The promise and peril of intensive‐site‐based ecological research: insights from the Hubbard Brook ecosystem study

Fahey, Timothy J.; Templer, Pamela H.; Anderson, Bruce T.; Battles, John J.; Campbell, John L.; Driscoll, Charles T.; Fusco, Anthony R.; Green, Mark B.; Kassam, Karim Aly S.; Rodenhouse, Nicholas L.; Rustad, Lindsey E.; Schaberg, Paul G.; Vadeboncoeur, Matthew A.

doi:10.1890/14-1043.1

Cited by 20 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 86 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Intensive and detailed field research of marked individuals is indeed important for understanding ecological processes (Fahey et al 2015). However, environmental dynamics influencing population change in a wide-ranging species may vary across both time and space.…”

Section: Sy Hsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating vital rate contributions to greater sage‐grouse population dynamics to inform conservation

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Species conservation efforts often use short-term studies that fail to identify the vital rates that contribute most to population growth. Although the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) is a candidate for protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and is sometimes referred to as an umbrella species in the sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) biome of western North America, the failure of proposed management strategies to focus on key vital rates that may contribute most to achieving population stability remains problematic for sustainable conservation. To address this dilemma, we performed both prospective and retrospective perturbation analyses of a life cycle model based on a 12-yr study that encompassed nearly all sage-grouse vital rates. To validate our population models, we compared estimates of annual finite population growth rates (λ) from our female-based life cycle models to those attained from male-based lek counts. Post-fledging (i.e., after second year, second year, and juvenile) female survival parameters contributed most to past variation in λ during our study and had the greatest potential to change λ in the future, indicating these vital rates as important determinants of sage-grouse population dynamics. In addition, annual estimates of λ from female-based life cycle models and malebased lek data were similar, providing the most rigorous evidence to date that lek counts of males can serve as a valid index of sage-grouse population change. Our comparison of fixed and mixed statistical models for evaluating temporal variation in nest survival and initiation suggest that conservation planners use caution when evaluating short-term nesting studies and using associated fixed-effect results to develop conservation objectives. In addition, our findings indicated that greater attention should be paid to those factors affecting sage-grouse post-fledging females. Our approach demonstrates the need for more long-term studies of species vital rates across the life cycle. Such studies should address the decoupling of sampling variation from underlying process (co)variation in vital rates, identification of how such variation drives population dynamics, and how decision makers can use this information to re-direct conservation efforts to address the most limiting points in the life cycle for a given population.

show abstract

Section: Sy Hsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating vital rate contributions to greater sage‐grouse population dynamics to inform conservation

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Most of the handful of field-scale fertilization experiments in TDF occurred in Mexico. Although these studies have provided valuable insights, establishing similar studies in a range of dry forests is critical if we are to advance our knowledge of TDF responses to global change (Fahey et al, 2015). Moreover, we need to look beyond N and P to the other elements that affect forest processes (Kaspari et al, 2009;Powers and Salute, 2011).…”

Section: Conclusion and Directions For Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrient addition effects on tropical dry forests: a mini-review from microbial to ecosystem scales

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Humans have more than doubled inputs of reactive nitrogen globally and greatly accelerated the biogeochemical cycles of phosphorus and metals. However, the impacts of increased element mobility on tropical ecosystems remain poorly quantified, particularly for the vast tropical dry forest biome. Tropical dry forests are characterized by marked seasonality, relatively little precipitation, and high heterogeneity in plant functional diversity and soil chemistry. For these reasons, increased nutrient deposition may affect tropical dry forests differently than wet tropical or temperate forests. Here, we review studies that investigated how nutrient availability affects ecosystem and community processes from the microsite to ecosystem scales in tropical dry forests. The effects of N and P addition on ecosystem carbon cycling and plant and microbial dynamics depend on forest successional stage, soil parent material, and rainfall regime. Responses may depend on whether overall productivity is N-vs. P-limited, although data to test this hypothesis are limited. These results highlight the many important gaps in our understanding of tropical dry forest responses to global change. Large-scale experiments are required to resolve these uncertainties.

show abstract

“…, Fahey et al. ). Large‐scale volunteer‐driven bird surveys in North America and Europe provide a major exception to this common tradeoff, with nationwide surveys conducted over multiple decades (Butcher et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The more things change: species losses detected in Phoenix despite stability in bird–socioeconomic relationships

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The science of urban ecology has increasingly grappled with the long‐term ramifications of a globally urbanized planet and the impacts on biodiversity. Some researchers have suggested that places with high species diversity in cities simply reflect an extinction debt of populations that are doomed to extinction but have not yet disappeared. The longitudinal studies conducted to date have found species composition shifting with urbanization but have not always documented continued species extirpations post‐urbanization. We used long‐term monitoring data on birds from the greater metropolitan area of Phoenix, Arizona, to measure changes in residential bird communities, species–habitat relationships, and human perceptions of bird species diversity over a five‐year period. Bird richness, occupancy, and abundance decreased, as did the percentage of respondents satisfied with bird variety in their neighborhoods. As in previous analyses for this region, we found that desert specialist species were associated with neighborhoods with xeric landscaping consisting of gravel groundcover, and drought‐tolerant, desert‐adapted vegetation. These species were also found in neighborhoods with high per capita income rates and lower percentages of renters and Hispanic/Latinx residents. Non‐native species were positively associated with neighborhoods containing mesic yards with grass and other water‐intensive vegetation. The proportions of yards in our surveyed neighborhoods with these distinct landscaping types likewise remained relatively stable over five‐year period. Although habitat–species relationships remained unchanged, we detected significant loss of species across the sampling period. Declines were not confined to desert specialist species but included generalist and invader species as well. The parallel reduction in residents’ satisfaction suggests that people perceive some aspect of this environmental degradation. Further investigation into the mechanisms underlying these species losses may reveal options for retaining some desert specialist species, and the uniqueness they contribute to urban fauna.

show abstract

The promise and peril of intensive‐site‐based ecological research: insights from the Hubbard Brook ecosystem study

Cited by 20 publications

References 86 publications

Evaluating vital rate contributions to greater sage‐grouse population dynamics to inform conservation

Evaluating vital rate contributions to greater sage‐grouse population dynamics to inform conservation

Nutrient addition effects on tropical dry forests: a mini-review from microbial to ecosystem scales

The more things change: species losses detected in Phoenix despite stability in bird–socioeconomic relationships

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About