Sagebrush conservation strategy—Challenges to sagebrush conservation

Remington, Thomas E.; Deibert, Patricia A.; Hanser, Steven E.; Davis, Dawn M.; Robb, Leslie A.; Welty, Justin L.

doi:10.3133/ofr20201125

Cited by 41 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 298 publications

(500 reference statements)

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“…Sage-grouse populations at the periphery of their range where habitat suitability is already marginal are likely to be lost due to declines in big sagebrush, hotter and more persistent droughts due to warming (Adler et al, 2021), and expansion of invasive annual grasses and increased fire risk (Boyd et al, 2021;Crist et al, 2021). This is corroborated by Aldridge et al (2008), who documented extirpation of greater sage-grouse in lower latitude, warm, dry sites in response to drought.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Sage-grouse co-evolved with big sagebrush and occupy areas with diverse shrub, grass, and forb plant communities. Knick et al, (2013) pacted by the relatively modest declines in big sagebrush biomass as a food source, but big sagebrush also provides concealment and thermal cover for sage-grouse (Remington, 2021;Schroeder et al, 1999). Sage-grouse nest on the ground, typically under big sagebrush and rely on some combination of big sagebrush and perennial grass cover for nest concealment (Remington, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Knick et al, (2013) pacted by the relatively modest declines in big sagebrush biomass as a food source, but big sagebrush also provides concealment and thermal cover for sage-grouse (Remington, 2021;Schroeder et al, 1999). Sage-grouse nest on the ground, typically under big sagebrush and rely on some combination of big sagebrush and perennial grass cover for nest concealment (Remington, 2021). Although the long-standing notion that taller herbaceous cover increases sagegrouse nest success was recently attributed to sampling bias related to plant phenology (Smith et al, 2018), reductions in big sagebrush and perennial grass biomass, along with changes in big sagebrush stand structure, may increase predation rates on sage-grouse nests.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Big sagebrush ecosystems support over 720 species, 350 of which are of conservation concern (Wisdom et al, 2005), including several sagebrush obligate species: the Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus), the greater sagegrouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), and pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis). Habitat components for these and other sagebrush obligates consist of three plant functional types: big sagebrush, perennial grasses, and perennial forbs (Connelly et al, 2004;Connelly et al, 2011;Knick et al, 2003;Manier et al, 2013;Pennington et al, 2016;Rachlow et al, 2021). For example, sage-grouse brood-rearing sites are characterized by a higher-than-average abundance of perennial grasses and forbs, which provide food sources for hens and chicks (Connelly et al, 2004;Schroeder et al, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, sage-grouse brood-rearing sites are characterized by a higher-than-average abundance of perennial grasses and forbs, which provide food sources for hens and chicks (Connelly et al, 2004;Schroeder et al, 1999). Dense stands characterized by tall shrubs are the preferred winter habitat for both pygmy rabbits and sage-grouse, which provide protection from predators and an important winter food source (Rachlow et al, 2021;Schroeder et al, 1999). Climate change-driven shifts in functional type composition are likely to influence the capacity of these plant communities to support the greater sage-grouse and other species of management concern.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Divergent climate change effects on widespread dryland plant communities driven by climatic and ecohydrological gradients

Palmquist

Schlaepfer

Renne

et al. 2021

Global Change Biology

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Plant community response to climate change will be influenced by individual plant responses that emerge from competition for limiting resources that fluctuate through time and vary across space. Projecting these responses requires an approach that integrates environmental conditions and species interactions that result from future climatic variability. Dryland plant communities are being substantially affected by climate change because their structure and function are closely tied to precipitation and temperature, yet impacts vary substantially due to environmental heterogeneity, especially in topographically complex regions. Here, we quantified the effects of climate change on big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) plant communities that span 76 million ha in the western United States. We used an individual-based plant simulation model that represents intra-and inter-specific competition for water availability, which is represented by a process-based soil water balance model. For dominant plant functional types, we quantified changes in biomass and characterized agreement among 52 future climate scenarios. We then used a multivariate matching algorithm to generate fine-scale interpolated surfaces of functional type biomass for our study area. Results suggest geographically divergent responses of big sagebrush to climate change (changes in biomass of −20% to +27%), declines in perennial C 3 grass and perennial forb biomass in most sites, and widespread, consistent, and sometimes large increases in perennial C 4 grasses. The largest declines in big sagebrush, perennial C 3 grass and perennial forb biomass were simulated in warm, dry sites. In contrast, we simulated no change or increases in functional type biomass in cold, moist sites. There was high agreement among climate scenarios on climate change impacts to functional type biomass, except for big sagebrush. Collectively, these results suggest divergent responses to warming in moisture-limited versus temperature-limited sites and potential shifts in the relative importance of some of the dominant functional types that result from competition for limiting resources.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Divergent climate change effects on widespread dryland plant communities driven by climatic and ecohydrological gradients

