A5030850777- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Fire effects on ecosystems
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Plant and animal studies
- Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Forest ecology and management
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Geotourism and Geoheritage Conservation
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Forest Insect Ecology and Management
- Tree-ring climate responses
- Soil Geostatistics and Mapping
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Botany, Ecology, and Taxonomy Studies
- Landslides and related hazards
- Remote Sensing in Agriculture
- Economic and Environmental Valuation
- Yeasts and Rust Fungi Studies
- Bioenergy crop production and management
- Botany and Plant Ecology Studies
- Hydrology and Drought Analysis
- Amphibian and Reptile Biology
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
- Wildlife-Road Interactions and Conservation
University of California, Davis
2015-2024
Plant (United States)
2009-2024
University of California System
2012
Planta
2004-2011
University of Connecticut
2004-2010
Duke University
2010
Nelson Mandela University
2005-2006
University of Groningen
2006
Rising temperatures are amplifying drought-induced stress and mortality in forests globally. It remains uncertain, however, whether tree across drought-stricken landscapes will be concentrated particular climatic competitive environments. We investigated the effects of long-term average climate [i.e. 35-year mean annual water deficit (CWD)] competition (i.e. basal area) on patterns, using extensive aerial surveys conducted throughout California during a 4-year statewide extreme drought...
Models of the geographic distributions species have wide application in ecology. But nonspatial, single-level, regression models that ecologists often employed do not deal with problems irregular sampling intensity or spatial dependence, and adequately quantify uncertainty. We show here how to build statistical can handle these features prediction provide richer, more powerful inference about niche relations, distributions, effects human disturbance. begin a familiar generalized linear model...
Background The extraordinary diversification of angiosperm plants in the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods has produced an estimated 250,000–300,000 living species fundamentally altered terrestrial ecosystems. Interactions with animals as pollinators or seed dispersers have long been suspected drivers diversification, yet empirical examples remain sparse inconclusive. Seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory) may drive it can reduce extinction providing selective advantages to increase speciation...
Knowledge of species' geographic distributions is critical for understanding and forecasting population dynamics, responses to environmental change, biodiversity patterns, conservation planning. While many suggestive correlative occurrence models have been used these ends, progress lies in the underlying biology that generates patterns range dynamics. Here, we show how use a limited quantity demographic data produce distribution (DDMs) using integral projection size‐structured populations....
Many critical ecological issues require the analysis of large spatial point data sets - for example, modelling species distributions, abundance and spread from survey data. But relationships, especially in sets, presents major computational challenges. We use a novel Bayesian hierarchical statistical approach, 'spatial predictive process' modelling, to predict distribution invasive plant species, Celastrus orbiculatus, northeastern USA. The model runs orders magnitude faster than traditional...
Summary Climate change is likely to shift plant communities towards species from warmer regions, a process termed ‘thermophilization’. In forests, canopy disturbances such as fire may hasten this by increasing temperature and moisture stress in the understory, yet little known about mechanisms that might drive shifts, or consequences of these processes for diversity. We sampled understory vegetation across gradient disturbance severity large‐scale natural experiment created factorial...
Geodiversity (i.e., the variation in Earth's abiotic processes and features) has strong effects on biodiversity patterns. However, major gaps remain our understanding of how relationships between geodiversity vary over space time. Biodiversity data are globally sparse concentrated particular regions. In contrast, many forms can be measured continuously across globe with satellite remote sensing. Satellite sensing directly measures environmental variables grain sizes as small tens metres...
Abstract Range shifts of infectious plant disease are expected under climate change. As diseases move, emergent abiotic-biotic interactions predicted to modify their distributions, leading unexpected changes in risk. Evidence these complex range due change, however, remains largely speculative. Here, we combine a long-term study the tree disease, white pine blister rust, with six-year field assessment drought-disease southern Sierra Nevada. We find that change between 1996 and 2016 moved...
