%0 Journal Article %J Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists %D 2014 %T Adapting to climate change in California %A Davis, F.W. %A Chornesky, E.A. %X

Many aspects of the Californian approach to controlling the greenhouse gases that cause climate change now have a sufficient track record to provide potential models or lessons for national and even international action. In comparison, the state’s efforts on climate change adaptation, although multifaceted, are less well developed and thus far have focused largely on information sharing, impact assessments, and planning. Still, adaptation could advance more quickly in California than in many other regions, given relatively high public awareness and concern, extensive scientific information, a strong tradition of local and regional planning, and some enabling policies and institutions. Much more political support and sufficient financing will have to be mustered at state and local levels to enable new projects and initiatives to cope with sea level rise, water management, and ecosystem adaptation, not to mention public health and other key areas of concern. Even so, California’s initial efforts to adapt to unavoidable changes in climate may offer insights for other governments that will, inevitably, need to fashion their own adaptation strategies.

%B Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists %V 70 %G eng %& 62 %0 Journal Article %J Diversity and Distributions %D 2014 %T Bioclimatic velocity: The pace of species exposure to climate change %A Serra-Diaz, J.P %A Franklin, J. %A Ninyerola, M. %A Davis, F.W. %A Syphard, A.D. %A Regan, H.D. %A Ikegami, M. %X

Aim

To investigate the velocity of species-specific exposure to climate change for mid- and late 21st century and develop metrics that quantify exposure to climate change over space and time.

Location

California Floristic Province, south-western USA.

Methods

Occurrences from presence/absence inventories of eight Californian endemic tree species (Pinus balfouriana [Grev.&Balf.], Pinus coulteri [D.Don], Pinus muricata [D.Don.], Pinus sabiniana [D.Don], Quercus douglasii [Hook.&Arn.], Quercus engelmannii [Greene], Quercus lobata [Nee] and Quercus wislizeni [A.DC.]) were used to develop eight species distribution models (SDMs) for each species with the BIOMOD platform, and this ensemble was used to construct current suitability maps and future projections based on two global circulation models in two time periods [mid-century: 2041–2070 and late century (LC): 2071–2100]. From the resulting current and future suitability maps, we calculated a bioclimatic velocity as the ratio of temporal gradient to spatial gradient. We developed and compared eight metrics of temporal exposure to climate change for mid- and LC for each species.

Results

The velocity of species exposure to climate change varies across species and time periods, even for similarly distributed species. We find weak support among the species analysed for higher velocities in exposure to climate change towards the end of the 21st century, coinciding with harsher conditions. The variation in the pace of exposure was greater among species than for climate projections considered.

Main conclusions

The pace of climate change exposure varies depending on period of analysis, species and the spatial extent of conservation decisions (potential ranges versus current distributions). Translating physical climatic space into a biotic climatic space helps informing conservation decisions in a given time frame. However, the influence of spatial and temporal resolution on modelled species distributions needs further consideration in order to better characterize the dynamics of exposure and species-specific velocities.

 

%B Diversity and Distributions %V 20 %G eng %N 2 %& 169 %0 Report %D 2014 %T Natural resource condition assessment: John Muir National Historical Site %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Jantz, P. A. %I National Park Service %8 12/2014 %G eng %U https://irma.nps.gov/App/Reference/Profile/2218894 %0 Generic %D 2014 %T Optimization in the utility maximization framework for conservation planning: a comparison of solution procedures in a study of multifunctional agriculture %A Kreitler, J. %A Stoms, D.M. %A Davis, F.W. %K conservation planning %G eng %U https://peerj.com/articles/690/#additional-information %R 10.7717/peerj.690/supp-1 %0 Journal Article %J PLoS ONE %D 2013 %T Carnivore Use of Avocado Orchards across an Agricultural-Wildland Gradient %A Nogeire, Theresa %A Davis, Frank W. %A Duggan, Jennifer M %A Crooks, Kevin R. %A Boydston, Erin E. %X

Wide-ranging species cannot persist in reserves alone. Consequently, there is growing interest in the conservation value of agricultural lands that separate or buffer natural areas. The value of agricultural lands for wildlife habitat and connectivity varies as a function of the crop type and landscape context, and quantifying these differences will improve our ability to manage these lands more effectively for animals. In southern California, many species are present in avocado orchards, including mammalian carnivores. We examined occupancy of avocado orchards by mammalian carnivores across agricultural-wildland gradients in southern California with motion-activated cameras. More carnivore species were detected with cameras in orchards than in wildland sites, and for bobcats and gray foxes, orchards were associated with higher occupancy rates. Our results demonstrate that agricultural lands have potential to contribute to conservation by providing habitat or facilitating landscape connectivity.

%B PLoS ONE %V 8 %G eng %U http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0068025 %N 7 %& e68025 %0 Journal Article %J Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences %D 2013 %T Climate change, wine, and conservation %A Hannah, L. %A P. R. Roehrdanz %B Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Ecological Processes %D 2013 %T Cross-scale modeling of surface temperature and tree seedling establishment in mountain landscapes %A Dingman, John R %A Sweet, Lynn C %A McCullough, Ian %A Davis, Frank W. %A Flint, A. L. %A Franklin, J.F. %A Flint, L. E. %B Ecological Processes %V 2 %G eng %N 30 %& doi:10.1186/2192-1709-2-30 %0 Report %D 2013 %T Natural resource condition assessment: Pinnacles National Monument %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Jantz, P. A. %I National Park Service %C Fort Collins, Colorado %8 12/2013 %@ Natural Resource Report NPS/PINN/NRR-2013/709 %G eng %0 Report %D 2013 %T Natural resource condition assessment: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Jantz, P. A. %I National Park Service %C Fort Collins, Colorado %8 12/2013 %@ Natural Resource Report NPS/SAMO/NRR-2013/715 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Renewable Energy %D 2013 %T Siting solar energy development to minimize biological impacts %A Stoms, D. M. %A Dashiell, S. L. %A Davis, F. W. %K ecological condition %K GIS %K mitigation hierarchy %K multicriteria analysis %K siting criteria %K utility-scale solar energy %X

After solar and other renewable energy developers select generally suitable sites for exploration, they frequently encounter conflict over biodiversity conservation values that were not factored into the initial suitability rating methods. This paper presents a spatial multicriteria analysis method for modeling risk of conflict with biological resources and applies the model in the California deserts where such conflicts are rapidly rising. The premise of the model is that the least conflict will occur on sites that are the most ecologically degraded with low conservation value and that would engender low offsite impacts when connecting to existing transmission infrastructure. Model results suggest sufficient compatible land exists in flat, non-urban areas to meet state solar energy targets of 18-26 GW of installed capacity in the California deserts for 2050. The model is a promising tool to fill the gap between site suitability analysis for renewable energy and regional biodiversity conservation planning to identify areas where rapid impact assessment and permitting will generate the least regrets.

%B Renewable Energy %V 57 %G eng %& 289 %0 Book Section %B Conservation Planning: Shaping the Future %D 2013 %T Summary: Building a broader base for conservation planning %A Davis, Frank W. %A Craighead, L. %A Convis, C. %B Conservation Planning: Shaping the Future %I ESRI Press %C Redlands, CA %G eng %& 15 %0 Thesis %B Bren School of Environmental Science and Management %D 2012 %T Dynamic metropolitan landscapes: Residential development and vegetation change in the U.S. %A Jantz, Patrick %B Bren School of Environmental Science and Management %V Ph.D. %8 12/2012 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Global Change Biology %D 2012 %T Modeling plant species distributions under future climates: how fine scale do climate projections need to be? %A Franklin, J. %A Davis, F. W. %A Ikegami, M. %A Flint, L. E. %A Flint, A. L. %A Hannah, L. %K biodiversity; California; climate change; downscaling; habitat; impacts; spatial resolution; terrain; topography %X

Recent studies suggest that species distribution models (SDMs) based on fine-scale climate data may provide markedly different estimates of climate-change impacts than coarse-scale models. However, these studies disagree in their conclusions of how scale influences projected species distributions. In rugged terrain, coarse-scale climate grids may not capture topographically controlled climate variation at the scale that constitutes microhabitat or refugia for some species. Although finer scale data are therefore considered to better reflect climatic conditions experienced by species, there have been few formal analyses of how modeled distributions differ with scale. We modeled distributions for 52 plant species endemic to the California Floristic Province of different life forms and range sizes under recent and future climate across a 2000-fold range of spatial scales (0.008–16 km2). We produced unique current and future climate datasets by separately downscaling 4 km climate models to three finer resolutions based on 800, 270, and 90 m digital elevation models and deriving bioclimatic predictors from them. As climate-data resolution became coarser, SDMs predicted larger habitat area with diminishing spatial congruence between fine- and coarse-scale predictions. These trends were most pronounced at the coarsest resolutions and depended on climate scenario and species' range size. On average, SDMs projected onto 4 km climate data predicted 42% more stable habitat (the amount of spatial overlap between predicted current and future climatically suitable habitat) compared with 800 m data. We found only modest agreement between areas predicted to be stable by 90 m models generalized to 4 km grids compared with areas classified as stable based on 4 km models, suggesting that some climate refugia captured at finer scales may be missed using coarser scale data. These differences in projected locations of habitat change may have more serious implications than net habitat area when predictive maps form the basis of conservation decision making.

%B Global Change Biology %V 19 %P 10 %8 11/2012 %G eng %U http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.12051/abstract %9 primary research article %& 473 %R DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12051 %0 Journal Article %J GCB Bioenergy %D 2012 %T Modeling wildlife and other trade-offs with biofuel crop production %A Stoms, David M. %A Davis, Frank W. %A Jenner, Mark W. %A Nogeire, Theresa M. %A Kaffka, Stephen R. %K agroecosystems %K biofuels %K biomass feedstock %K California Wildlife Habitat Relationships system %K geographic information systems %K habitat suitability %K Marxan %K renewable energy %K trade-offs %K water demand %X Biofuels from agricultural sources are an important part of California's strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on foreign oil. Land conversion for agricultural and urban uses has already imperiled many animal species in the state. This study investigated the potential impacts on wildlife of shifts in agricultural activity to increase biomass production for transportation fuels. We applied knowledge of the suitability of California's agricultural landscapes for wildlife species to evaluate wildlife effects associated with plausible scenarios of expanded production of three potential biofuel crops (sugar beets, bermudagrass, and canola). We also generated alternative, spatially explicit scenarios that minimized loss of habitat for the same level of biofuel production. We explored trade-offs to compare the marginal changes per unit of energy for transportation costs, wildlife, land and water-use, and total energy produced, and found that all five factors were influenced by crop choice. Sugar beet scenarios require the least land area: 3.5 times less land per liter of gasoline equivalent than bermudagrass and five times less than canola. Canola scenarios had the largest impacts on wildlife but the greatest reduction in water use. Bermudagrass scenarios resulted in a slight overall improvement for wildlife over the current situation. Relatively minor redistribution of lands converted to biofuel crops could produce the same energy yield with much less impact on wildlife and very small increases in transportation costs. This framework provides a means to systematically evaluate potential wildlife impacts of alternative production scenarios and could be a useful complement to other frameworks that assess impacts on ecosystem services and greenhouse gas emissions. %B GCB Bioenergy %V 4 %P 330-341 %8 2012 %@ 1757-1707 %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1757-1707.2011.01130.x %0 Journal Article %D 2012 %T Saving a Million Species: Extinction risk from climate change %A Hannah, L. %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Bioscience %D 2012 %T A State-based national network for effective wildlife conservation %A Meretsky, Vicky J. %A Maguire, Lynn %A Davis, Frank W. %A Stoms, David %A Scott, J. Michael %A Figg, Dennis %A Goble, Dale D. %A Griffith, Brad %A Henke, Scott E. %A Vaughn, Jacqueline %A Yaffee, Steve %K SWAP state wildlife action plans %B Bioscience %V 62 %8 11/2012 %G eng %N 11 %9 policy forum %& 970 %0 Journal Article %J Conservation Biology %D 2011 %T Climate Change, Connectivity, and Conservation Success. %A Hannah, L %B Conservation Biology %V 25 %G eng %N 6 %& 1139-1142. %0 Journal Article %J Ecosphere %D 2011 %T Consumer control of oak demography in a Mediterranean-climate savanna %A Davis, Frank W. %A Tyler, Claudia M. %A Mahall, Bruce E. %B Ecosphere %V 2 %P art108 %8 2011 %@ 2150-8925 %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES11-00187.1 %0 Thesis %B Bren School of Environmental Science and Management %D 2011 %T Ecosystem services and cost-effective conservation planning %A Kreitler, J. %B Bren School of Environmental Science and Management %V Ph.D. %8 06/2011 %G eng %9 Ph.D. dissertation %0 Journal Article %J Climatic Change %D 2011 %T The impact of climate change on California timberlands. %A Hannah, L. %A C. Costello %B Climatic Change %V 109 %G eng %& 429-443. %0 Generic %D 2011 %T Mapping compatibility to minimize biodiversity impacts of solar energy development in the California Deserts %A Stoms, D. M. %A Dashiell, S. L. %A Davis, F. W. %I Biogeography Lab, University of California Santa Barbara %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Environmental Modelling & Software %D 2011 %T The power of information for targeting cost-effective conservation investments in multifunctional farmlands %A Stoms, D. M. %A Kreitler, J. %A Davis, F. W. %K spatial targeting farmland preservation marginal value benefits costs Great Central Valley California threats additionality ecosystem services urban growth management %X Decisions about which places to conserve are based upon the geographic heterogeneity of three types of information: public goods or benefits, their vulnerability to threats, and the costs to avert those threats. The choice of public goods depends on the mission of the conservation organization (e.g., biodiversity, open space, cultural values, or farmland). For spatial targeting of conservation at the regional scale, practitioners must estimate the values of these types of information. The quality of the estimations will vary by the primary data used, the assumptions made, and the practitioner's technical ability to analyze complex data. This paper contributes to the growing literature by presenting a systematic evaluation of effect of the quality of the estimation on the cost-effectiveness of the set of sites selected for conservation based upon those estimates. The specific case study targets farmland for preservation from urban development in California's Central Valley where a new land trust was recently established to purchase conservation easements. In one analysis, we compared the cost-effectiveness of farmland benefits using our most sophisticated estimation procedures to those that ignored costs and/or potential loss (i.e., assumed they were equal among sites). Excluding information about the potential loss of resources caused only a slight decrease in cost-effectiveness. On the other hand, ignoring cost information was extremely inefficient. The second analysis compared the performance of the sophisticated estimated to increasingly simpler estimates, such as those representative of the methods used by many American farmland preservation programs. The simplification of the estimates caused a 5- to 20-fold decline in the benefits that could be retained for a given budget. To make more cost-effective targeting strategies accessible to farmland preservation programs, we recommend that researchers develop new spatial targeting tools to overcome obstacles in data processing. %B Environmental Modelling & Software %V 26 %P 8-17 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Restoration Ecology %D 2011 %T Shifting Baselines in a California Oak Savanna: Nineteenth Century Data to Inform Restoration Scenarios %A Whipple, AA %A Grossinger, RM %A Davis, F. W. %B Restoration Ecology %V 19 %P 88-101 %8 2011 %G eng %0 Thesis %B Bren School of Environmental Science and Management %D 2011 %T Wildlife Habitat Use in Agriculture-Dominated Landscapes %A Nogeire, Theresa %K http://gradworks.umi.com/3482016.pdf %B Bren School of Environmental Science and Management %I University of California %C Santa Barbara, California %V Ph.D. %8 2011 %G eng %0 Report %D 2010 %T Biofuels and Biodiversity in California: A Framework for Conducting a Trade‐Off Analysis %A Stoms, David M. %A Nogeire, Theresa M. %A Davis, Frank W. %K biodiversity %K biofuels %K CWHR %K energy %I California Energy Commission %C Sacramento, California %8 08/2013 %G eng %U http://www.energy.ca.gov/2013publications/CEC-500-2013-032/CEC-500-2013-032.pdf %9 Contract Report %0 Journal Article %J San Francisco Estuarine & Watershed Science %D 2010 %T Change in urban land use and associated attributes in the Upper San Francisco Estuary, 1990-2006 %A Stoms, D. M. %K urban growth geographic information systems GIS hydrodynamic subregions housing density road-stream crossings impervious cover %X Land use is an ultimate driver of many of the stressors on the Upper San Francisco Estuary, but the magnitude and pattern of land use change has not been analyzed. I attempted to fill this knowledge gap through a screening-level risk assessment. I compared urban land use within hydrodynamic subregions in 1990, 2000, and 2006. Ancillary data were then used to quantify secondary measures such as impervious cover, housing density, road density and road crossings. Despite the rapid growth of the Bay Area, Sacramento, and Stockton metropolitan areas, the percentage of urban area and rates of change in the subregions are generally low to moderate when compared to other estuaries in the United States. The spatial data sets used in this analysis have been posted online to a public repository to be used by other researchers addressing topics such as fate and transport of contaminants. %B San Francisco Estuarine & Watershed Science %V 8 %P Retrieved from: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/5db1g3pq %G eng %0 Journal Article %J International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment %D 2010 %T Coupling GIS and LCA for biodiversity assessments of land use: Part 1 Inventory modeling %A Geyer, R. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Lindner, J. P. %A Davis, F. W. %A Wittstock, B. %K Biodiversity habitats land use geographic information systems GIS spatially-explicit inventory modeling bioethanol biofuel LCA life cycle assessment crop production model spatially-explicit LCI consequential LCA geographic variability %X Purpose: Geospatial details about land use are necessary to assess its potential impacts on biodiversity. Geographic information systems (GIS) are adept at modeling land use in a spatially-explicit manner, while life cycle assessment (LCA) does not conventionally utilize geospatial information. This study presents a proof-of-concept approach for coupling GIS and LCA for biodiversity assessments of land use and applies it to a case study of ethanol production from agricultural crops in California. Methods: GIS modeling was used to generate crop production scenarios for corn and sugar beets that met a range of ethanol production targets. The selected study area was a four county region in the southern San Joaquin Valley of California, USA. The resulting land use maps were translated into maps of habitat types. From these maps, vectors were created that contained the total areas for each habitat type in the study region. These habitat composition vec-tors are treated as elementary input flows and used to calculate different biodiversity impact indicators in a second paper (Geyer et al. this volume). Results and discussion: Ten ethanol production scenarios were developed with GIS modeling. Current land use is added as baseline scenario. The parcels selected for corn and sugar beet production were generally in different loca-tions. Moreover, corn and sugar beets are classified as different habitat types. Consequently the scenarios differed in both the habitat types converted and in the habitat types expanded. Importantly, land use increased non-linearly with increasing ethanol production targets. The GIS modeling for this study used spatial data that are commonly available in most developed countries and only required functions that are provided in virtually any commercial or open-source GIS software package. Conclusions: This study has demonstrated that GIS-based inventory modeling of land use allows important refine-ments in LCA theory and practice. Using GIS, land use can be modeled as a geospatial and non-linear function of output. For each spatially explicit process, land use can be expressed within the conventional structure of LCA methodology as a set of elementary input flows of habitat types. %B International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment %V 15 %P 454-467 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment %D 2010 %T Coupling GIS and LCA for biodiversity assessments of land use: Part 2 Impact assessment %A Geyer, R. %A Lindner, J. P. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %A Wittstock, B. %K GIS-based inventory modeling land use habitats hemeroby species richness abundance evenness biodiversity impacts bioethanol Biodiversity geographic variability life cycle impact assessment bioethanol biofuel LCA %X Purpose: Geospatial details about land use are necessary to assess its potential impacts on biodiversity. Geographic information systems (GIS) are adept at modeling land use in a spatially-explicit manner, while life cycle assessment (LCA) does not conventionally utilize geospatial information. This study presents a proof-of-concept approach for coupling GIS and LCA for biodiversity assessments of land use and applies it to a case study of ethanol production from agricultural crops in California. Methods: In Part 2 of this paper series, four biodiversity impact indicators are presented and discussed, which use the inventory data on habitat composition and sizes from the GIS-based inventory modeling in Part 1 (Geyer et al. this volume). The concepts used to develop characterization models are hemeroby, species richness, species abun-dance, and species evenness. The biodiversity assessments based on species richness, abundance, and evenness use a habitat-species suitability matrix, which relates 443 terrestrial vertebrate species native to California to the 29 habi-tat types that occur in the study area. Results and discussion: The structural similarities and differences of all four characterization models are discussed in some detail. Characterization factors and indicator results are calculated for each of the four characterization models and the 11 different land use scenarios from Part 1 of this paper series. For the sugar beet production scenar-ios, the indicator results are in fairly good agreement. For the corn production scenarios, however, they come to fun-damentally different results. The overall approach of using GIS-based inventory data on land use together with in-formation on habitat-species relationships is not only feasible, but also grounded in ecological science and well con-nected with existing LCIA efforts. Conclusions: Excluding biodiversity impacts from land use significantly limits the scope of LCA. Accounting for land use in inventory modeling is dramatically enhanced if LCA is coupled with GIS. The resulting inventory data is a sound basis for biodiversity impact assessments, in particular if coupled with information on habitat-species rela-tionships. However, much more case studies and structural analysis of indicators is required, together with an evaluation framework that enables comparisons and ranking of indicators. %B International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment %V 15 %P 692-703 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Forest Ecology and Management %D 2010 %T Forest composition and tree mortality in Big Sur, California %A Davis, Frank W. %A Borchert, Mark %A Rizzo, David %A Meentemeyer, Ross %K SODS sudden oak death mixed evergreen forest Species distribution models Landscape disease pattern Community ordination Spatial autocorrelation Chaparral %X Mixed-evergreen forests of central coastal California are being severely impacted by the recently introduced plant pathogen, Phytophthora ramorum. We collected forest plot data using a multi-scale sampling design to characterize pre-infestation forest composition and ongoing tree mortality along environmental and time-since-fire gradients. Vegetation pattern was described using trend surface analysis, spatial autocorrelation analysis and redundancy analysis. Species-environment associations were modeled using non-parametric multiplicative regression (NPMR). Tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus) mortality was analyzed with respect to environmental and biotic factors using trend surface analysis and multivariate regression. Mixed-evergreen forest occurs throughout the Big Sur region but is most widespread in the north, on north facing slopes, at mid-elevations near the coast. Relative basal area of the dominant tree species changes fairly predictably from north to south and from coast to interior in relation to mapped patterns of precipitation, temperature factors and soil characteristics. Most dominant tree species sprout vigorously after fire. The forests experience a mixed-fire regime in this region ranging from low severity understory burns to high severity crown fires, with the latter increasing above the marine inversion layer and at more interior locations. Ceanothus spp. can dominate mixed-evergreen sites for several decades after severe fires. All of the dominant broadleaf evergreen tree species are hosts of P. ramorum, although not all will die from infection. Tanoak mortality decreases from northwest to southeast and is significantly correlated with climate, especially growing degree days and mean annual precipitation, and with basal area of the foliar host bay laurel (Umbellularia californica) in a 0.5–1 ha neighborhood. Adaptive management of mixed-evergreen forest to mitigate P. ramorum impacts in the region will need to consider large local and regional variation in forest composition and the potentially strong interactions between climate, fire, forest composition and disease severity. %B Forest Ecology and Management %V 259 %P 2342-2354 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Conservation Biology %D 2010 %T A Global Conservation System for Climate-Change Adaptation. %B Conservation Biology %V 24 %G eng %N 1 %& 70-77. %0 Journal Article %J Gap Analysis Bulletin %D 2010 %T Implementation of State Wildlife Action Plans: Conservation impacts, challenges and enabling mechanisms %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %A Scott, J. M. %K SWAP state wildlife action plans distributed graduate seminar gap analysis GAP %B Gap Analysis Bulletin %V 17 %P 30-32 %G eng %0 Generic %D 2010 %T Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades, The Third Biennial Review, 2010 %A Committee on Independent Scientific Review of Everglades Restoration, Progress %K Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan CERP adaptive management %I The National Academies Press %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Conservation Planning %D 2010 %T Socioeconomic patterns of American farmland preservation funded by the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program %A Stoms, D. M. %A DeAngelo, G. %K agricultural conservation easements %K Farm and Ranchland Protection Program %K FRPP %K land trusts %K local food movement %K sprawl %K urban growth %X Since 1996 the federal Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP) has supported local programs to preserve their farmland by providing matching funds to "eligible cooperating entities." This paper analyzes where those funds have been distributed and then asks what kinds of communities choose to preserve farmland (i.e., become eligible cooperating entities) and which do not? And how widespread is farmland preservation likely to become in the near future? To answer these questions we compiled historical county-level spatial data on demographics, economics, agricultural, and GIS-based growth pattern statistics to characterize counties that have implemented farmland preservation programs as represented in FRPP allocations. Statistical models determined the probability that a county has received funding and predicted the level of funding. Applying the regression coefficients to contemporary data then forecast the level of funding expected in the coming decade if sufficient funds are available; that is, where current socioeconomic conditions now match the historic conditions that favored preservation at the initiation of the FRPP. The most significant variables of FRPP activity in counties were a combination of socioeconomic factors for the county as a whole (per capita income, population growth in the preceding decade), agricultural factors (area of farmland, direct sales of products to individuals in dollars), and a synthetic GIS-based index of sprawl. Although FRPP cannot distribute funds based on predicted "demand", prospective farmland preservationists may be inspired to act if they see that their county has characteristics similar to those that have already succeeded in meeting FRPP eligibility criteria. %B Journal of Conservation Planning %V 6 %P 21-35 %8 2010 %G eng %U http://www.journalconsplanning.org/2010/JCP_v6_2_Stoms.pdf %0 Journal Article %J Remote Sensing of Environment %D 2009 %T Connectivity of core habitat in the Northeastern United States: Parks and protected areas in a landscape context %A Goetz, S. J. %A Jantz, P. %A Jantz, C. A. %K connectivity %K Conservation %K Graph theory %K impervious cover %K Land cover change %K Landscape ecology %K Management %K Protected areas %K Roadless areas %X The exurbanization process, particularly rural residential development, is reducing the amount of roadless areas and remote habitat across the nation, with implications for biodiversity and ecosystem integrity of parks and protected areas. The need for connecting protected areas via existing habitat centers, or relatively undisturbed core areas, is greater than ever as exurbanization expands. Our objective was to make use of nationally available data sets on roads as well as information derived from satellite imagery, including impervious cover of the built environment and forest canopy density, to identify core habitat of the northeastern and mid-Atlantic USA. The identified core habitat areas, which covered 73,730 km(2) across 1177 discrete units, were stratified in terms of land ownership and management, and then analyzed in a landscape context using connectivity metrics derived from graph theory. The connectivity analysis made use of a suitability surface, derived from the land cover information, which approximated the costs incurred by hypothetical animals traversing the landscape. We show that protected areas are frequently identified as core habitat but are typically isolated, albeit sometimes buffered by adjacent multi-use lands (such as state or national forests). Over one third of the core habitat we identified has no protection, and another 42% is subject to motorized recreation or timber extraction. We provide maps showing the relative importance of core habitat areas for potentially connecting existing protected areas, and also provide an example of the vulnerability of connectivity to projected future residential development around one greater park ecosystem. %B Remote Sensing of Environment %V 113 %P 1421-1429 %8 2009 %G eng %U http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V6V-4VXJW0M-2&_user=112642&_coverDate=07%2F15%2F2009&_alid=1020426547&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_cdi=5824&_sort=r&_docanchor=&view=c&_ct=1&_acct=C000059608&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=11 %0 Journal Article %J Ecology %D 2009 %T Designing the Ark, 21st-century style %A Stoms, D. M. %K conservation area network reserve selection biodiversity surrogates representativeness persistence %B Ecology %V 90 %P 286-287 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Ecological Applications %D 2009 %T Functional richness and ecosystem services: bird predation on arthropods in tropical agroecosystems %A Philpott, Stacy M. %A Soong, Oliver %A Lowenstein, Jacob H. %A Pulido, Astric Luz %A Lopez, Diego Tobar %A Flynn, Dan F. B. %A DeClerk, Fabrice %K agroforest biodiversity birds Central America ecosystem function exclosure experiment functional richness insects meta-analysis predation complementarity species trait %X In agroecosystems, biodiversity correlates with ecosystem function, yet mechanisms driving these relationships are often unknown. Examining traits and functional classifications of organisms providing ecosystem functions may provide insight into the mechanisms. Birds are important predators of insects, including pests. However, biological simplification of agroforests may decrease provisioning of this pest removal service by reducing bird taxonomic and functional diversity. A recent meta-analysis of bird exclosure studies from a range of agroecosystems in Central America concluded that higher bird richness is associated with significantly greater arthropod removal, yet the mechanism remains unclear. We conducted a meta-analysis of the same data to examine whether birds demonstrate functional complementarity in tropical agroforests. We classified birds according to relevant traits (body mass, foraging strategy, foraging strata, and diet) and then examined how design of functional classification, including trait selection, classification methods, and the functional diversity metric used affect the suitability of different classifications as predictors of ecosystem services. We determined that vegetation characteristics are not likely drivers of arthropod removal by birds. For some functional classifications, functional richness positively correlated with arthropod removal, indicating that species complementarity may be an important mechanism behind this ecosystem function. The predictive ability of functional classifications increased with the number of traits included in the classification. For the two best classifications examined, functional group richness was a better predictor of arthropod reduction than other metrics of functional diversity (FD and Rao’s Q). However, no functional classification predicted arthropod removal better than simple species richness; thus other factors may be important. Our analysis indicates that the sampling effect may also play a role, as one species and two functional groups were responsible for disproportionate effects of arthropod removal. %B Ecological Applications %V 19 %P 1858-1867 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Manual of Geographic Information Systems %D 2009 %T GIS and Decision Making: The Gap Analysis Program (GAP) %A Kramer, L. %A McKerrow, A. J. %A Pearlstine, L. G. %A Mazzotti, F. J. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Maxwell, J. %E Madden, Marguerite %K gap analysis GIS reserve selection farmland preservation %B Manual of Geographic Information Systems %I American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing %C Bethesda, MD %P 1051-1074 %G eng %0 Report %D 2009 %T The Impact of Climate Change on California Timberlands %A Hannah, L. %A Costello, Chris %A Guo, Chris %A Ries, Lydia %A Kolstad, Charles %A Snider, Nathan %K California %K carbon credit %K climate change %K growth rate %K timber %X

California timber production has been declining in an era of warming, increased wildfires, land use change, and growing emphasis on recreation. Climate change has the potential to further affect the California timber production and prices. The direction and magnitude of change will depend on individual site characteristics and projected climate change. Examples of potential climate change effects include changes in individual tree growth rates, forest dieback, and shifts in species ranges and ecosystem composition. When coupled with changes in global timber prices, which themselves are the result of productivity changes, this leads to important consequences to California's private timberlands. The ecological responses to climate change are dynamic and these complexities should be considered when predicting future timber production in California. Past attempts have modeled climate change impacts on the timber industry in California but did not consider dynamic land-use change or biologically relevant spatial resolution. This study uses models that project tree species productivity and movement across the landscape under climate change, coupled with economic models of landowner adaptation and returns from multiple harvest strategies. Our results show that under likely price scenarios, climate change will result in an overall decline in the value of harvested timber in the state, with decreases of 4.9 percent to 8.5 percent by the end of the century, depending on climate change scenario, price scenario and management option, with dollar losses totaling up to $8.1 billion. There is great spatial variation within these statewide averages. Many areas of the state show substantial declines in timber value, while a smaller number of areas show modest increases in value, under price scenarios that reflect the impact of climate change. If prices are not affected by climate change, more areas experience gains in value. Management options influence the degree of loss, indicating that programs fostering adaptation to climate change may pay important economic benefits. Declining timber value corresponds disproportionately to areas already experiencing conversion of timberlands to housing or agriculture. Policy measures to stem conversion of timberlands due to climate change may warrant consideration.

%I Conservation International and University of California Santa Barbara %P 52 %8 2009 %@ CEC-500-2009-045-F %G eng %U http://www.energy.ca.gov/2009publications/CEC-500-2009-045/CEC-500-2009-045-F.PDF %0 Journal Article %J Ecology Letters %D 2009 %T Loss of functional diversity under land use intensification across multiple taxa %A Flynn, Dan F. B. %A Gogol-Prokurat, Melanie %A Nogeire, Theresa %A Molinari, Nicole %A Richers, Bárbara Trautman %A Lin, Brenda B. %A Simpson, Nicholas %A Mayfield, Margaret M. %A DeClerck, Fabrice %K ecosystem services %K functional diversity %X Land use intensification can greatly reduce species richness and ecosystem functioning. However, species richness determines ecosystem functioning through the diversity and values of traits of species present. Here, we analyze changes in species richness and functional diversity (FD) at varying agricultural land use intensity levels. We test hypotheses of FD responses to land use intensification in plant, bird, and mammal communities using trait data compiled for 1600+ species. To isolate changes in FD from changes in species richness we compare the FD of communities to the null expectations of FD values. In over one-quarter of the bird and mammal communities impacted by agriculture, declines in FD were steeper than predicted by species number. In plant communities, changes in FD were indistinguishable from changes in species richness. Land use intensification can reduce the functional diversity of animal communities beyond changes in species richness alone, potentially imperiling provisioning of ecosystem services. %B Ecology Letters %V 12 %P 22-33 %8 2009 %G eng %U http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121460362/abstract %0 Journal Article %J Biology Letters %D 2009 %T Scale effects in species distribution models: implications for conservation planning under climate change %A Seo, Changwan %A Thorne, James H. %A Hannah, L %A Thuiller, Wilfried %K global climate models %K grid size sensitivity analysis %K sensitivity analysis %K species range %X

Predictions of future species' ranges under climate change are needed for conservation planning, for which species distribution models (SDMs) are widely used. However, global climate model-based (GCM) output grids can bias the area identified as suitable when these are used as SDM predictor variables, because GCM outputs, typically at least 50×50 km, are biologically coarse. We tested the assumption that species ranges can be equally well portrayed in SDMs operating on base data of different grid sizes by comparing SDM performance statistics and area selected by four SDMs run at seven grid sizes, for nine species of contrasting range size. Area selected was disproportionately larger for SDMs run on larger grid sizes, indicating a cut-off point above which model results were less reliable. Up to 2.89 times more species range area was selected by SDMs operating on grids above 50×50 km, compared to SDMs operating at 1 km. Spatial congruence between areas selected as range also diverged as grid size increased, particularly for species with ranges between 20 000 and 90 000 km. These results indicate the need for caution when using such data to plan future protected areas, because an overly large predicted range could lead to inappropriate reserve location selection.

