Sagebrush identification can be improved by using a relatively easy ultraviolet (UV) light test on specimens. produces variety of water-soluble polyphenols called coumarins, which fluoresce blue color under UV and help differentiate species, subspecies, hybrids. We tested 16 different sagebrush taxa (including species subspecies) from herbarium specimens found 3 (low sagebrush, Artemisia arbusc...

Plant roots serve as conduits for water flow not only from soil to leaves but also from wetter to drier soil. This hydraulic redistribution through root systems occurs in soils worldwide and can enhance stomatal opening, transpiration, and plant carbon gain. For decades, upward hydraulic lift (HL) of deep water through roots into dry, litter-rich, surface soil also has been hypothesized to enha...

Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitats being developed for oil and gas reserves are inhabited by sagebrush obligate species-including the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) that is currently being considered for protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Numerous studies suggest increasing oil and gas development may exacerbate species extinction risks. Therefore, ...

Plant phenology is recognized as important for ecological dynamics. There has been a recent advent of phenology and camera networks worldwide. The established PhenoCam Network has sites in the United States, including the western states. However, there is a paucity of published research from semi-arid regions. In this study, we demonstrate the utility of camera-based repeat digital imagery and ...

Historic fire frequency in mountain big sagebrush communities of the eastern Great Basin and Colorado Plateau: A comparison of estimates based upon proxy fire scar records and predictions derived from post-fire succession rates" (2013).

This research applied multiple endmember spectral mixture analysis (MESMA) onto a Hyperion Earth Observer 1 (EO-1) hyperspectral image of the channeled scablands of eastern Washington. The goal of this research was to quantify sub-pixel abundances of three endmembers: sagebrush, soil, and grass. Quantification of land cover abundance would greatly benefit wildlife habitat conservation, rangelan...

We conducted an ecoregional assessment of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems in the Wyoming Basins and surrounding regions (WBEA) to determine broad-scale species-environmental relationships. Our goal was to assess the potential influence from threats to the sagebrush ecosystem on associated wildlife through the use of spatially explicit occurrence and abundance models. These models were dev...

Livestock grazing potentially has substantial influence on fuel characteristics in rangelands around the globe. However, information quantifying the impacts of grazing on rangeland fuel characteristics is limited, and the effects of grazing on fuels are important because fuel characteristics are one of the primary factors determining risk, severity, continuity, and size of wildfires. We investi...

The Night Snake (Hypsiglena torquata) is a secretive snake that is rarely encountered. Subsequently, little is known about the ecology of this species. Since it was first collected in 1943 in Washington State, few ( 40) specimens have been found. From May to October 2004 and 2005, I collected 121 specimens from 8 counties in eastern Washington State by road-cruising appropriate habitat. Snakes ...

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) are dependent on sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) for food and shelter during winter, yet few studies have assessed winter habitat selection, particularly at scales applicable to conservation planning. Small changes to availability of winter habitats have caused drastic reductions in some sage-grouse populations. We modeled winter habitat selection by s...