Abstract The recent Californian hot drought (2012–2016) precipitated unprecedented ponderosa pine ( Pinus ) mortality, largely attributable to the western beetle Dendroctonus brevicomis ; WPB). Broad-scale climate conditions can directly shape tree mortality patterns, but rates respond non-linearly when local-scale forest characteristics influence behavior of tree-killing bark beetles (e.g., To test for these cross-scale interactions, we conduct aerial drone surveys at 32 sites along a...
Summary Understanding spatial patterns of species diversity and the distributions individ-ual is a consuming problem in biogeography conservation. The Cape floristic region South Africa global hot spot endemism, Protea atlas project, with about 60000 site records across region, provides an extraordinarily rich data set to model biodiversity. Model development focused spatially at scale 1′ grid cells (about 37000 total for region). We report on results 23 flowering plant family known as...
South Africa's Mediterranean-climate fynbos shrubland is a hot spot of species diversity, but its diversity patterns contrast strongly with other high-diversity areas, including the Amazon rain forest. With extremely high levels endemism and turnover, made up dissimilar local communities that are species-rich relatively poor in rare species. Using neutral ecological theory, we show relative species-abundance distributions can be explained by migration rates two orders magnitude lower than...
Understanding spatial patterns of species diversity and the distributions individual is a consuming problem in biogeography conservation. The Cape Floristic Region (CFR) South Africa global hotspot endemism, Protea Atlas Project, with some 60,000 site records across region, provides an extraordinarily rich data set to analyze biodiversity patterns. Analysis for region developed at scale one minute grid-cells (~37,000$ cells total region). We report on results 40 flowering plant family...
Abstract Effective management of introduced species requires the early identification that pose a significant threat becoming invasive. To better understand invasive ecology in New England, USA, we compiled character data set with which to compare non‐native are known invaders not currently be In contrast previous biological trait‐based models, employed Bayesian hierarchical analysis identify sets plant traits associated invasiveness for each three growth forms (vines, shrubs, and trees)....
Abstract Increasing evidence shows that anthropogenic climate change is affecting biodiversity. Reducing or stabilizing greenhouse gas emissions may slow global warming, but past will continue to contribute further unavoidable warming for more than a century. With obvious signs of difficulties in achieving effective mitigation worldwide the short term at least, sound scientific predictions future impacts on biodiversity be required guide conservation planning and adaptation. This especially...
Summary Explaining the distribution of a species by using local environmental features is long-standing ecological problem. Often, available data are collected as set presence locations only, thus precluding possibility desired presence–absence analysis. We propose that it natural to view presence-only point pattern over region and use explain intensity driving this pattern. hierarchical model treat realization spatial process, whose governed covariates. Spatial dependence in levels modelled...
The belly button is one of the habitats closest to us, and yet it remains relatively unexplored. We analyzed bacteria arachaea from buttons humans two different populations sampled within a nation-wide citizen science project. examined bacterial archaeal phylotypes present their diversity using multiplex pyrosequencing 16S rDNA libraries. then tested oligarchy hypothesis borrowed tropical macroecology, namely that frequency in sample predicts its another independent sample. also predictions...
Abstract Understanding the consequences of extreme climatic events is a growing challenge in ecology. Climatic extremes may differentially affect varying elements biodiversity, and not always produce ecological effects exceeding those “normal” variation space time. We asked how drought years 2013–2014 affected cover, species richness, functional trait means, diversity, phylogenetic diversity herbaceous plant communities across California Floristic Province. compared directions magnitudes...
Abstract Disturbance such as wildfire may create opportunities for plant communities to reorganize in response climate change. The interaction between change and disturbance be particularly important forests, where many of the foundational species (trees) are long‐lived poor initial tree establishment can result conversion shrub‐ or graminoid‐dominated systems. post‐disturbance vegetation weather conditions, extreme weather, could therefore provide useful information about how forest will...
Fire suppression has made many seasonally dry conifer forests more susceptible to high-severity wildfires, which cause large changes in forest structure and function. In response, management agencies are applying fuel reduction treatments millions of acres forest, with the goal moderating fire behavior by reducing tree density understory loads. However, despite their wide application, we still lack basic information about extent these contribute restoration increasing resilience recurring...