%B Biology Letters %V 5 %P 39-43 %8 2009 %G eng %U http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/5/1/39.abstract %! Biology Letters %0 Journal Article %J Forest Ecology and Management %D 2009 %T Short distance dispersal patterns of pollen in California valley oak, Quercus lobata (Fagaceae) %A Pluess, Andrea R. %A Sork, Victoria L. %A Dolan, Brian %A Davis, Frank W. %A Grivet, Delphine %A Merg, Kurt %A Papp, Jeanette %A Smouse, Peter E. %K Dispersal kernel Paternity analysis SSR markers TwoGENER Valley oak %X Short distance pollen dispersal shapes the local genetic structure of plant populations and determines the opportunity for genetic drift and local selection. In this paper we focus on short distance dispersal (SDD) of pollen in a low-density stand of a savannah oak, Quercus lobata Nee. Specifically, we are interested in the proportional contributions of pollen donors, the pollen dispersal kernel that describes local matings, the extent to which wind influences mating success, and the extent to which pollen sources vary within the large canopy of these trees. Using maximum likelihood paternity analysis, we assigned sires for 474 outcrossed progeny of five seed trees, representing 120 of 160 potential mating pairs within a 250 m radius of each focal tree (ca. 20 ha plots). We first established that the effective number of pollen donors for progeny with sires within the plot was about 10 individuals, with average weighted pollination distances of 114.1 m. We estimated 18.5% pollen immigration into the 20 ha plots. We next established that the SDD portion of the dispersal kernel is best described by the exponential power, inverse power, and Weibull functions, all that capture high local dispersal with steep decay. Two of these models suggest that long distance dispersal is abundant, represented by a fat tail, while the Weibull indicates depauperate long distance dispersal, represented by a thin tail. The addition of a directional component corresponding to the predominant wind axis had no meaningful impact on these models. Finally, we established that different parts of an individual tree canopy of Q. lobata sample from the same homogeneous pollen pool showing no bias towards pollen sources near that part of the canopy. Overall findings suggest low-density Q lobata populations show steep decay of SDD. Policies and ordinances governing the amount of allowable tree removal of savannah oak populations should recommend the preservation of local clusters of adults, as well as some connectivity among clusters. %B Forest Ecology and Management %V 258 %P 735-744 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Natural Areas Journal %D 2009 %T Spatial patterns of endemic plants in California %A Thorne, J. H. %A Viers, J. H. %A Price, J. %A Stoms, D. M. %K endemism %K flora %K geodatabase %K hotspots %K Plant biogeography %K range size %X California endemic vascular plant range patterns were quantified using a flora-based geodatabase technique that combined species presence in geographic areas and elevation band occupation. Resulting species range maps were summarized by 228 geographic areas. Over 60% of the endemic species range size distributions were found to have range sizes less than 10,000 km2. The largest endemic taxon range was 275,749 km2, or 67% of the state. California endemic plants had different distribution patterns depending on the criteria used to portray them. California's Central Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada foothills, high elevation Sierra Nevada Mountains, Channel Islands, San Jacinto Mountains, Napa and Lake Counties, Inyo Mountains, sections of the Mojave Desert, and San Bernardino Mountains were all identified as areas with unique endemic plant attributes. We compared endemic species richness between map units in zones that have similar topography and climate, and found that area only weakly correlated with species richness, suggesting other factors have stronger influence on endemism in continental California. The findings have implications for developing conservation plans that target endemic species. In particular, we identify areas of the state, previously de-emphasized, that deserve greater recognition based on the characteristics of their restricted endemic plants. Range distribution estimates produced from floral keys made digital proved effective in this study, an inexpensive approach that could be implemented in other regions of the world for which floras have been published. %B Natural Areas Journal %V 29 %P 344-366 %8 2009 %G eng %U http://www.naturalarea.org/journaltoc.aspx?p=154 %0 Journal Article %J Land Use Policy %D 2009 %T Strategic targeting of agricultural conservation easements as a growth management tool %A Stoms, D. M. %A Jantz, P. A. %A Davis, F. W. %A DeAngelo, G. %K strategic conservation planning spatial targeting GIS smart growth farmland preservation urban growth boundaries %X Public and private programs have preserved an estimated 730,000 ha of agricultural land in the United States, by acquiring agricultural conservation easements (ACEs) that retire a property's development rights. ACEs could be a potent tool for smart growth if strategically targeted. This paper attempts to quantify measures of strategic farmland preservation as guidance for planners. Evaluating the placement of 318 ACEs in the San Francisco Bay of California produced mixed results. Preservation and development of agricultural land were both in conformance with general plans. In contrast, we found little evidence of ACEs being used on a regional scale to reinforce urban growth boundaries. Recently ACEs have begun to coalesce into larger blocks of preserved agricultural land, but not near the rural-urban fringe. We encourage planners to consider farmland preservation as a politically-acceptable tool to complement traditional planning tools to minimize low-density sprawl. %B Land Use Policy %V 26 %P 1149-1161 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Hydrologic Engineering %D 2009 %T Watersheds at risk to increased impervious surface cover in the conterminous United States %A Theobald, David M. %A Goetz, Scott J. %A Norman, John B. %A Jantz, Patrick %K impervious surface watersheds land use change GIS housing density %X In this paper, we estimated impervious surface from United States census housing density data sets for the conterminous United States to examine the distribution and extent of impaired watersheds, and to estimate the risk to watersheds from development in the near future. We used regression tree methods to relate estimates of current housing density to the 2001 National Land Cover Database (NLCD) percent urban imperviousness. As of 2000, we estimate 83,749 km2 of impervious surface (IS) cover across the United States (about 9.6% lower than the NLCD). We estimate that IS cover will expand to 114,070 km2 by 2030. About 7% of eight-digit Hydrologic Unit Code HUC watersheds 3.6% of the conterminous United States were stressed or degraded 5% IS in 2000, and we estimated that this will increase to nearly double to 8.5% of watersheds by 2030 6.3% of area . We explored the subtle differences of fine-grain pattern for different urban land use types by comparing our national estimates of IS to those developed for the Chesapeake Bay watershed. We also found important nonlinear affects of watershed scale and aggregation, whereby estimates of IS could differ by roughly ten-fold. %B Journal of Hydrologic Engineering %V 14 %P 362-368 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J California Fish and Game Journal %D 2008 %T Carnivore use of an avocado orchard in southern California %A Borchert, M. %A Davis, F. W. %A Kreitler, J. %X In southern California avocados are an important commercial fruit that often are planted near or immediately adjacent to wildlands. Among cultivated fruits, avocados are unusually high in both lipids and proteins. Fruits remain green on the tree and ripen only after they fall to the ground or are harvested. As a result, they offer a relatively constant, year-round food source in the form of unharvested, fallen fruit. In 2005 for 5.5 months, we camera-trapped medium and large mammals in 13.5 ha of a 55.5 ha commercial avocado orchard in southern California. We also monitored fruit fall and subsequent removal to quantify the amount of energy available to mammals and estimated how much of the ground fruit they consumed. Cameras captured 7 carnivores: black bear, Ursus americanus, domestic dog, coyote, Canis latrans, bobcat, Lynx rufus, gray fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus, raccoon, Procyon lotor, and striped skunk, Mephitis mephitis; non-carnivores included western gray squirrel, Sciurus griseus and Virginia opossum, Didelphia virginiana. All but bobcats were photographed eating avocados. Black bears, gray foxes and striped skunks frequented the part of the orchard least affected by human activities. In contrast, coyotes and raccoons were more common where humans and domestic dogs were present. Mammals consumed all or nearly all marked avocados on the ground, usually within 50 days. We estimated that they consumed only a small portion (<2%) of the total fruit crop. Avocado orchards offer super-rich food patches that are readily accessible to an array of medium and large mammals. %B California Fish and Game Journal %V 94 %P 61-74 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Biology Letters %D 2008 %T Climate change adaptation for conservation in Madagascar %A Hannah, L. %A Radhika Dave %A Porter P. Lowry %A Lowry, I.I. %A Sandy Andelman %A Michele Andrianarisata %B Biology Letters %V 4 %G eng %N 5 %0 Journal Article %J Molecular Ecology %D 2008 %T Conserving the evolutionary potential of California valley oak (Quercus lobata Nee): a multivariate genetic approach to conservation planning %A Grivet, D. %A Sork, V. L. %A Westfall, R. D. %A Davis, F. W. %K allelic richness canonical trend surface analysis colonization gene flow geographic information system comparative phylogeography spatial autocorrelation geographical structure plant-populations climate-change patterns diversity pollen multilocus petraea %X California valley oak (Quercus lobata Nee) is a seriously threatened endemic oak species in California and a keystone species for foothill oak ecosystems. Urban and agricultural development affects a significant fraction of the species' range and predicted climate change is likely to dislocate many current populations. Here, we explore spatial patterns of multivariate genotypes and genetic diversity throughout the range of valley oak to determine whether ongoing and future patterns of habitat loss could threaten the evolutionary potential of the species by eradicating populations of distinctive genetic composition. This manuscript will address three specific questions: (i) What is the spatial genetic structure of the chloroplast and nuclear genetic markers? (ii) What are the geographical trends in the distribution of chloroplast and nuclear genotypes? (iii) Is there any part of the species' range where allelic diversity in either the chloroplast or nuclear genomes is particularly high? We analysed six chloroplast and seven nuclear microsatellite genetic markers of individuals widespread across the valley oak range. We then used a multivariate approach correlating genetic markers and geographical variables through a canonical trend surface analysis, followed by GIS mapping of the significant axes. We visualized population allelic richness spatially with GIS tools to identify regions of high diversity. Our findings, based on the distribution of multivariate genotypes and allelic richness, identify areas with distinctive histories and genetic composition that should be given priority in reserve network design, especially because these areas also overlap with landscape change and little degree of protection. Thus, without a careful preservation plan, valuable evolutionary information will be lost for valley oak. %B Molecular Ecology %V 17 %P 139-156 %G eng %0 Thesis %D 2008 %T Development of an indicator for biodiversity consideration in Life Cycle Assessment %A Lindner, J. P. %K biofuel energy life cycle assessment LCA biodiversity impact indicator land use San Joaquin Valley %G eng %9 phdDiplom thesis %0 Generic %D 2008 %T Initial implementation of the State Wildlife Action Plans: Conservation impacts, challenges and enabling mechanisms %A Davis, Frank %A Griffith, Brad %A Henke, Scott %A Maguire, Lynn %A Meretsky, Vicky %A Scott, J. Michael %A Goble, Dale %A Vaughn, Jacqueline %A Yaffee, Steve %A Stoms, David %K state wildlife action plans conservation planning public participation adaptive management monitoring prioritiy conservation areas species of greatest conservation need threats habitat conservation %X In Fall 2007 we conducted a graduate seminar distributed across eight universities to analyze state wildlife action plans, or Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategies" (CWCS) and their initial implementation. For most states, the CWCS represents the first statewide synthesis of information on wildlife species, habitats, threats, conservation priorities and opportunities. Differences in approach, information quality, habitat classification and threat analysis make it impossible to amalgamate state plans to gain consistent regional or national views of conservation needs and priorities. Such views could be attained in the next planning cycle with a modest increase in standardization of information and multi-state planning processes such as those that have already commenced in some regions. Inadequate funding and a shortage of personnel severely limit the ability of state wildlife agencies to achieve the conservation goal of the State Wildlife Grants (SWG) program. Still, many states have creatively leveraged limited resources, using the planning process, published strategies, and SWG funds to strengthen partnerships and align conservation priorities with other agencies and NGOs, build political support for non-game and habitat-based conservation, and attract new public and private conservation funding. The Nature Conservancy, Audubon Society and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in particular have been key partners in planning and implementation in many states. The Doris Duke Conservation Fund has energized the implementation process and provided much-needed additional funding. Habitat loss to development is identified as a leading threat to wildlife in nearly all plans, but most states have had limited success engaging local governments or private land owners in wildlife action planning or implementation. Some states are undertaking innovative efforts to engage county and local governments or associations of county planners that may serve as models for other states. Some states, especially those states with little public land, have expanded incentive programs to engage private landowners. Diverse constituencies look to the state wildlife agencies for leadership in addressing urgent conservation needs. Unless SWG or related funding is increased significantly, state wildlife agencies will maximize their impact in non-game biodiversity conservation by exploiting overlap in game and non-game conservation and by catalyzing and coordinating conservation investments made by other organizations. To more effectively play this role, state programs would benefit from concerted training and capacity-building in areas such as data integration, analysis and synthesis, conservation effectiveness monitoring, spatial planning support systems, grant writing, education and outreach. Products from this project, including 3-6 page summaries of implementation in the 50 states and District of Columbia, are available via a project website at http://www.biogeog.ucsb.edu/SWAP/SWAP-home2.html. %I University of California Santa Barbara %8 May 16, 2008 %G eng %9 Final Report to the National Council for Science and the Environment's Wildlife Habitat Policy Research Program %0 Generic %D 2008 %T Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The Second Biennial Review, 2008 %A Committee on Independent Scientific Review of Everglades Restoration, Progress %K Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan CERP adaptive management %I The National Academies Press %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Year in Ecology and Conservation Biology %D 2008 %T Protected areas and climate change. %A Hannah, L. %B Year in Ecology and Conservation Biology %V 1134 %G eng %& 201-212 %0 Journal Article %J Forest Ecology and Management %D 2008 %T The relative importance of factors affecting age-specific seedling survival of two co-occurring oak species in southern California %A Tyler, Claudia M. %A Davis, Frank W. %A Mahall, Bruce E. %K Quercus lobata Quercus agrifolia Mediterranean CART Classification and regression tree Inter-annual variation Seed predation Herbivory Browsing Limiting factors Oak recruitment %X As has been reported in other oak habitats throughout the Northern Hemisphere, natural recruitment rates of young oaks in California are very low for some species and in some regions. The majority of experimental studies that contribute to our understanding of this oak recruitment pattern in California have been relatively short-term, conducted on a small-scale. Thus, while we have valuable information about the array of factors that are able to limit seedling establishment, we know much less about their relative importance, and how they vary across years, sites, or age classes. To investigate the impacts of factors limiting seedling and sapling establishment of valley oak (Quercus lobata) and coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) across a landscape and over time we replicated experiments in four different years in Santa Barbara County, California. Experimental factors manipulated included cattle grazing, and access by deer and small mammals. Plots were distributed across three sites with a cumulative area of 200-ha, and seedling survival was recorded for a minimum of 5 years. We used classification and regression tree analysis (CART) to examine the relative importance of factors influencing survival of planted oaks at different life stages. The relative importance of limiting factors varied among age classes for both species. For initial seedling emergence and survival to 6 months planting year was the most important factor and rodent access was the second most important factor for both Q. lobata and Q. agrifolia. For survival of seedlings through their 1st year rodents, planting year, and site were major limiting factors, though their relative importance varied between the two species. For survival from 1.5 to 5 years, Q. lobata was strongly affected by rodents and site, while Q. agrifolia was mainly affected by site, deer browsing (which reduced survival), and indirect effects of winter-spring cattle grazing (which improved survival). Contrary to our expectations, based on observed patterns of natural recruitment, Q. agrifolia had equivalent or lower survivorship than Q. lobata in all seedling age classes. Overall, in addition to other factors, there were strong year and site effects controlling oak seedling emergence and survival and the relative importance of limiting factors depended on seedling age. Our results suggest that large-scale, long-term experiments encompassing multiple sites will improve our understanding of controls on recruitment in oak woodlands in California and elsewhere. %B Forest Ecology and Management %V 255 %P 3063-3074 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Natural Areas Journal %D 2008 %T Using widely available geospatial data sets to assess the influence of roads and buffers on habitat core areas and connectivity %A Jantz, P. %A Goetz, S. %K road density buffers core habitat connectivity graph theory cost surface %X Land development pressures that threaten habitat core areas and connectivity are intensifying across the nation and extending beyond urbanized areas in the form of rural residential development. This is particularly true in the temperate forests of the northeastern United States. We used a suite of nationally available data sets derived from satellite imagery to identify core habitat areas of the northeastern United States, including impervious cover (urbanized and developed areas) and forest cover (canopy density). These were augmented with road network extent and density. We analyzed the influence of different types of unimproved roads and amount of forest cover on identification of the extent and configuration of roadless areas, and then assessed these core habitat areas in terms of land ownership (public, private) and management (parks, refuges, multi-use). We also derived patch connectivity metrics using a graph theory approach, making use of cost surfaces that accounted for the above variables and associated landscape metrics. A case study linking suitable habitat for a keystone predator is explored. Because increased conversion and fragmentation of many roadless areas by exurban development will exacerbate the likelihood of local species extinctions, and complicate efforts to preserve intact functional ecosystems, our results suggest a starting point for the construction of a more comprehensive and ecologically functional reserve network for the region. The use of widely available data sets demonstrated the capability for similar analyses to be conducted nationally or for other regions. %B Natural Areas Journal %V 28 %P 261-274 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Terrestrial Vegetation of California %D 2007 %T Chaparral %A Keeley, J. E. %A Davis, F. W. %E Barbour, M. G. %E Keeler-Wolf, T. %E Schoenherr, A. A. %B Terrestrial Vegetation of California %7 Third %I University of California Press %C Berkeley %P 339-366 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Terrestrial Vegetation of California %D 2007 %T Chaparral %A Keeley, J. E. %A Davis, F. W. %E Barbour, M. G. %E Keeler-Wolf, T. %E Schoenherr, A. A. %B Terrestrial Vegetation of California %I University of California Press %C Berkeley %P 339-366 %8 2007 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Biodiversity and Conservation %D 2007 %T Comprehensive criteria for biodiversity evaluation in conservation planning %A Regan, Helen M. %A Davis, Frank W. %A Andelman, Sandy J. %A Widyanata, Astrid %A Freese, Mariah %K AHP %K Biodiversity value %K conservation planning %K Group decision making %K MCDM %K MCE %K Multi-criteria decision making %X In this paper we present the results of a multi-criteria decision analysis used to identify a comprehensive set of criteria for assigning biodiversity value to sites for conservation planning. For effective conservation management, biodiversity value needs to be a composite of biotic and abiotic factors. However, in the reserve design literature, conservation value is assigned with a limited set of metrics usually based on comprehensiveness, representativeness and persistence which may be insufficient at fully capturing biodiversity value. A group of conservation specialists in California, USA, used a multi-criteria decision making framework to elucidate and weight criteria for scoring biodiversity value at sites. A formal model for consensus and negotiation was applied to aggregate individuals’ criteria weights across all group members. The group identified ecological condition, followed by biotic composition as the most important contributors to site conservation value. Long- and short-term threats causing fragmentation and degradation are also important criteria to consider. Key criteria are identified for which further data collection would serve the greatest purpose in prioritizing sites and the role of prioritization criteria in the larger context of systematic conservation planning is discussed. With the recognition that biodiversity value plays an important role in conservation decisions, the criteria presented here represents a comprehensive suite of factors to consider when assigning biodiversity value to sites for conservation planning. These can serve as an encompassing list which other groups can customize for the purpose of biodiversity evaluation for alternative conservation planning contexts. %B Biodiversity and Conservation %V 16 %P 2715-2728 %8 2007 %G eng %U http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/klu/bioc/2007/00000016/00000009/00009100DOI 10.1007/s10531-006-9100-3 %0 Journal Article %J Heredity %D 2007 %T Estimating anisotropic pollen dispersal: A case study in Quercus lobata %A Austerlitz, F. %A Dutech, C. %A Smouse, P. E. %A Davis, F. W. %A Sork, V. L. %K Quercus lobata anisotropy gene flow neighbourhood genetic structure TwoGener %X The pollen dispersal distribution is an important element of the neighbourhood size of plant populations. Most methods aimed at estimating the dispersal curve assume that pollen dispersal is isotropic, but evidence indicates that this assumption does not hold for many plant species, particularly wind-pollinated species subject to prevailing winds during the pollination season. We propose here a method of detecting anisotropy of pollen dispersal and of gauging its intensity, based on the estimation of the differentiation of maternal pollen clouds (TWOGENER extraction), assuming that pollen dispersal is bivariate and normally distributed. We applied the new method to a case study in Quercus lobata, detecting only a modest level of anisotropy in pollen dispersal in a direction roughly similar to the prevailing wind direction. Finally, we conducted a simulation to explore the conditions under which anisotropy can be detected with this method, and we show that while anisotropy is detectable, in principle, it requires a large volume of data. %B Heredity %V 99 %P 193-204 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment %D 2007 %T Protected area needs in a changing climate %A Hannah, L. %A G. Midgley %B Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment %V 5 %G eng %N 3 %& 131-138. %0 Journal Article %J Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment %D 2007 %T Protected area needs in a changing climate %A Hannah, L %A Midgley, Guy %A Andelman, Sandy %A Araújo, Miguel %A Hughes, Greg %A Martinez-Meyer, Enrique %A Pearson, Richard %A Williams, Paul %X

Range shifts due to climate change may cause species to move out of protected areas. Climate change could therefore result in species range dynamics that reduce the relevance of current fixed protected areas in future conservation strategies. Here, we apply species distribution modeling and conservation planning tools in three regions (Mexico, the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa, and Western Europe) to examine the need for additional protected areas in light of anticipated species range shifts caused by climate change. We set species representation targets and assessed the area required to meet those targets in the present and in the future, under a moderate climate change scenario. Our findings indicate that protected areas can be an important conservation strategy in such a scenario, and that early action may be both more effective and less costly than inaction or delayed action. According to our projections, costs may vary among regions and none of the three areas studied will fully meet all conservation targets, even under a moderate climate change scenario. This suggests that limiting climate change is an essential complement to adding protected areas for conservation of biodiversity.

