, and likely roads and pipelines as well, has been inadequate to create suitable habitat. Together these early results are critical for developing management plants to balance energy development and species conservation across 460,009 acres (186,159 hectares) of the Uintah Basin, the region of Utah with the greatest energy reserves. Objective 2: Experimentally and observationally investigate key biotic and abiotic drivers of patterns of P. fasciculata recruitment to develop a foundation for future funded studies that will go into greater detail. 1) Major activities completed: Due to a lack of fruit production in 2016 no work was done on this objective. 2) Specific objectives met: N/A. 3) Significant results achieved, including major findings, developments, or conclusions (both positive and negative): N/A. 4) Key impacts or other accomplishments realized: N/A. Objective 3: Monitor the spatial and temporal pattern of tree seedling recruitment and tree mortality in four woodland plots spanning a 350 m elevational gradient in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM). 1) Major activities completed: The four woodland plots were re-censused and data loggers (temperature and relative humidity) were downloaded. 2) Specific objectives met: All mapped individuals were revisited to census for mortality. Plots were thoroughly surveyed searching for new seedlings to be marked, measured, and mapped. 3) Significant results achieved, including major findings, developments, or conclusions (both positive and negative): Neither mortality nor recruitment occurred in 2016. Our ongoing work is critical for developing the basic scientific foundations to improve management decisions affecting these woodland ecosystems, which cover about 17,000,000 acres of woodlands in the western US including large parts of Utah. Because woodland management is contentious, with some groups arguing for removal of most trees and others advocating preservation of all, reliable information on natural recruitment and mortality across a range of climatic conditions is critical. Because of the slow dynamics of these woodlands reliable data require long-term studies. In sum, all parts of this project to date have contributed to a Change in Knowledge that is critical for wise land management. Although an understanding of the ecological processes addressed in this project and changes in management paradigms develop relatively slowly, knowledge that we are producing contribute to a Change in Actions and, ultimately, to a Change in Condition of the land and of the rural and urban communities deriving diverse values from healthy rangelands. This project has also contributed to a Change in Condition by adding to our basic ecological understanding of plant recruitment in semiarid environments.
Publications
- Type:
Book Chapters
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Book Chapters
Chambers, J. C., Belnap, J., Germino, M. J., Brown, C. S., Schupp, E. W., St. Clair, S. B. (2016). Plant community resistance to invasion by Bromus species: the roles of community attributes, Bromus interactions with plant communities, and Bromus traits. In Germino, M.J., J.C. Chambers, and C.S. Brown (Ed.), Exotic Brome-Grasses in Arid and Semiarid Ecosystems of the Western US. Causes, Consequences, and Management Implications (pp. 275-304). Switzerland: Springer International Publishing
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Presentations
Boettinger, J. L. (Presenter & Author), Armentrout, J. (Author Only), Schupp, E. W. (Author Only), Harding, K. (Author Only), Norton, J. M. (Author Only), Western Regional Soil Survey Conference, "Habitat associations of the threatened Sclerocactus wetlandicus: soil characteristics," Fairbanks, AK. (July 2016)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Presentations
Schupp, E. W. (Presenter & Author), Harding, K. (Author Only), Boettinger, J. L. (Author Only), Armentrout, J. (Author Only), Norton, J. M. (Author Only), Western Regional Soil Survey Conference, "Habitat associations of the threatened Sclerocactus wetlandicus: the vegetative community," Fairbanks, AK. (July 2016)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Presentations
Schupp, E. W. (Presenter & Author), Boettinger, J. L. (Author Only), Harding, K. (Author Only), Armentrout, J. (Author Only), Norton, J. M. (Author Only), Utah Rare Plant Meeting, "Sclerocactus wetlandicus habitat associations," Salt Lake City, UT. (March 2016)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Presentations
Schupp, E. W. (Presenter & Author), Germino, M. (Author Only), Stark, J. M. (Author Only), Allen, E. (Author Only), Belnap, J. (Author Only), Rau, B. (Author Only), Ecological Society of America, "Ecosystem impacts of invasive annual brome grasses," Ft. Lauderdale, FL. (August 2016)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Presentations
Schupp, E. W. (Presenter & Author), Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, "The influence of seed size and environment on seedling growth of the neotropical tree Faramea occidentalis," Montpellier, France. (June 2016)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Presentations
Sodja, E. (Presenter & Author), Schupp, E. W. (Author Only), Utah Rare Plant Meeting, "Pediocactus sileri, a threatened cactus in southwest Utah," Salt Lake City, UT. (March 2016)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Presentations
Sodja, E. (Presenter & Author), Schupp, E. W. (Author Only), Washington County Rare Plant Meeting, "Pediocactus sileri (Silers pincushion cactus) 2015 monitoring results," St. George, UT. (February 2016)
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Progress 07/01/15 to 09/30/15
Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audience Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff, as well as the basic ecological sciences community. Changes/Problems:Changes/Problems None at this point. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Opportunities This project has already provided training in field ecological research for two graduate students and three undergraduate technicians. Kourtney Harding and Jeremiah Armentrout, MS students at USU, were primarily responsible for collecting the S. wetlandicus data; Harding has defended a thesis using these data and will soon submit the final version to the university. Leland Bennion and Kate Bushman, undergraduate students at USU, were research technicians working on various aspects of this project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dissemination There have not yet been opportunities to disseminate results of this new project. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Plan of Work During the next reporting period we will: 1) For the S. wetlandicus study we will work on publications, germinate a new batch of seeds, and continue to raise seedlings to the size suitable for out-planting to the field. 2) For the desert almond study we will monitor animal use with camera traps and set up germination experiments if seeds are produced in 2016 (there have been no seeds produced in the last two years). 3) For the woodland study we will continue to monitor temperature and relative humidity with data loggers and monitor emergence and mortality of trees.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Accomplishments Objective 1: Investigate the soil and vegetation characteristics associated with S. wetlandicus distribution and experimentally determine the potential for re-establishing S. wetlandicus on reclaimed well pads. 1) Major activities completed: Collected vegetation and soils data, perfected germination protocol. 2) Specific objectives met: Collected line-point intercept data in all habitat types, collected soils data, performed analyses on vegetation relationships, germinated seeds and potted seedlings in the greenhouse. 3) Significant results achieved, including major findings, developments, or conclusions (both positive and negative): Preliminary evidence suggests strongly that the threatened S. wetlandicus is not associated with any particular undisturbed plant community in the study although reclaimed well pads have vegetation communities that are vastly different from vegetation in occupied habitat. In addition, we developed a successful protocol for germinating S. wetlandicus seeds. 4) Key impacts or other accomplishments realized: Results so far suggest that S. wetlandicus is not a habitat specialist which implies that its populations perhaps can be augmented by establishment in presently unoccupied areas to mitigate for damage to existing populations during energy development. In addition, we have developed a successful germination protocol so seedlings for transplantation can be produced, presumable on a large scale. However, evidence to date suggests that reclamation of well pads, and likely roads and pipelines as well, has been inadequate to create suitable habitat. Together these early results are critical for developing management plants to balance energy development and species conservation across 460,009 acres (186,159 hectares) of the Uintah Basin, the region of Utah with the greatest energy reserves. Objective 2: Experimentally and observationally investigate key biotic and abiotic drivers of patterns of P. fasciculata recruitment to develop a foundation for future funded studies that will go into greater detail. 1) Major activities completed: Collected leaf material for genetic analysis. 2) Specific objectives met: Genetic analyses were conducted by a colleague to determine whether shrub clumps were the result of vegetative spread of genetic individuals or of multiple recruitment events. 3) Significant results achieved, including major findings, developments, or conclusions (both positive and negative): Genetic analyses demonstrated that shrub clumps arise both through vegetative spread and through multiple recruitment events. 4) Key impacts or other accomplishments realized: These very preliminary results help us begin to more thoroughly understand shrub recruitment throughout the semi-arid rangelands of the Intermountain West. Objective 3: Monitor the spatial and temporal pattern of tree seedling recruitment and tree mortality in four woodland plots spanning a 350 m elevational gradient in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM). 1) Major activities completed: None yet. The field sites could not be accessed fall 2015 due to road conditions. In sum, all parts of this project have contributed to a Change in Knowledge that is critical for wise land management. Although an understanding of the ecological processes addressed in this project and changes in management paradigms develop relatively slowly, knowledge that we are producing contribute to a Change in Actions and, ultimately, to a Change in Condition of the land and of the rural and urban communities deriving diverse values from healthy rangelands. This project has also contributed to a Change in Condition by adding to our basic ecological understanding of plant recruitment in semiarid environments.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Pyke, D. A., Chambers, J. C., Pellant, M., Knick, S. T., Miller, R. F., Beck, J. L., Doescher, P. S., Schupp, E. W., Roundy, B. A., Brunson, M. W., McIver, J. D. (2015). Restoration Handbook for Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystems with Emphasis on Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat - Part 1. Concepts for Understanding and Applying Restoration. Corvallis, OR: US Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center. http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/cir1416
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Pyke, D. A., Knick, S. T., Chambers, J. C., Pellant, M., Miller, R. F., Beck, J. L., Doescher, P. S., Schupp, E. W., Roundy, B. A., Brunson, M. W., McIver, J. D. (2015). Restoration handbook for sagebrush steppe ecosystems with emphasis on greater sage-grouse habitatPart 2. Landscape level restoration decisions. Corvallis, OR: US Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center. http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/cir1418
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Schupp, E. W., Boyd, C. S., Green, S. (2015). Woody Fuels Reduction in Wyoming Big Sagebrush Communities (13th ed.). Great Basin Fire Science Exchange. greatbasinfirescience.org/research-publications/2015/11/11/fact-sheet-woody-fuels-reduction-in-wyoming-big-sagebrush-communities
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Presentations
Schupp, E. W., Departmental Seminar, "The Context Dependence of Seed Dispersal Effectiveness," Estaci�n Experimental de Zonas �ridas, Almer�a, Spain. (November 12, 2015)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Presentations
Schupp, E. W. (Presenter & Author), Bennion, L. D. (Author Only), G�mez, J. M. (Author Only), Arroyo, J. M. (Author Only), Jordano, P. (Author Only), Kitchen, S. G. (Author Only), 6th International Symposium-Workshop on Frugivory & Seed Dispersal, "Preliminary observations of dispersal and recruitment dynamics of Prunus fasciculata, a dry-fruited native almond of the SW United States," Drakensberg, South Africa. (June 2015)
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