Remotely sensed land cover datasets have been increasingly employed in studies of wildlife habitat use. However, meaningful interpretation these is dependent on how accurately they estimate features that are important to wildlife. We evaluated the accuracy GAP dataset, which commonly used classify broad categories (e.g., vegetation communities) and LANDFIRE datasets, classifies narrower plant s...

Knowledge of the relationship between stocking rate or grazing intensity and plant production is fundamental to the sustainable management of rangelands. The general management paradigm is that plant production declines as stocking rate increases. Our objective was to determine the impact of stocking rate on herbaceous production of a sand sagebrush (Artemisia filifolia Torr.)grassland. Stockin...

Understanding multi-scale floral and faunal responses to human land use is crucial for informing natural resource management and conservation planning. However, our knowledge on how land use influences sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems is limited primarily to site-specific studies. To fill this void, studies across large regions are needed that address how species are distributed relative t...

Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata wyomingensis A. t. Nutt. ssp. wyomingensis Beetle and Young) communities provide structure and forbs and insects needed by greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) for growth and survival. We evaluated forb, insect, and soil responses at six mowed and 19 prescribed burned sites compared to 25, paired and untreated reference sites. Sites were cl...

The growth and development of rice (Oryzae sativa) seedlings was shown to be regulated epigenetically by a fungal endophyte. In contrast to un-inoculated (nonsymbiotic) plants, endophyte colonized (symbiotic) plants preferentially allocated resources into root growth until root hairs were well established. During that time symbiotic roots expanded at five times the rate observed in nonsymbiotic...

The human-biting adult stage of the Rocky Mountain wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni) can cause tick paralysis in humans and domestic animals and is the primary tick vector in the intermountain west of the pathogens causing Colorado tick fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and tularemia. We conducted drag sampling studies in Poudre Canyon and Rocky Mountain National Park of Larimer County, CO, ...

When ancient hearths at open archaeological sites do not yield carbonized annual plant remains or other highquality samples, wood charcoal is commonly used for radiocarbon dating. Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.), a shrub frequently used for fuel across much of the western United States, seems a potentially better candidate for 14C dating than tree wood since the possibility for significa...

The energetic resources in an organism's environment are essential for executing a wide range of life-history functions, including immunity and reproduction. Most energetic budgets, however, are limited, which can lead to trade-offs among competing functions. Increasing reproductive effort tends to decrease immunity in many cases, and increasing total energy via supplemental feedings can elimin...

Assessing long-term variations in sagebrush habitat – characterization of spatial extents and distribution patterns using multi-temporal satellite remote-sensing data George Xian a , Collin Homer b & Cameron Aldridge c a ARTS, US Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Sioux Falls, SD, 57198, USA b US Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Scie...

Abstract Questions Big sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata ) ecosystems across the western United States have experienced many changes in ecosystem dynamics and vegetation composition over last century due to livestock grazing, non‐native species, changing climate fire regimes. We conducted first systematic investigation of historical change a landscape southwestern States, asking whether or grass...