%B Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment %V 5 %P 131–138 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Ecological Applications %D 2007 %T Regional variation in home-range-scale habitat models for fisher (Martes pennanti) in California %A Davis, F. W. %A Seo, C. %A Zielinski, W. J. %K california USA fisher forest carnivore generalized additive model (gam) gis habitat model martes pennanti receiver operating characteristic roc generalized additive-models species distributions mitochondrial-DNA ecology conservation prediction animals nic %X We analyzed recent survey data and mapped environmental variables integrated over a home range scale of 10 km(2) to model the distribution of fisher ( Martes pennanti) habitat in California, USA. Our goal was to identify habitat factors associated with the current distribution of fishers in California, and to test whether those factors differ for widely disjunct northern and southern populations. Our analyses were designed to probe whether poor habitat quality can explain the current absence of fishers in the historically occupied central and northern Sierra Nevada region that separates these two populations. Fishers were detected at 64/433 (14.8%) sample units, including 35/111 (32%) of sample units in the Klamath/Shasta region and 28/88 (32%) of sample units in the southern Sierra Nevada. Generalized additive models (GAM) that included mean annual precipitation, topographic relief, forest structure, and a spatial autocovariate term best predicted fisher detections over the species' recent historical range in California. Models derived using forest structure data from ground plots were comparable to models derived from Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery. Models for the disjunct Klamath/Cascades and southern Sierra Nevada populations selected different environmental factors and showed low agreement in the spatial pattern of model predictions. Including a spatial autocovariate term significantly improved model fits for all models except the southern Sierra Nevada. We cannot rule out dispersal or habitat in explaining the absence of fishers in the northern and central Sierra Nevada, but mapped habitat quality is low over much of the region. Landscapes with good fisher habitat may exist in rugged forested canyons of the currently unoccupied northern Sierra Nevada, but these areas are fragmented and at least 60 km from the nearest recent fisher detections. %B Ecological Applications %V 17 %P 2195-2213 %G eng %0 Book Section %B California Grasslands: Ecology and Management %D 2007 %T Regulatory protection and conservation %A Jantz, P. A. %A Preusser, B. F. L. %A Fujikawa, J. K. %A Kuhn, J. A. %A Bersbach, C. J. %A Gelbard, J. L. %A Davis, F. W. %E Stromberg, M. R. %E Corbin, J. D. %E D’Antonio, C. M. %K grassland managed areas HCP NCCP CRP conservation easement general plans Williamson Act zoning ecosystem services incentives %B California Grasslands: Ecology and Management %I University of California Press %C Berkeley %P 297-318 %G eng %0 Book Section %B California Grasslands: Ecology and Management %D 2007 %T Regulatory protection and conservation %A Jantz, P. A. %A Preusser, B. F. L. %A Fujikawa, J. K. %A Kuhn, J. A. %A Bersbach, C. J. %A Gelbard, J. L. %A Davis, F. W. %E Stromberg, M. R. %E Corbin, J. D. %E D’Antonio, C. M. %K conservation easement %K CRP %K ecosystem services %K general plans %K grassland %K HCP %K incentives %K managed areas %K NCCP %K Williamson Act %K zoning %B California Grasslands: Ecology and Management %I University of California Press %C Berkeley %P 297-318 %8 2007 %G eng %0 Book Section %B The Endangered Species Act at Thirty: Conserving Biodiversity in Human-Dominated Landscapes %D 2006 %T Agricultural and urban landscapes %A Brosi, B. J. %A Daily, G. C. %A Davis, F. W. %E Scott, J. Michael %E Goble, Dale D. %E Davis, Frank W. %K farmland working landscapes Wildlife habitat relationships CalFlora %B The Endangered Species Act at Thirty: Conserving Biodiversity in Human-Dominated Landscapes %I Island Press %C Washington %V 2 %P 256-274 %G eng %0 Book Section %B The Endangered Species Act at Thirty: Conserving Biodiversity in Human-Dominated Landscapes %D 2006 %T Agricultural and urban landscapes %A Brosi, B. J. %A Daily, G. C. %A Davis, F. W. %E Scott, J. Michael %E Goble, Dale D. %E Davis, Frank W. %K CalFlora %K farmland %K Wildlife habitat relationships %K working landscapes %B The Endangered Species Act at Thirty: Conserving Biodiversity in Human-Dominated Landscapes %I Island Press %C Washington %V 2 %P 256-274 %8 2006 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Annual Review of Environment and Resources %D 2006 %T Biodiversity conservation planning tools: Present status and challenges for the future %A Sarkar, Sahotra %A Pressey, Robert L. %A Faith, Daniel P. %A Margules, Christopher R. %A Fuller, Trevon %A Stoms, David M. %A Moffett, Alexander %A Wilson, Kerrie A. %A Williams, Kristen J. %A Williams, Paul H. %A Andelman, Sandy %K bidiversity surrogates %K conservation area networks %K conservation planning %K MCDM %K MCE %K reserve selection %K surrogates %X Species extinctions and the deterioration of other biodiversity features worldwide have led to the advocacy of systematic conservation planning for many regions of the world. This process has encouraged the development of various software tools for conservation planning during the last twenty years. These tools implement algorithms designed to identify conservation area networks for the representation and persistence of biodiversity features. Budgetary, ethical, and socio-political constraints dictate that the prioritized sites represent biodiversity economically with minimum impact on human interests. Planning tools are typically used also to satisfy these criteria. This paper reviews both the concepts and technical choices that underlie the development of these tools. The former concepts include complementarity, persistence, irreplaceabilty, and various concepts of economy and efficiency. Planning problems can be formulated as mathematical programs and this paper also evaluates the suitability of different algorithms for their solution. Methods are assessed using the criteria of economy, efficiency, flexibility, transparency, genericity, and modularity. The paper also reviews some key research questions pertaining to the use of these software tools such as computational efficiency, the effectiveness of taxa and abiotic parameters as surrogates for biodiversity, and the problem of setting explicit targets of representation for biodiversity surrogates. Multiple-criteria decision analysis for conservation planning is also discussed. Finally, areas for future research are identified. These include the scheduling of conservation action over extended time periods and the incorporation of data about site vulnerability into place prioritization. %B Annual Review of Environment and Resources %V 31 %P 123-159 %8 2006 %G eng %U http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/eprint/SEiSEyzQeURDDzshKdNj/full/10.1146/annurev.energy.31.042606.085844 %0 Book Section %B Fire in California's Ecosystems %D 2006 %T Central Coast Bioregion %A Davis, F. W. %A Borchert, M. %E Sugihara, Neil G. %E van Wagtendonk, Jan W. %E Shaffer, Kevin E. %E Fites-Kaufman, JoAnn %E Thode, Andrea E. %B Fire in California's Ecosystems %I University of California Press %C Berkeley %P 321-349 %8 2006 %G eng %U http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/10085.html %0 Book Section %B Fire in California's Ecosystems %D 2006 %T Central Coast Bioregion %A Davis, F. W. %A Borchert, M. I. %E Sugihara, Neil G. %E van Wagtendtonk, J. %E Schaffer, K. E. %E Fites-Kaufman, J. %E Thode, A. E. %B Fire in California's Ecosystems %I University of California Press %C Berkeley %P 321-349 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Fire in California's Ecosystems %D 2006 %T Central Coast Bioregion %A Davis, F. W. %A Borchert, M. %E Sugihara, Neil G. %E van Wagtendonk, Jan W. %E Shaffer, Kevin E. %E Fites-Kaufman, JoAnn %E Thode, Andrea E. %B Fire in California's Ecosystems %I University of California Press %C Berkeley %P 321-349 %G eng %0 Book Section %B The Endangered Species Act at Thirty: Conserving Biodiversity in Human-Dominated Landscapes %D 2006 %T Conserving biodiversity in human-dominated landscapes %A Goble, Dale D. %A Scott, J. Michael %A Davis, F. W. %E Scott, J. Michael %E Goble, Dale D. %E Davis, Frank W. %B The Endangered Species Act at Thirty: Conserving Biodiversity in Human-Dominated Landscapes %I Island Press %C Washington %V 2 %P 288-290 %G eng %0 Book Section %B The Endangered Species Act at Thirty: Conserving Biodiversity in Human-Dominated Landscapes %D 2006 %T Conserving biodiversity in human-dominated landscapes %A Goble, Dale D. %A Scott, J. Michael %A Davis, F. W. %E Scott, J. Michael %E Goble, Dale D. %E Davis, Frank W. %B The Endangered Species Act at Thirty: Conserving Biodiversity in Human-Dominated Landscapes %I Island Press %C Washington %V 2 %P 288-290 %8 2006 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Quarterly Review of Biology %D 2006 %T Demography and regeneration of oaks in the foothill woodlands of central California: a review of the scientific literature %A Tyler, C. M. %A Kuhn, W. %A Davis, F. W. %K oak woodland %K Quercus %K seedling establishment %X We review published studies on the demography and recruitment of California oak trees and focus on the widespread dominant species of the foothill woodlands, Quercus douglasii, Q. lobata, and Q. agrifolia, to ascertain the nature and strength of evidence for a decline in populations of these species. The vast majority of studies have been of short duration (less than three years), focused on the acorn and seedling life stages, and conducted at few locations within each species’ geographic range. We summarize the extensive body of research that has been conducted on the biological and physical factors that limit natural seedling recruitment of oaks. The oak “regeneration problem” has largely been inferred from current stand structure rather than by demographic analyses, which in part reflects the short-term nature of most oak research. When viewed over longer periods of time using field surveys or historical photos, the evidence for a regeneration problem in foothill oaks is mixed. Q. douglasii shows very limited seedling or sapling recruitment at present, but longer term studies do not suggest a decline in tree density, presumably because rare recruitment is sufficient to offset low rates of mortality of overstory individuals. Q. agrifolia appears to be stable or increasing in some areas, but decreasing in areas recently impacted by the disease Phytophthora ramorum. Evidence from the few available studies is more consistent in suggesting long-term declines in foothill populations of Q. lobata. Longterm monitoring, age structure analysis, and population models are needed to resolve the current uncertainty over the sustainability of oak woodlands in California. %B Quarterly Review of Biology %V 81 %P 127-152 %8 2006 %G eng %U http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/QRB/journal/issues/v81n2/810202/810202.web.pdf %0 Journal Article %J Ecology and Society %D 2006 %T Efficient conservation in a utility-maximization framework %A Davis, F. W. %A Costello, C. J. %A Stoms, D. M. %K Biodiversity conservation planning California cost-effectiveness scenario marginal conservation value retention %X Systematic planning for biodiversity conservation is being conducted at scales ranging from global to national and regional. The prevailing planning paradigm is to identify the minimal land allocations needed to reach specified conservation targets or for maximizing the amount of conservation accomplished under an area or budget constraint. We propose a more general formulation for setting conservation priorities that involves goal setting, assessing the current conservation system, and estimating the contribution of a site to overall utility. Under this new formulation of the problem, the value of a site depends on resource quality, threats to resource quality, and costs. We allocate available conservation funds to sites to maximize the overall utility of the regional conservation system, expressed in terms of the biodiversity remaining at the end of the planning period. The planning approach is designed to support collaborative processes and negotiation among competing interest groups. We demonstrate these ideas with a case study of the Sierra Nevada Bioregion of California. %B Ecology and Society %V 11 %P 33. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol11/iss1/art33/ %G eng %0 Generic %D 2006 %T The Endangered Species Act at Thirty: Conserving Biodiversity in Human-Dominated Landscapes %A Scott, J. Michael %A Goble, Dale D. %A Davis, Frank W. %K conservation planning %K critical habitat %K endangered species %K habitat recovery plans %K incentives %K working landscapes %I Island Press %C Washington %V 2 %P 360 %8 2006 %G eng %0 Book %D 2006 %T The Endangered Species Act at Thirty: Conserving Biodiversity in Human-Dominated Landscapes %A Scott, J. Michael %A Goble, Dale D. %A Davis, Frank W. %K Endangered species habitat recovery plans critical habitat incentives working landscapes conservation planning %I Island Press %C Washington %V 2 %G eng %0 Book %D 2006 %T The Endangered Species Act at Thirty: Renewing the Conservation Promise %A Goble, Dale D. %A Scott, J. Michael %A Davis, Frank W. %K Endangered species habitat recovery plans critical habitat incentives working landscapes conservation planning %I Island Press %C Washington %V 1 %G eng %0 Generic %D 2006 %T The Endangered Species Act at Thirty: Renewing the Conservation Promise %A Goble, Dale D. %A Scott, J. Michael %A Davis, Frank W. %K conservation planning %K critical habitat %K endangered species %K habitat recovery plans %K incentives %K working landscapes %I Island Press %C Washington %V 1 %P 372 %8 2006 %G eng %U http://www.bren.ucsb.edu/news/FirstVoumeofEndangeredSpeciesActatThirty.htm %0 Book Section %B The Endangered Species Act at Thirty: Conserving Biodiversity in Human-Dominated Landscapes %D 2006 %T Endangered species time line %A Svancara, Leona K. %A Scott, J. Michael %A Goble, Dale D. %A Davis, F. W. %A Brewer, Donna %E Scott, J. Michael %E Goble, Dale D. %E Davis, Frank W. %B The Endangered Species Act at Thirty: Conserving Biodiversity in Human-Dominated Landscapes %I Island Press %C Washington %V 2 %P 24-35 %8 2006 %G eng %0 Book Section %B The Endangered Species Act at Thirty: Conserving Biodiversity in Human-Dominated Landscapes %D 2006 %T Endangered species time line %A Svancara, Leona K. %A Scott, J. Michael %A Goble, Dale D. %A Davis, F. W. %A Brewer, Donna %E Scott, J. Michael %E Goble, Dale D. %E Davis, Frank W. %B The Endangered Species Act at Thirty: Conserving Biodiversity in Human-Dominated Landscapes %I Island Press %C Washington %V 2 %P 24-35 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Ecological Applications %D 2006 %T Human impacts, plant invasion, and imperiled plant species in California %A Seabloom, E. W. %A Williams, J. W. %A Slayback, D. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Viers, J. H. %A Dobson, A. P. %K California %K dispersal %K exotic plants %K extinction %K global biodiversity hotspot %K habitat loss %K invasive species %K rare species %K species richness %K structural equation models %X Invasive species are one of the fastest growing conservation problems. These species homogenize the world’s flora and fauna, threaten rare and endemic species, and impose large economic costs. Here, we examine the distribution of 834 of the more than 1000 exotic plant taxa that have become established in California, USA. Total species richness increases with productivity; however, the exotic flora is richest in low-lying coastal sites that harbor large numbers of imperiled species, while native diversity is highest in areas with high mean elevation. Weedy and invasive exotics are more tightly linked to the distribution of imperiled species than the overall pool of exotic species. Structural equation modeling suggests that while human activities, such as urbanization and agriculture, facilitate the initial invasion by exotic plants, exotics spread ahead of the front of human development into areas with high numbers of threatened native plants. The range sizes of exotic taxa are an order of magnitude smaller than for comparable native taxa. The current small range size of exotic species implies that California has a significant ‘‘invasion debt’’ that will be paid as exotic plants expand their range and spread throughout the state. %B Ecological Applications %V 16 %P 1338-1350 %8 2006 %G eng %U http://www.esajournals.org/esaonline/?request=get-abstract&issn=1051-0761&volume=016&issue=04&page=1338 %0 Report %D 2006 %T Impacts of Nitrogen Deposition on California Ecosystems and Biodiversity %A Weiss, Stuart B. %K annual grasses %K biodiversity %K California %K deserts %K eutrophication %K grasslands %K invasive species %K nitrogen deposition %K threatened and endangered species %X Recognized as a "biodiversity hotspot," California supports numerous endemic taxa with narrow ranges, and that diversity may be threatened by atmospheric nitrogen deposition. This California-wide risk screening included: (1) a 36 x 36 kilometer (km) map of total Nitrogen (N)-deposition for 2002, developed from the Community Multiscale Air Quality Model (CMAQ); (2) identification of sensitive habitats; (3) an overlay of the Forest Resource and Protection (FRAP) vegetation map; (4) an overlay of animal and plant species occurrence data from the California Natural Diversity Data Base (CNDDB); (5) an initial analysis of species life history and habitat; and (6) a discussion of relevance and guidance for assessments of power plant impacts. An area of 55,000 square kilometers (km2) of California is exposed to more than 5 kilograms of N per hectare per year (kg-N ha-1 year-1), and 10,000 km2 are exposed to more than 10 kg-N ha-1 year-1. Deposition hotspots include: Los Angeles-San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Valley, and the Sierra Nevada foothills. The major documented impact of N-deposition on California terrestrial biodiversity is to increase invasive annual grasses in low biomass ecosystems, resulting in species loss. Of 225 "threatened" and "endangered" plant taxa, 99 are exposed to an average > 5 kg-N ha-1 year-1. Of 1,022 "rare" plant taxa, 290 are exposed to > 5 kg-N ha-1 year-1. Listed animal species follow similar patterns. This initial screening outlines potential impacts on California's biodiversity and provides targeted guidance for assessing the impacts of power plant and other sources of atmospheric N-deposition. %I University of California Santa Barbara and Creekside Center for Earth Observations %C Santa Barbara %P 68 %8 2006 %@ CEC-500-2005-165 %G eng %U http://www.energy.ca.gov/pier/final_project_reports/CEC-500-2005-165.html %0 Generic %D 2006 %T Impacts of Nitrogen Deposition on California Ecosystems and Biodiversity %A Weiss, Stuart B. %K nitrogen deposition biodiversity California annual grasses invasive species deserts grasslands threatened and endangered species eutrophication %X Recognized as a "biodiversity hotspot," California supports numerous endemic taxa with narrow ranges, and that diversity may be threatened by atmospheric nitrogen deposition. This California-wide risk screening included: (1) a 36 x 36 kilometer (km) map of total Nitrogen (N)-deposition for 2002, developed from the Community Multiscale Air Quality Model (CMAQ); (2) identification of sensitive habitats; (3) an overlay of the Forest Resource and Protection (FRAP) vegetation map; (4) an overlay of animal and plant species occurrence data from the California Natural Diversity Data Base (CNDDB); (5) an initial analysis of species life history and habitat; and (6) a discussion of relevance and guidance for assessments of power plant impacts. An area of 55,000 square kilometers (km2) of California is exposed to more than 5 kilograms of N per hectare per year (kg-N ha-1 year-1), and 10,000 km2 are exposed to more than 10 kg-N ha-1 year-1. Deposition hotspots include: Los Angeles-San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Valley, and the Sierra Nevada foothills. The major documented impact of N-deposition on California terrestrial biodiversity is to increase invasive annual grasses in low biomass ecosystems, resulting in species loss. Of 225 "threatened" and "endangered" plant taxa, 99 are exposed to an average > 5 kg-N ha-1 year-1. Of 1,022 "rare" plant taxa, 290 are exposed to > 5 kg-N ha-1 year-1. Listed animal species follow similar patterns. This initial screening outlines potential impacts on California's biodiversity and provides targeted guidance for assessing the impacts of power plant and other sources of atmospheric N-deposition. %I University of California Santa Barbara and Creekside Center for Earth Observations %8 May 2006 %G eng %9 Final Project Report prepared for California Energy Commission, Public Interest Energy Research Program %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Soil and Water Conservation %D 2006 %T Prioritizing farmland preservation cost-effectively for multiple objectives %A Machado, E. A. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %A Kreitler, J. %K amenities %K Bay Delta bioregion %K California Legacy Project %K conservation planning %K cost-effectiveness %K decision analysis %K ecosystem services %K farmland preservation %K GIS %K marginal value %K public preferences %K social welfare %K urban growth boundary %K urban growth management %K utility %X American society derives many benefits from farmland and is often willing to pay to preserve it from urbanization. We present an innovative framework to support farmland preservation programs in prioritizing conservation investments. The framework considers the full range of social benefits of farmland and improves the application of decision analysis methods to the process. Key factors for ranking farms are: 1) social objectives and priorities 2) how much farmland value is expected to be lost to development if not preserved, 3) how much farmland value is already secured in the agricultural region; and 4) how much it will cost to secure the farm's benefits. The framework can be applied strategically over an entire region or to rank a set of applications from landowners. We demonstrate our framework using three criteria in the Bay Area/Delta bioregion of California, USA. %B Journal of Soil and Water Conservation %V 61 %P 250-258 %8 2006 %G eng %U ://000242001800007 %0 Generic %D 2006 %T Review of the EPA Region 6 Geographic Information System Screening Tool (GISST) %A Board, U. S. Epa Science Advisory %I U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board %8 September 28, 20 %G eng %0 Report %D 2006 %T Review of the EPA Region 6 Geographic Information System Screening Tool (GISST) %A Board, U. S. Epa Science Advisory %E Morgan, M. G. and Dale V. %I U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board %C Washington, DC %P 30 %8 2006 %@ EPA-SAB-06-011 %G eng %U http://www.epa.gov/science1/pdf/sab-06-011.pdf %0 Report %D 2006 %T Spatial Analysis for a Potential UCLA Tejon Reserve: Notes of the Tejon Reserve Working Group %A Stoms, David M. %I University of California Santa Barbara %P 40 %8 2006 %G eng %0 Generic %D 2006 %T Spatial Analysis for a Potential UCLA Tejon Reserve: Notes of the Tejon Reserve Working Group %A Stoms, David M. %I University of California Santa Barbara %8 April 2006 %G eng %9 Final Report to the UCLA Tejon Reserve Working Group %0 Generic %D 2006 %T UCLA Tejon Reserve Design Group Report on Potential UC Reserve within the Tejon Ranch 100,000-acre Preserve, Kern County, CA %A Sork, Victoria %A Nichols, Mary %A Dawson, Dan %A Orme, Anthony %A Rundel, Phil %A Stoms, David %A Wake, David %A Wake, Tom %K Tejon Ranch reserve selection %I University of California Los Angeles %8 June 2006 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Ecology and Society %D 2006 %T Viable reserve networks arise from individual landholder responses to conservation incentives %A Chomitz, K. M. %A Fonseca, G. A. B. Da %A Alger, K. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Honzák, M. %A Landau, E. Charlotte %A Thomas, T. S. %A Thomas, W. Wayt %A Davis, F. %K Bahia biodiversity conservation conservation planning economic instruments land use %X Conservation in densely-settled biodiversity hotspots areas often requires setting up reserve networks that maintain sufficient contiguous habitat to support viable species populations. Because it is difficult to secure landholder compliance with an tightly constrained reserve network design, attention has shifted to voluntary incentive mechanisms, such as purchase of conservation easements by reverse auction or through a fixed-price offer. These mechanisms carry potential advantages of transparency, simplicity, and low cost. But uncoordinated individual response to these incentives has been assumed to be incompatible with conservation goals of viability (which depends on contiguous habitat) and biodiversity representation. We model such incentives for southern Bahia in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, one of the biologically richest and most threatened global biodiversity hotspots. Here, forest cover is spatially autocorrelated and associated with depressed land values, a situation that may be characteristic of long-settled areas with forests fragmented by agriculture. We find that in this situation, a voluntary incentive system can yield a reserve network characterized by large, viable patches of contiguous forest, and representation of subregions with distinct vegetation types and biotic assemblages – without explicit planning for those outcomes. %B Ecology and Society %V 11 %P 40 %G eng %0 Generic %D 2005 %T Advisory on EPA’s Regional Vulnerability Assessment Program %A Board, U. S. Epa Science Advisory %I U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board %8 October 12, 2005 %G eng %0 Report %D 2005 %T Advisory on EPA’s Regional Vulnerability Assessment Program %A Board, U. S. Epa Science Advisory %E Morgan, M. G. and Cummins K. %I U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board %C Washington, DC %P 30 %8 2005 %@ EPA-SAB-ADV-06-001 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Ecology Letters %D 2005 %T Anthropogenic impacts upon plant species richness and NPP in California %A Williams, J. W. %A Seabloom, E. W. %A Slayback, D. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Viers, J. H. %K California %K human impacts %K Land cover change %K net primary productivity %K species richness %K structural equation models %X We assess the importance of anthropogenic land-use, altered productivity, and species invasions for observed productivity-richness relationships in California. To this end, we model net primary productivity (NPP) c. 1750 AD and at present (1982-1999) and map native and exotic vascular plant richness for 230 subecoregions. NPP has increased up to 105% in semi-arid areas and decreased up to 48% in coastal urbanized areas. Exotic invasions have increased local species diversity up to 15%. Human activities have reinforced historical gradients in species richness but reduced the spatial heterogeneity of NPP. Structural equation modelling suggests that, prior to European settlement, NPP and richness were primarily controlled by precipitation and other abiotic variables, with NPP mediating richness. Abiotic variables remain the strongest predictors of present NPP and richness, but intermodel comparisons indicate a significant anthropogenic impact upon statewide distributions of NPP and richness. Exotic and native species each positively correlate to NPP after controlling for other variables, which may help explain recent reports of positively associated native and exotic richness. %B Ecology Letters %V 8 %P 127-137 %8 2005 %G eng %U ://000226491200001 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Conservation Planning %D 2005 %T Choosing surrogates for biodiversity conservation in complex planning environments %A Stoms, D. M. %A Comer, P. J. %A Crist, P. J. %A Grossman, D. H. %K coarse-filter %K conservation planning %K fine-filter %K Napa County %K reserve selection %K sensitivity analysis %K Sites %K surrogates %X The coarse filter/fine filter hypothesis suggests that by conserving high-quality examples of all ecological systems along with imperiled species and communities, we could protect the majority of native biodiversity. Given the cost of data collection, conservation planners might wonder how large this set of elements must be. We conducted an analysis of the sensitivity of selecting a set of reserves to the choice of surrogates in Napa County, California, USA. The study evaluated the extent to which conservation goals for the coarse/fine-filter elements were met by surrogates and whether the same general locations were being selected. Napa County represents a data-rich setting, whereas the test surrogates portrayed a range of circumstances where less data are available. A worst (data-poor) case, based only on landscape condition with no biological data, was tested to identify the value of improved information. Our results suggest that in complex planning environments, there are no simple shortcuts in collecting data. None of the surrogate sets was particularly effective at meeting all the goals for the full set of baseline elements. There was also relatively low spatial congruence between the test solutions and the baseline. However, we did find that all combinations of surrogates provided some degree of protection in notional reserves, suggesting that in less complex planning problems, simpler surrogates can serve a useful function. Studies like this will help planners gauge how much effort it is prudent to spend in compiling spatial data relative to the risks and irreplaceability to native biodiversity. %B Journal of Conservation Planning %V 1 %P 44-63 %8 2005 %G eng %U http://www.journalconsplanning.org/2005/volume1/issue1/stoms/manuscript.pdf %0 Generic %D 2005 %T Defining a marginal value function for setting conservation priorities in NatureServe Vista %A Stoms, David M. %A Davis, Frank W. %K marginal conservation value VISTA decision support system conservation planning cost-effectiveness utility %X This function measures cost-effectiveness for conservation planning as a way to prioritize of planning units. How it is calculated in Vista depends on the user's concepts of "cost" and "effectiveness." Depending on the user's choices about several factors, this function can create a useful array of conservation measures. Planners generally consider four different types of cost values. The simplest is to ignore costs (essentially assume that costs are equal) or to only consider costs at a later step in the planning/implementation process. In this case, the measure focuses strictly on the biological values of a site. Slightly more sophisticated is to adjust the biological benefits by the size of the site as a proxy for actual costs (assume equal cost per unit area). Some planners further refine this measure with factors that affect the management suitability of the site, such as how disturbed the site is or whether it is publicly or privately owned. In other words, an index that relates management costs to suitability. And last, planners may need to consider the actual (or estimated) costs to conserve a site in order to set priorities for the most cost-effective sites. How Vista measures effectiveness is actually based on three factors, each with several options to meet the user's needs. The first factor answers the question: effective for what? There are many different strategies or objectives that may be important for planning. Vista currently supports three of these: fine-filter hotspots, coarse-filter representation, and making small reserves large enough to be viable. Users can select which of these are important by choosing a set of weights. The second factor looks at the gain or benefit of conservation. The simplest option merely sums the biodiversity that is present in a site. This "richness" value may be modified by the viability/integrity for each element and/or the weight assigned to the elements so that sites receive highest scores if the contain high quality occurrences of many highly imperiled species and ecological systems. The second option only counts the element values for a site if the site's management is compatible with that element's persistence. That is, if current management is incompatible, the element cannot effectively be conserved at that site. Both these options can also be weighted by protection status, so that only unprotected sites receive conservation value. The third option considers the net gain that conservation would provide (either in loss prevented in the case of protection or of improvement of viability in the case of restoration practices). For this, the user needs a scenario of what would happen to the site without conservation. The final factor calculates the social value or utility of adding more conservation as a function of how rare an element is and how well it is already protected. The simplest option is to assume that the utility is based solely on the presence of an element and does not change in relation to management decisions. The second option is similar, except that it assumes there would be no utility once the conservation goal for the element was reached. The final option uses an economics perspective of diminishing returns, so that more emphasis is given to elements that are rare with the least compatible management in setting priorities. The best choices for these options will depend on what task you want to perform. Here we describe three common tasks and the options that would be chosen to perform them. Suppose you want to identify biologically important sites for the set of elements you have identified. This would be a map of element richness, perhaps weighted by elements and by their viability in each site. Vista calls this a Conservation Value Summary. Therefore, you would choose the simplest options for costs (equal or none), for biological objectives (but not expansion of reserves), for presence or amount of each element (without consideration of protection or compatible management), and for constant utility (independent of goals). Another common task is to select sites to achieve conservation goals efficiently, based on the complementarity of the site to the biodiversity already protected. In this case, you might pick whichever measure of cost you want to minimize. You would want to choose either the amount of each element present unless the site is already protected. In that case, the site could not contribute further to the reserve system. You would also choose the goal-limited utility option because you don't want to credit a site for elements that have already met their goals. A map produced with these options would show which sites would contribute most effectively towards the conservation goals. Another important task you may want to perform is the prioritize sites for conservation by their cost-effectiveness in order to maximize the biodiversity that remains in the future under a land use scenario. Here, estimated costs of conservation are critical. You would also want to consider the loss of biodiversity that conservation would achieve by considering the change in compatibility between a conservation practice and the expected practices in a land use scenario. That is, a site would get no credit if the future use would be compatible anyway or if the conservation practice would not be compatible. Finally, you might want to select the diminishing returns form of utility so that the most imperiled elements get protected first. Of course, these three tasks represent some benchmarks along a continuum. One can select different combinations of options to achieve intermediate products that suit your task and database more effectively. %I University of California Santa Barbara %8 March 2005 %G eng %9 Final Report to NatureServe %0 Report %D 2005 %T Defining a marginal value function for setting conservation priorities in NatureServe Vista %A Stoms, David M. %A Davis, Frank W. %K conservation planning %K cost-effectiveness %K decision support system %K marginal conservation value %K utility %K VISTA %X This function measures cost-effectiveness for conservation planning as a way to prioritize of planning units. How it is calculated in Vista depends on the user's concepts of "cost" and "effectiveness." Depending on the user's choices about several factors, this function can create a useful array of conservation measures. Planners generally consider four different types of cost values. The simplest is to ignore costs (essentially assume that costs are equal) or to only consider costs at a later step in the planning/implementation process. In this case, the measure focuses strictly on the biological values of a site. Slightly more sophisticated is to adjust the biological benefits by the size of the site as a proxy for actual costs (assume equal cost per unit area). Some planners further refine this measure with factors that affect the management suitability of the site, such as how disturbed the site is or whether it is publicly or privately owned. In other words, an index that relates management costs to suitability. And last, planners may need to consider the actual (or estimated) costs to conserve a site in order to set priorities for the most cost-effective sites. How Vista measures effectiveness is actually based on three factors, each with several options to meet the user's needs. The first factor answers the question: effective for what? There are many different strategies or objectives that may be important for planning. Vista currently supports three of these: fine-filter hotspots, coarse-filter representation, and making small reserves large enough to be viable. Users can select which of these are important by choosing a set of weights. The second factor looks at the gain or benefit of conservation. The simplest option merely sums the biodiversity that is present in a site. This "richness" value may be modified by the viability/integrity for each element and/or the weight assigned to the elements so that sites receive highest scores if the contain high quality occurrences of many highly imperiled species and ecological systems. The second option only counts the element values for a site if the site's management is compatible with that element's persistence. That is, if current management is incompatible, the element cannot effectively be conserved at that site. Both these options can also be weighted by protection status, so that only unprotected sites receive conservation value. The third option considers the net gain that conservation would provide (either in loss prevented in the case of protection or of improvement of viability in the case of restoration practices). For this, the user needs a scenario of what would happen to the site without conservation. The final factor calculates the social value or utility of adding more conservation as a function of how rare an element is and how well it is already protected. The simplest option is to assume that the utility is based solely on the presence of an element and does not change in relation to management decisions. The second option is similar, except that it assumes there would be no utility once the conservation goal for the element was reached. The final option uses an economics perspective of diminishing returns, so that more emphasis is given to elements that are rare with the least compatible management in setting priorities. The best choices for these options will depend on what task you want to perform. Here we describe three common tasks and the options that would be chosen to perform them. Suppose you want to identify biologically important sites for the set of elements you have identified. This would be a map of element richness, perhaps weighted by elements and by their viability in each site. Vista calls this a Conservation Value Summary. Therefore, you would choose the simplest options for costs (equal or none), for biological objectives (but not expansion of reserves), for presence or amount of each element (without consideration of protection or compatible management), and for constant utility (independent of goals). Another common task is to select sites to achieve conservation goals efficiently, based on the complementarity of the site to the biodiversity already protected. In this case, you might pick whichever measure of cost you want to minimize. You would want to choose either the amount of each element present unless the site is already protected. In that case, the site could not contribute further to the reserve system. You would also choose the goal-limited utility option because you don't want to credit a site for elements that have already met their goals. A map produced with these options would show which sites would contribute most effectively towards the conservation goals. Another important task you may want to perform is the prioritize sites for conservation by their cost-effectiveness in order to maximize the biodiversity that remains in the future under a land use scenario. Here, estimated costs of conservation are critical. You would also want to consider the loss of biodiversity that conservation would achieve by considering the change in compatibility between a conservation practice and the expected practices in a land use scenario. That is, a site would get no credit if the future use would be compatible anyway or if the conservation practice would not be compatible. Finally, you might want to select the diminishing returns form of utility so that the most imperiled elements get protected first. Of course, these three tasks represent some benchmarks along a continuum. One can select different combinations of options to achieve intermediate products that suit your task and database more effectively. %I University of California Santa Barbara %P 29 %8 2005 %G eng %0 Journal Article %D 2005 %T Designing Landscapes and Seascapes for Change. Climate Change and Biodiversity %A Hannah, L. %A L. A. Hansen %G eng %0 Journal Article %J American Journal of Botany %D 2005 %T Gene flow and fine-scale genetic structure in a wind-pollinated tree species, Quercus lobata (Fagaceaee) %A Dutech, C. %A Sork, V. L. %A Irwin, A. J. %A Smouse, P. E. %A Davis, F. W. %K bearing correlogram California oak genetic autocorrelation analysis microsatellite pollen and seed dispersal tree species wind direction valley oak Quercus lobata %X California Valley oak (Quercus lobata), one of the state's most distinctive oak species, has experienced serious demographic attrition since the 19th century, due to human activities. Recent estimates of pollen dispersal suggest a small reproductive neighborhood. Whether small neighborhood size is a recent phenomenon, a consequence of reduced gene flow caused by demographic changes, or whether it has been historically restricted, remains unclear. To examine this question, we have characterized the spatial genetic structure of N = 191 Q. lobata individuals, spread over an area of 230 ha, using eight microsatellite loci. The observed autocorrelogram suggests an historical standard deviation of gene flow distance of about 350 m per generation, higher than contemporary pollen dispersal estimates. To determine whether our estimates were affected by strong prevailing winds from the west–northwest, we developed and utilized a novel anisotropic autocorrelation analysis. We detected no more than a hint of anisotropy, and we concluded that adult spatial structure is indicative of strong historical signature of "isolation by distance." This historical estimate provides a useful reference value against which to gauge the future gene flow consequences of ongoing anthropogenic disturbance. %B American Journal of Botany %V 92 %P 252-261 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment %D 2005 %T Integrated coastal reserve planning: making the land-sea connection %A Stoms, David M. %A Davis, Frank W. %A Andelman, Sandy J. %A Carr, Mark H. %A Gaines, Steven D. %A Halpern, Benjamin S. %A Hoenicke, Rainer %A Leibowitz, Scott G. %A Leydecker, Al %A Madin, Elizabeth M. P. %A Tallis, Heather %A Warner, Robert R. %K coastal ecosystems %K integrated planning %K open ecosystems %K reserve selection %K spatial interactions %X Land use, watershed processes, and coastal biodiversity can be strongly coupled. Land-sea interactions are ignored, however, when selecting terrestrial and marine reserves with existing models, with the risk that reserves will fail to achieve their conservation objectives. The conceptual model underlying existing reserve selection models presumes each site is a closed ecological system, unaffected by inputs from elsewhere. As a short-term objective, we recommend extending land conservation analyses to account for effects on marine biodiversity by consideration of linkages between them. This level of integration seems tractable and directly relevant to agencies and conservancies engaged in protecting coastal lands. We propose an approach that evaluates terrestrial sites based on whether they benefit or harm marine species or habitats. We then illustrate the approach with an example on the Central Coast of California, USA. Whether the effort will produce more effective terrestrial reserves needs to be proven. %B Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment %V 3 %P 429-436 %8 2005 %G eng %U http://www.esajournals.org/esaonline/?request=get-abstract&issn=1540-9295&volume=003&issue=08&page=0429://000232295800016 %0 Journal Article %J J. Flenley and M. B. Bush %D 2005 %T Modeling Impacts of Climate Change on Tropical Forests. Tropical Forest Responses to Climate Change %A Hannah, L. %A R. A. Betts %B J. Flenley and M. B. Bush %G eng %0 Book Section %B Planning for Biodiversity: Bringing Research and Management Together %D 2005 %T A new look at coastal sage scrub: What 70-year old VTM plot data tell us about southern California shrublands %A Taylor, R. S. %E Kus, Barbara E. %E Beyers, Jan L. %K classification %K Climate %K coastal sage scrub %K gradient analysis %K ordination %K vegetation associations %X This is a preliminary report on a project to characterize the historic species composition of coastal sage scrub vegetation in southern California using plot data collected between 1929 and 1934 by the USDA Forest Service's Vegetation Type Map (VTM) survey. Records and maps from a large historic data set collected for the VTM survey were converted into a digital database and GIS coverage. Historic data for 1481 shrub plots were combined with climate, modern land use, and land cover data. Preliminary analysis found patterns of species composition and geographic distribution in coastal sage scrub considerably more detailed than have been described in previously published regional descriptions. Coastal sage scrub associations described in local studies are here shown to occur over larger areas in the southern California region than the areas within which they were originally described. Maps of the regional distributions of these coastal sage scrub associations were produced. Summer precipitation, elevation, and minimum winter temperature best predicted relative differences in abundance of Eriogonum fasciculatum and Artemisia californica. Salvia apiana preferred interior, higher elevation sites with high annual precipitation and an extremely continental climate. Salvia mellifera’s distribution was not well predicted by any environmental factors measured in this study. Rates of coastal sage scrub conversion were estimated by county and regionally for a number of species associations. %B Planning for Biodiversity: Bringing Research and Management Together %I Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture %C Albany, CA %P 57-77 %8 2005 %G eng %U http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/psw_gtr195/psw_gtr195.pdf#page=65 %0 Book Section %B Planning for Biodiversity: Bringing Research and Management Together %D 2005 %T A new look at coastal sage scrub: What 70-year old VTM plot data tell us about southern California shrublands %A Taylor, R. S. %E Kus, Barbara E. %E Beyers, Jan L. %K classification climate coastal sage scrub gradient analysis ordination vegetation associations %X This is a preliminary report on a project to characterize the historic species composition of coastal sage scrub vegetation in southern California using plot data collected between 1929 and 1934 by the USDA Forest Service's Vegetation Type Map (VTM) survey. Records and maps from a large historic data set collected for the VTM survey were converted into a digital database and GIS coverage. Historic data for 1481 shrub plots were combined with climate, modern land use, and land cover data. Preliminary analysis found patterns of species composition and geographic distribution in coastal sage scrub considerably more detailed than have been described in previously published regional descriptions. Coastal sage scrub associations described in local studies are here shown to occur over larger areas in the southern California region than the areas within which they were originally described. Maps of the regional distributions of these coastal sage scrub associations were produced. Summer precipitation, elevation, and minimum winter temperature best predicted relative differences in abundance of Eriogonum fasciculatum and Artemisia californica. Salvia apiana preferred interior, higher elevation sites with high annual precipitation and an extremely continental climate. Salvia mellifera’s distribution was not well predicted by any environmental factors measured in this study. Rates of coastal sage scrub conversion were estimated by county and regionally for a number of species associations. %B Planning for Biodiversity: Bringing Research and Management Together %I Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture %C Albany, CA %P 57-77 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Conservation Biology %D 2005 %T Planning for climate change: Identifying minimum-dispersal corridors for the Cape proteaceae %A Williams, P. %A Hannah, L. %A Andelman, S. %A Midgley, G. %A Araujo, M. %A Hughes, G. %A Manne, L. %A Martinez-Meyer, E. %A Pearson, R. %K area-selection algorithms %K bioclimatic modeling %K biodiversity %K biodiversity conservation %K connectivity %K Conservation %K distance %K distribution models %K distributions %K floristic region %K habitat suitability %K plant migration %K Protected areas %K reserve selection algorithms %K south-africa %K species persistence %X Climate change poses a challenge to the conventional approach to biodiversity conservation, which relies on fixed protected areas, because the changing climate is expected to shift the distribution of suitable areas for many species. Some species will persist only if they can colonize new areas, although in some cases their dispersal abilities may be very limited. To address this problem we devised a quantitative method for identifying multiple corridors of connectivity through shifting habitat suitabilities that seeks to minimize dispersal demands first and then the area of land required. We applied the method to Proteaceae mapped on a 1-minute grid for the western part of the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa, to supplement the existing protected areas using Worldmap software. Our goal was to represent each species in at least 35 grid cells (approximately 100 km(2)) at all times between 2000 and 2050 despite climate change. Although it was possible to achieve the goal at reasonable cost, caution will be needed in applying our method to reserves or other conservation investments until there is further information to support or refine the climate-change models and the species' habitat-suitability and dispersal models. %B Conservation Biology %V 19 %P 1063-1074 %8 2005 %G eng %U ://000231118600013 %! Conserv Biol Conserv Biol %0 Report %D 2005 %T Santa Barbara County Oak Restoration Program: August 1994 - August 2005 %A Mahall, Bruce E. %A Davis, Frank W. %A Tyler, Claudia M. %X The Santa Barbara County Oak Restoration Program was funded as alternative mitigation for the loss of more than 2000 oaks during installation of the All American Pipeline (AAPL). As described in the original request for proposals, this program was intended to promote the regeneration of oak habitats within Santa Barbara County through fencing and cattle grazing management. Initiated in 1995 by investigators at the University of California at Santa Barbara, the Oak Restoration Program was designed as a program of research and restoration that would give practical guidance to resource managers and land owners concerned with management and restoration of local oak woodlands. This report provides a summary of the research findings and work completed within the initial 10-year contract period. %I University of California Santa Barbara %C Santa Barbara %8 2005 %G eng %0 Generic %D 2005 %T Santa Barbara County Oak Restoration Program: August 1994 - August 2005 %A Mahall, Bruce E. %A Davis, Frank W. %A Tyler, Claudia M. %X The Santa Barbara County Oak Restoration Program was funded as alternative mitigation for the loss of more than 2000 oaks during installation of the All American Pipeline (AAPL). As described in the original request for proposals, this program was intended to promote the regeneration of oak habitats within Santa Barbara County through fencing and cattle grazing management. Initiated in 1995 by investigators at the University of California at Santa Barbara, the Oak Restoration Program was designed as a program of research and restoration that would give practical guidance to resource managers and land owners concerned with management and restoration of local oak woodlands. This report provides a summary of the research findings and work completed within the initial 10-year contract period. %I University of California Santa Barbara %8 October 2005 %G eng %9 Final Report to County of Santa Barbara Department of Planning and Development, Energy Division %0 Journal Article %J BioScience %D 2005 %T Science priorities for reducing the threat of invasive species to sustainable forestry %A Chornesky, E. A. %A Bartuska, A. M. %A Aplet, G. H. %A Britton, K. O. %A Cummings-Carlson, J. %A Davis, F. W. %A Eskow, J. %A Gordon, D. R. %A Gottschalk, K. W. %A Haack, R. A. %A Hansen, A. J. %A Mack, R. N. %A Shannon, M. A. %A Wainger, L. A. %A Wigley, T. B. %K invasive species exotic species %X Invasive species pose a major, yet poorly addressed, threat to sustainable forestry. Here we set forth an interdisciplinary science strategy of research, development, and applications to reduce this threat. To spur action by public and private entities that too often are slow, reluctant, or unable to act, we recommend (a) better integrating invasive species into sustainable forestry frameworks such as the Montreal Process and forest certification programs; (b) developing improved cost estimates to inform choices about international trade and pest suppression efforts; and (c) building distributed information systems that deliver information on risks, identification, and response strategies. To enhance the success of prevention and management actions, we recommend (a) advancing technologies for molecular identification, expert systems, and remote sensing; (b) evolving approaches for ecosystem and landscape management; and (c) better anticipating interactions between species invasions and other global change processes. %B BioScience %V 55 %P 335-348 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Tropical rainforests: Past, present, and future %D 2005 %T Spatial changes in tree composition of high-diversity forests: How much is predictable? %A Condit, Richard G. %A Aguilar, Salomon %A Hernandez, Andres %A Perez, Rolando %A Lao, Suzanne %A Pyke, Christopher R. %E Bermingham, Eldredge %E Dick, Christopher W. %E Moritz, Craig %B Tropical rainforests: Past, present, and future %I University of Chicago Press %C Chicago and London %P 271-294 %8 2005 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Tropical rainforests: Past, present, and future %D 2005 %T Spatial changes in tree composition of high-diversity forests: How much is predictable? %A Condit, Richard G. %A Aguilar, Salomon %A Hernandez, Andres %A Perez, Rolando %A Lao, Suzanne %A Pyke, Christopher R. %E Bermingham, Eldredge %E Dick, Christopher W. %E Moritz, Craig %B Tropical rainforests: Past, present, and future %I University of Chicago Press %C Chicago and London %P 271-294 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Environmental Management %D 2005 %T Urbanization and the loss of resource lands within the Chesapeake Bay watershed %A Jantz, P. %A Goetz, S. J. %A Jantz, C. A. %K Biological diversity Forestry management impervious surface Chesapeake Bay Landsat %X We made use of land cover maps, and land use change associated with urbanization, to provide estimates of the loss of natural resource lands (forest, agriculture, and wetland areas) across the 168,000 km2 Chesapeake Bay watershed. We conducted extensive accuracy assessments of the satellite-derived maps, most of which were produced by us using widely available multitemporal Landsat imagery. The change in urbanization was derived from impervious surface area maps (the built environment) for 1990 and 2000, from which we estimated the loss of resource lands that occurred during this decade. Within the watershed, we observed a 61% increase in developed land (from 5,177 to 8,363 km2). Most of this new development (64%) occurred on agricultural and grasslands, whereas 33% occurred on forested land. Some smaller municipalities lost as much as 17% of their forest lands and 36% of their agricultural lands to development, although in the outlying counties losses ranged from 0% to 1.4% for forests and 0% to 2.6% for agriculture. Fast-growing urban areas surrounded by forested land experienced the most loss of forest to impervious surfaces. These estimates could be used for the monitoring of the impacts of development across the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and the approach has utility for other regions nationwide. In turn, the results and the approach can help jurisdictions set goals for resource land protection and acquisition that are consistent with regional restoration goals. %B Environmental Management %V 36 %P 808-825 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J BioScience %D 2005 %T The View from the Cape: Exinction risk, protected areas and climate change %A Hannah, L. %A G. F. Midgley %B BioScience %V 53 %G eng %N 3 %& 231-242. %0 Journal Article %J BioScience %D 2005 %T The view from the Cape: Extinction risk, protected areas, and climate change %A Hannah, L %A Midgley, G. %A Hughes, G. %A Bomhard, B. %K proteas nature reserve Cape Florisitc Region %X

In the past decade, a growing number of studies have modeled the effects of climate change on large numbers of species across diverse focal regions. Many common points emerge from these studies, but it can be difficult to understand the consequences for conservation when data for large numbers of species are summarized. Here we use an in-depth example, the multispecies modeling effort that has been conducted for the proteas of the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa, to illustrate lessons learned in this and other multispecies modeling efforts. Modeling shows that a substantial number of species may lose all suitable range and many may lose all representation in protected areas as a result of climate change, while a much larger number may experience major loss in the amount of their range that is protected. The spatial distribution of protected areas, particularly between lowlands and uplands, is an important determinant of the likely conservation consequences of climate change.

