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California Island Rediscovery: Building An Archive To Improve Conservation Today And Equip The Historical Ecologist Of Tomorrow, Scott A. Morrison, T. Scott Sillett, W. Chris Funk, Cameron K. Ghalambor, Torben C. Rick
California Island Rediscovery: Building An Archive To Improve Conservation Today And Equip The Historical Ecologist Of Tomorrow, Scott A. Morrison, T. Scott Sillett, W. Chris Funk, Cameron K. Ghalambor, Torben C. Rick
Western North American Naturalist
An understanding of how past conditions have shaped present-day ecological patterns and trends is critical to science-based conservation management. Unfortunately, the records, specimens, and objects historical ecologists need to help generate that understanding are often lacking. And because of a general underinvestment by society in systematic collection and museum curation, future historical ecologists may be similarly limited in their ability to investigate conditions regarding our present day. Given the importance of historical data and materials in contemporary conservation decision-making, we suggest it is incumbent upon resource managers and scientists to ask whether additional research efforts are needed to document past …
Horizon Scanning: Survey And Research Priorities For Coastal And Marine Systems Of The Northern Channel Islands, California, Mary G. Gleason, Jennifer E. Caselle, Chris Caldow, Russell Galipeau, Walter Heady, Corinne Laverty, Annie Little, David Mazurkiewicz, Eamon O'Byrne, Dirk Rosen, Stephen Whitaker
Horizon Scanning: Survey And Research Priorities For Coastal And Marine Systems Of The Northern Channel Islands, California, Mary G. Gleason, Jennifer E. Caselle, Chris Caldow, Russell Galipeau, Walter Heady, Corinne Laverty, Annie Little, David Mazurkiewicz, Eamon O'Byrne, Dirk Rosen, Stephen Whitaker
Western North American Naturalist
Historical marine ecology provides information on past ocean conditions and community structure that can inform current conservation and management. In an era of rapid global ocean changes, it is critical that managers and scientists ensure sufficient documentation of past and present conditions of resources they manage or study. Documenting, archiving, and preserving historic and contemporary data will provide their colleagues in the future with more information to make robust science-based management decisions. Using a workshop approach, we identified research and archiving priorities to enhance documentation of the past and present conditions of coastal and marine ecosystems of the northern Channel …
Equipping Tomorrow's Historical Ecologist: Priorities For Documenting Conditions Of The Terrestrial Fauna Of Santa Cruz Island, California, Christina L. Boser, T. Scott Sillett, Paul W. Collins, Kathryn R. Faulkner, W. Chris Funk, Cameron K. Ghalambor, Lyndal Laughrin, Gregory B. Pauly, Jeanne M. Robertson, Robyn Shea, Winston Vickers
Equipping Tomorrow's Historical Ecologist: Priorities For Documenting Conditions Of The Terrestrial Fauna Of Santa Cruz Island, California, Christina L. Boser, T. Scott Sillett, Paul W. Collins, Kathryn R. Faulkner, W. Chris Funk, Cameron K. Ghalambor, Lyndal Laughrin, Gregory B. Pauly, Jeanne M. Robertson, Robyn Shea, Winston Vickers
Western North American Naturalist
Historical ecological research provides valuable insights for contemporary conservation management. Gaps in historical records, however, can limit the utility of that research. Future conservationists may therefore find themselves disadvantaged by the current societal trend of underinvestment in systematic collection of museum specimens and natural history information. To reduce that risk, we asked what managers and scientists could do today to better document the past and present conditions of Santa Cruz Island, California, as a means to improve both contemporary and future conservation. We focused our inquiry on the island’s terrestrial fauna, which includes numerous taxa of conservation concern. Here we …
Comparison Of Estimators For Monitoring Long-Term Population Trends In Deer Mice, Peromyscus Maniculatus, On The California Channel Islands, Catherin A. Schwemm, Charles A. Drost, John L. Orrock, Timothy J. Coonan, Thomas R. Stanley
Comparison Of Estimators For Monitoring Long-Term Population Trends In Deer Mice, Peromyscus Maniculatus, On The California Channel Islands, Catherin A. Schwemm, Charles A. Drost, John L. Orrock, Timothy J. Coonan, Thomas R. Stanley
Western North American Naturalist