Palmquist

Schlaepfer

Renne

et al. 2021

Global Change Biology

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Acclimation and hardening of a slow‐growing woody species emblematic to western North America from in vitro plantlets

et al. 2023

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Premise: Determining the tolerance of plant populations to climate change requires the development of biotechnological protocols producing genetically identical individuals used for genotype-by-environment experiments. Such protocols are missing for slow-growth, woody plants; to address this gap, this study uses Artemisia tridentata, a western North American keystone shrub, as model. Methods and Results: The production of individual lines is a two-step process: in vitro propagation under aseptic conditions followed by ex vitro acclimation and hardening. Due to aseptic growth conditions, in vitro plantlets exhibit maladapted phenotypes, and this protocol focuses on presenting an approach promoting morphogenesis for slow-growth, woody species. Survival was used as the main criterion determining successful acclimation and hardening. Phenotypic changes were confirmed by inspecting leaf anatomy, and shoot water potential was used to ensure that plantlets were not water stressed. Conclusions: Although our protocol has lower survival rates (11-41%) compared to protocols developed for herbaceous, fast-growing species, it provides a benchmark for slow-growth, woody species occurring in dry ecosystems.

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Flowering time advances since the 1970s in a sagebrush steppe community: Implications for management and restoration

Bloom

O’Leary

Riginos

2022

Ecological Applications

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Climate change is widely known to affect plant phenology, but little is known about how these impacts manifest in the widespread sagebrush ecosystem of the Western United States, which supports a number of wildlife species of concern. Shifts in plant phenology can trigger consequences for the plants themselves as well as the communities of consumers that depend upon them. We assembled historical observations of first-flowering dates for 51 species collected in the 1970s and 1980s in a montane sagebrush community in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and compared these to contemporary phenological observations targeting the same species and locations (2016)(2017)(2018)(2019). We also assembled regional climate data (average spring temperature, day of spring snowmelt, and growing degree days) and tested the relationship between first-flowering time and these variables for each species. We observed the largest change in phenology in early-spring flowers, which, as a group, bloomed on average 17 days earlier, and as much as 36 days earlier, in the contemporary data set. Mid-summer flowers bloomed on average 10 days earlier, nonnative species 15 days earlier, and berry-producing shrubs 5 days earlier, while late summer flowering plants did not shift. The greatest correlates of early-spring and mid-summer flowering were average spring temperature and day of snowmelt, which was 21 days earlier, on average, in 2016-2019 relative to the 1973-1978 observations. The shifts in flowering phenology that we observed could indicate developing asynchronies or novel synchronies of these plant resources and wildlife species of conservation concern, including Greater Sage-grouse, whose nesting success is tied to availability of spring forbs; grizzly bears, which rely heavily on berries for their fall diet; and pollinators. This underscores the importance of maintaining a diverse portfolio of native plants in terms of species composition, genetics, phenological responsiveness to climatic cues, and ecological importance to key wildlife and pollinator species.

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Sagebrush conservation strategy—Challenges to sagebrush conservation

Cited by 41 publications

References 298 publications

Divergent climate change effects on widespread dryland plant communities driven by climatic and ecohydrological gradients

Divergent climate change effects on widespread dryland plant communities driven by climatic and ecohydrological gradients

Acclimation and hardening of a slow‐growing woody species emblematic to western North America from in vitro plantlets

Flowering time advances since the 1970s in a sagebrush steppe community: Implications for management and restoration

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