%B BioScience %V 55 %P 231-242 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Nature %D 2004 %T Extinction risk from climate change %A Thomas, C. D. %A A. Cameron %B Nature %V 427 %G eng %& 145-148. %0 Book Section %B Proceedings of the Sierra Nevada Science Symposium %D 2004 %T A framework for setting land conservation priorities in the Sierra Nevada %A Davis, F. W. %A Costello, C. J. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Machado, E. A. %A Metz, J. %E Murphy, Dennis D. %E Stine, Peter A. %K California Legacy Project %K conservation planning %K decision support system %K GIS %K marginal value %K prioritization %X The California Legacy Project (CLP) mission is "to enable the State and its partners in conservation to develop and implement a strategic and inclusive approach to conserving and restoring California's lands and natural resources." Here we provide a brief overview of a framework that we developed to serve the dual purpose of helping decision makers to evaluate current opportunities (e.g., current proposal applications for State conservation funds) and to help planners develop longer term conservation strategies that highlight general areas, species and communities for more focused analysis and collaborative planning. Site prioritization depends on the resources the site contains, the threat to those resources, and the conservation cost of mitigating that threat. We illustrate our framework using relatively coarse, readily available data for the Sierra Nevada Bioregion. Preliminary results suggest that many of the private lands of the region contribute important conservation value for terrestrial biodiversity. However, inter-site disparities in degree of threat and in conservation costs make the conservation "bang for buck" especially high in a smaller number of sites. %B Proceedings of the Sierra Nevada Science Symposium %I Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture %C Albany, CA %V General Technical Report PSW-GTR-193 %P 195-206 %8 2004 %G eng %U http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/psw_gtr193/psw_gtr193_5_4_Davis_and_others.pdf %0 Book Section %B Proceedings of the Sierra Nevada Science Symposium %D 2004 %T A framework for setting land conservation priorities in the Sierra Nevada %A Davis, F. W. %A Costello, C. J. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Machado, E. A. %A Metz, J. %E Murphy, Dennis D. %E Stine, Peter A. %K California Legacy Project marginal value conservation planning prioritization decision support system GIS %X The California Legacy Project (CLP) mission is "to enable the State and its partners in conservation to develop and implement a strategic and inclusive approach to conserving and restoring California's lands and natural resources." Here we provide a brief overview of a framework that we developed to serve the dual purpose of helping decision makers to evaluate current opportunities (e.g., current proposal applications for State conservation funds) and to help planners develop longer term conservation strategies that highlight general areas, species and communities for more focused analysis and collaborative planning. Site prioritization depends on the resources the site contains, the threat to those resources, and the conservation cost of mitigating that threat. We illustrate our framework using relatively coarse, readily available data for the Sierra Nevada Bioregion. Preliminary results suggest that many of the private lands of the region contribute important conservation value for terrestrial biodiversity. However, inter-site disparities in degree of threat and in conservation costs make the conservation "bang for buck" especially high in a smaller number of sites. %B Proceedings of the Sierra Nevada Science Symposium %I Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture %C Albany, CA %V General Technical Report PSW-GTR-193 %P 195-206 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Gap Analysis Program Annual Bulletin %D 2004 %T A framework to extend gap analysis to multi-objective conservation planning %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %A Costello, C. J. %A Machado, E. A. %A Metz, J. %B Gap Analysis Program Annual Bulletin %V 12 %P 42-44 %8 2004 %G eng %U http://www.gap.uidaho.edu/Bulletins/12/A%20Framework%20to%20Extend%20Gap%20Analysis.htm %0 Journal Article %J Resource and Energy Economics %D 2004 %T An introduction to biodiversity concepts for environmental economics %A Armsworth, P. %A Kendall, B. %A Davis, F. W. %K reserve networks efficient conservation biological diversity ecosystem function extinction hotspots Biodiversity Conservation Ecosystems Endangered species Land-use change %X Biodiversity is a valuable, but poorly understood, natural resource, which is being lost at an accelerating rate as a result of human actions. We present a broad, introductory review of biodiversity concepts. Biodiversity is first defined at the species and community levels. Available methods and approaches for quantifying biodiversity are discussed with specific reference to the spatial scales over which these measures can be applied. Dominant threats to biodiversity are reviewed. Fundamental patterns and processes that underlie ecological production functions are outlined. Differing rationales for biodiversity conservation are given and compared. Finally, the current suite of approaches employed in biodiversity conservation is discussed. Our aim in writing this review is to encourage further, much needed, inter-disciplinary collaboration among economists and ecologists on biodiversity questions. %B Resource and Energy Economics %V 26 %P 115-136 %G eng %0 Thesis %B Geography %D 2004 %T A Natural History of Coastal Sage Scrub in Southern California: Regional Floristic Patterns and Relations to Physical Geography, How It Changes Over Time, And How Well Reserves Represent Its Biodiversity %A Taylor, Robert S. %K coastal sage scrub %K VTM %K Wieslander %X This dissertation is a study of coastal sage scrub in coastal southern California. Research questions concern patterns of species distribution, composition of major species associations, environmental correlates with species distributions and changes in vegetation composition and structure over time. Implications for conservation biology and resource management of this scarce and rapidly vanishing resource are discussed. A digital, spatial database of historic composition in southern Californian shrublands is constructed by examination of historic documents from an extensive vegetation survey conducted between 1929 and 1934 by the U. S. Forest Service (the Vegetation Type Map survey). This data is combined in a GIS with climate, fire history, environmental and modern land use data. A subset of 78 plots representing a wide range of site histories and environmental conditions was resampled in 2000 to assess vegetation change over 70 years. In Chapter 1, I examine general organizing principles of shrubland plant communities in southern California, with a focus on coastal sage scrub. Classification and ordination methods are used to describe general patterns of species abundance and distribution in chaparral and coastal sage scrub vegetation types. In a more detailed analysis of species associations and floristic patterns in the coastal sage scrub plots, different types of coastal sage scrub are described. Physical environmental effects on the distribution of dominant species are measured. Results are compared to other published descriptions of coastal sage scrub. In Chapter 2, changes in vegetation composition and structure are described. I compare changes in vegetation composition noted between 1930 and 2000 to environmental factors, patterns of land use, disturbance, and stand fragmentation caused by urbanization. Air photo interpretation is used to make broader conclusions about observed changes. Findings are compared to other studies conducted in similar vegetation types. In Chapter 3, I compare distributions of the main species associations derived in Chapter 1 with modern land use and ownership data to estimate loss of various coastal sage scrub types. I conduct a gap analysis to assess representation of coastal sage scrub’s historic diversity in the Natural Communities Conservation Program (NCCP) reserve system. %B Geography %I University of California %C Santa Barbara %P 222 %8 2004 %G eng %0 Generic %D 2004 %T Santa Barbara County Oak Restoration Program. Yearly Progress Report for the Period July 2003 - June 2004 %A Mahall, B. E. %A Davis, F. W. %A Tyler, C. M. %I University of California Santa Barbara %8 July 14, 2004 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Landscape and Urban Planning %D 2004 %T TAMARIN: A landscape framework for evaluating economic incentives for rainforest restoration %A Stoms, David M. %A Chomitz, Kenneth M. %A Davis, Frank W. %K Biodiversity conservation planning %K Brazil %K GIS %K Mata Atlântica %K Opportunity costs %K Spatial decision support system %X The rapid disappearance of the remaining Atlantic rainforest in Brazil exemplifies the need for efficient conservation planning in fragmented habitats under intense human pressure. Such planning needs to address key conservation criteria: representation, redundancy, and resilience. It also needs to recognize the opportunity cost of devoting land to conservation. Yet most existing planning frameworks fail to incorporate all three conservation criteria, and few allow for spatially variable opportunity costs of land. This paper presents a GIS-based spatial decision support system––TAMARIN––that incorporates all these features. TAMARIN can be used to evaluate particular landscape configurations, such as proposed enhancements to a conservation reserve network. It also allows simulation and assessment of market-based economic policies to promote conservation, such as rental or purchase of conservation easements. These may be particularly important in minimizing costs and securing landholder compliance in populous areas with highly fragmented natural habitats. Although TAMARIN was tailored to the planning issues and data sources of the south Bahia portion of the Atlantic rainforest, the ecological and economic underpinnings make it adaptable to many other locations. %B Landscape and Urban Planning %V 68 %P 95-108 %8 2004 %G eng %U ://000220414700006 %0 Report %D 2003 %T Adaptive Monitoring and Assessment for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan %A National Research, Council %X The Greater Everglades Ecosystem (GEE) of south Florida has been altered extensively to accommodate humans, industry, and agriculture. Wading bird populations have declined by 85-95 percent; 68 plant and animal species are threatened or endangered; over 1.5 million acres are infested with invasive, exotic plants; and 1 million acres are contaminated with mercury. In response to these trends, the federal Water Resources Development Act of 1992 authorized a comprehensive review of the Central and South Florida Project to examine the potential for restoration of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. The result of the review, known as the “Restudy,” was the Comprehensive Ecosystem Restoration Plan (CERP, referred here to as “the Restoration Plan”)—the largest restoration effort ever pursued. This National Research Council Committee on the Restoration of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem (CROGEE) was established in response to a request from the U.S. Department of the Interior on behalf of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force to provide advice on scientific aspects of the design and implementation of the Restoration Plan. The CROGEE's mandate (see Box ES-1) includes provision of a broad overview and assessment of the restoration activities and plans, and the issuance in reports of focused advice on technical topics of importance to the restoration efforts. One such topic is the methods by which ecological performance measures1 and system level conditions are identified for the Restoration Plan Monitoring and Assessment Plan (MAP) and the way that these measures and conditions will be used to assess the restoration process. This is an extremely important topic that the CROGEE has been concerned with almost since its inception. This report provides guidance for defining ecological targets for the restored Everglades ecosystem, suggests priorities for hydrologic and ecological monitoring of conditions in the ecosystem, and identifies aspects of establishing and administering a monitoring program that will help assure its usefulness in support of adaptive management in the Restoration Plan. %I National Academies Press %C Washington, D.C. %8 2003 %G eng %0 Generic %D 2003 %T Adaptive Monitoring and Assessment for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan %A National Research, Council %X The Greater Everglades Ecosystem (GEE) of south Florida has been altered extensively to accommodate humans, industry, and agriculture. Wading bird populations have declined by 85-95 percent; 68 plant and animal species are threatened or endangered; over 1.5 million acres are infested with invasive, exotic plants; and 1 million acres are contaminated with mercury. In response to these trends, the federal Water Resources Development Act of 1992 authorized a comprehensive review of the Central and South Florida Project to examine the potential for restoration of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. The result of the review, known as the “Restudy,” was the Comprehensive Ecosystem Restoration Plan (CERP, referred here to as “the Restoration Plan”)—the largest restoration effort ever pursued. This National Research Council Committee on the Restoration of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem (CROGEE) was established in response to a request from the U.S. Department of the Interior on behalf of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force to provide advice on scientific aspects of the design and implementation of the Restoration Plan. The CROGEE's mandate (see Box ES-1) includes provision of a broad overview and assessment of the restoration activities and plans, and the issuance in reports of focused advice on technical topics of importance to the restoration efforts. One such topic is the methods by which ecological performance measures1 and system level conditions are identified for the Restoration Plan Monitoring and Assessment Plan (MAP) and the way that these measures and conditions will be used to assess the restoration process. This is an extremely important topic that the CROGEE has been concerned with almost since its inception. This report provides guidance for defining ecological targets for the restored Everglades ecosystem, suggests priorities for hydrologic and ecological monitoring of conditions in the ecosystem, and identifies aspects of establishing and administering a monitoring program that will help assure its usefulness in support of adaptive management in the Restoration Plan. %I National Academies Press %G eng %0 Generic %D 2003 %T A framework for setting land conservation priorities using multi-criteria scoring and an optimal fund allocation strategy %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Costello, C. J. %A Machado, E. A. %A Metz, J. %A Gerrard, R. %A Andelman, S. %A Regan, H. %A Church, R. %K marginal value conservation planning cost-effectiveness GIS Sierra Nevada California Legacy Project %X The California Legacy Project (CLP) mission is "to enable the State and its partners in conservation to develop and implement a strategic and inclusive approach to conserving and restoring California's lands and natural resources." In Spring 2001 The Resources Agency of California contracted with the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at UC Santa Barbara to convene a working group to help bring systematic conservation planning theory and methods to bear on the design and implementation of CLP. The framework described in this report is one of the products from that working group. The framework is intended to serve the dual purpose of helping decision makers to evaluate current opportunities (e.g., current proposal applications for State conservation funds) and to help planners develop longer term conservation strategies that highlight general areas, species and communities for more focused analysis and collaborative planning. We do not present a plan or "blueprint" for future conservation activities. Instead, we offer an analytical, data-driven planning process that could be applied to ongoing conservation assessments and evaluations by State conservation planning staff and collaborating organizations over the State or regions of the State. We organize the planning framework based on a hierarchy of conservation goals and objectives, each of which is further elaborated in terms of specific objectives, criteria, and sources of evidence. At the highest level we distinguish three categories of conservation goals: Resource Production Capacity, Natural Capital, and Public Open Space. Under Natural Capital we distinguish terrestrial biodiversity from wetland and aquatic biodiversity. This report focuses on terrestrial biodiversity. The framework applies GIS technology to map conservation value and investment priorities based on available spatial data, derived indices and simple algebraic functions. A planning region is divided into sites and each site is scored in terms of its marginal conservation value, that is, the incremental value added to the current system of conservation lands by making the next conservation investment in that site. Site prioritization depends on the resources the site contains, the threat to those resources, and the conservation cost of mitigating that threat. The strategic objective is to allocate conservation funds among a set of candidate sites such that there is the greatest possible resource value remaining at the end of the planning period. We present a measure of ecological condition based on land use, land cover, roads, housing density and forest structure. The condition index is mapped for 2000 A.D. and 2040 A.D. (based on projected patterns of housing development) and the difference between the two is applied as a measure of threat to biodiversity. We then present formal measures for five different values that places can have for conserving terrestrial biodiversity: 1) hotspots of rare threatened and endangered species, 2) areas supporting vulnerable habitat types, 3) unique landscapes, 4) wildlands for area dependent species, and 5) areas to expand the size of existing reserves. We apply the framework to prioritize new conservation investments on private lands in the Sierra Bioregion. Our purpose is to demonstrate the end-to-end use of the framework and attention should be focused on the process, not the actual products. We first use existing, readily available data to map resource values and threats to produce maps of marginal conservation value without consideration of site cost. Spatial patterns in site value differ considerably among the five conservation criteria. We then use a crude estimate of land prices and allocate a hypothetical budget of $44 million to 50 sites scattered across the region. The framework can also be applied to other conservation concerns such as aquatic biodiversity, production lands, public open space, cultural resources and recreational opportunities. In a separate report we demonstrate its application for cropland conservation in the Bay Delta Bioregion. Our initial experiences in applying the framework to terrestrial biodiversity and cropland are very encouraging, but testing and refinement of the indices and value functions models are still needed and are currently underway. %I National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis %G eng %9 Report to the Resources Agency of California %0 Journal Article %J International Journal of Geographical Information Science %D 2003 %T GIS and remote sensing applications in biogeography and ecology. Millington, AC. Walsh, SJ. Osborne, PE 2001 %A Davis, F. W. %K . %B International Journal of Geographical Information Science %V 17 %P 293-294 %G eng %0 Generic %D 2003 %T Guidelines for describing associations and alliances of the U.S. National Vegetation Classification %A Jennings, M. D. %A Loucks, O. %A Glenn-Lewin, D. %A Peet, R. %A Faber-Langendoen, D. %A Grossman, D. %A Damman, A. %A Barbour, M. %A Pfister, R. %A Walker, M. %A Talbot, S. %A Walker, J. %A Hartshorn, G. %A Waggoner, G. %A Abrams, M. %A Brown, D. %A Hill, A. %A Roberts, D. %A Tart, D. %A Rejmanek, M. %X The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines for describing and classifying plant associations and alliances as formally recognized units of vegetation within the U.S. National Vegetation Classification (NVC), a regional component of the International Vegetation Classification (NatureServe 2003). The guidelines are intended to be used by anyone proposing additions, deletions, or other changes to the named units of the NVC. By setting forth guidelines for field records, analysis, description, peer review, archiving, and dissemination, the Ecological Society of America’s Vegetation Classification Panel, in collaboration with the U.S. Federal Geographic Data Committee, NatureServe, the U.S. Geological Survey, and others, seeks to advance our common understanding of vegetation and improve our capability to sustain this resource. We begin by articulating the rationale for developing these guidelines and then briefly review the history and development of vegetation classification in the United States. The guidelines for floristic units of vegetation include definitions of the association and alliance concepts. This is followed by a description of the requirements for field plot records and the identification and classification of vegetation types. Guidelines for peer review of proposed additions and revisions of types are provided, as is a structure for data access and management. Since new knowledge and insight will inevitably lead to the need for improvements to the guidelines described here, this document has been written with the expectation that it will be revised with new versions produced as needed. Recommendations for revisions should be addressed to the Panel Chair, Vegetation Classification Panel, Ecological Society of America, Suite 400, 735 H St, NW, Washington, DC. Email contact information can be found at http://www.esa.org/vegweb or contact the Ecological Society of America’s Science Program Office, 1707 H St, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20006, Telephone: (202) 833-8773. The authors of this document work as volunteers in the service of the Ecological Society of America and the professional opinions expressed by them in this document are not necessarily those of the institutions that employ them. %I Panel on Vegetation Classification of The Ecological Society of America %G eng %0 Generic %D 2003 %T Linking GIS and reserve selection algorithms: Towards a geospatial data model %A Stoms, D. M. %K data model reserve selection object-oriented conservation planning %X Most reserve selection algorithms used in research or conservation practice are only loosely coupled with geographic information system technology. This paper argues that formalizing a core geospatial data model would benefit algorithm developers, researchers, and practitioners through standardized data management and ease of database development with any reserve selection algorithm. %I Biogeography Lab, Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California Santa Barbara %G eng %0 Report %D 2003 %T Linking GIS and reserve selection algorithms: Towards a geospatial data model %A Stoms, D. M. %K conservation planning %K data model %K object-oriented %K reserve selection %X Most reserve selection algorithms used in research or conservation practice are only loosely coupled with geographic information system technology. This paper argues that formalizing a core geospatial data model would benefit algorithm developers, researchers, and practitioners through standardized data management and ease of database development with any reserve selection algorithm. %I Biogeography Lab, Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California Santa Barbara %P 37 %8 2003 %G eng %U http://www.biogeog.ucsb.edu/pubs/Technical%20Reports/Reserve_Selection_Data_Model.pdf %0 Journal Article %J Plant Ecology %D 2003 %T Reproduction and growth of the chaparral geophyte, Zigadenus fremontii (Liliaceae), in relation to fire %A Tyler, C. %A Borchert, M. %K bulb %K California %K fire-dependent reproduction %K fire-induced flowering %K germination %K life-history %K long-lived %K pityopsis-graminifolia %K populations %K postfire %K seedling establishment %K soil fertility %X Zigadenus fremontii is often a striking component of the flora following fire in the chaparral. Like other geophytes, it produces large numbers of flowers in the first spring after a burn. Although these plants are most conspicuous in the early postfire environment, the question that remains is, how do they persist in the interval between fires? To address this we investigated differences in the growth and reproduction of Z. fremontii in burned and unburned chaparral. We monitored marked individuals for nine years at three sites: two that were burned in 1990 and one in the same area that was in unburned mature chaparral. We measured leaf area, and production of flowers and fruits. We also conducted seed experiments in the field to determine the rates and timing of germination. We found that reproduction occurs only in the immediate postfire period: flowering and production of fruits and seeds in the first year following fire, and seedling establishment by year 3. There was a cost of reproduction; plants that flowered (in the burn area) had negative growth rates the following year. In contrast, plants in unburned chaparral, which did not flower, had positive growth rates over the same period. Moreover, plants that produced the most flowers had the lowest growth rates. In the unburned chaparral site, plants were not dormant as predicted from previous literature; instead they produced leaves nearly every year. In most years the average leaf area per plant was greater than that in the burned sites. Our results indicate that postfire reproduction depends on growth and carbohydrate storage in the inter-fire period. We also suggest that this species is relatively long-lived for a herbaceous perennial. %B Plant Ecology %V 165 %P 11-20 %8 2003 %G eng %U ://000179659700002 %! Plant Ecol Plant Ecol %0 Generic %D 2003 %T Santa Barbara County Oak Restoration Program. Yearly Progress Report for the Period July 2002 - June 2003 %A Mahall, B. E. %A Davis, F. W. %A Tyler, C. M. %I University of California Santa Barbara %8 June 30, 2003 %G eng %0 Generic %D 2003 %T A systematic framework for prioritizing farmland preservation %A Machado, E. A. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %K marginal value conservation planning cost-effectiveness GIS Bay Delta bioregion farmland preservation California Legacy Project %X The California Legacy Project (CLP) mission is "to enable the state and its partners in conservation to develop and implement a strategic and inclusive approach to conserving and restoring California's lands and natural resources." In 2001 The Resources Agency of California contracted with the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at UC Santa Barbara to convene a working group to help bring systematic conservation planning theory and methods to bear on the design and implementation of CLP. The conservation planning framework for farmland described in this report for is one of the products from that working group. The framework is intended to serve the dual purpose of helping decision makers to evaluate current opportunities (e.g., current proposal applications for State conservation funds) and to help planners develop longer term conservation strategies that highlight areas for more focused analysis and collaborative planning. We do not present a plan or "blueprint" for future conservation activities. Instead, we offer an analytical, data-driven planning process that could be applied to ongoing conservation assessments and evaluations by State conservation planning staff and collaborating organizations over the State or regions of the State. We organize the planning framework based on a hierarchy of conservation goals and objectives, each of which is further elaborated in terms of specific objectives, criteria, and sources of evidence. For farmland preservation, we summarize these goals as retaining farmlands: 1) with the greatest sustained production capacity, 2) that provide high amenity values (e.g., habitat, open space, floodplain management, and scenic values), and 3) whose location reduces the risk of urban sprawl. The framework applies GIS technology to map farmland conservation value and investment priorities based on available spatial data, derived indices and simple algebraic functions. A planning region is divided into sites, and each site is scored in terms of its marginal conservation value, that is, the incremental value added to the current system of conservation lands by making the next conservation investment in that site. Site prioritization depends on the farmland resources the site contains, the threat to those resources, and the conservation cost of mitigating that threat. The strategic objective is to allocate conservation funds among a set of candidate sites such that there is the greatest possible farmland value remaining at the end of the planning period. We demonstrate the framework for preservation of farmlands in the Bay Area/Delta Bioregion. Because the criteria for measuring objectives 2 and 3 require spatial and nonspatial data that are not readily available statewide or even for a bioregion, we only develop and demonstrate the framework for objective 1. Existing data are used to map resource values and threats to arrive at maps of marginal conservation value without consideration of site cost. We use a crude estimate of the cost of conservation easements to demonstrate how the framework could then be used to prioritize conservation investments subject to a fixed budget. %I National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis %G eng %9 Report to the Resources Agency of California %0 Report %D 2003 %T A systematic framework for prioritizing farmland preservation %A Machado, E. A. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %K Bay Delta bioregion %K California Legacy Project %K conservation planning %K cost-effectiveness %K farmland preservation %K GIS %K marginal value %X The California Legacy Project (CLP) mission is "to enable the state and its partners in conservation to develop and implement a strategic and inclusive approach to conserving and restoring California's lands and natural resources." In 2001 The Resources Agency of California contracted with the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at UC Santa Barbara to convene a working group to help bring systematic conservation planning theory and methods to bear on the design and implementation of CLP. The conservation planning framework for farmland described in this report for is one of the products from that working group. The framework is intended to serve the dual purpose of helping decision makers to evaluate current opportunities (e.g., current proposal applications for State conservation funds) and to help planners develop longer term conservation strategies that highlight areas for more focused analysis and collaborative planning. We do not present a plan or "blueprint" for future conservation activities. Instead, we offer an analytical, data-driven planning process that could be applied to ongoing conservation assessments and evaluations by State conservation planning staff and collaborating organizations over the State or regions of the State. We organize the planning framework based on a hierarchy of conservation goals and objectives, each of which is further elaborated in terms of specific objectives, criteria, and sources of evidence. For farmland preservation, we summarize these goals as retaining farmlands: 1) with the greatest sustained production capacity, 2) that provide high amenity values (e.g., habitat, open space, floodplain management, and scenic values), and 3) whose location reduces the risk of urban sprawl. The framework applies GIS technology to map farmland conservation value and investment priorities based on available spatial data, derived indices and simple algebraic functions. A planning region is divided into sites, and each site is scored in terms of its marginal conservation value, that is, the incremental value added to the current system of conservation lands by making the next conservation investment in that site. Site prioritization depends on the farmland resources the site contains, the threat to those resources, and the conservation cost of mitigating that threat. The strategic objective is to allocate conservation funds among a set of candidate sites such that there is the greatest possible farmland value remaining at the end of the planning period. We demonstrate the framework for preservation of farmlands in the Bay Area/Delta Bioregion. Because the criteria for measuring objectives 2 and 3 require spatial and nonspatial data that are not readily available statewide or even for a bioregion, we only develop and demonstrate the framework for objective 1. Existing data are used to map resource values and threats to arrive at maps of marginal conservation value without consideration of site cost. We use a crude estimate of the cost of conservation easements to demonstrate how the framework could then be used to prioritize conservation investments subject to a fixed budget. %I National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis %C Santa Barbara %P 52 %8 2003 %G eng %U http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/nceas-web/projects/4040/Farmland_framework_report.pdf %0 Thesis %B Bren School of Environmental Science & Management %D 2003 %T Toward a Better Understanding of Vegetation Alliances %A Jennings, Michael D. %X Improved policy and management to reduce the rate of human-induced loss of biodiversity depends on basic knowledge of distribution, status, and trends in species and their habitats. Vegetation monitoring provides a practical means of tracking many components of biodiversity over space and time. Until recently, we lacked a standardized set of vegetation classes that are useful in predicting species distributions and habitat conditions and that can be repeatedly mapped over large areas using remote sensing. However, an international standardized classification now exists and one particular level of the classification, vegetation “alliances,” may prove especially useful for biodiversity monitoring. Alliances are the most general units of vegetation that distinguish plant communities. Since alliances are characterized primarily by overstory species, they can usually be observed with remotely sensed imagery. There has been little previous work on the compositional, structural, or functional properties of alliances as ecological units. This study characterizes and analyzes vegetation alliances across a large geographic region, the Interior Northwestern United States. Almost 40,000 vegetation field plots were collated and screened for quality. About 22% of the plots were retained and classified to 49 alliances of the U.S. National Vegetation Classification. Modeled values of climate and Net Primary Productivity were attributed to each plot, as were morphological traits of each species. The roles of dominant and subdominant species in determining the floristic identity of alliances was measured with a multi-response permutation procedure of (a) an alliance’s entire plot data, and (b) derived plot data where the dominant species were removed. There is significant variation among alliances in the degree of affinity between dominant and subdominant species, suggesting that additional refinements of alliances are needed if they are to be used for biodiversity inventory and monitoring. The form of the relationship between species diversity and biomass productivity was examined within and across alliances with generalized linear models. Results confirm scale dependence in the diversity-productivity relationship. The identities of alliances along the productivity gradient indicate that at regional landscape scales and low to moderate productivity values, moisture may limit species diversity and productivity. Increased canopy complexity may allow tighter packing of species in three dimensions and increase the environmental heterogeneity within plots. %B Bren School of Environmental Science & Management %I University of California, Santa Barbara %P 162 %8 2003 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Conservation Ecology %D 2002 %T Are long fire-free periods needed to maintain the endangered, fire-recruiting shrub Arctostaphylos morroensis (Ericaceae)? %A Odion, D. %A Tyler, C. %K Arctostaphylos morroensis %K California coast %K endangered species %K fire-dependent germination %K fire-related extinction risk %K maritime chaparral %K Morro manzanita %K obligate-seeder %K postfire seedling recruitment %K seed bank %K shrublands %K viable seed %X Morro manazanita (Arctostaphylos morroensis) is a distinctive shrub restricted to a small area along the coast of California, USA. This endangered species faces two opposing fire-related extinction risks: (1) adults are killed by fire, and (2) recruitment opportunities only occur with fire. These strongly limit the capacity of this, as well as other obligate-seeding species, to recover from a population decline, which may result if there is an inadequate amount of time between fires for replenishment of sufficient seed populations. Using a prescribed burn, we tested whether the size of the seed bank that had accumulated in a 40-yr-old stand would prove adequate for maintaining A. morroensis population sizes through fire. Prior to the burn, we found ~11,000 seeds/m2 in the soil, mostly in the top 5 cm. However, the number of viable seeds was substantially lower (334 seeds/m2), and less than one-third of these survived the experimental fire (99 seeds/m2). Germination occurred only in the first two wet seasons after the fire, and may have been adequate to replace the number of A. morroensis present before the burn. However, most seedlings did not survive their initial summer drought. After three years, the new population of A. morroensis was less than half the size of the parent population. Further mortality is expected because the remaining seedlings are highly clumped. We conclude that A. morroensis may require considerably longer than 40 years to establish an adequate seed bank to compensate for mortality and prevent population decrease or local extinction. This prolonged risk is perhaps explained by specialization of this species to a historic regime of relatively infrequent fire. There are many obligate-seeding species in fire-prone shrublands that may not be resilient to a regime of fire more frequent than that with which they evolved. %B Conservation Ecology %V 6 %P 4 [online] %8 2002 %G eng %U http://www.consecol.org/Journal/vol6/iss2/art4 %0 Book Section %B Predicting Species Occurrences: Issues of Accuracy and Scale %D 2002 %T Biodiversity conflict analysis at multiple spatial scales %A Cogan, C. B. %E Scott, J. M. %E Heglund, P. J. %E Morrison, M. L. %E Haufler, J. %E Raphael, M. G. %E Wall, W. A. %E Samson, F. B. %B Predicting Species Occurrences: Issues of Accuracy and Scale %I Island Press %C Washington, DC %P 229-239 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Predicting Species Occurrences: Issues of Accuracy and Scale %D 2002 %T Biodiversity conflict analysis at multiple spatial scales %A Cogan, C. B. %E Scott, J. M. %E Heglund, P. J. %E Morrison, M. L. %E Haufler, J. %E Raphael, M. G. %E Wall, W. A. %E Samson, F. B. %B Predicting Species Occurrences: Issues of Accuracy and Scale %I Island Press %C Washington, DC %P 229-239 %8 2002 %G eng %U http://www.ets.uidaho.edu/coop/1999_symposium.htm %0 Journal Article %J Global Ecology & Biogeography %D 2002 %T Climate change-integrated conservation strategies %A Hannah, L. %A G. F. Midgley %B Global Ecology & Biogeography %V 11 %G eng %& 485-495. %0 Journal Article %J Conservation Biology %D 2002 %T Conservation of Biodiversity in a Changing Climate %A Hannah, L. %A G. F. Midgley %B Conservation Biology %V 16 %G eng %N 1 %& 11-15. %0 Book Section %B Coast Ranges Oak Woodland Network: Final Report and Proposal for Funding to the David and Lucille Packard Foundation %D 2002 %T Demography and regeneration of oaks in the foothill woodlands of central California: A review of the scientific literature %A Tyler, C. %A Kuhn, W. %A Davis, F. %B Coast Ranges Oak Woodland Network: Final Report and Proposal for Funding to the David and Lucille Packard Foundation %I University of California %P B-1 to B65 %8 2002 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Coast Ranges Oak Woodland Network: Final Report and Proposal for Funding to the David and Lucille Packard Foundation %D 2002 %T Demography and regeneration of oaks in the foothill woodlands of central California: A review of the scientific literature %A Tyler, C. %A Kuhn, W. %A Davis, F. %B Coast Ranges Oak Woodland Network: Final Report and Proposal for Funding to the David and Lucille Packard Foundation %I University of California %P B-1 to B65 %G eng %0 Report %D 2002 %T Economic Instruments for Habitat Conservation %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %A Church, R. L. %A Gerrard, R. A. %I University of California, Santa Barbara %C Santa Barbara %8 2002 %G eng %U http://www.biogeog.ucsb.edu/projects/wb/wbrpt2002.pdf %0 Generic %D 2002 %T Economic Instruments for Habitat Conservation %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %A Church, R. L. %A Gerrard, R. A. %I University of California, Santa Barbara %8 June 14, 2002 %G eng %9 Final Report to the World Bank %0 Journal Article %J Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America %D 2002 %T Extinction rates under nonrandom patterns of habitat loss %A Seabloom, E. W. %A Dobson, A. P. %A Stoms, D. M. %X Most models that examine the effects of habitat conversion on species extinctions assume that habitat conversion occurs at random. This assumption allows predictions about extinction rates based on the speciesarea relationship. We show that the spatially aggregated nature of habitat conversion introduces a significant bias that may lead species-loss rates to exceed those predicted by speciesarea curves. Correlations between human activity and major compositional gradients, or species richness, also alter predicted species extinction rates. We illustrate the consequences of nonrandom patterns of habitat conversion by using a data set that combines the distribution of native vascular plants with human activity patterns in California. %B Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America %V 99 %P 11229-11234 %G eng %0 Conference Paper %B Fifth Symposium on Oak Woodlands %D 2002 %T Factors limiting recruitment in valley and coast live oak %A Tyler, C. M. %A Mahall, B. E. %A Davis, F. W. %A Hall, M. %X The Santa Barbara County Oak Restoration Program was initiated in 1994 to determine the major factors limiting recruitment of valley oak (Quercus lobata) and coast live oak (Q. agrifolia). At Sedgwick Reserve in Santa Barbara County, California, we have replicated large-scale planting experiments in four different years to determine the effects of cattle and other ecological factors on oak seedling establishment in oak savannas and woodlands. In 33 large experimental plots (50 x 50 m) we planted acorns collected from Q. lobata and Q. agrifolia on the site. Fifteen of these large plots are controls, open to grazing, fifteen exclude cattle with the use of electric fence, and three are ungrazed in large ungrazed pastures. Within the plots, experimental treatments included: 1) protection from small mammals such as gophers and ground squirrels, 2) protection from large animals such as cattle, deer, and pigs, and 3) no protection from mammalian grazers. In winters 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2001, we planted approximately 1,000 acorns of each species. Results confirm that seed predation and herbivory by small mammals are a significant "bottleneck" to oak seedling recruitment on the landscape scale. Comparing results among years indicates that lack of late winter rainfall can significantly reduce oak emergence and establishment. Survivorship of protected acorns and seedlings is comparable in grazed and ungrazed areas. %B Fifth Symposium on Oak Woodlands %I USDA Forest Service %V General Technical Report PSW-GTR-184 %P 565-572 %8 2002 %G eng %U http://danr.ucop.edu/ihrmp/proceed/symproc50.html %0 Journal Article %J Environmental Management %D 2002 %T Fuzzy assessment of land suitability for scientific research reserves %A Stoms, David M. %A McDonald, Jennifer M. %A Davis, Frank W. %K Ecosystem Management Decision Support software %K EMDS %K fuzzy logic %K GIS %K knowledge base %K knowledge-base %K land suitability %K Merced %K Netweaver %K NRS %K research reserves %K University of California Natural Reserve System %K vernal pools %X Evaluating the characteristics of a set of sites as potential scientific research reserves is an example of land suitability assessment. Suitability in this case is based upon multiple criteria, many of which can be linguistically imprecise and often incompatible. Fuzzy logic is a useful method for characterizing imprecise suitability criteria and for combining criteria into an overall suitability rating. The Ecosystem Management Decision Support software combined a fuzzy logic knowledge base we developed to represent the assessment problem with a GIS database providing site-specific data for the assessment. Assessment of sites as a potential natural reserve for the new University of California campus at Merced demonstrates the benefits of fuzzy suitability assessment. The study was conducted in three stages of successively smaller assessment regions with increasingly fine spatial resolution and specificity of criteria. Several sites were identified that best satisfy the suitability criteria for a reserve to represent vernal pool habitat. %B Environmental Management %V 29 %P 545-558 %8 2002 %G eng %U http://link.springer.de/link/service/journals/00267/bibs/2029004/20290545.html://000174557600008 %0 Conference Paper %B Fifth Symposium on Oak Woodlands %D 2002 %T Mating patterns in a savanna population of valley oak, Quercus lobata Neé %A Sork, V. L. %A Davis, F. W. %A Dyer, R. J. %A Smouse, P. E. %X California Valley oak is threatened by landscape alteration and failing recruitment in remnant stands. Its reproductive ecology is a key element of the seedling recruitment process. We first examine the mating system, to determine the extent of inbreeding in a population at Sedgwick Reserve, in Santa Barbara County. We then quantify variation in germination success and acorn size, evaluating their spatial patterns across the site. We collected acorns from 21 mapped focal trees in fall 1999, measured their average seed weight and germination success, and identified their multilocus genotypes. Using a mixed mating model, we observed significant, but modest selfing (outcrossing rate: tm = 0.96) and no mating among relatives (tm – ts) = 0.0. The effective pollen donor number was estimated to be between 5 and 7 individuals, depending on the inbreeding coefficient of the adults. These mating results indicate relatively little inbreeding but low numbers of pollen donors. Mothers differed significantly in seed weight (range: ~ 4 - 10 g) and germination percentage (range: 0 – 90 percent), and a bivariate analysis showed a gradient across the study site. Such a pattern suggests that environment conditions influence acorn size and germination success. Future work will address whether isolated individuals are at risk of selfing, for the expression of inbreeding depression on seed traits, or a reduction in the effective pollen donor number. %B Fifth Symposium on Oak Woodlands %I USDA Forest Service %V General Technical Report PSW-GTR-184 %P 427-439 %8 2002 %G eng %U http://danr.ucop.edu/ihrmp/proceed/symproc40.html %0 Thesis %D 2002 %T Modeling vernal pool hydrologic regimes and assessing their sensitivity to climatic and land-use change %A Pyke, Christopher R. %X Ecological systems are sensitive to the spatial and temporal distribution of environmental variability. They respond to changes in variability with changes in population processes, species interactions, and, ultimately, species persistence. Assessing the impact of climate and land-use changes requires an understanding of the mechanisms linking environmental conditions to ecological processes. The distribution of environmental conditions available to species across a region is a function of interactions between ecological tolerances and the spatial and temporal distribution of climate and habitat. This dissertation explored the impact of interactions between changes in the geographic distribution of habitat and climate for rain-fed ephemeral, depressional wetlands (vernal pools) in the Central Valley of California. Several authors have suspected that these habitats will be particularly sensitive to climatic change, and they contain a disproportionate number of rare, endemic, and endangered species. This dissertation used simulation modeling to (1) evaluate hydrologic regimes under historic climates, (2) modify hydrologic regimes based on regional climate predictions, and (3) evaluate land-use and climate change interactions. Modeling results suggest that vernal pool hydrologic regimes exhibit non-linear changes over geographic space and reflect more intense changes in ecologically-relevant conditions than might be suggested by the gradient in precipitation alone. Consideration of climate change impacts in the absence of land-use change (i.e., habitat loss) indicates that vernal pools could experience either a small reduction in annual hydroperiod (cooler, lower precipitation conditions) or, more likely, a significant increase in the annual duration of flooding (warmer, higher precipitation conditions). However, these region-wide responses change significantly when potential land-use change and associated habitat loss are considered. A bias in the distribution of reserve lands toward drier areas in the Central Valley results in a net shift toward drier, shorter-lasting, and less predictable vernal pools even under wetter climatic conditions. This research demonstrates that interactions between land-use and climate change can result in significant differences in the magnitude and direction of impacts compared to those predicted for either variable alone. This finding suggests that climate change impact assessments need to explicitly consider the interactions between climate and land-use in assessing future scenarios. %G eng %9 phdPh.D. dissertation %0 Journal Article %J Molecular Ecology %D 2002 %T Pollen movement in declining populations of California Valley oak, Quercus lobata: where have all the fathers gone? %A Sork, V. L. %A Davis, F. W. %A Smouse, P. E. %A Apsit, V. J. %A Dyer, R. J. %A Fernandez, J. F. %A Kuhn, B. %K Heterogeneity. Landscape. Dispersal. Paternity. Buffers. Flow. %K Starch-gel electrophoresis. 2-generation analysis. Conservation. %X The fragmented populations and reduced population densities that result from human disturbance are issues of growing importance in evolutionary and conservation biology. A key issue is whether remnant individuals become reproductively isolated. California Valley oak (Quercus lobata ) is a widely distributed, endemic species in California, increasingly jeopardized by anthropogenic changes in biota and land use. We studied pollen movement in a savannah population of Valley oak at Sedgwick Reserve, Santa Barbara County, to estimate effective number of pollen donors (N (ep) ) and average distance of effective pollen movement (delta). Using twogener, our recently developed hybrid model of paternity and genetic structure treatments that analyses maternal and progeny multilocus genotypes, we found that current N (ep) = 3.68 individuals. Based on an average adult density of d = 1.19 stems/ha, we assumed a bivariate normal distribution to model current average pollen dispersal distance (delta) and estimated delta= 64.8 m. We then deployed our parameter estimates in spatially explicit models of the Sedgwick population to evaluate the extent to which N (ep) may have changed, as a consequence of progressive stand thinning between 1944 and 1999. Assuming that pollen dispersal distance has not changed, we estimate N (ep) was 4.57 individuals in 1944, when stand density was 1.48. Both estimates indicate fewer effective fathers than one might expect for wind-pollinated species and fewer than observed elsewhere. The results presented here provide a basis for further refinements on modelling pollen movement. If the trends continue, then ongoing demographic attrition could further reduce neighbourhood size in Valley oak resulting in increased risk of reproductive failure and genetic isolation. %B Molecular Ecology %V 11 %P 1657-1668 %8 2002 %G eng %U http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/servlet/useragent?func=synergy&synergyAction=showAbstract&doi=10.1046/j.1365-294X.2002.01574.x %0 Generic %D 2002 %T Santa Barbara County Oak Restoration Program. Yearly Progress Report for the Period July 2001 - June 2002 %A Mahall, B. E. %A Davis, F. W. %A Tyler, C. M. %I University of California Santa Barbara %8 June 30, 2002 %G eng %0 Generic %D 2002 %T Standards for Associations and Alliances of the U.S. National Vegetation Classification: Version 1.0 %A Jennings, M. D. %A Loucks, O. %A Glenn-Lewin, D. %A Peet, R. K. %A Faber-Langendoen, D. %A Grossman, D. %A Damman, A. %A Barbour, M. %A Pfister, R. %A Walker, M. %A Talbot, S. %A Walker, J. %A Hartshorn, G. %A Waggoner, G. %A Abrams, M. %A Hill, A. %A Roberts, D. %A Tart, D. %X The purpose of this document is to provide both a technical and a general basis for describing and classifying the plant associations and alliances that are to be formally recognized as units of vegetation under the U.S. National Vegetation Classification (NVC). It should be useful to practitioners, researchers, and students of vegetation ecology. The standards presented here are to be used by anybody proposing additions, deletions, or other changes to the named units of the NVC. By implementing standards for field sampling, analysis, description, peer review, archiving, and dissemination, the Ecological Society of America's Vegetation Classification Panel-in collaboration with the Federal Geographic Data Committee, NatureServe, the U.S. Geological Survey, and others-intends to advance our common understanding of vegetation and improve our capability to sustain this resource by formal, science-based processes. We begin with the rationale for developing these standards. Then the history and development of vegetation classification in the United States is briefly reviewed. Standards for establishing and revising the floristic units of vegetation include the definition of association and alliance concepts, requirements for vegetation field plots, and classification and description of associations and alliances. A standard framework for peer review of types that are proposed for inclusion in the National Vegetation Classification is provided, as is a structure for data access and management. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of future prospects of and new directions in vegetation classification. Because new knowledge will inevitably lead to the need for improvements to the standards described here, this document is written with the intention that it will be revised, with new versions produced as needed. Recommendations for revisions should be addressed to the Panel Chair, Vegetation Classification Panel, Ecological Society of America, Suite 400, 735 H St, NW, Washington, DC. Email contact information can be found at www.esa.org/vegwebpg.htm or contact the Ecological Society of America's Science Program Office, 1707 H St, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20006, Telephone: (202) 833-8773. %I Vegetation Classification Panel of the Ecological Society of America %G eng %0 Generic %D 2001 %T Applications of Urban Growth Models and Wildlife Habitat Models to Assess Biodiversity Losses %A Cogan, C. B. %A Davis, F. W. %A Clarke, K. C. %X Habitat loss and subsequent fragmentation due to urban development is part of a larger suite of anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity, but it now ranks among the principle causes of species endangerment in the United States. Several types of urban growth simulation models have been developed which can supply useful information for biodiversity planning. In many cases however, the data required for biodiversity planning may not be compatible with the urban models, leading to analytical inaccuracies and misleading conclusions. Here, we examine several lines of logic likely to be employed in biodiversity assessment and show how assumptions built into the data influence model outcome. %I University of California, Santa Barbara %8 October, 2001 %G eng %9 Final report %0 Generic %D 2001 %T Choosing Assessment Units for State and Regional Conservation Planning %A Davis, F. W. %A Regan, H. M. %A Andelman, S. %A Beyeler, M. %A Dangermond, P. %A Greenwood, G. %A Hickson, D. %A Hoshovsky, M. %I National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis %8 June 10, 2001. %G eng %0 Book Section %B Encyclopedia of Biodiversity %D 2001 %T Disturbance, Mechanisms of %A Davis, F. W. %A Moritz, M. %E Levin, S. A. %K disturbance regime %K resilience %K resistance %B Encyclopedia of Biodiversity %I Academic Press %V 2 %P 153-160 %8 2001 %G eng %U http://www.apnet.com/refer/ecology/divopen.htm %0 Book Section %B Encyclopedia of Biodiversity %D 2001 %T Disturbance, Mechanisms of %A Davis, F. W. %A Moritz, M. %E Levin, S. A. %K disturbance regime resilience resistance %B Encyclopedia of Biodiversity %I Academic Press %V 2 %P 153-160 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Vegetation Science %D 2001 %T Floristic composition across a climatic gradient in a neotropical lowland forest %A Pyke, Christopher R. %A Condit, Richard %A Aguilar, Salomon %A Lao, Suzanne %K General and Systematic–Floristics and Distribution) Spermatophytes Vascular Plants Climatic Gradient Environmental Factors Floristic Composition Neotropical Lowland Forest Regional Flora %K Spermatophyta (Ecology Environmental Biology–General Methods) (Ecology Environmental Biology–Bioclimatology and Biometeorology) (Ecology Environmental Biology–Plant) (Botany %X