Capture-recapture methods are commonly used to estimate abundance and density of wild animal populations. Although a variety of sophisticated analytical techniques are available to evaluate capture-recapture data, vertebrate monitoring programs often lack the resources (e.g., time, personnel, and/or analytical expertise) to apply these methods. As an alternative, simple population indices, such as counts of unique individuals, may provide sufficient information to detect meaningful changes in population size. In this study we investigated whether a population index, easily generated from mark-recapture data under all conditions, might be used to provide valid ecological information for managers interested in long-term population trends of …
Relative Abundance Of Pond Snails In Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Washington, And The Spread Of An Invasive Snail, Michele D. Larson, Christina M. Torrieri, A. Ross Black
Relative Abundance Of Pond Snails In Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Washington, And The Spread Of An Invasive Snail, Michele D. Larson, Christina M. Torrieri, A. Ross Black
Western North American Naturalist
Freshwater gastropods comprise a diverse and highly imperiled taxonomic group that is threatened by anthropogenic factors including the introduction of nonnative species. We surveyed 10 wetland ponds in Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge to assess the possible expansion of the nonnative European ear snail (Radix auricularia) and to determine the genus richness and relative abundance of native gastropods. D-frame dip nets were used to sample gastropods at 4 locations in each pond. Six genera of gastropods were found, including R. auricularia in 6 ponds where it was not previously known. Radix auricularia is now the dominant genus in Middle …
Estimates Of Habitat Use By Rabbits (Sylvilagus Spp.) From Fecal Pellet Counts Varies By Plot Design In Southern California, Sean P. Dunagan, Tim J. Karels
Estimates Of Habitat Use By Rabbits (Sylvilagus Spp.) From Fecal Pellet Counts Varies By Plot Design In Southern California, Sean P. Dunagan, Tim J. Karels
Western North American Naturalist
Studies of rabbits and hares often use fecal pellet counts to estimate population density, create indices of abundance, and monitor habitat use, because fecal pellet counts are more easily deployed and less labor intensive than visual surveys and live trapping. In some habitats, plot size and shape can affect the measured pellet density and the resulting estimates of habitat use by rabbits. We compared rabbit (Sylvilagus spp.) fecal pellet density estimates derived from 0.155-m2 rectangular, 0.155-m2 circular, 1-m2 square, and 1-m2 circular plots in southern California chaparral and coastal sage scrub communities to evaluate habitat …
Effects Of Feral Horse Herds On Rangeland Plant Communities Across A Precipitation Gradient, Lauren E. Baur, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Melinda D. Smith
Effects Of Feral Horse Herds On Rangeland Plant Communities Across A Precipitation Gradient, Lauren E. Baur, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Melinda D. Smith
Western North American Naturalist
Feral horses are widespread in the western United States, with the majority of feral horse herds found in the Great Basin. There is a federal mandate to manage these herds in order to maintain “ecological balance”; however, understanding of the specific effects of feral horse grazing on rangeland plant communities in this region is incomplete. To address this research gap, we utilized long-term grazing exclosures and fenceline contrasts to evaluate the impacts of feral horses on several plant community variables (diversity, richness, dominance, and biomass) and species composition. Because the effects of grazing can vary with site precipitation and productivity, …
Horizon Scanning: Survey And Research Priorities For Cultural, Historical, And Paleobiological Resources Of Santa Cruz Island, California, Torben C. Rick, Todd J. Braje, Jon M. Erlandson, Kristina M. Gill, Laura Kirn, Lynn Mclaren-Dewey
Horizon Scanning: Survey And Research Priorities For Cultural, Historical, And Paleobiological Resources Of Santa Cruz Island, California, Torben C. Rick, Todd J. Braje, Jon M. Erlandson, Kristina M. Gill, Laura Kirn, Lynn Mclaren-Dewey
Western North American Naturalist
Santa Cruz Island contains a remarkable array of cultural and biological resources and a rich tradition of research across the social and biological sciences and humanities. Given dramatic changes in climate forecast in the coming decades of the Anthropocene, however, many questions remain about the sustainability and future of island ecosystems and cultural resources. Here, we focus on a new interdisciplinary initiative, Island Rediscovery (IR), that was the subject of 2 recent workshops. Drawing on a variety of disciplines and approaches, IR seeks to utilize research on Santa Cruz Island’s past and present to help better prepare for the future …