This study deals with the floristic composition of lowland tropical forest in the watershed of the Panama Canal. The floristic composition of large trees in 54 forest plots was analysed with respect to environmental factors, including precipitation, geologic parent material, stand age, topography, and soils. The plots contain 824 species of trees with a diameter at breast height greater than or equal to10 cm and represent a regional flora with exceptional beta-diversity. Plot data indicate that the Panamanian forest is strongly spatially structured at the landscape scale with floristic similarity decreasing rapidly as a function of inter-plot geographic distance, especially for distances <5 km. The ordinations and patterns of endemism across the study area indicate broad floristic associations well correlated with Holdridge life zones. The results indicate the positive aspects of life zone classification at regional scales, while simultaneously highlighting its inadequacy for finer scales of analysis and resource management. Multivariate gradient analysis techniques (Non-metric Multidimensional Distance Scaling and Detrended Correspondence Analysis) show clear patterns of floristic variability correlated with regional precipitation trends, surficial geology, and local soil attributes. Geologic and edaphic conditions, such as acidic soils or excessively drained limestone substrates, appear to override the effects of precipitation and modify forest composition. We conclude that the Panamanian forest shows clear patterns of spatial organization along environmental gradients, predominantly precipitation. The rapid decline in floristic similarity with distance between stands also suggests a role for dispersal limitation and stochastic events.

%B Journal of Vegetation Science %V 12 %P 553-566 %G eng %0 Generic %D 2001 %T Integrated Modeling for Regional Biodiversity Conservation and Land Use Change %A Stoms, David M. %A Davis, Frank %A Kendall, Bruce %A Church, Richard %A Clarke, Keith %I University of California %G eng %0 Conference Paper %B American Planning Association National Planning Conference %D 2001 %T Integrating biodiversity into land use planning: Research contributions %A Stoms, D. M. %X Preservation of biodiversity is one of the most contentious environmental issues in the United States. Researchers have made progress in improving our understanding of the impacts of development but this has not led to much improvement in planning tools. This talk will offer a conceptual framework for addressing biodiversity-related planning questions. A model for selecting new biological reserves will be described, both to illustrate some of the lessons learned and future directions needed to incorporate biodiversity management into the larger arena of land use planning. The key to progress is better integration among scientists from different disciplines. %B American Planning Association National Planning Conference %C New Orleans %8 2001 %G eng %U http://www.asu.edu/caed/proceedings01/STOMS/stoms.htm %0 Journal Article %J Ecological Applications %D 2001 %T Nature reserves: Do they capture the full range of America's biological diversity? %A Scott, J. Michael %A Davis, Frank W. %A McGhie, R. Gavin %A Wright, R. Gerald %A Groves, Craig %A Estes, John %K (General Biology--Conservation, Resource Management) %K Animalia-Unspecified %K biological diversity %K Cover Type %K Elevation %K Land Ownership Patterns %K Nature Reserves %K Plantae-Unspecified %K Soil Productivity %X Less than 6% of the coterminous United States is in nature reserves. Assessment of the occurrence of nature reserves across ranges of elevation and soil productivity classes indicates that nature reserves are most frequently found at higher elevations and on less productive soils. The distribution of plants and animals suggests that the greatest number of species is found at lower elevations. A preliminary assessment of the occurrence of mapped land cover types indicates that approximates60% of mapped cover types have < 10% of their area in nature reserves. Land ownership patterns show that areas of lower elevation and more productive soils are most often privately owned and already extensively converted to urban and agricultural uses. Thus any effort to establish a system of nature reserves that captures the full geographical and ecological range of cover types and species must fully engage the private sector. %B Ecological Applications %V 11 %P 999-1007. %8 2001 %G eng %! Ecol Appl %0 Generic %D 2001 %T Report of NCEAS/CCRISP Workshop on Aquatic Biodiversity Conservation Criteria %A Regan, H. M. %A Davis, F. %A Andelman, S. J. %A Dangermond, P. %A Gergel, S. %A Glickfeld, M. %A Pert, E. %A Stine, P. %A Stoms, D. %I National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis %G eng %9 A report to The Resources Agency of California and CCRISP %0 Report %D 2001 %T Report of NCEAS/CCRISP Workshop on Aquatic Biodiversity Conservation Criteria %A Regan, H. M. %A Davis, F. %A Andelman, S. J. %A Dangermond, P. %A Gergel, S. %A Glickfeld, M. %A Pert, E. %A Stine, P. %A Stoms, D. %I National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis %C Santa Barbara %8 2001 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Climate Change and protected areas %D 2001 %T The Role of a Global Protected Areas System in Conserving Biodiversity in the Face of Climate Change %A Hannah, L. %B Climate Change and protected areas %G eng %0 Conference Paper %B International Seminar on the Wildlife Habitat Suitability Mapping and Management %D 2001 %T Spatial decision support systems for wildlife conservation planning %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %B International Seminar on the Wildlife Habitat Suitability Mapping and Management %C Seoul, Korea %P 14-31 %8 2001 %G eng %0 Conference Paper %B Fifth California Islands Symposium %D 2000 %T The curious case of the Santa Rosa Island pedestals %A Cloud, John %A Taylor, Robert S. %B Fifth California Islands Symposium %I Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History %C Santa Barbara %P 161-166 %8 2000 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Precious Heritage: The Status of Biodiversity in the United States %D 2000 %T Discovering life in America: Tools and techniques of biodiversity inventory %A Stein, B. %A Davis, F. W. %E Stein, B. A. %E Kutner, L. S. %E Adams, J. S. %B Precious Heritage: The Status of Biodiversity in the United States %I Oxford University Press %C Oxford %P 19-53 %8 2000 %G eng %U http://www.abi.org/pheritage-es.htm %0 Book Section %B Precious Heritage: The Status of Biodiversity in the United States %D 2000 %T Discovering life in America: Tools and techniques of biodiversity inventory %A Stein, B. %A Davis, F. W. %E Stein, B. A. %E Kutner, L. S. %E Adams, J. S. %B Precious Heritage: The Status of Biodiversity in the United States %I Oxford University Press %C Oxford %P 19-53 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Ecological Monographs %D 2000 %T Fire, soil heating, and the formation of vegetation patterns in chaparral %A Odion, D. C. %A Davis, F. W. %K Adenostoma fasciculatum %K Arctostaphylos %K Ceanothus %K Chaparral %K fire disturbance intensity %K Helianthemum scoparium %K obligate seeder %K seed germination, distribution, and mortality %K seedbank %K shrub canopy %K soil heating %K vegetation patterns %X We documented patterns of surface heating associated with chaparral fire to characterize fundamental scale variation in the intensity of this stand-replacing disturbance. To test how this variation may influence community structure, we studied its effect on the soil seed bank and the distribution of seedlings and resprouts that emerged after fire. To evaluate the long-term significance of initial patterns, we monitored vegetation development for 4–5 yr, thereby encompassing the dynamic portion of the chaparral fire cycle. We studied two stands on level uniform terrain before, during, and after fall fires. Stands were dominated by chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum), a postfire seeder/sprouter. Nonsprouting Arctostaphylos and Ceanothus spp. were also present. Preburn vegetation, seed populations, soil heating, and postburn plant growth were analyzed along transects of contiguous 1-m2 plots, so that we could block them together incrementally to identify scale dependence of patterns. In addition, we directly compared heating effects under the fuel array with those just outside by establishing plots in canopy gaps, under the adjacent canopy, and in gaps created and eliminated by reciprocally translocating fuel. Pre- and postburn seed populations were estimated in soil samples collected from all plots. The proportion of seed that survived above and below 2.5 cm in the soil was determined in a subset of plots. The amount and distribution of canopy fuel that collapsed during fire and smoldered on the ground caused pronounced spatial variation in total surface heating. The strength of relationships among patterns of soil heating, preburn canopy, surviving seeds, and seedlings and herbaceous resprouts was consistently most pronounced in blocks 3–5 m long. At this scale, postburn patterns were strongly negatively associated with the amount of preburn canopy and the pattern of soil heating this fuel created. Seedlings or herbaceous resprouts of numerous species were abundant where soil heating was relatively low, most notably in natural and created canopy gaps. Conversely, areas where dense canopy occurred before fire, especially gaps displaced by fuel addition, were barren except for occasional Arctostaphylos and Ceanothus seedlings. These obligate postfire seeders, along with the subshrub Helianthemum scoparium, had more deeply buried seeds, and some of them were able to survive where soil heating was prolonged. However, Helianthemum did not emerge from depth. Seedlings of Arctostaphylos and Ceanothus nearest Adenostoma burls survived significantly better when Adenostoma failed to resprout. This was common in one burn where heating was relatively high and burl size was small. Seed mortality prevented Adenostoma seedling emergence from occurring where its seeds were most abundant prior to fire, which was in proximity to its burls. Adenostoma seedlings did emerge in areas of lower soil heating, but their survival was inversely related to the density of Helianthemum seedlings. No shrub seedlings emerged after the first year following fire because their seed banks were exhausted by fire-induced mortality and/or germination. After 4–5 yr, few young Adenostoma remained. The combination of seedling and resprout regeneration allowed this shrub to maintain dominance, but to a lesser extent in the older stand. Our results support a vegetation pattern–process model in which local species distributions after fire in Adenostoma chaparral are antecedently linked to the physical and chemical properties of the canopy. These control the nature of combustion, the soil heating that results, and the distribution of seeds and resprout tissues that survive. The vegetation develops entirely from these sources, so fire-induced patterns are manifest in the long-term structure of this vegetation. %B Ecological Monographs %V 70 %P 149-169 %8 2000 %G eng %U http://www.esajournals.org/esaonline/?request=get-abstract&issn=0012-9615& %0 Journal Article %J Landscape Ecology %D 2000 %T GAP management status and regional indicators of threats to biodiversity %A Stoms, D. M. %K roadedness biodiversity ecological indicators California gap analysis land use projected human population growth road density index zoning %X Conservation assessment requires quantitative criteria for evaluating the relative degree of threat faced by species or ecological communities. Identifying appropriate criteria for communities is complicated because the species inhabiting them can have many different responses to land uses and other forms of environmental stress. The Gap Analysis Program (GAP) uses summary data on the proportion of the community that is protected as an estimate of its vulnerability. Management status from a gap analysis of California was compared with three ecological indicators (permitted land uses, human population growth, and the spatial extent of road effects) that more directly represent impacts on biodiversity. The classification of management status appears to provide a crude first approximation of these three indicators. Public and private lands that are not formally protected were susceptible to extensive land use conversion or resource extraction in both rural and urban settings. Some plant community types are more susceptible to future infringement by human population increases that were not well predicted by management status alone. Other community types are heavily roaded despite being moderately well protected. It is suggested that indicators such as future growth and current road effects could complement status in rating the potential vulnerability of plant communities and setting conservation priorities. The choice of indicators will depend on the threatening processes in a given region and the availability of spatial data to map or model them. %B Landscape Ecology %V 15 %P 21-33 %G eng %0 Thesis %D 2000 %T Investigation in vegetation map rectification, and the remotely sensed detection and measurement of natural vegetation changes %A Walker, R. E. %X As projected climate changes loom, the monitoring of the response of natural vegetation becomes important for both science and management. Successful monitoring requires good baseline information and vegetation change detection techniques. The research reported here involved three main tasks: 1) digital geometric rectification of a detailed historic vegetation map; 2) an analysis of high spatial resolution airborne remote sensing data for tree mortality; and 3) the development of a Landsat Thematic Mapper-based vegetation change detection procedure. These studies focused on the Sierra Nevada of California, and in particular Yosemite National Park. The Vegetation Type Maps (VTMs) (Wieslander 1935) represent some of the finest maps of their kind in the world, and cover more than 40% of California. Yosemite National Park was mapped using these techniques in the late 1930s. Geometric inaccuracies in the 19th century USGS basemaps were mitigated using newly available GIS and remote sensing tools, enabling the rectified VTMs, to be integrated into the National Park's vegetation monitoring work. In 1992, several transects of a four-band high spatial resolution airborne scanner (ADAR) were taken of mid-elevation forests in the southern Sierra Nevada, to evaluate their use for tree mortality monitoring. This analysis highlighted the difficulty of using single-date imagery for monitoring vegetation changes, but showed 1) the best measure of tree mortality (when compared with field data) was found using solely the red wavelength band; and 2) the metric most highly correlated with the field data was relative canopy mortality (%), not absolute area (ha). Lastly, based upon Principal Components Analysis, I developed an algorithm for separating spectral changes resulting from vegetation changes on the ground from other changes present but not of concern to monitoring. Three vectors were derived using 6 of 7 Thematic Mapper bands. Although few published change detection methods have used the thermal IR band (6), it is an excellent means to detect changes in local evapotranspiration and thus vegetation. The results of this algorithm were quite good, with both the direction of vegetation change and its magnitude output. In general, areas of vegetation decrease were more easily detected than areas of vegetation increase. %G eng %9 phdPh.D. dissertation %0 Generic %D 2000 %T Knowledge-based site suitability assessment for new NRS reserves for the proposed UC Merced campus %A Stoms, David M. %A McDonald, Jennifer M. %A Davis, Frank W. %K Merced EMDS Netweaver knowledge base fuzzy logic %I University of California %G eng %0 Report %D 2000 %T Knowledge-based site suitability assessment for new NRS reserves for the proposed UC Merced campus %A Stoms, David M. %A McDonald, Jennifer M. %A Davis, Frank W. %K EMDS %K fuzzy logic %K knowledge base %K Merced %K Netweaver %I University of California %C Santa Barbara %8 2000 %G eng %U http://www.biogeog.ucsb.edu/projects/snner/nrs_report.pdf %0 Book Section %B Precious Heritage: The Status of Biodiversity in the United States %D 2000 %T Owning up to our responsibilities: Who owns lands important for biodiversity? %A Groves, C. R. %A Kutner, L. S. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Muray, M. P. %A Scott, J. M. %A Schafale, M. %A Weakley, A. S. %A Pressey, R. L. %E Stein, B. A. %E Kutner, L. S. %E Adams, J. S. %B Precious Heritage: The Status of Biodiversity in the United States %I Oxford University Press %C Oxford %P 275-300 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Precious Heritage: The Status of Biodiversity in the United States %D 2000 %T Owning up to our responsibilities: Who owns lands important for biodiversity? %A Groves, C. R. %A Kutner, L. S. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Muray, M. P. %A Scott, J. M. %A Schafale, M. %A Weakley, A. S. %A Pressey, R. L. %E Stein, B. A. %E Kutner, L. S. %E Adams, J. S. %B Precious Heritage: The Status of Biodiversity in the United States %I Oxford University Press %C Oxford %P 275-300 %8 2000 %G eng %U http://www.abi.org/pheritage-es.htm %0 Journal Article %J International Journal of Remote Sensing %D 2000 %T Potential NDVI as a baseline for monitoring ecosystem functioning %A Stoms, D. M. %A Hargrove, W. W. %K AVHRR %K California %K GAP %K managed areas %K NDVI %K net primary production %K NPP %K Oregon %K regression tree analysis %K time integrated NDVI %K Washington %X Baseline data are needed to determine the overall magnitude and direction of change in ecosystem functioning. This letter presents an approach to estimate potential NDVI from environmental variables and training data of actual NDVI in nature reserves. Patterns of deviations of actual NDVI from the baseline generally correspond with land-use types in the western United States. %B International Journal of Remote Sensing %V 21 %P 401-407 %8 2000 %G eng %U ://000084681200014 %0 Thesis %B Department of Geography %D 2000 %T The Predictive Modeling of Endangered Plant Species in the Santa Monica Mountains Using a Knowledge Base Approach %A Goldstein, N. C. %X [xxxxxxx %B Department of Geography %I University of California %C Santa Barbara %P 102 %8 2000 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Methods in Ecosystem Science %D 2000 %T Stand structure in terrestrial ecosystems %A Davis, F. W. %A Roberts, D. %E Sala, O. E. %E Jackson, R. B. %E Mooney, H. A. %E Howarth, R. W. %X This chapter provides a brief overview of instrumentation and methods for characterizing vegetation structure at the stand level, where a stand is defined as an area of relatively uniform physical environmental conditions, vegetation structure and plant community composition (Barbour et al. 1987). By vegetation structure we mean the 3-dimensional distribution of above-ground phytomass integrated over some period of time. We will not consider the temporal components of stand structure such as diurnal variation in leaf orientation or seasonal phenology, focusing instead on methods for estimating structural variables at a particular point in time. %B Methods in Ecosystem Science %I Springer %C New York %P 7-30 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Methods in Ecosystem Science %D 2000 %T Stand structure in terrestrial ecosystems %A Davis, F. W. %A Roberts, D. %E Sala, O. E. %E Jackson, R. B. %E Mooney, H. A. %E Howarth, R. W. %X This chapter provides a brief overview of instrumentation and methods for characterizing vegetation structure at the stand level, where a stand is defined as an area of relatively uniform physical environmental conditions, vegetation structure and plant community composition (Barbour et al. 1987). By vegetation structure we mean the 3-dimensional distribution of above-ground phytomass integrated over some period of time. We will not consider the temporal components of stand structure such as diurnal variation in leaf orientation or seasonal phenology, focusing instead on methods for estimating structural variables at a particular point in time. %B Methods in Ecosystem Science %I Springer %C New York %P 7-30 %8 2000 %G eng %U http://www.springer-ny.com/detail.tpl?cart=9821688766183086&ISBN=0387987436 %0 Journal Article %J Forest Science %D 2000 %T Understanding the tradeoffs between site quality and species presence in reserve site selection %A Church, R. %A Gerrard, R. %A Hollander, A. %A Stoms, D. %K weighted-benefits maximal covering location problem model %X A number of optimization models have been developed for natural reserve design and reserve site selection. The most common approach seeks to maximize the number of individual species that occur among chosen sites. A number of heuristics and mathematical programming algorithms have been applied to solve this problem. While attaining maximum overall species representation is important, the relative quality of representation (which could be affected by site attributes such as habitat value, adequate population size, presence of critical resources, existence (or lack thereof) of exotic competitors, etc.) has been absent from most representation models. Yet issues of site quality should be considered in order to have any assurance of long-term species persistence in a reserve system. Here we present a multiobjective optimization model that addresses the issue of balancing species presence with habitat quality. One type of interesting alternative yields more high quality representation at the price of some reduction in overall representation. We present an application using a large dataset from California Gap Analysis to demonstrate this and other tradeoffs. Optimal solutions are attained using commercial integer programming software with reasonable computational effort. %B Forest Science %V 46 %P 157-167 %G eng %0 Conference Paper %B 4th International Conference on Integrating GIS and Environmental Modeling %D 2000 %T Using a knowledge base approach to develop a predictive mapping program for endangered species reconnaissance %A Goldstein, Noah C. %K Predictive mapping, endangered species, knowledge base, spatial decision support systems (SDSS), fuzzy logic, EMDS %X The National Park Service's Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is a unique ecological reserve surrounded by extensive and expanding urbanization. it is home to many rare and endangered species including a number of narrowly endemic taxa. In collaboration with SMMNRA scientists, we developed an ecological knowledge base which can be tested, changed and rendered in a Geographic Information System (GIS). The knowledge base, which represents a predictive model of endangered species habitat, will be used as an aide to species reconnaissance for ecological research and related management decisions. the SMMNRA was divided into 27,590 Habitat Assessment Units (HAU) which represent landscape facets which would be used as the unit of analysis. The test species for this study was the Dudleya cymosa subspecies complex. The results of the predictive model identifies 14 out of 19 known Dudleya cymosa subspecies complex HAU's and identifies 2129 HAU's as possible sites for the Dudleya cymosa subspecies complex. The results of the fuzzy decision tree indicate a much better model fit to known Dudleya cymosa subspecies complex sites within the SMMNRA. %B 4th International Conference on Integrating GIS and Environmental Modeling %C Banff, Alberta, Canada %8 2000 %G eng %U http://www.Colorado.EDU/research/cires/banff/upload/445/ %0 Generic %D 1999 %T Confronting Climate Change in California: Ecological Impacts on the Golden State %A Field, Christopher B. %A Daily, Gretchen C. %A Davis, Frank W. %A Gaines, Steven %A Matson, Pamela A. %A Melack, John %A Miller, Norman L. %X Over the past century, human activities have dramatically altered the natural land-scape of California. Our historical legacy includes severe shrinkage and isolation of natural habitats, altered flows in streams and rivers, extensive introductions of non-native plants and animals, and pollution of the air, land, and water. As we enter the 21st century, a powerful new agent—global climate change—will increasingly interact with the human pressures that continue to stress California’s ecosystems. In the future, direct impacts generated by the state’s rapidly growing human population will be intensified by the impacts of climate change. Confronting Climate Change in California provides the California public and policy makers with insights drawn from the best available science—insights that may help us safeguard both our ecological heritage and our economic future. This summary highlights key findings. %I Union of Concerned Scientists and Ecological Society of America %8 November 1999 %G eng %0 Thesis %B Department of Geography %D 1999 %T Controls on disturbance regime dynamics: Fire in Los Padres National Forest %A Moritz, M. A. %B Department of Geography %I University of California, Santa Barbara %C Santa Barbara %P 163 %8 1999 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Wetlands %D 1999 %T Distribution of the invasive reed Phragmites australis relative to sediment depth in a created wetland %A Pyke, Christopher R. %A Havens, Kirk J. %K Gramineae (Ecology Environmental Biology–Oceanography and Limnology) (General Biology–Conservation %K Resource Management) (Ecology Environmental Biology–Wildlife Management-Aquatic) (Agronomy–Weed Control) (Soil Science–General Methods (1970- )) Angiosperms Monocots Spermatophytes Vascular Plants Reed Distribution Sediment Depth Relationship Tidal %X This study collected new data on sediment thickness and distribution and integrated it with existing data on the distribution of plant species within a small (0.5 ha) created, tidal salt marsh in Langley, Virginia, USA. The presence of the reed Phragmites australis was found to be inversely correlated with sediment accumulation on the marsh surface. Sediment-deficient areas seem at a higher risk for invasion by P. australis and subsequent loss of designed marsh habitat. The results indicate that areas of low sediment accumulation may be used as a proxy measure for areas vulnerable to invasion. These areas can be easily delimited both in the field and on aerial photography. %B Wetlands %V 19 %P 283-287. %G eng %0 Thesis %D 1999 %T Floristic composition of a neotropical forest across a climatic gradient in lowland Panama %A Pyke, C. R. %X This study investigated the composition of large trees within a lowland forest in the watershed of the Panama Canal. Fifty-four 1-ha plots inventoried by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute were analyzed with respect to environmental factors, including: precipitation, geologic parent material, stand age, topography, and soils. The 54 plots represent a regional flora with exceptional beta diversity and low floristic nestedness. The plot network contains 821 species of trees with a diameter at breast height greater or equal to 10 cm. For comparison, the well-studied 50-ha forest dynamics plot on Barro Colorado Island in the middle of the isthmus contains 303 species of large trees. The Panamanian forest is strongly spatially structured at the landscape-scale with floristic similarity decreasing rapidly as a function of inter-plot geographic distance. Polythetic, agglomerative cluster analysis, in combination with non-metric multidimensional distance scaling ordination, and relative rates of species accumulation indicate broad floristic associations well correlated with mapped Holdridge Life Zones. Multivariate ordination techniques (non-metric multidimensional distance scaling and Detrended Correspondence Analysis) show strong patterns of floristic variability correlated with regional precipitation trends and local soil attributes. Geologic and soil conditions, such as acidic soils or excessively drained limestone substrates, appear to override the effects of precipitation and modify forest composition. The analysis of forest assemblages with respect to these environmental parameters suggests possible opportunities for increased conservation efficiency. Exceptional soil conditions identified in this study sometimes juxtapose dissimilar forest types over relatively short geographic distances. These localities provide opportunities for significantly increasing relative rates of species accumulation through informed site selection. The identification of these soil complexes through fieldwork, remote sensing technologies, and geographic databases represents a significant opportunity for future research. %G eng %9 phd %0 Generic %D 1999 %T Santa Barbara County Oak Restoration Program. Yearly Progress Report for the Period July 1998 - June 1999 %A Mahall, B. E. %A Davis, F. W. %A Tyler, C. M. %8 September 15, 19 %G eng %0 Generic %D 1999 %T Sites V 1.0: An Analytical Toolbox for Designing Ecoregional Conservation Portfolios %A Andelman, Sandy %A Ball, Ian %A Davis, Frank %A Stoms, David %K simulated annealing SPEXAN greedy heuristic The Nature Conservancy ecoregional conservation planning portfolio design %I University of California, Santa Barbara %8 December %G eng %9 Users Manual %0 Journal Article %J Parks %D 1999 %T Systematic reserve selection in the USA: An example from the Columbia Plateau ecoregion %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Andelman, S. %K BMAS biodiversity management areas reserve selection The Nature Conservancy TNC Columbia Plateau Geography of Hope coarse-filter fine-filter expert opinion %X We describe a systematic conservation planning approach for identifying a set of areas that meet specified goals for biotic representation while balancing the dual objectives of efficiency (minimum area) and site suitability. The approach was applied by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to a regional planning exercise in the Columbia Plateau ecoregion of the northwestern United States. The exercise required integrating data on species, plant communities, land ownership and other socioeconomic factors, and combined expert opinion with computer-aided site selection modeling. The set of selected areas satisfied TNC's requirements and now serves as a blueprint for ongoing conservation efforts in the region. Strengths of the approach include its explicitness, flexibility, and consideration of both biological goals and socioeconomic concerns. However, the current site selection model requires fairly sophisticated computing hardware and software, which limits its portability and use by non-specialists. We are currently working to improve model portability and to add new functionality for site prioritization and species viability. %B Parks %V 9 %P 31-41 %G eng %0 Thesis %D 1999 %T Variability of Microwave Backscatter from Loblolly Pine Forest and the Implications for Forest Biomass Estimation with Imaging Radar %A Day, J. L. %X The microwave backscatter coefficient (sigma-0) of forest, as measured by imaging radar, varies depending on forest structure and biomass. It may, therefore, be possible to estimate forest biomass and other biophysical properties from radar data. Sigma-0 also varies in response to other forest and radar variables, including ground surface roughness and moisture, forest phenology and radar calibration. These extraneous sources of sigma-0 variation can interfere with biomass estimation. In this dissertation, I examine variability of sigma-0 for loblolly pine stands in Duke Forest, North Carolina, and assess the impact of variability on accuracy of biomass estimation. A microwave canopy backscatter model was used to study how sigma-0 of a forest changes as forest floor properties vary. L- and C-band backscatter was simulated at 3 polarizations and 3 radar incidence angles for pine stands at 3 biomass levels, while 5 ground surface parameters were varied over a range of realistic values, as determined from field data. The surface parameters are litter depth and moisture content, soil RMS height and correlation length, and soil moisture content. For incidence angles of 20-40 deg., L-HH varied by 5.3-9.6 dB as the surface parameters varied over their range, whereas L-VV varied by 3.7-4.5 dB. C-HH and C-VV were sensitive to the surface only at steep incidence (20-30 deg.) for the lowest biomass stand studied. L-HV and C-HV were relatively insensitive to the surface. Variation of actual, measured sigma-0 was examined for C- and L-band backscatter acquired over 21 loblolly stands in the biomass range of 3.5-44.5 kg/@ m sup 2@ during 10 passes of NASA's Shuttle Imaging Radar in April and October, 1994. Within any radar band-polarization combination and data take, the maximum sigma-0 range among the stands was 3.6 dB; in most cases it was 2-3 dB. RMS variation of mean forest sigma-0 for the 10 data takes (after correcting for incidence angle) was 0.4-0.7 dB, which is comparable to the standard deviation of sigma-0 among the 21 stands. Sigma-0 increased @ approx @1 dB when the canopy was wet, but variation of sigma-0 with surface moisture was not separable from other factors. Biomass to sigma-0 correlations were affected by radar look direction and appear unrelated to incidence angle or soil moisture. Multiple linear regressions of biomass versus sigma-0 (adjusted to equalize mean forest sigma-0 among data takes), yielded adjusted R-squared values up to 0.57. The regression models varied, the best model for each data take requiring a different combination of SIR-C bands. RMS error of biomass estimation decreased with the number of bands included in the model for estimates based on the regression data, but increased with the number of bands included for estimates made from data acquired in different shuttle passes. Analysis of the propagation of sigma-0 variance through the linear regression models confirms that estimation error increases with model size and sigma-0 variability. %G eng %9 phdPh.D. dissertation %0 Generic %D 1998 %T Acquisition and Evaluation of Data Sets for Comparative Assessment of Risk to Biodiversity on a Continental Scale: Threats to Biodiversity %A Stoms, D. M. %A Kuhn, W. A. %A Davis, F. W. %A Final Report to the Environmental Protection Agency, C. A. pp %K anthropogenic effects %K biodiversity %K NDVI %K potential NDVI %K rare species %K species richness %K stressors %K West Cosat Transect %I University of California, Santa Barbara %8 September 30, 19 %G eng %0 Report %D 1998 %T Acquisition and Evaluation of Data Sets for Comparative Assessment of Risk to Biodiversity on a Continental Scale: Threats to Biodiversity %A Stoms, D. M. %A Kuhn, W. A. %A Davis, F. W. %A Final Report to the Environmental Protection Agency, C. A. pp %K stressors, anthropogenic effects, biodiversity, NDVI, potential NDVI, species richness, rare species, West Cosat Transect %I University of California, Santa Barbara %P 138 %8 1998 %G eng %U http://www.biogeog.ucsb.edu/projects/epa/epa_rpt.html %0 Journal Article %J Ecosystems %D 1998 %T Are large, infrequent disturbances qualitatively different from small, frequent disturbances? %A Romme, William H. %A Everham, Edwin H. %A Frelich, Lee E. %A Moritz, Max A. %A Sparks, Richard E. %K () %K Disturbance Frequency %K Ecosystem Disturbance Dynamics %X In this article, we develop a heuristic model of ecosystem-disturbance dynamics that illustrates a range of responses of disturbance impact to gradients of increasing disturbance extent, intensity, or duration. Three general kinds of response are identified and illustrated: (a) threshold response, (b) scale-independent response, and (c) continuous response. Threshold responses are those in which the response curve shows a discontinuity or a sudden change in slope along the axis of increasing disturbance extent, intensity, or duration. The response threshold occurs at a point where the force of the disturbance exceeds the capacity of internal mechanisms to resist disturbance, or where new mechanisms of recovery become involved. Within this conceptual framework, we find that some unusually large or intense disturbances, but not all, produce qualitatively different responses compared with similar disturbances of lesser magnitude. If disturbance impact does not increase with increasing disturbance extent, intensity, or duration, or if the response curve changes monotonically, then large disturbances are not qualitatively different from small ones. For example, jack pine tends to become reestablished after stand-replacing fire in boreal forests, regardless of fire size, because its serotinous cones provide an adequate seed source throughout the burned area. Thus, large fires are not qualitatively different from small fires in terms of jack pine reproduction. However, if disturbance impact does increase abruptly at some point with increasing disturbance extent, intensity, or duration, often because of thresholds in the capacity of internal mechanisms to resist or respond to disturbance impact, then large disturbances are qualitatively different from small ones, at least for some parameters of ecological response. For example, balsam fir and white cedar can recolonize a small burned patch of boreal forest in close proximity to surviving individuals of these species, but they will be eliminated from a large burn because of their susceptibility to fire-caused mortality and their inability to disperse their seeds over long distances. The conceptual framework presented here permits some new insights into the dynamics of natural systems and may provide a useful tool with which managers can assess the potential for catastrophic damages resulting from large, infrequent disturbances. %B Ecosystems %V 1 %P 524-534. %8 1998 %G eng %U http://link.springer-ny.com/link/service/journals/10021/index.htmlhttp://link.springer-ny.com/link/service/journals/10021/bibs/1n6p524.html %0 Generic %D 1998 %T The California Gap Analysis Project-Final Report %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Hollander, A. D. %A Thomas, K. A. %A Stine, P. A. %A Odion, D. %A Borchert, M. I. %A Thorne, J. H. %A Gray, M. V. %A Walker, R. E. %A Warner, K. %A Graae, J. %I University of California, Santa Barbara %8 1998 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Great Basin Naturalist %D 1998 %T Gap analysis of the vegetation of the Intermountain Semi-Desert Ecoregion %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %A Driese, K. L. %A Cassidy, K. M. %A Murray, M. P. %K actual vegetation %K alliance %K gap analysis %K Intermountain Semi-Desert ecoregion %K National Vegetation Classification Standards %K NVCS %X A conservation gap analysis was conducted for the Intermountain Semi-Desert ecoregion to assess the representation of land-cover types within areas managed primarily for biodiversity objectives. Mapped distributions of plant communities were summarized by land management status categories. The total amount of land permanently protected in the ecoregion is less than 4% and most types that are characteristic of the region have less than 10%. Of 48 land-cover types, 20 were found to be particularly vulnerable to potential loss or degradation, because of low level of representation in biodiversity management areas and the impact of expected land use activities. The gap analysis data and findings will be useful in providing a regional perspective in project impact assessment and future conservation planning within this ecoregion. %B Great Basin Naturalist %V 58 %P 199-216 %8 1998 %G eng %U ://000074765200001 %0 Thesis %D 1998 %T A GIS framework for modelling wildlife species distributions %A Hollander, A. D. %K evidence %K expert system %K GIS %K inference %K scale %K wild pigs %K wildlife modeling %X Maps of wildlife species distributions are a fundamental display of data in biogeography, and increasingly GIS methods are used to develop models of distributions. This dissertation examines some of the major issues in constructing predictive maps of species, focusing on the capability of GIS to relate environmental factors to distributions through logical or mathematical inference. The dissertation is structured in three parts. The first part considers how a variety of data sources may be aggregated to build up a picture of a distribution, using the example of the orange-throated whiptail, a lizard species living in southern California. It discusses how structuring these data on a hierarchy of spatial scales can lead to new inferences about distributions and habitat relationships. The second and third sections elaborate this theme of data availability and spatial scale in distribution modelling, using the example of the feral pig in central California. The second section presents a case study of developing an expert system to predict relative pig abundance at a regional scale. It illustrates how an expert system provides a formal treatment of aggregation of evidence, and how increasing the degree of interaction with a GIS can lead to elicitation of better models from domain experts. The third section presents a habitat model for the feral pig at a local scale. The grain size of this model is very finely resolved with respect to the home range of a pig, so this model integrates habitat elements over the home range size of the animal to create a spatially sensitive model of habitat quality. This model is tested against observation data at a number of different spatial scales, the results illustrating that it is important to recognize the spatial scale of a habitat model when it is applied. %G eng %9 phdPh.D. %0 Journal Article %J Remote Sensing of Environment %D 1998 %T Inclusion of a simple multiple scattering model into a microwave canopy backscatter model %A Wang, Y. %A Paris, J. F. %A Davis, F. W. %K (Aerospace and Underwater Biological Effects--General %K (Biophysics--Biocybernetics (1972- )) %K (Ecology %K (Mathematical Biology and Statistical Methods) %K (Radiation--Radiation and Isotope Techniques) %K Environmental Biology--Plant) %K Forest Stand %K Methods) %K Microwave Canopy Backscatter Model %K Models and Simulations %K remote sensing %K Research Article %K Simple Multiple Scattering Model %X A simple multiple scattering model has been incorporated into a microwave canopy backscatter model for forest stands with continuous or discontinuous tree canopies. The multiple scattering model was empirically derived using available calculated multiple scattering values and Monte Carlo simulation. All orders of scattering within canopies beyond single scattering were assumed to be isotropic. Multiple scattering was divided evenly among HH, HV, VH, and VV polarizations. The corresponding single scattering term was polarization-sensitive. The effect of the multiple scattering term on modeled canopy backscatter was less at long wavelengths than at short wavelengths. At a given wavelength, the multiple scattering term affected copolarized scattering less than cross-polarized scattering. These predictions were consistent with calibrated SAR observations and with our understanding of microwave scattering in forested environment. Including multiple scattering effects improved the agreement between modeled and measured canopy backscatter particularly for cross-polarized backscatter at short wavelengths. %B Remote Sensing of Environment %V 63 %P 101-111 %8 1998 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing %D 1998 %T Map-guided classification of regional land-cover with multi-temporal AVHRR data %A Stoms, D. M. %A Bueno, M. J. %A Davis, F. W. %A Cassidy, K. M. %A Driese, K. L. %A Kagan, J. S. %K accuracy assessment %K AVHRR %K gap analysis %K Intermountain Semidesert ecoregion %K map-guided classification %K National Vegetation Classification Standards %K NVCS %K remote sensing %X Cartographers often need to use information in existing land-cover maps when compiling regional or global maps, but there are no standardized techniques for using such data effectively. An iterative, map-guided classification approach was developed to compile a spatially and thematically consistent, seamless land-cover map of the entire Intermountain Semi-Desert ecoregion from a set of semi-independent subregional maps derived by various methods. A multi-temporal dataset derived from AVHRR data was classified using the subregional maps as training data. The resulting regional map attempted to meet the guidelines of the proposed National Vegetation Classification Standards for classification at the alliance level. The approach generally improved the spatial properties of the regional mapping, while maintaining the thematic detail of the source maps. The methods described may be useful in many situations where mapped information exists but is incomplete, compiled by different methods, or is based on inconsistent classification systems. %B Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing %V 64 %P 831-838 %8 1998 %G eng %U ://000075109200012 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Vegetation Science %D 1998 %T Recruitment of Quercus agrifolia in central California: the importance of shrub-dominated patches %A Callaway, R. M. %A Davis, F. W. %K aerial photo interpretation %K Angiospermae %K Biochemistry and Biophysics–Growth %K Biochemistry and Biophysics–Reproduction) Angiosperms Dicots Plants Spermatophytes Vascular Plants Patch Dynamics Shrub-Dominated Patches Vegetation Science California (USA %K coast live oak %K Differentiation) (Plant Physiology %K Gaviota State Park Fagaceae (Ecology Environmental Biology–Plant) (Plant Physiology %K Nearctic region) Quercus agrifolia [Coastal live oak] (Fagaceae): recruitment Fagaceae: Dicotyledones %K North America %K Plantae aerial photograph time sequence comparison: field method %K Spermatophyta %K time series %X Many perennial plants strongly enhance the survival of seedlings of other species. We studied patterns of long-term recruitment of Quercus agrifolia (Coastal live oak) associated with shrub-dominated communities by counting Q. agrifolia recruits on a time sequence of historical aerial photographs and comparing recruitment among mapped patches of coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and grassland in an 1120-ha landscape. Because we could not identify new recruits in existing woodlands with aerial photographs, we studied the recruitment of Q. agrifolia in this vegetation type indirectly by comparing population size structures and the spatial relationships between shrubs and recruits among woodlands that varied in understory community type. At the landscape scale, recruitment was higher in coastal sage scrub vegetation than predicted by the extent of its coverage, commensurate with the spatial coverage of chaparral, and very low in grassland. Recruitment within woodland communities also varied considerably. In woodland communities on sheltered, north-oriented topography with understories dominated by shrubs, there were large numbers of small Q. agrifolia, and recruits were not significantly spatially associated with shrubs within plots. In woodlands with herbaceous understories there were few individuals in the small size classes, and recruits were strongly spatially associated with shrubs within plots. Woodlands with shrub-dominated understories have population structures that appear to be stable, but woodlands with herbaceous understories exhibit size structures associated with declining populations. Quercus recruitment into shrub-dominated patches corresponds with previous documentation of facilitative relationships between shrubs and oak seedlings, and suggests the occurrence of an unusual form of patch dynamics in these landscapes. %B Journal of Vegetation Science %V 9 %P 647-656 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Remote Sensing of Environment %D 1998 %T Sensitivity of modeled C- and L-band radar backscatter to ground surface parameters in Loblolly pine forest %A Wang, Y. %A Day, J. L. %A Davis, F. W. %K Duke Forest %B Remote Sensing of Environment %V 66 %P 331-342 %8 1998 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Endangered Species UPDATE %D 1998 %T Strange bedfellows: Observations on the current relationship between recovery plans and habitat conservation planning %A Pyke, C. R. %A Bierwagen, B. %A Goldstein, N. %B Endangered Species UPDATE %V 15 %P 97-104 %8 1998 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Natural Areas Journal %D 1998 %T A systematic process for selecting representative Research Natural Areas %A Stoms, D. M. %A Borchert, M. I. %A Moritz, M. A. %A Davis, F. W. %A Church, R. L. %K reserve selection algorithm weighted-benefits maximal covering location problem Los Padres National Forest research natural areas %X

Prioritizing sites as potential Research Natural Areas to represent a set of target vegetation types is a complex planning problem in which competing objectives must be satisfied simultaneously, including suitability and efficiency. We describe a general process for identifying and siting potential Research Natural Areas that is based on a systematic description of vegetation and environmental variation in the region, analysis of patterns of vegetation ownership and management, and optimal site selection based both on vegetational and environmental criteria. The approach is demonstrated with an application to siting Research Natural Areas to represent Mixed Evergreen Forest types on Los Padres National Forest in the central coast of California. We envision this process as a preliminary step that would precede more detailed ground survey and administrative review procedures as currently practiced. It could also be adapted to similar programs of regional conservation planning.

%B Natural Areas Journal %V 18 %P 338-349 %G eng %U http://fiesta.bren.ucsb.edu/~fd/Pubs/stoms_et_al_RNA98.pdf %0 Journal Article %J Ecological Applications %D 1997 %T Analyzing extreme disturbance events: Fire in Los Padres National Forest %A Moritz, M. A. %X Extreme disturbance events may strongly influence the structure and functioning of many ecosystems, particularly those in which large, infrequent events are the defining forces within the region. This paper introduces the extremal fire regime (i.e., the time series of the largest fire per year) and the assumptions implicit in its analysis. I describe the statistics of extremes and demonstrate their application to the fire regime of Los Padres National Forest, California, to compare two regions (i.e., Main and Monterey Divisions), to test for a shift in fire regime due to fire suppression, and to examine climatic events as a forcing mechanism for large fires. Despite their similarity and proximity, the Main Division exhibited a much higher frequency of large fires (and shorter return time) compared to the Monterey Division. Comparison of time periods 1911-1950 and 1951-1991 indicated that fire suppression had no effect on the distribution of very large fires in the Main Division, although the frequency of fires smaller than ~4,000 ha declined. Comparing distributions of an index for severity of Santa Ana conditions (i.e., characterized by hot, dry winds) and extreme fire events in the Main Division indicated a convergence of distributions with increasing event size. The distribution of fire events larger than ~4,000 ha appears to be coupled with that of severe Santa Ana conditions, suggesting a strong climatic forcing for extreme fires and a threshold for the transition from small- to large-fire dynamics. Results indicate the usefulness of extremal fire regime analysis for comparisons over space and time and for examining a potential forcing mechanism. This approach can be applied to any disturbance regime in which large events play an important role, providing ecologists and land managers a useful tool for understanding and predicting dynamics of extreme disturbance events. %B Ecological Applications %V 7 %P 1252-1262 %8 1997 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J International Journal of Remote Sensing %D 1997 %T Decomposition of polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar backscatter from upland and flooded forests %A Wang, Y. %A Davis, F. W. %K DEPT GEOG %K Earth sciences. Reprint available from: Wang Y. E CAROLINA UNIV %K GREENVILLE %X The goal of this research was to decompose polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery of upland and flooded forests into three backscatter types: single reflection, double reflection, and cross-polarized backscatter. We used a decomposition method that exploits the covariance matrix of backscatter terms. First we applied this method to SAR imagery of dihedral and trihedral corner reflectors positioned on a smooth, dry lake bed, and verified that it accurately isolated the different backscatter types. We then applied the method to decompose multi-frequency Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) airborne SAR (AIRSAR) backscatter from upland and flooded forests to explain scattering components in SAR imagery from forested surfaces. For upland ponderosa pine forest in California, as SAR wavelength increased from C-band to P-band, scattering with an odd number of reflections decreased and scattering with an even number of reflections increased. There was no obvious trend with wavelength for cross-polarized scattering. For a bald cypress-tupelo floodplain forest in Georgia, scattering with an odd number of reflections dominated at C-band. Scattering power with an even number of reflections from the hooded forest was strong at L-band and strongest at P-band. Cross-polarized scattering may not be a major component of total backscatter at all three wavelengths. Various forest structural classes and land cover types were readily distinguishable in the imagery derived by the decomposition method. More importantly, the decomposition method provided a means of unraveling complex interactions between radar signals and vegetated surfaces in terms of scattering mechanisms from targets. The decomposed scattering components were additions to the traditional HH and VV backscatter. One cautionary note: the method was not well suited to targets with low backscatter and a low signal-to-noise ratio. [References: 8] 8 %B International Journal of Remote Sensing %V 18 %P 1319-1332 %G eng %0 Thesis %D 1997 %T Gap Analysis: The vegetation of Northwestern California %A Thorne, J. H. %X This thesis is a report on the mapping and results of the Gap Analysis Project (GAP) for the northwest floristic province of California. GAP is part of a national program to develop conservation profiles for species and natural vegetation communities at a regional level. Conservation profiles were determined by ranking 82 natural vegetation communities and 100 woody species according to their spatial extent on 54,249 km² of land broken into 4 management classes. Forty four communities appear to be at risk because of their low presence on protected lands. Thirty six communities are located mostly on private lands. Twenty three communities fell below the spatial resolution of the study. The 15 oak woodlands and forests were found to be the largest taxonomic classification at risk with a total of 561 km² out of 16368 km², or 3.4% currently located on lands managed for conservation. As was found for the southwest region to the state, the majority of communities at low elevation have poor representation on lands allocated to conservation. The procedures used in creating the GIS database used for the analysis are described. Conservation profiles derived using the GAP technique were compared with the California Dept. of Fish and Game's nonspatial rankings of natural vegetation communities. The comparisons and the structure of database are discussed to present to regional planners and resource managers a better understanding of how to evaluate GAP findings in light of their own process. %G eng %9 phdMasters thesis %0 Generic %D 1997 %T Imaging California: South Coast Pilot Study %A Davis, F. W. %A Bueno, M. J. %A Stenback, J. M. %I University of California, Santa Barbara %8 December 20, 199 %G eng %9 Final Report to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration %0 Conference Paper %B Fire in California Ecosystems: Integrating Ecology, Prevention, and Management %D 1997 %T A method for examining patterns in mapped fire histories: identification of homogeneous fire landscapes %A Moritz, M. A. %A Davis, F. W. %X In examining the mapped fire history of a large region, one may need to separate a study area into sub-regions that are homogeneous in terms of fire regime (i.e., to identify homogeneous "fire landscapes"). Because a fire regime is the result of complex interactions between fuel distributions, weather, and the cause and spatio-temporal patterns of ignitions, identification of fire landscapes may not be an easy task. Simplification of a fire regime (e.g., to fire frequency) or the use of surrogates (e.g., climatic regions or fuel maps) is often used, but this approach may ignore important aspects of how a fire regime manifests itself in a particular area. Inclusion of all available information, such as the fire size range, seasonality, and unusual intervals between fires, can provide a much better view of how fire landscapes differ from each other in significant ways. We propose an objective and repeatable method using variables generated from a mapped fire history, and we apply it to Los Padres National Forest in central coastal California. Fire variables were calculated on a regular grid spacing and incorporate the following: seasonality and cause of fire starts, number of times burned, longest and shortest interval between fires, and largest and smallest fires to pass over a site. Results indicate that this method captures the vast majority of variation in fire variables and their spatial pattern, providing mapped fire landscapes for use in fire planning or for further statistical analysis. Fire is the primary ecological disturbance structuring many of the world's terrestrial ecosystems, and spatio-temporal patterns of fires can provide insights into how these systems have developed and how we should manage them. In analyzing the fire history of a specific region, one is concerned that the fire regime be stationary (i.e., not containing mixed distributions) over space and time, but the scale and timing of dominant mechanisms are often poorly understood. Temporal shifts in fire regime can be caused by changes in climate or fire suppression, and different methods have been developed for dealing with mixed distributions over time (Clark 1989, Johnson and Gutsell 1994). Identification of areas that are spatially homogeneous in terms of fire history has received some attention, but many studies are performed using the spatial unit for which data were collected (e.g., at the scale of a specific county or forest). This scale may be appropriate, particularly if the goal is to characterize a process at a regional scale. Conversely, one may need to separate a study area into spatial units that are homogeneous in terms of fire history to examine the importance of local factors. A notable example of this is Baker (1989), in which homogeneous regions were sought by fitting fire-interval distributions to fire history data. Although characterization of fire frequency is a well established approach (Heinselman 1973, Johnson and Gutsell 1994, Johnson and Van Wagner 1985), the focus on fire intervals can omit important aspects of a fire regime that many mapped fire histories contain. Chou and others (1990) used a fire history to examine the distribution of fires and their spatial neighborhood effects, but the study area had been simplified to a binary variable (i.e., burned versus unburned). Inclusion of all available information, such as the fire size range, seasonality, and unusual intervals between fires, can provide a more complete view of how regions differ from each other in important ways. We propose here a methodology that is flexible, yet quantitative and repeatable, for identifying "fire landscapes" that are homogeneous in terms of several fire-related attributes. As a demonstration of its usefulness, we quantify and compare the vegetation composition of resulting fire landscapes on Los Padres National Forest (LPNF) in central coastal California to test whether analysis of fuel dependency at the scale of the entire study area is appropriate. %B Fire in California Ecosystems: Integrating Ecology, Prevention, and Management %C San Diego %8 1997 %G eng %U http://www.ice.ucdavis.edu/cafe/agenda97/FireManagement/Modeling/4moritz.html %0 Journal Article %J Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America %D 1997 %T Modeling alternative portfolios of conservation sites for the Columbia Plateau Ecoregion %A Davis, Frank W. %A Stoms, David %K (General Biology–Conservation %K Documentation %K Resource Management) (General Biology–Information %K Retrieval and Computer Applications) Columbia Plateau Computer Models Conservation Conservation Planning %B Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America %V 78 %P 11. %G eng %0 Report %D 1997 %T Preserve Selection Modeling in the Columbia Plateau %A Stoms, D. M. %A Okin, W. J. %A Davis, F. W. %I University of California, Santa Barbara %C Santa Barbara %P 57 %8 1997 %G eng %U http://www.biogeog.ucsb.edu/projects/tnc/tnc_report.html %0 Generic %D 1997 %T Preserve Selection Modeling in the Columbia Plateau %A Stoms, D. M. %A Okin, W. J. %A Davis, F. W. %I University of California, Santa Barbara %G eng %9 Final Report to The Nature Conservancy of Washington %0 Conference Paper %B 17th Annual ESRI User Conference %D 1997 %T A proposed protocol for identifying potential Research Natural Areas with Gap Analysis data %A Moritz, M. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Borchert, M. I. %A Davis, F. W. %K research natural areas, reserve selection algorithm, Los Padres National Forest %X In this paper we propose a protocol for identifying and evaluating candidate sites for the U. S. National Forest's Research Natural Area (RNA) program. The approach is explicit and repeatable and consists of the five following steps: 1) Vegetation Target Type Identification, 2) Quantification of Environmental Variation, 3) Calculation of Site Suitability, 4) Site Selection, and 5) Ground Truth. We also describe a prototype case study using this approach for Mixed Evergreen Forest in Los Padres National Forest in central coastal California. This case study demonstrates the usefulness of Gap Analysis data and GIS-based procedures in conjunction with applications outside GIS, such as vegetation classification and optimization programs. Results indicate that there are often complex trade-offs between efficiency (i.e, covering the most types with the least sites) and suitability (i.e., choosing the most ecologically appropriate sites) of solutions, even in a simple case such as the one described here. %B 17th Annual ESRI User Conference %I ESRI %C San Diego %8 1997 %G eng %U http://www.esri.com/base/common/userconf/proc97/PROC97/TO150/PAP145/P145.HTM %0 Journal Article %J Transactions in GIS %D 1997 %T Selecting conservation reserves using species covering models: Adapting the ARC/INFO GIS %A Gerrard, R. A. %A Church, R. L. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %X Conflicts between human development of the landscape and conservation of biodiversity will continue to grow. Given this reality, there have been a number of attempts to model the optimal selection of conservation reserve sites such that maximum biodiversity protection can be attained within a limited budget for land acquisition. Here we adapt the Location-Allocation module of ARC/INFO to solve the problem of representing, or covering, as many species as possible in a fixed number of selected reserve sites. Resident ARC/INFO solution routines are applied to an innovative logical network that converts the problem of optimal reserve selection into a problem of optimal facility placement, which the Location-Allocation module can recognize and solve. Use of this unique logical network structure as input to ARC/INFO's internal solvers makes possible, compared to previous methods, a much tighter integration of spatial optimization tools with mapping and database tools, all of which are internal to the GIS and accessed via a menu-driven interface. The main advantage is that users of public domain data (such as the U.S. Gap Analysis data) can conduct their own explorations of possible reserve systems without having to acquire and master optimization packages and reformat model output data for GIS display and post-analysis of solutions. Our sample application uses species data from southwestern California. We also present a second major form of species covering model grounded in the same logical network. This enhanced model accommodates weighting of species by their conservation importance, thus allowing reserve systems to be designed around the portection of the most threatened or vulnerable biota. %B Transactions in GIS %V 2 %P 45-60 %G eng %0 Generic %D 1997 %T A Spatial Modeling and Decision Support System for Conservation of Biological Diversity %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Hollander, A. D. %A Bueno, M. J. %A Church, R. L. %A Okin, W. J. %A Gerrard, R. A. %I University of California, Santa Barbara %8 September 30, 19 %G eng %9 Final Report to IBM Environmental Research Program %0 Journal Article %J Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing %D 1997 %T Viewing geometry of AVHRR image composites derived using multiple criteria %A Stoms, D. M. %A Bueno, M. J. %A Davis, F. W. %K AVHRR %K cloud removal %K compositing %K NDVI %K Normalized Difference Vegetation Index %K satellite zenith angle %X The U. S. Geological Survey currently generates composites of AVHRR imagery based on a single objective--maximizing the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index--as a means of reducing cloud contamination. Our research supports the findings of others that in some cases, NDVI is maximized at the expense of optimal viewing geometry; that is, satellite zenith angles are often further off-nadir than necessary to ensure cloud-free viewing. We explore various compositing methods by systematically varying weights on NDVI, satellite zenith angle, and maximum apparent temperature. A test composite of California from September 1990 appears to be superior to the maximum NDVI and maximum apparent temperature composites in several respects. First, the satellite zenith angle distribution is more closely clustered about nadir, which minimizes atmospheric path length, spatial distortion, and bidirectional reflectance effects. Second, neighboring pixels are more frequently selected with similar viewing geometry and atmospheric conditions. %B Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing %V 63 %P 681-689 %8 1997 %G eng %U ://A1997XC40700004 %0 Book Section %B Gap Analysis: A Landscape Approach to Biodiversity Planning %D 1996 %T Applications of Gap Analysis data in the Mojave Desert of California %A Thomas, K. A. %A Davis, F. W. %E Scott, J. M. %E Tear, T. H. %E Davis, F. W. %B Gap Analysis: A Landscape Approach to Biodiversity Planning %I American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing %C Bethesda, MD %P 209-219 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Gap Analysis: A Landscape Approach to Biodiversity Planning %D 1996 %T Applications of Gap Analysis data in the Mojave Desert of California %A Thomas, K. A. %A Davis, F. W. %E Scott, J. M. %E Tear, T. H. %E Davis, F. W. %B Gap Analysis: A Landscape Approach to Biodiversity Planning %I American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing %C Bethesda, MD %P 209-219 %8 1996 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Biodiversity in Managed Landscapes: Theory and Practice %D 1996 %T Comparative utility of vegetation maps of different resolutions for conservation planning %A Stine, P. A. %A Davis, F. W. %A Csuti, B. %A Scott, J. M. %E Szaro, R. C. %E Johnston, D. W. %B Biodiversity in Managed Landscapes: Theory and Practice %I Oxford University Press %C New York %P 210-220 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Biodiversity in Managed Landscapes: Theory and Practice %D 1996 %T Comparative utility of vegetation maps of different resolutions for conservation planning %A Stine, P. A. %A Davis, F. W. %A Csuti, B. %A Scott, J. M. %E Szaro, R. C. %E Johnston, D. W. %B Biodiversity in Managed Landscapes: Theory and Practice %I Oxford University Press %C New York %P 210-220 %8 1996 %G eng %0 Report %D 1996 %T Comparison of Late Seral/Old Growth Maps from SNEP Versus the Sierra Biodiversity Institute %A Davis, F. W. %I University of California, Centers for Water and Wildlands Resources %C Davis, CA %P 745-757 %8 1996 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project: Final Report to Congress, vol. III, Assessments, commissioned reports, and background information %D 1996 %T Comparison of Late Seral/Old Growth Maps from SNEP versus the Sierran Biodiversity Institute %A Davis, F. W. %B Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project: Final Report to Congress, vol. III, Assessments, commissioned reports, and background information %I University of California, Centers for Water and Wildlands Resources %C Davis, California %P 745-757 %G eng %0 Generic %D 1996 %T Comparison of Late Seral/Old Growth Maps from SNEP Versus the Sierra Biodiversity Institute %A Davis, F. W. %I University of California, Centers for Water and Wildlands Resources %G eng %9 Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project: Final Report to Congress, vol. III, Assessments, commissioned reports, and background informati %0 Book Section %B Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project: Final Report to Congress, vol. III, Assessments, commissioned reports, and background information %D 1996 %T Comparison of Late Seral/Old Growth Maps from SNEP versus the Sierran Biodiversity Institute %A Davis, F. W. %B Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project: Final Report to Congress, vol. III, Assessments, commissioned reports, and background information %I University of California, Centers for Water and Wildlands Resources %C Davis, California %P 745-757 %8 1996 %G eng %0 Generic %D 1996 %T A Digital Soils Layer for the Los Padres National Forest %A Davis, F. W. %A Walsh, J. %A Moritz, M. %A Stoms, D. %I University of California, Santa Barbara %G eng %9 Final Report to the USDA Forest Service, Los Padres National Forest in fulfillment of Challenge Cost Share Agreement 94-001 %0 Book Section %B GIS and Environmental Modeling: Progress and Research Issues %D 1996 %T Hierarchical representation of species distributions for biological survey and monitoring %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %A Hollander, A. D. %E Goodchild, M. F. %E Steyaert, L. T. %E Parks, B. O. %K data hypercube, orange-throated whiptail, GIS modeling %X Spatial and temporal axes of domain, grain, and sampling intensity can serve as a framework to discuss opportunities for integrating spatial biodiversity data into richer, more complex representations of species distributions. This conceptual framework also highlights many of the problems in integrating data of different spatial, temporal and thematic properties. A recent analysis of the distribution of the orange-throated whiptail lizard in southern California is reviewed as an example of integration of datasets. Comparison of representations resulting from different data sources makes biases evident, highlights areas of inadequate sampling, and can lead to new inferences about habitat relationships through convergence of evidence. Improvements in the technology needed to facilitate better integration of distribution models with GIS in the areas of data entry, linkages to tools outside traditional GIS functionality, and new GIS tools to integrate existing datasets are discussed. %B GIS and Environmental Modeling: Progress and Research Issues %I GIS World Books %C Fort Collins, Colorado %P 445-449 %8 1996 %G eng %0 Book Section %B GIS and Environmental Modeling: Progress and Research Issues %D 1996 %T Hierarchical representation of species distributions for biological survey and monitoring %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %A Hollander, A. D. %E Goodchild, M. F. %E Steyaert, L. T. %E Parks, B. O. %K data hypercube %K GIS modeling %K orange-throated whiptail %X Spatial and temporal axes of domain, grain, and sampling intensity can serve as a framework to discuss opportunities for integrating spatial biodiversity data into richer, more complex representations of species distributions. This conceptual framework also highlights many of the problems in integrating data of different spatial, temporal and thematic properties. A recent analysis of the distribution of the orange-throated whiptail lizard in southern California is reviewed as an example of integration of datasets. Comparison of representations resulting from different data sources makes biases evident, highlights areas of inadequate sampling, and can lead to new inferences about habitat relationships through convergence of evidence. Improvements in the technology needed to facilitate better integration of distribution models with GIS in the areas of data entry, linkages to tools outside traditional GIS functionality, and new GIS tools to integrate existing datasets are discussed. %B GIS and Environmental Modeling: Progress and Research Issues %I GIS World Books %C Fort Collins, Colorado %P 445-449 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J BioScience %D 1996 %T The nature of GAP analysis %A Davis, F. %A Reiners, W. A. %B BioScience %V 46 %P 390-390 %G eng %0 Conference Paper %B Third International Conference/Workshop on Integrating GIS and Environmental Modeling %D 1996 %T Planning management activities to protect biodiversity with GIS and an integrated optimization model %A Church, R. L. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %A Okin, B. J. %K BMAS model, Sierra Nevada, GIS model integration %X We present the details of a general spatial model that was developed for the selection of biodiversity management areas in the Sierra Nevada Region. This model is loosely integrated with a GIS system. The basic modeling approach begins by first identifying those plant communities that are vulnerable due to land use activities in current management plans. The level of vulnerability is assessed for each element of interest on a spatial basis using ARC/INFO. The planning problem involves selecting an efficient set of watersheds for biodiversity management through specially developed heuristics and the Optimization Subroutine Library of IBM. Results of this approach are given for the northern region of the Sierra Nevada of California. The BMAS model represents a significant advance in GIS-based conservation planning, both in sophistication of the algorithms used and in the integration of cultural and land use data with biological data. %B Third International Conference/Workshop on Integrating GIS and Environmental Modeling %I National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis %C Santa Fe, New Mexico %8 1996 %G eng %U http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/conf/SANTA_FE_CD-ROM/sf_papers/church_richard/my_paper.html %0 Journal Article %J Biological Conservation %D 1996 %T Reserve selection as a maximal covering location problem %A Church, R. L. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %K reserve selection conservation planning optimization %X Many alternative approaches have been proposed for setting conservation priorities from a database of species (or communities) by site. We present a model based on the premise that reserve selection or site prioritization can be structured as a classic covering problem commonly used in many location problems. Specifically, we utilize a form of the maximal covering location model to identify sets of sites which represent the maximum possible representation of specific species. An example application is given for vertebrate data of Southwestern California, which is then compared to an iterative solution process used in previous studies. It is shown that the maximal covering model can quickly meet or exceed iterative models in terms of the coverage objective and automatically satisfies a complementarity objective. Refinements to the basic model are also proposed to address additional objectives such as irreplaceability and flexibility. %B Biological Conservation %V 76 %P 105-112 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project: Final Report to Congress, vol. II, Assessments and scientific basis for management options %D 1996 %T Selecting biodiversity management areas %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Church, R. L. %A Okin, W. J. %A Johnson, K. N. %K biodiversity management area, reserve selection, BMAS model, representation, Sierra Nevada, California %X Here we present and evaluate a conservation strategy whose objective is to represent all native plant communities in areas where the primary management goal is to sustain native biodiversity. We refer to these areas as Biodiversity Management Areas (BMAs), which we define as specially designated public or private lands with an active ecosystem management plan in operation whose purpose is to contribute to regional maintenance of native genetic, species and community levels of biodiversity, and the processes that maintain that biodiversity. Our purpose in this chapter is to explore opportunities for siting BMAs in the Sierra Nevada region. The strategic goal is to design a BMA system that represents all major Sierran plant community types, which we use as a coarse surrogate for ecosystems and their component species. We consider a community type to be represented if some pre-defined fraction of its mapped distribution occurs in one or more BMAs. We use a multi-objective computer model to allocate a minimum of new land to BMA status subject to the constraints that all community types must be represented, and that the new BMA areas should be located in areas of highest suitability for BMA status. Our purpose in this exercise is not to identify the optimal sites for a Sierran BMA system; instead it is to measure some of the likely dimensions of plausible, alternative BMA systems for the Sierra Nevada and to develop a rationale that would guide others in formulating such a system. Thus we examine a wide range of possible BMA systems based on different assumptions, constraints, target levels for representation, and priorities. If one ignores current land ownership and management designations and sets out to represent plant communities in a BMA system based on Calwater planning watersheds (which average roughly 10,000 acres in size), an efficient BMA system requires land in direct proportion to the target level, at least over the range of target levels examined in this study. In other words, it takes roughly 10% of the region to meet a 10% goal, and 25% of the region to meet a 25% goal. The pattern of selected watersheds is very different from the current distribution of parks and wilderness areas, which are concentrated at middle and high elevations in the central and southern portion of the range. Public lands alone are insufficient to create a BMA system that adequately represents all plant community types of the Sierra Nevada. Many of the foothill community types occur almost exclusively on private lands. Terrestrial vertebrates are reasonably well represented in a BMA system selected for plant communities. A BMA system selected for vertebrates alone, however, has little overlap with the one for plant communities. Areas selected by the BMAS model show only a modest amount of overlap with areas selected by other SNEP working groups as focal areas for conserving aquatic biodiversity or late successional/old growth forests. However, the BMAS model can be formulated to favor these areas with little loss of efficiency, especially in the northern Sierra. %B Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project: Final Report to Congress, vol. II, Assessments and scientific basis for management options %I University of California, Centers for Water and Wildlands Resources %C Davis, California %P 1503-1528 %8 1996 %G eng %U http://ceres.ca.gov/snep/pubs/web/PDF/VII_C58.PDF %0 Book Section %B Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project: Final Report to Congress, vol. II, Assessments and scientific basis for management options %D 1996 %T Selecting biodiversity management areas %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Church, R. L. %A Okin, W. J. %A Johnson, K. N. %K biodiversity management area %K BMAS model %K California %K representation %K reserve selection %K Sierra Nevada %X Here we present and evaluate a conservation strategy whose objective is to represent all native plant communities in areas where the primary management goal is to sustain native biodiversity. We refer to these areas as Biodiversity Management Areas (BMAs), which we define as specially designated public or private lands with an active ecosystem management plan in operation whose purpose is to contribute to regional maintenance of native genetic, species and community levels of biodiversity, and the processes that maintain that biodiversity. Our purpose in this chapter is to explore opportunities for siting BMAs in the Sierra Nevada region. The strategic goal is to design a BMA system that represents all major Sierran plant community types, which we use as a coarse surrogate for ecosystems and their component species. We consider a community type to be represented if some pre-defined fraction of its mapped distribution occurs in one or more BMAs. We use a multi-objective computer model to allocate a minimum of new land to BMA status subject to the constraints that all community types must be represented, and that the new BMA areas should be located in areas of highest suitability for BMA status. Our purpose in this exercise is not to identify the optimal sites for a Sierran BMA system; instead it is to measure some of the likely dimensions of plausible, alternative BMA systems for the Sierra Nevada and to develop a rationale that would guide others in formulating such a system. Thus we examine a wide range of possible BMA systems based on different assumptions, constraints, target levels for representation, and priorities. If one ignores current land ownership and management designations and sets out to represent plant communities in a BMA system based on Calwater planning watersheds (which average roughly 10,000 acres in size), an efficient BMA system requires land in direct proportion to the target level, at least over the range of target levels examined in this study. In other words, it takes roughly 10% of the region to meet a 10% goal, and 25% of the region to meet a 25% goal. The pattern of selected watersheds is very different from the current distribution of parks and wilderness areas, which are concentrated at middle and high elevations in the central and southern portion of the range. Public lands alone are insufficient to create a BMA system that adequately represents all plant community types of the Sierra Nevada. Many of the foothill community types occur almost exclusively on private lands. Terrestrial vertebrates are reasonably well represented in a BMA system selected for plant communities. A BMA system selected for vertebrates alone, however, has little overlap with the one for plant communities. Areas selected by the BMAS model show only a modest amount of overlap with areas selected by other SNEP working groups as focal areas for conserving aquatic biodiversity or late successional/old growth forests. However, the BMAS model can be formulated to favor these areas with little loss of efficiency, especially in the northern Sierra. %B Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project: Final Report to Congress, vol. II, Assessments and scientific basis for management options %I University of California, Centers for Water and Wildlands Resources %C Davis, California %P 1503-1528 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project: Final Report to Congress, vol. II, Assessments and scientific basis for management options %D 1996 %T Sierran vegetation: A gap analysis %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %K gap analysis, California, Sierra Nevada, land management, vegetation %X Gap analysis assesses the distribution of plant community types and vertebrate species distributions among land classes defined by ownership and levels of protection of biodiversity. Gap analysis helps to identify which plant communities and species might be especially vulnerable to different human activities that can lead to habitat conversion or degradation. This chapter presents a gap analysis of plant community types the Sierra Nevada region, an area of 63,111 km2 (24,368 mi2). Ownership of the region is 37% private, 47% national forests, 10% national parks, 5% Bureau of Land Management, and less than 2% in other public lands. Land ownership and land management patterns contrast sharply between the northern Sierra Nevada versus the central and southern subregions. Parks and reserve lands contribute less than 2% of the northern region versus 27% of the central/southern. We mapped eighty-eight natural plant community types within the region. Sixty-seven types were mapped over areas greater than 25 km2 (9.65 mi2). The ownership profiles of Sierran plant communities systematically reflect the concentration of private lands at lower elevations and of national parks in the central and southern portion of the range. Less than 1% of the foothill woodland zone of the Sierra Nevada is in designated reserves or other areas managed primarily for native biodiversity, and over 95% of the distribution of most foothill community types is available for grazing. Low to middle elevation Sierran forests are not well represented in designated reserves, especially in the northern Sierra Nevada. However, large areas of most of these forest types on U.S. Forest Service lands have been administratively withdrawn from intensive timber management based on current forest plans. Many high-elevation forest and shrubland community types are well represented in parks and ungrazed wilderness areas. Our analysis identifies thirty-two widespread community types whose conservation status warrants concern and twelve types that appear well protected based on their present distributions. %B Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project: Final Report to Congress, vol. II, Assessments and scientific basis for management options %I University of California, Centers for Water and Wildlands Resources %C Davis, California %P 671-689 %8 1996 %G eng %U http://ceres.ca.gov/snep/pubs/web/PDF/VII_C23.PDF %0 Book Section %B Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project: Final Report to Congress, vol. II, Assessments and scientific basis for management options %D 1996 %T Sierran vegetation: A gap analysis %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %K California %K gap analysis %K land management %K Sierra Nevada %K vegetation %X Gap analysis assesses the distribution of plant community types and vertebrate species distributions among land classes defined by ownership and levels of protection of biodiversity. Gap analysis helps to identify which plant communities and species might be especially vulnerable to different human activities that can lead to habitat conversion or degradation. This chapter presents a gap analysis of plant community types the Sierra Nevada region, an area of 63,111 km2 (24,368 mi2). Ownership of the region is 37% private, 47% national forests, 10% national parks, 5% Bureau of Land Management, and less than 2% in other public lands. Land ownership and land management patterns contrast sharply between the northern Sierra Nevada versus the central and southern subregions. Parks and reserve lands contribute less than 2% of the northern region versus 27% of the central/southern. We mapped eighty-eight natural plant community types within the region. Sixty-seven types were mapped over areas greater than 25 km2 (9.65 mi2). The ownership profiles of Sierran plant communities systematically reflect the concentration of private lands at lower elevations and of national parks in the central and southern portion of the range. Less than 1% of the foothill woodland zone of the Sierra Nevada is in designated reserves or other areas managed primarily for native biodiversity, and over 95% of the distribution of most foothill community types is available for grazing. Low to middle elevation Sierran forests are not well represented in designated reserves, especially in the northern Sierra Nevada. However, large areas of most of these forest types on U.S. Forest Service lands have been administratively withdrawn from intensive timber management based on current forest plans. Many high-elevation forest and shrubland community types are well represented in parks and ungrazed wilderness areas. Our analysis identifies thirty-two widespread community types whose conservation status warrants concern and twelve types that appear well protected based on their present distributions. %B Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project: Final Report to Congress, vol. II, Assessments and scientific basis for management options %I University of California, Centers for Water and Wildlands Resources %C Davis, California %P 671-689 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Gap Analysis: A Landscape Approach to Biodiversity Planning %D 1996 %T A spatial analytical hierarchy for Gap Analysis %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %E Scott, J. M. %E Tear, T. H. %E Davis, F. W. %K gap analysis %K reserve selection %K scale %X Representation in the nature reserve system is determined by comparing the distribution of vegetation and vertebrates with that of land ownership and management over a region of interest. Locating potential places to increase representation is typically done by a systematic selection algorithm over a set of spatial units larger than the landscape units of the vegetation map. The landscape is thus the basic spatial unit at which biodiversity data are compiled for Gap Analysis. However, it is only one of four levels of spatial entity that must be explicitly defined in order to complete a Gap Analysis. We refer to these entities as the planning region, the planning unit, the landscape, and the landscape feature. The objective of this paper is to describe a spatial analytical hierarchy for Gap Analysis based on these four entities. Within this broader theme we also present results of a more focused analysis on the effect of planning unit size on the selection of priority conservation areas in southwestern California. %B Gap Analysis: A Landscape Approach to Biodiversity Planning %I American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing %C Bethesda, MD %P 15-24 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Gap Analysis: A Landscape Approach to Biodiversity Planning %D 1996 %T A spatial analytical hierarchy for Gap Analysis %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %E Scott, J. M. %E Tear, T. H. %E Davis, F. W. %K gap analysis, scale, reserve selection %X Representation in the nature reserve system is determined by comparing the distribution of vegetation and vertebrates with that of land ownership and management over a region of interest. Locating potential places to increase representation is typically done by a systematic selection algorithm over a set of spatial units larger than the landscape units of the vegetation map. The landscape is thus the basic spatial unit at which biodiversity data are compiled for Gap Analysis. However, it is only one of four levels of spatial entity that must be explicitly defined in order to complete a Gap Analysis. We refer to these entities as the planning region, the planning unit, the landscape, and the landscape feature. The objective of this paper is to describe a spatial analytical hierarchy for Gap Analysis based on these four entities. Within this broader theme we also present results of a more focused analysis on the effect of planning unit size on the selection of priority conservation areas in southwestern California. %B Gap Analysis: A Landscape Approach to Biodiversity Planning %I American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing %C Bethesda, MD %P 15-24 %8 1996 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Geocarto International %D 1996 %T Validating large-area land cover databases with maplets %A Stoms, D. M. %K gap analysis %K map accuracy assessment %K maplet %X Point sampling methods traditionally used for assessing accuracy of small-area thematic maps are less suitable for large-area, lower resolution maps. Maplets, or detailed maps of small areas, are proposed here as an alternative source of independent reference data for accuracy assessment. As a land cover census instead of a sparse sample of points, maplets can provide information on the composition, heterogeneity, and accuracy of individual map units, on boundary locational accuracy, and the spatial pattern of errors in the large-area map. The techniques is illustrated by a case study for a wildlife habitat map of southern California, USA. Overall agreement between the maplet and the large-are map was 63%. However, the total area of map units in which the label agreed with the majority maplet class was 84%. This result suggests that much of the "error" was actually generalization rather than misclassification. %B Geocarto International %V 11 %P 87-95 %G eng %0 Thesis %B Geography %D 1996 %T Vegetation and Floristic Diversity in the Mojave Desert of California: A Regional Conservation Evaluation %A Thomas, K. A. %X The Mojave Desert in California is currently the focus of conservation and ecosystem management planning efforts, all of which have a common need for biological data. One such effort, the Gap Analysis Program (GAP) provided a mechanism to examine both basic and applied biogeographical issues in the Mojave. Three objectives were accomplished: the development of a GIS based coverage of Mojave vegetation, a new analysis of a tabular database of Mojave flora, and a region-wide conservation assessment. A Mojave vegetation coverage was created using existing subregional vegetation maps, updated with 1990 Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery. Vegetation classification for each mapping source was cross referenced to the Holland (1986) system. Extensive field checking was conducted to validate the cross-referencing and to update map units where necessary. The reliability of each map unit in the vegetation coverage was indicated with a qualitatively derived confidence score. A quantitative accuracy assessment was made for a subregion of the Mojave using existing plot data. The results of this accuracy assessment were used to calibrate the confidence score and provide an estimate of accuracy across the entire coverage. The vegetation coverage provides the most current regional view of Mojave vegetation. The Lum database, which provides a description of the occurrence and various floristic properties of Californian species, was subsampled for the Mojave. Tabular analysis of the database shows the Mojave to support approximately 1150 species, which is proportional to its area compared to the rest of the state. Life-form distribution was shown to correlate with regional precipitation patterns: annuals predominate in the west and herbaceous perennials in the east and north. Cover types are distinct within subregions and often between subregions, as determined by Jaccard's similarity coefficient. Cluster analysis suggests that a two and/or five subregion division of the Mojave could serve to geographically represent species variation. A conservation evaluation was made of the Mojave using the vegetation coverage, regionalized by floristic subregions. The coverage was overlain with a land ownership map that had been reclassified to three levels of biodiversity management. Management status of the various cover types was evaluated and eight vulnerable cover types were identified using a three part criteria. Seven areas were selected as candidate areas for further conservation effort. %B Geography %I University of California %C Santa Barbara %P 191 %8 1996 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Our Living Resources: A Report to the Nation on the Distribution, Abundance, and Health of U. S. Plants, Animals, and Ecosystems %D 1995 %T Biodiversity in the Southwestern California Region %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %B Our Living Resources: A Report to the Nation on the Distribution, Abundance, and Health of U. S. Plants, Animals, and Ecosystems %I USDI, National Biological Service %C Washington, D. C. %P 465-466 %8 1995 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Our Living Resources: A Report to the Nation on the Distribution, Abundance, and Health of U. S. Plants, Animals, and Ecosystems %D 1995 %T Biodiversity in the Southwestern California Region %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %B Our Living Resources: A Report to the Nation on the Distribution, Abundance, and Health of U. S. Plants, Animals, and Ecosystems %I USDI, National Biological Service %C Washington, D. C. %P 465-466 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J International Journal of Remote Sensing %D 1995 %T The effects of changes in forest biomass on radar backscatter from tree canopies %A Wang, Y. %A Davis, F. W. %A Melack, J. M. %A Kasischke, E. S. %A Christensen, N. L., Jr. %K (Aerospace and Underwater Biological Effects--General %K (Biophysics--Biocybernetics (1972- )) %K (Ecology %K (Mathematical Biology and Statistical Methods) %K (Plant Physiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics--Growth, Differentiation) %K Coniferopsida %K Environmental Biology--Plant) %K Gymnosperms %K Mathematical Model %K Methods) %K North Carolina %K Pine %K Plants %K Research Article %K Spermatophyta %K Spermatophytes %K Synthetic Aperture Radar %K Usa %K Vascular plants %B International Journal of Remote Sensing %V 16 %P 503-513 %8 1995 %G eng %0 Thesis %D 1995 %T Effects of variation in soil heating during fire on patterns of plant establishment and regrowth in maritime chaparral %A Odion, D. %G eng %9 phdPh.D. dissertation %0 Journal Article %J Madrono %D 1995 %T Gap analysis of the actual vegetation of California: 1. The Southwestern Region %A Davis, F. W. %A Stine, P. A. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Borchert, M. I. %A Hollander, A. D. %K California %K gap analysis %K vegetation %X Gap Analysis is a method of conservation risk assessment that evaluates the protection status of plant communities, animal species and vertebrate species richness by overlay of biological distribution data on a map of existing biological reserves. The National Biological Survey has undertaken a national Gap Analysis that is being conducted by individual states but that will eventually produce regional and national assessments. Given California's size and complexity, we are conducting separate Gap Analyses for each of the state's 10 ecological regions, as delineated in The Jepson Manual. Here we summarize our findings on the distribution of plant communities and dominant plant species in the Southwestern Region of California, exclusive of the Channel Islands. We tabulate and discuss regional distribution patterns, management status and patterns of land ownership for 76 dominant woody species and 62 natural communities. Nineteen of 62 mapped communities appear to be at risk, as determined by their poor representation in existing reserves, parks or wilderness areas. Communities restricted largely to the lower elevations, such as non-native grasslands and coastal sage scrub types, are clearly at considerable risk. A majority of the lands at these elevations have already been converted to agricultural or urban uses and most of the remaining lands are threatened with future urbanization. Areas that appear to be of highest priority for conservation action based on agreement between our analysis and a recent assessment by The Nature Conservancy include the Santa Margarita River, San Mateo Creek, Miramar Mesa, Santa Clara floodplain near Fillmore, Sespe and Piru Canyons, and Tejon Pass. %B Madrono %V 42 %P 40-78 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J BioScience %D 1995 %T Information systems for conservation research, policy and planning %A Davis, F. W. %B BioScience %V Supplement on Science and Biodiversity Policy %P S36-S42 %G eng %0 Report %D 1995 %T An integrated geographic information system for modelling wildlife species distributions %A Davis, F. W. %A Hollander, A. D. %I University of California, Santa Barbara %P 30 %8 1995 %G eng %0 Generic %D 1995 %T An integrated geographic information system for modelling wildlife species distributions %A Davis, F. W. %A Hollander, A. D. %I University of California, Santa Barbara %G eng %9 Final report prepared for the California Dept. of Fish and Game %0 Thesis %B Geography %D 1995 %T A multi-scale conservation assessment of plant communities in Southern California %A Stine, P. A. %X Landscape ecology and conservation biology are integrally tied with geographic analysis and an understanding of the spatial relationships of the biological and physical components of the natural world. This dissertation examines the Southern California ecoregion at different resolutions with the purpose of assessing the conservation status and needs of this area's natural vegetation communities. The first section presents, in summary form, a regional assessment of the conservation status of terrestrial plant communities in Southwestern California using the Gap Analysis method. The practical constraints imposed by the size of the study area (34,000 km2), combined with the coarse-scale overview provided by Gap coverages, dictate a relatively large minimum mapping unit (100 hectares) and fairly general classification (76 dominant species) for the vegetation GIS database employed in this study. Land ownership/management profiles provide a crude measure of major terrestrial communities at risk nw or in the near-term future. Results of an analysis of vegetation communities and land ownership/management profiles confirm current concern for some communities currently regarded as at risk and provide an indication of communities that could be ten or twenty years from now. Communities potentially at risk in the future include all grassland dominated communities, many of the oak woodland communities, and some of the chaparral communities found at lower elevations are included. The second main chapter examines the comparative utility of vegetation maps, prepared with different spatial resolutions. This is accomplished through comparison of the Gap data for western San Diego County with two other data sets that had mapped vegetation at approximately 100 times greater spatial resolution (mimimum mapping unit of roughly one hectare). Overlay of the three different representations shows patterns of disagreement that arise from many different sources. Despite these apparent disagreements the Gap data set captures over 90% of the larger stands of vegetation that it is intended to find. However, finer grain representation of landscape features do not necessarily nest directly inside the coarse-grain representation. The third main chapter describes a GIS model developed to provide a mapped-based characterization of potential long-term conservation value of coastal sage scrub habitat. The model developed is based on application of the Natural Communities Conservation Planning program Conservation Guidelines. The criteria presented in these guidelines are spatial in nature and were well-suited to the development of the GIS model. The larger patches of habitat in the study area were examined for how they are shaped and connected to one and other. Investigations into potential landscape linkages (using GIS modeling techniques) show some locations still have a considerable number of viable options for biologically sound linkages, other are already so fragmented that the best opportunities for landscape linkages are long, narrow, and fragmented. The spatial/geometric criteria used in the model (e.g. patch size, adjacency, linkage) provide important insights to regional reserve design efforts. Although they are general in nature, they are reasonably simple to apply and most conservation biologists agree they will provide robust results. This kind of model needs to be tested with random transect data on the distribution and abundance of the target species to determine relative value of higher potential habitats, as rated by the model, in relation to habitats actually supporting viable populations. Field testing of such a model was not accomplished as part of this dissertation and is recommended for future research. The major conclusions reached in this dissertation include 1) Gap Analysis is an acceptable and important component of ecological analysis over the domain of an ecoregion; although more finely resolved analysis can identify areas outside of those represented in Gap, these areas are in general not crucial to regional reserve design requirements, and 3) simple, spatially defined GIS models offer a means of prioritizing lands under consideration for a regional reserve system. Each of the chapters deals with, in some substative way, the relationship between the scale of investigation (i.e. what and how we measure features on the landscape) and what our subsequent analyses can tell us (i.e. interpretation of what we measure). It is important for us to review and understand the assumptions we must make when we use map (i.e. GIS) data to represent the multitude of landscape features. %B Geography %I University of California %C Santa Barbara %8 1995 %G eng %0 Report %D 1995 %T Position statement on GIS and global change (Research Initiative 15: Multiple roles for GIS in US Global Change Research) %A Davis, F. W. %P 51-52 %8 1995 %@ 95-10 %G eng %0 Generic %D 1995 %T Position statement on GIS and global change (Research Initiative 15: Multiple roles for GIS in US Global Change Research) %A Davis, F. W. %G eng %9 NCGIA Technical Report %0 Journal Article %J Remote Sensing of Environment %D 1995 %T Scaling and uncertainty in the relationship between the NDVI and land surface biophysical variables: An analysis using a scene simulation model and data from FIFE %A Friedl, M. A. %A Davis, F. W. %A Michaelsen, J. %A Moritz, M. A. %K Documentation %K General–Field Apparatus) (Mathematical Biology and Statistical Methods) (Ecology Environmental Biology–Bioclimatology and Biometeorology) (Ecology Environmental Biology–Plant) (Biophysics–Biocybernetics (1972- )) (Forestry and Forest Products) Pl %K General–Field Methods) (Methods %K Materials and Apparatus %K Nomenclature and Terminology) (General Biology–Information %K Plantae-Unspecified (General Biology–Taxonomy %K Retrieval and Computer Applications) (Methods %X Biophysical inversion of remotely sensed data is constrained by the complexity of the remote sensing process. Variations in sensor response associated with solar and sensor geometries, surface directional reflectance, topography, atmospheric absorption and scattering, and sensor electrical-optical engineering interact in complex manners that are difficult to deconvolve and quantify in individual images or in time series of images. We have developed a model of the remote sensing process to allow systematic examination of these factors. The model is composed of three main components, including a ground scene model, an atmospheric model, and a sensor model, and may be used to simulate imagery produced by instruments such as the Landsat Thematic Mapper and the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer. Using this model, we examine the effect of subpixel variance in leaf area index (LAI) on relationships among LAI, the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR), and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). To do this, we use data from the first ISLSICP Field Experiment (FIFE) to parameterize ground scene properties within the model. Our results demonstrate interactions between sensor spatial resolution and spatial autocorrelation in ground scenes that produce a variety of effects in the relationship between both LAI and FPAR and NDVI. Specifically, sensor regularization, nonlinearity in the relationship between LAI and NDVI, and scaling the NDVI all influence the range, variance, and uncertainty associated with estimates of LAI and FPAR inverted from simulated NDVI data. These results have important implications for parameterization of land surface process models using biophysical variables such as LAI and FPAR estimated from remotely sensed data. %B Remote Sensing of Environment %V 54 %P 233-246 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Ecological Studies Analysis and Synthesis, Vol. 117. Global change and mediterranean-type ecosystems; International Symposium, Valencia, Spain, September 1992 %D 1995 %T Sensitivity of fire regime in chaparral ecosystems in climate change %A Davis, F. W. %A Michaelsen, J. %E Moreno, J. M. %E Oechel, W. C. %K Documentation %K Plantae-Unspecified (General Biology–Information %K Retrieval and Computer Applications) (Mathematical Biology and Statistical Methods) (Ecology Environmental Biology–Bioclimatology and Biometeorology) (Ecology Environmental Biology–Plant) (Biophysics–Biocybernetics (1972- )) Plants Book Chapter Mee %B Ecological Studies Analysis and Synthesis, Vol. 117. Global change and mediterranean-type ecosystems; International Symposium, Valencia, Spain, September 1992 %I Springer-Verlag New York, Inc. %C New York, New York, USA; Berlin, Germany %P 435-456 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Ecological Studies Analysis and Synthesis, Vol. 117. Global change and mediterranean-type ecosystems; International Symposium, Valencia, Spain, September 1992 %D 1995 %T Sensitivity of fire regime in chaparral ecosystems in climate change %A Davis, F. W. %A Michaelsen, J. %E Moreno, J. M. %E Oechel, W. C. %K (Biophysics--Biocybernetics (1972- )) %K (Ecology %K (General Biology--Information, Documentation, Retrieval and Computer Applications) %K (Mathematical Biology and Statistical Methods) %K Book Chapter %K California %K Computer Simulation %K Ecology %K Environmental Biology--Bioclimatology and Biometeorology) %K Environmental Biology--Plant) %K Fire History %K Mathematical Model %K Meeting Paper %K Plantae-Unspecified %K Plants %K Usa %K vegetation %B Ecological Studies Analysis and Synthesis, Vol. 117. Global change and mediterranean-type ecosystems; International Symposium, Valencia, Spain, September 1992 %I Springer-Verlag New York, Inc. %C New York, New York, USA; Berlin, Germany %P 435-456 %8 1995 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Global Change and Mediterranean-type Ecosystems %D 1995 %T Sensitivity of fire regime in chaparral ecosystems to global climate change %A Davis, F. W. %A Michaelsen, J. C. %E Oechel, W. C. %E Moreno, J. M. %B Global Change and Mediterranean-type Ecosystems %I Springer-Verlag %C New York %P 435-456 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Global Change and Mediterranean-type Ecosystems %D 1995 %T Sensitivity of fire regime in chaparral ecosystems to global climate change %A Davis, F. W. %A Michaelsen, J. C. %E Oechel, W. C. %E Moreno, J. M. %B Global Change and Mediterranean-type Ecosystems %I Springer-Verlag %C New York %P 435-456 %8 1995 %G eng %0 Thesis %B Geography %D 1995 %T Stand discrimination in a western coniferous forest using AIRSAR data %A Saleta, J. L. %B Geography %I University of California %C Santa Barbara %P 148 %8 1995 %G eng %0 Generic %D 1995 %T The State of Computational Ecology %A Helly, John %A Case, Ted %A Davis, Frank %A Levin, Simon %A Michener, William %I National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis %G eng %9 Research Paper No. 1 %0 Report %D 1995 %T The State of Computational Ecology %A Helly, John %A Case, Ted %A Davis, Frank %A Levin, Simon %A Michener, William %I National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis %C Santa Barbara, California %P 30 %8 1995 %G eng %U http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/papers/compecol/compecol.pdf %0 Report %D 1995 %T Vegetation Change in Blue Oak and Blue Oak/Foothill Pine Woodland %A Davis, F. W. %A Brown, R. W. %I University of California, Santa Barbara %P 34 %8 1995 %G eng %U "http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/doc_home?elib_id=1458" %0 Generic %D 1995 %T Vegetation Change in Blue Oak and Blue Oak/Foothill Pine Woodland %A Davis, F. W. %A Brown, R. W. %I University of California, Santa Barbara %G eng %9 Final report prepared for the California Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Vegetation Science %D 1994 %T Applications of remote sensing and geographic information systems in vegetation science: Introduction %A Walsh, S. J. %A Davis, F. W. %B Journal of Vegetation Science %V 5 %P 610-613 %8 1994 %G eng %0 Thesis %D 1994 %T A Digital Multipurpose Vegetation Map for the Colorado Desert of California %A Gray, M. V. %X The purpose of this mapping of Colorado Desert vegetation is to produce a medium scale representation of broad landscapes of vegetation. These data are intended for use as input for a regional conservation analysis technique known as Gap Analysis. Data were collected using field based techniques and areal units were delineated using Thematic Mapper satellite data. Cartographic analysis was performed to compare distribution of vegetation types and their component species with regard to areas of varying management regimes. Results show significant differences between protection regimes for vegetation types and their component species. An analysis of proposed desert wilderness areas showed a large increase in protection status for species and vegetation types exhibiting strong patterns of eastern distribution. %G eng %9 phdMasters thesis %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Vegetation Science %D 1994 %T Distribution and conservation status of coastal sage scrub in southwestern California %A Davis, F. W. %A Stine, P. A. %A Stoms, D. M. %K gap analysis %K information analyis %K vegetation classification %X A landscape-based characterization of vegetation has been developed for southwestern California using satellite imagery, air photos, existing vegetation maps, and field data. Distribution maps of nine dominant coastal scrub species and 13 species assemblages that were identified by divisive information analysis have been analyzed to quantify spatial patterns of species co-occurrence. Three general distribution patterns are identified that suggest the Diegan, Venturan and Riversidian Associations identified by other workers. Vegetation data have also been related to land ownership and management to assess the conservation status of upland plant communities. A large proportion of the mapped distribution of species and vegetation types is on private land, and several taxa show less than 4% of mapped distribution in nature reserves. The analysis highlights the need to extend current conservation planning efforts into the northern part of the region to encompass areas where Salvia leucophylla is a frequent community dominant. %B Journal of Vegetation Science %V 5 %P 743-756 %8 1994 %G eng %U ://A1994PX87300011 %0 Journal Article %J Remote Sensing of Environment %D 1994 %T The effects of changes in loblolly pine biomass and soil moisture on ERS-1 SAR backscatter %A Wang, Y. %A Kasischke, E. S. %A Melack, J. M. %A Davis, F. W. %A Christensen, N. L., Jr. %K (Aerospace and Underwater Biological Effects--General %K (Biochemistry--Physiological Water Studies (1970- )) %K (Biophysics--Biocybernetics (1972- )) %K (Ecology %K (Forestry and Forest Products) %K (Mathematical Biology and Statistical Methods) %K (Plant Physiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics--Growth, Differentiation) %K (Plant Physiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics--Water Relations) %K (Soil Science--Fertility and Applied Studies (1970- )) %K (Soil Science--Physics and Chemistry (1970- )) %K Coniferopsida %K Environmental Biology--Plant) %K European Remote Sensing Satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar %K Gymnosperms %K Mathematical Model %K Methods) %K North Carolina %K Plants %K Research Article %K Spermatophytes %K Usa %K Vascular plants %B Remote Sensing of Environment %V 49 %P 25-31 %8 1994 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing %D 1994 %T Effects of habitat map generalization in biodiversity assessment - Response %A Stoms, D. M. %B Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing %V 60 %P 514-514 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J International Journal of Remote Sensing %D 1994 %T Estimating grassland biomass and Leaf Area Index using ground and satellite data %A Friedl, M. A. %A Michaelsen, J. %A Davis, F. W. %A Walker, H. %A Schimel, D. S. %K 675 COMMONWEALTH AVE %K BOSTON %K CTR REMOTE SENSING %K MA 02215. %K Remotely sensed data. Tallgrass prairie. Canopy reflectance. Noaa-avhrr. Vegetation. Photosynthesis. Transpiration. Images. Fife. Earth sciences. Reprint available from: Friedl MA. BOSTON UNIV %X We compared estimates of regional biomass and LAI for a tallgrass prairie site derived from ground data versus estimates derived from satellite data. Linear regression models were estimated to predict LAI and biomass from Landsat-TM data for imagery acquired on three dates spanning the growing season of 1987 using co-registered TM data and ground measurements of LAI and biomass collected at 27 grassland sites. Mapped terrain variables including burning treatment, land-use, and topographic position were included as indicator variables in the models to acccount for variance in biomass and LAI not captured in the TM data. Our results show important differences in the relationships between Kauth-Thomas greenness (from TM), LAI, biomass and the various terrain variables. In general, site-wide estimates of biomass and LAI derived from ground versus satellite-based data were comparable. However, substantial differences were observed in June. In a number of cases, the regression models exhibited significantly higher explained variance due to the incorporation of terrain variables, suggesting that for areas encompassing heterogeneous land-cover the inclusion of categorical terrain data in calibration procedures is a useful technique. [References: 46] 46 %B International Journal of Remote Sensing %V 15 %P 1401-1420 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Mapping the Diversity of Nature %D 1994 %T Hierarchical representation of species distributions using maps, images, and sighting data %A Hollander, A. D. %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %E Miller, R. I. %K data hypercube %K orange-throated whiptail %X Geographic Information Systems technology permits the generation of complex representations of species distributions, while most of the data underlying these patterns are coarse. This suggests the importance of structuring such data along axes of differing data extent, tiling schemes, themes, and time, and displaying different representations of distributions, the philosophy being that comparison of multiple representations provides a sense of the actual distribution through convergence of evidence. We present an example using a lizard, the orange-throated whiptail (Cnemidophorus hyperythrus), which is native to southern California. The analysis was hierarchically structured by first mapping overall lizard range limits, then suitable habitats within the range, and then habitats over a local extent. Data sources include a generalized range outline, museum records, and field observations, as well as climate data, vegetation maps, and satellite imagery to serve as associated environmental variables. Comparison of representations resulting from these different data sources makes biases evident, highlights areas of inadequate sampling, and can lead to new inferences about habitat relationships. Finally, we discuss forthcoming improvements in the technology that will facilitate creation and display of families of models. %B Mapping the Diversity of Nature %I Chapman and Hall %C London %P 71-88 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Mapping the Diversity of Nature %D 1994 %T Hierarchical representation of species distributions using maps, images, and sighting data %A Hollander, A. D. %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %E Miller, R. I. %K data hypercube, orange-throated whiptail %X Geographic Information Systems technology permits the generation of complex representations of species distributions, while most of the data underlying these patterns are coarse. This suggests the importance of structuring such data along axes of differing data extent, tiling schemes, themes, and time, and displaying different representations of distributions, the philosophy being that comparison of multiple representations provides a sense of the actual distribution through convergence of evidence. We present an example using a lizard, the orange-throated whiptail (Cnemidophorus hyperythrus), which is native to southern California. The analysis was hierarchically structured by first mapping overall lizard range limits, then suitable habitats within the range, and then habitats over a local extent. Data sources include a generalized range outline, museum records, and field observations, as well as climate data, vegetation maps, and satellite imagery to serve as associated environmental variables. Comparison of representations resulting from these different data sources makes biases evident, highlights areas of inadequate sampling, and can lead to new inferences about habitat relationships. Finally, we discuss forthcoming improvements in the technology that will facilitate creation and display of families of models. %B Mapping the Diversity of Nature %I Chapman and Hall %C London %P 71-88 %8 1994 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Biodiversity and Terrestrial Ecosystems %D 1994 %T Mapping and monitoring terrestrial biodiversity using geographic information systems %A Davis, F. W. %E Chou, C. I. Peng %E C. H. %K biodiversity %K connectivity %K evidence %K GIS %K southern California %K whiptail %X Location in space and time are attributes of nearly all biodiversity data. Obvious examples include species' collection localities, range maps and habitat maps. Geographic Information Systems for managing and analyzing spatial data are rapidly becoming an integral tool for scientists, resource managers and policy makers concerned with biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management. Database capabilities of GIS have extended the traditional map to a much more flexible and powerful representation of spatial information by allowing potentially large amounts of non-graphical information to be attached to each map unit. Biologists have yet to fully exploit this aspect of GIS in classification and mapping of biodiversity patterns. Some advantages of the GIS model over traditional maps are illustrated with a vegetation mapping project in southern California. In recent years GIS has been applied to a wide range of biodiversity issues, for example, modeling species distributions, Gap Analysis, population viability analysis, modeling ecosystem disturbance processes, and projecting the ecological impacts of global climate change. Specimen data can be of much greater use in conservation planning when coupled to predictive habitat relationship models and accurate habitat maps. The use of GIS to assemble multiple lines of evidence in modeling species' distribution is illustrated for Cnemidophorus hyperythrus, an endangered lizard of coastal southern California. Lastly, an example is provided of the application of GIS modeling of habitat suitability and connectivity to conservation planning in southern California. %B Biodiversity and Terrestrial Ecosystems %I Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica %C Taipei %V Monograph Series No. 14 %P 461-471 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Biodiversity and Terrestrial Ecosystems %D 1994 %T Mapping and monitoring terrestrial biodiversity using geographic information systems %A Davis, F. W. %E Chou, C. I. Peng and C. H. %K GIS, biodiversity, evidence, whiptail, connectivity, southern California %X Location in space and time are attributes of nearly all biodiversity data. Obvious examples include species' collection localities, range maps and habitat maps. Geographic Information Systems for managing and analyzing spatial data are rapidly becoming an integral tool for scientists, resource managers and policy makers concerned with biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management. Database capabilities of GIS have extended the traditional map to a much more flexible and powerful representation of spatial information by allowing potentially large amounts of non-graphical information to be attached to each map unit. Biologists have yet to fully exploit this aspect of GIS in classification and mapping of biodiversity patterns. Some advantages of the GIS model over traditional maps are illustrated with a vegetation mapping project in southern California. In recent years GIS has been applied to a wide range of biodiversity issues, for example, modeling species distributions, Gap Analysis, population viability analysis, modeling ecosystem disturbance processes, and projecting the ecological impacts of global climate change. Specimen data can be of much greater use in conservation planning when coupled to predictive habitat relationship models and accurate habitat maps. The use of GIS to assemble multiple lines of evidence in modeling species' distribution is illustrated for Cnemidophorus hyperythrus, an endangered lizard of coastal southern California. Lastly, an example is provided of the application of GIS modeling of habitat suitability and connectivity to conservation planning in southern California. %B Biodiversity and Terrestrial Ecosystems %I Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica %C Taipei %V Monograph Series No. 14 %P 461-471 %8 1994 %G eng %0 Generic %D 1994 %T Pilot Studies for Southern California: Synoptic National Assessment of Comparative Risks to Biological Diversity and Landscape Types %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %I University of California, Santa Barbara %G eng %9 Final Report to the Environmental Protection Agency %0 Report %D 1994 %T Pilot Studies for Southern California: Synoptic National Assessment of Comparative Risks to Biological Diversity and Landscape Types %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %I University of California, Santa Barbara %C Santa Barbara %8 1994 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Ambio %D 1994 %T A Preliminary Inventory of Human Disturbance of World Ecosystems %A Hannah, L. %A D. Lohse %B Ambio %V 23 %G eng %& 246 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Vegetation Science %D 1994 %T Regression tree analysis of satellite and terrain data to guide vegetation sampling and surveys %A Michaelsen, J. %A Schimel, D. S. %A Friedl, M. A. %A Davis, F. W. %A Dubayah, R. C. %K (Aerospace and Underwater Biological Effects--General %K (Ecology %K (General Biology--Institutions, Administration and Legislation) %K (Methods, Materials and Apparatus, General--Field Methods) %K (Methods, Materials and Apparatus, General--Photography) %K Angiosperms %K Biophysical Properties %K Ecological Classification %K Environmental Biology--Bioclimatology and Biometeorology) %K Environmental Biology--Plant) %K Gramineae %K International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Program %K Methods) %K monitoring %K Monocots %K Plants %K Research Article %K Satellite Imagery %K Spermatophytes %K Tall Grass Prairie Landscape %K Vascular plants %X Monitoring of regional vegetation and surface biophysical properties is tightly constrained by both the quantity and quality of ground data. Stratified sampling is often used to increase sampling efficiency, but its effectiveness hinges on appropriate classification of the land surface. A good classification must he sufficiently detailed to include the important sources of spatial variability, but at the same time it should be as parsimonious as possible to conserve scarce and expensive degrees of freedom in ground data. As part of the First ISLSCP (International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Program) Field Experiment (FIFE), we used Regression Tree Analysis to derive an ecological classification of a tail grass prairie landscape. The classification is derived from digital terrain, land use, and land cover data and is based on their association with spectral vegetation indices calculated from single-date and multi-temporal satellite imagery. The regression tree analysis produced a site stratification that is similar to the a priori scheme actually used in FIFE, but is simpler and considerably more effective in reducing sample variance in surface measurements of variables such as biomass, soil moisture and Bowen Ratio. More generally, regression tree analysis is a useful technique for identifying and estimating complex hierarchical relationships in multivariate data sets. %B Journal of Vegetation Science %V 5 %P 673-686 %8 1994 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J The Professional Geographer %D 1994 %T Scale dependence of species richness maps %A Stoms, D. M. %K scale gap analysis Idaho GIS biodiversity species richness Intermountain Sagebrush ecoregion Rocky Mountains alpha diversity beta diversity gamma diversity %X Mapping patterns of species richness is a longstanding tradition in biogeography and more recently in conservation planning. This paper describes the effects of sampling unit size on patterns of vertebrate richness across landscapes in the Intermountain Sagebrush and Rocky Mountain Forest ecoregions in Idaho. Variability of richness decreased with increasing size of the spatial sampling units at both sites, with greater overall variability in the forested site. Richness in the sagebrush region was best explained by alpha diversity, whereas beta diversity accounted for more of the variability in richness in the forested site. %B The Professional Geographer %V 46 %P 346-358 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Remote Sensing of Environment %D 1994 %T Sources of variation in radiometric surface temperature over a tallgrass prairie %A Friedl, M. A. %A Davis, F. W. %K Biochemistry and Biophysics–Temperature) (Agronomy–Forage Crops and Fodder) (Soil Science–Physics and Chemistry (1970- )) Plants Vascular plants Spermatophytes Angiosperms Monocots Research Article Vegetation Index Soil Energy Balance Mathematical %K Effects and Regulation–General Measurement and Methods) (Plant Physiology %K Plantae-Unspecified Gramineae (Mathematical Biology and Statistical Methods) (Ecology Environmental Biology–Plant) (Biophysics–Biocybernetics (1972- )) (Metabolism–Energy and Respiratory Metabolism) (Temperature: Its Measurement %X Numerous studies have noted a strong negative correlation between radiometric surface temperature and spectral vegetation indices such as the NDVI, and have suggested that this relationship might be exploited in strategies to model land surface energy balance from satellites. These studies have been largely empirical in nature and the relationships among remotely sensed data, land surface properties, and land surface energy balance that produce this phenomenon remain unclear. We studied the relationship between radiometric surface temperature and NDVI over a tallgrass prairie in northeastern Kansas. The study site included a mix of landcovers, with fractional vegetation cover and exposed soil backgrounds over much of the site. We observed a persistent negative correlation between radiometric surface temperature and NDVI, but found that the relationship was highly date- and time-specific. In this context, the relationship between surface temperature and NDVI was observed to depend on landcover type, and a significant proportion of the total variance in both NDVI and radiometric surface temperature was explained by stratifying the data by landcover class. More importantly, our results show the relationship between surface temperature and NDVI to have little association with surface energy balance for data sets acquired from aircraft and helicopters on several dates during the growing seasons of 1987 and 1989. Based on results from a simulation model of the soil-canopy-sensor system, we hypothesize the observed covariance between radiometric surface temperature and NDVI to be largely caused by temperature differences between the soil background and vegetation canopy and by variation in fractional vegetation cover. This hypothesis is supported by evidence showing soil moisture to be an important secondary control on radiometric surface temperature due to its effect on soil thermal inertia, rather than as a limiting control on latent heat flux, as might be expected. These findings indicate that invertible surface energy balance models must account for the effects of landcover, soil background temperatures, and soil moisture before thermal infrared imagery can be effectively used to estimate land surface fluxes. %B Remote Sensing of Environment %V 48 %P 1-17 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Ecological Studies Analysis and Synthesis, Vol. 107. The role of fire in Mediterranean-type ecosystems %D 1994 %T Spatial stimulation of fire regime in Mediterranean-climate landscapes %A Davis, F. W. %A Burrows, D. A. %E Moreno, J. M. %E Oechel, W. C. %K Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems Fire Effects Fire Type Fire Intensity Fire Return Interval Spatial Simulation Climate Chaparral Geographic Information System Computer Models and Simulations %B Ecological Studies Analysis and Synthesis, Vol. 107. The role of fire in Mediterranean-type ecosystems %I Springer-Verlag New York, Inc. %C New York, New York, USA; Berlin, Germany %P 117-139 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Ecological Studies Analysis and Synthesis, Vol. 107. The role of fire in Mediterranean-type ecosystems %D 1994 %T Spatial stimulation of fire regime in Mediterranean-climate landscapes %A Davis, F. W. %A Burrows, D. A. %E Moreno, J. M. %E Oechel, W. C. %K Chaparral %K Climate %K Computer Models and Simulations %K Fire Effects %K Fire Intensity %K Fire Return Interval %K Fire Type %K geographic information system %K Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems %K Spatial Simulation %B Ecological Studies Analysis and Synthesis, Vol. 107. The role of fire in Mediterranean-type ecosystems %I Springer-Verlag New York, Inc. %C New York, New York, USA; Berlin, Germany %P 117-139 %8 1994 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Natural Areas Journal %D 1993 %T Compiling a digital map of areas managed for biodiversity in California %A Beardsley, K. %A Stoms, D. M. %K gap analysis managed areas California %X To determine how well the biological diversity of a region is protected, one must know the locations of all managed areas and the level of management being provided at each. In this paper we outline some of the problems confronting cartographers in compiling digital maps of managed areas. These problems involve the classification of management levels, selection of a minimum mapping unit, integration of maps from multiple sources, and the maintenance of data on rapidly changing land ownership. We demonstrate how these problems were resolved for a managed areas map for the state of California. Characteristics of an ideal geographic information system (GIS) database of managed areas are also described. The California map is being produced at a scale of 1:100,000 with a minimum mapping unit of 200 ha for uplands and 80 ha for wetlands. Mapping has been completed for the Southwestern California Ecoregion, and the results and lessons learned are reported here. For this 3-million-ha study region, 9.8% of the total land area was classified at the highest level of protection; these managed areas are concentrated in higher elevation areas. Only 12.1% of significant natural areas in the region, as identified by the California Lands and Natural Areas Program, are currently within well-protected areas. %B Natural Areas Journal %V 13 %P 177-190 %G eng %0 Thesis %D 1993 %T Correspondence between remotely sensed data and land surface energy balance over a tallgrass prairie %A Friedl, M. A. %G eng %9 phdPh.D. dissertation %0 Journal Article %J Wildlife Monographs %D 1993 %T Gap analysis: A geographic approach to protection of biological diversity %A Scott, J. M. %A Davis, F. %A Csuti, B. %A Noss, R. %A Butterfield, B. %A Groves, C. %A Anderson, H. %A Caicco, S. %A D'Erchia, F. %A T. C. Edwards, Jr. %A Ulliman, J. %A Wright, R. G. %B Wildlife Monographs %V 123 %P 1-41 %8 1993 %G eng %U http://fiesta.bren.ucsb.edu/~fd/Pubs/scott_et_al93.pdf %0 Journal Article %J Conservation Biology %D 1993 %T Geographic analysis of California condor sighting data %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %A Cogan, C. B. %A Painho, M. O. %A Duncan, B. W. %A Scepan, J. %A Scott, J. M. %K habitat suitability %K sensitivity analysis %X Observation and habitat data were compiled and analyzed in conjunction with recovery planning for the endangered California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus). A geographic information system (GIS) was used to provide a quantitative inventory of recent historical Condor habitats, to measure the association of Condor activity patterns and mapped habitat variables, and to examine spatio-temporal changes in the range of the species during its decline. Only five percent of the study area within the historic range is now used for urban or cultivated agricultural purposes. Observations of Condor feeding perching, and nesting were nonrandomly associated with mapped land cover, in agreement with life history information for the species. The precipitous decline in numbers of Condors in this century produced only a small reduction in the limits of the observed species 'range, as individual birds continued to forage over most of the range. Some critical risk factors such as shooting and lead poisoning are difficult to map and bave not been included in the database Besides the applications demonstrated in this case study, GIS can be a valuable tool for recovery planning, in the design of stratified sampling schemes, or for extrapolation of habitat models over unsurveyed regions. We conclude with recommendations from this case study regarding when to consider using GIS and the importance of pilot studies and sensitivity analysis. %B Conservation Biology %V 7 %P 148-159 %8 1993 %G eng %U ://A1993KR98600021 %0 Book Section %B Patch Dynamics %D 1993 %T Introduction to spatial statistics %A Davis, F. W. %E S. Levin, T. Powell and J. Steele %B Patch Dynamics %I Springer-Verlag %C New York %P 16-26 %8 1993 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Patch Dynamics %D 1993 %T Introduction to spatial statistics %A Davis, F. W. %E S. Levin, T. Powell %E Steele, J. %B Patch Dynamics %I Springer-Verlag %C New York %P 16-26 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Oecologia (Berlin) %D 1993 %T Invasion of Maritime Chaparral by the Introduced Succulent Carpobrotus-Edulis the Roles of Fire and Herbivory %A D'Antonio, C. M. %A Odion, D. C. %A Tyler, C. M. %K Aizoaceae Cervidae (Ecology Environmental Biology–Plant) (Ecology Environmental Biology–Animal) (Plant Physiology %K Biochemistry and Biophysics–Temperature) Plants Vascular plants Spermatophytes Angiosperms Dicots Animals Chordates Vertebrates Nonhuman vertebrates Mammals Nonhuman mammals Artiodactyls Deer Scat Seeds Temperature Herbivory Fire Seedling Mortality %X Invasion by the alien succulent, Carpobrotus edulis, has become a common occurrence after fire in maritime chaparral in coastal California, USA. We studied post-burn Carpobrotus establishment in chaparral that lacked Carpobrotus plants before the fire and compared seedbank and field populations in adjacent burned and unburned stands. Carpobrotus seeds were abundant in deer scat and in the soil before burning. Burning did not enhance germination: many seeds were apparently killed by fire and seed bank cores taken after fire revealed no germinable seeds. Laboratory tests showed that temperatures over 105.degree.C for five minutes killed Carpobrotus seeds. In a field experiment involving use of herbivore exclosures, we found that herbivory was an important source of mortality for seedlings in both burned and unburned chaparral. All seedlings, however, died outside of the burn regardless of the presence of cages. Establishment there is apparently limited by factors affecting plant physiology. In the burned area, seedlings that escaped herbivory grew very rapidly. Overall, it appears that herbivory limited seedling establishment in both burned and unburned sites but that the post-burn soil environment supported Carpobrotus growth in excess of herbivore use, thus promoting establishment. %B Oecologia (Berlin) %V 95 %P 14-21 %G eng %0 Report %D 1993 %T Investigations into the use of airborne multispectral images for estimating conifer mortality in Sierran montane forests %A Davis, F. W. %A Walker, R. E. %I University of California, Santa Barbara %P 48 %8 1993 %G eng %0 Generic %D 1993 %T Investigations into the use of airborne multispectral images for estimating conifer mortality in Sierran montane forests %A Davis, F. W. %A Walker, R. E. %I University of California, Santa Barbara %G eng %9 Final report prepared for the Sequoia Natural History Association and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks %0 Book Section %B Patch Dynamics %D 1993 %T Modeling fire regime in mediterranean landscapes %A Davis, F. W. %A Burrows, D. A. %E Levin, S. %E Powell, T. %E Steele, J. %B Patch Dynamics %S Lecture Notes in Biomathematics %I Springer-Verlag %C New York %P 247- 259 %8 1993 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Patch Dynamics %D 1993 %T Modeling fire regime in mediterranean landscapes %A Davis, F. W. %A Burrows, D. A. %E Levin, S. %E Powell, T. %E Steele, J. %B Patch Dynamics %S Lecture Notes in Biomathematics %I Springer-Verlag %C New York %P 247- 259 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J IEEE Transactions on Geoscience & Remote Sensing %D 1993 %T Modeling L-Band Radar Backscatter of Alaskan Boreal Forest %A Wang, Y. %A Day, J. L. %A Davis, F. W. %A Melack, J. M. %K Electrical & electronic. %K Reprint available from: Wang Y. UNIV CALIF SANTA BARBARA, CTR REMOTE %K SENSING & ENVIRONM OPT, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93106, USA. %K Vegetation. Layer. %X Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data were acquired over Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest (Alaska) in March 1988 under thawed and frozen conditions. For five stands analyzed, L-band backscatter at 42-degrees-45-degrees incidence angle was 2.7-6.9 dB smaller under frozen than under thawed conditions for white spruce and balsam poplar, with the largest difference at HV and the smallest at HH polarization. The differences were smaller for a stand of small black spruce. The VV-HH phase differences observed by SAR were almost-equal-to 0-degrees for all the stands. Ground data were used to parameterize the Santa Barbara canopy backscatter model. For the white spruce and balsam poplar stands under thawed conditions, simulations agreed with the SAR data within the calibration uncertainty. The model underestimated the HH, HV, and VV backscatter for all five stands under frozen conditions, and for the black spruce stand under thawed conditions. The modeled VV-HH phase differences were close to 0-degrees for all the stands except the black spruce stand. The discrepancies in model predictions of backscatter and phase difference were attributed to inadequate surface backscatter modeling. Model results supported the hypothesis that the weaker backscatter from frozen, as compared with thawed stands, was because of the smaller dielectric constant of the frozen trees. [References: 15] 15 %B IEEE Transactions on Geoscience & Remote Sensing %V 31 %P 1146-1154 %8 1993 %G eng %0 Thesis %B Geography %D 1993 %T Quantitative Analysis of Habitat Use by the California Condor %A Cogan, C. B. %B Geography %I University of California %C Santa Barbara %P 141 %8 1993 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J International Journal of Remote Sensing %D 1993 %T A remote sensing research agenda for mapping and monitoring biodiversity %A Stoms, D. M. %A Estes, J. E. %K species richness NDVI net primary production %X There is an urgent need to inventory and monitor indicators of biological diversity, such as species richness. Remotely sensed data provides a means to accomplish part of this task, but there has been no comprehensive scientific framework to guide its effective application. Here we propose a remote sensing research agenda designed to improve the quality and quantity of information available for testing scientific hypotheses, monitoring, and conservation planning. Biodiversity should be more fully incorporated into ongoing earth system science and global change programs, with remote sensing featured as a prominent data acquisition and analysis tool. %B International Journal of Remote Sensing %V 14 %P 1839-1860 %G eng %0 Generic %D 1993 %T Research Plan for Pilot Studies of the Biodiversity Research Consortium %A Kiester, A. R. %A White, D. %A Preston, E. M. %A Master, L. L. %A Loveland, T. R. %A Bradford, D. F. %A Csuti, B. A. %A O'Connor, R. J. %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %I U. S. Environmental Protection Agency %8 June 3, 1993 %G eng %9 Research Plan %0 Journal Article %J IEEE Transactions on Geoscience & Remote Sensing %D 1993 %T Simulated and Observed Backscatter at P-, L-, and C-Bands from Ponderosa Pine Stands %A Wang, Y. %A Davis, F. W. %A Melack, J. M. %K Electrical & electronic. %K Radar. Scattering. Model. %K Reprint available from: Wang Y. UNIV CALIF SANTA BARBARA, CTR REMOTE %K SENSING & ENVIRONM OPT, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93106, USA. %X We compared the output of the Santa Barbara microwave canopy backscatter model to polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data for three ponderosa pine stands (ST-2, ST-11, and SP-2) with discontinuous tree canopies near Mt. Shasta, California, at P-band (0.68-m wavelength), L-band (0.235-m wavelength), and C-band (0.056-m wavelength). Given the SAR data calibration uncertainty, the model made good predictions of the P-HH, P-VV, L-HH, C-HH, and C-HV backscatter for the three stands, and the P-HV and L-HV backscatter for ST-2 and SP-2. The model underestimated C-VV for the three stands, and P-HV, L-HV, and L-VV backscatter for ST-11. The observed and modeled VV-HH phase differences were similar or equal to 0 degrees for the three stands at C-band and L-band, and for SP-2 at P-band. At P-band, the observed and modeled VV-HH phase differences were at least -80 degrees for ST-2 and ST-11, which indicates that double-bounce scattering contributes to the total backscatter for the two stands. [References: 10] 10 %B IEEE Transactions on Geoscience & Remote Sensing %V 31 %P 871-879 %8 1993 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Scaling Physiological Processes: Leaf to Globe %D 1993 %T Spatial information for extrapolation of canopy processes: examples from FIFE %A Schimel, D. S. %A Davis, F. W. %A Kittel, G. T. %E Ehleringer, J. R. %E Fields, C. B. %B Scaling Physiological Processes: Leaf to Globe %I Academic Press %C New York %P 21-38 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Scaling Physiological Processes: Leaf to Globe %D 1993 %T Spatial information for extrapolation of canopy processes: examples from FIFE %A Schimel, D. S. %A Davis, F. W. %A Kittel, G. T. %E Ehleringer, J. R. %E Fields, C. B. %B Scaling Physiological Processes: Leaf to Globe %I Academic Press %C New York %P 21-38 %8 1993 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Ecology %D 1993 %T Vegetation dynamics, fire, and the physical environment in coastal Central California %A Callaway, R. M. %A Davis, F. W. %K Gramineae Compositae Fagaceae (Ecology Environmental Biology–Plant) Plants Vascular plants Spermatophytes Angiosperms Monocots Dicots Grassland Coastal Sage Scrub Chaparral Oak Woodland Community Grazing Climax Community Landscape Ecology Markov chain m %X Current concepts of vegetation dynamics include that of the shifting landscape mosaic, but evidence for shifting mosaics in disturbed and undisturbed systems is primarily based on negative spatial relationships among adults and recruits, and not on measurements of actual shifts over time. We used aerial photographs to measure transition rates as evidence for mosaic shifts among grassland, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and oak woodland communities in central coastal California between 1947 and 1989. In unburned plots without livestock, transition from grassland to coastal sage scrub was 0.69% per year, coastal sage scrub to oak woodland was 0.30% per year, and oak woodland to grassland was 0.08% per year. These transition rates, considered together, indicate that vegetation patterns may be dynamic on landscapes dominated by these communities. In burned plots without livestock, and in unburned plots where livestock were not excluded, transition rates were lowers, except for the conversion of oak woodland to grassland. In burned plots, a high rate of transition of coastal sage scrub to grassland was measured. Markov chain models predicted much less directional change in community proportions in either grazed or burned conditions than in ungrazed, unburned conditions. Some transition rates varied with substrate and topographical position, indicating that fire, grazing, and the physical environment interacted to determine direction and rate of vegetation change. Variation in transition on different substrates suggests that only portions of the vegetation of these landscapes may be dynamic, with some patches in certain combinations of environment and disturbance that change rapidly, and other patches that remain static as edaphic or topographic climax communities. %B Ecology %V 74 %P 1567-1578 %G eng %0 Conference Paper %B Gis/lis'92 %D 1992 %T Beyond the traditional vegetation map towards a biodiversity database %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %A Stine, P. A. %A Borchert, M. %B Gis/lis'92 %I American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing %C San Jose %P 718-726 %8 1992 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres %D 1992 %T Covariance of biophysical data with digital topographic and land use maps over the FIFE site %A Davis, F. W. %A Schimel, D. S. %A Friedl, M. A. %A Michaelsen, J. C. %A Kittel, T. G. F. %A Dubayah, R. %A Dozier, J. %B Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres %V 97 %P 19009-19021 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing %D 1992 %T Effects of habitat map generalization in biodiversity assessment %A Stoms, D. M. %K habitat suitability %K scale %K sensitivity analysis %K species richness %X Species richness is being mapped as part of an inventory of biological diversity in California (i.e., gap analysis). Species distributions are modeled with a GIS on the basis of maps of each species' preferred habitats. Species richness is then tallied in equal-area sampling units. A GIS sensitivity analysis examined the effects of the level of generalization of the habitat map on the predicted distribution of species richness in the southern Sierra Nevada. As the habitat map was generalized, the number of habitat types mapped within grid cells tended to decrease with a corresponding decline in numbers of species predicted. Further, the ranking of grid cells in order of predicted numbers of species changed dramatically between levels of generalization. Areas predicted to be of greatest conservation value on the basis of species richness may therefore be sensitive to GIS data resolution. %B Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing %V 58 %P 1587-1591 %8 1992 %G eng %U ://A1992JV67200007 %0 Thesis %B Geography %D 1992 %T Modeling errors in digital landuse/land cover maps %A Painho, M. O. %B Geography %I University of California %C Santa Barbara %8 1992 %G eng %0 Conference Paper %B Gis/lis'92 %D 1992 %T Modeling vegetation cover types from a topographic gradient in the southern Sierra Nevada %A Walker, R. E. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %A Wagtendonk, J. van %B Gis/lis'92 %I American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing %C San Jose %P 794-803 %8 1992 %G eng %0 Thesis %B Geography %D 1992 %T Quantification of Cartographic Generalization in Land Cover Maps Using Spatial Pattern Index Measurements Derived from Digital Satellite Imagery %A Bueno, M. %X This thesis presents a methodology for detecting potential errors in vegetation maps developed by interpretation of remotely sensed imagery. Land cover maps derived by photo interpretation of remotely sensed satellite imagery suffer from analyst-dependent cartographic errors such as over-generalization, poor boundary placement and misclassification. Image interpretation is subjective and generally inconsistent among maps prepared by different interpreters. The mapping process represents a great simplification of the spatial and spectral information in the imagery. The hypothesis of this research is that spatial pattern indices derived from satellite imagery and retained as polygon attributes help to preserve some of the original spatial and spectral information, and can be used to detect cartographic errors due to misclassification, boundary misplacement and excessive generalization. The approach involves establishing a distribution of by-class pattern index values to detect outliers in the distribution. Results indicate that the procedure is promising for enforcing cartographic consistency. In addition to the potential for error detection, information on within-polygon heterogeneity may be of ecological or socioeconomic interest. %B Geography %I University of California %C Santa Barbara %8 1992 %G eng %0 Conference Paper %B 1992 Annual Meeting of ASPRS/ACSM %D 1992 %T Relationships between biological diversity and multitemporal vegetation index data in California %A Walker, R. E. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Estes, J. E. %A Cayocca, K. D. %B 1992 Annual Meeting of ASPRS/ACSM %I American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing %C Albuquerque %P 562-571 %8 1992 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing %D 1992 %T Sensitivity of wildlife habitat models to uncertainties in GIS data %A Stoms, D. M. %A Davis, F. W. %A Cogan, C. B. %K habitat suitability %K sensitivity analysis %X Decision makers need to know the reliability of output products from GIS analysis. For many GIS applications, it is not possible to compare these products to an independent measure of "truth." Sensitivity analysis offers an alternative means of estimating reliability. In this paper, we present a GIS-based statistical procedure for estimating the sensitivity of wildlife habitat models to uncertainties in input data and model assumptions. The approach is demonstrated in an analysis of habitat associations derived from a GIS database for the endangered California condor. Alternative data sets were generated to compare results over a reasonable range of assumptions about several sources of uncertainty. Sensitivity analysis indicated that condor habitat associations are relatively robust, and the results have increased our confidence in our initial findings. Uncertainties and methods described in the paper have general relevance for many GIS applications. %B Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing %V 58 %P 843-850 %8 1992 %G eng %U ://A1992HX38700006 %0 Report %D 1991 %T Biotic Inventory and Ecosystem Characterization for Fish Slough, Inyo and Mono Counties, California %A Ferren, W. R. %A Davis, F. W. %I University of California, Santa Barbara %8 1991 %G eng %0 Generic %D 1991 %T Biotic Inventory and Ecosystem Characterization for Fish Slough, Inyo and Mono Counties, California %A Ferren, W. R. %A Davis, F. W. %I University of California, Santa Barbara %G eng %9 Final report prepared for the California Dept. of Fish and Game %0 Journal Article %J Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing %D 1991 %T Environmental analysis using integrated GIS and remotely sensed data: Some research needs and priorities %A Davis, F. W. %A Quattrochi, D. E. %A Ridd, M. K. %A Lam, N. S. N. %A Walsh, S. J. %A Michaelsen, J. C. %A Franklin, J. %A Stow, D. A. %A Johannsen, C. J. %A Johnston, C. A. %K scale, scale-dependence, multiscale sampling, global change, minimum mapping unit, sensitivity analysis %B Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing %V 57 %P 689-697 %8 1991 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Challenges in the Conservation of Biological Resources: A Practitioner's Guide %D 1991 %T Gap analysis: an application of Geographic Information Systems for wildlife species %A Scott, J. M. %A Csuti, B. %A Davis, F. W. %E Decker, D. J. %E Krasny, M. E. %E Goff, G. R. %E Smith, C. R. %E Gross, D. W. %B Challenges in the Conservation of Biological Resources: A Practitioner's Guide %I Westview Press %C Boulder, Colorado %P 167-180 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Challenges in the Conservation of Biological Resources: A Practitioner's Guide %D 1991 %T Gap analysis: an application of Geographic Information Systems for wildlife species %A Scott, J. M. %A Csuti, B. %A Davis, F. W. %E Decker, D. J. %E Krasny, M. E. %E Goff, G. R. %E Smith, C. R. %E Gross, D. W. %B Challenges in the Conservation of Biological Resources: A Practitioner's Guide %I Westview Press %C Boulder, Colorado %P 167-180 %8 1991 %G eng %0 Conference Paper %B Symposium on Biodiversity of Northwestern California %D 1991 %T Gap analysis of biodiversity in California %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %K geographic information system, Wildlife-Habitat Relationships System, vegetation mapping %X Most conservation efforts in California are conducted at local to sub-regional scales, and focus on species or communities of special concern. Currently lacking is an overview of the protection status of species and communities both statewide and in the western U.S. This paper describes a GIS-based Gap Analysis of biodiversity that is part of a national program being coordinated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Gap Analysis" is the evaluation of the protection status of plant communities and vertebrate species by GIS overlay of biological distribution data on a map of biological reserves. The biodiversity assessment for California is using existing digital geographical data sets on land ownership, topography, species ranges and locations of threatened and endangered species. An up-to-date statewide vegetation map is being produced using digital Thematic Mapper (TM) satellite data. The vegetation map is used in conjunction with the California Wildlife Habitat Relationships (WHR) System and digital species range maps to predict potential distributions of native terrestrial vertebrates. Research to date has concentrated on the south coastal region, and has been involved in compiling existing data sets, refining mapping methods and testing the sensitivity of the biodiversity assessment to map scale and minimum mapping unit. A hybrid method of digital image classification and manual image interpretation has been developed that appears promising. Test areas exhibit very different scales of vegetation pattern and different sensitivity to data resolution, implying the need for different minimum mapping units for different physiographic regions of the state. %B Symposium on Biodiversity of Northwestern California %I University of California Wildland Resources Center %C Santa Rosa, California %P 23-29 %8 1991 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Geographical Information Systems: Principles and Applications %D 1991 %T GIS and remote sensing %A Davis, F. W. %A Simonett, D. S. %E Maguire, D. J. %E Goodchild, M. F. %E Rhind, D. W. %B Geographical Information Systems: Principles and Applications %I Longman Scientific & Technical %C London %V 1 %P 191-213 %8 1991 %G eng %0 Book Section %B Geographical Information Systems: Principles and Applications %D 1991 %T GIS and remote sensing %A Davis, F. W. %A Simonett, D. S. %E Maguire, D. J. %E Goodchild, M. F. %E Rhind, D. W. %B Geographical Information Systems: Principles and Applications %I Longman Scientific & Technical %C London %V 1 %P 191-213 %G eng %0 Generic %D 1991 %T Historical mortality of Valley Oak (Quercus lobata, Nee) in the Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara, County, 1938-1989 %A Brown, R. W. %A Davis, F. W. %I USDA Forest Service %G eng %9 General Technical Report %0 Journal Article %J Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing %D 1991 %T Improved Integration of Remote-Sensing and Geographic Information Systems - a Background to NCGIA Initiative 12 %A Star, J. L. %A Estes, J. E. %A Davis, F. %B Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing %V 57 %P 643-645 %G eng %0 Book Section %B GIS Applications in Natural Resources %D 1991 %T An information systems approach to the preservation of biological diversity %A Scott, J. M. %A Estes, J. E. %A Scepan, J. %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %E Heit, M. %E Shortreid, A. %B GIS Applications in Natural Resources %I GIS World, Inc. %C Ft. Collins, Colorado %P 283-293 %8 1991 %G eng %0 Book Section %B GIS Applications in Natural Resources %D 1991 %T An information systems approach to the preservation of biological diversity %A Scott, J. M. %A Estes, J. E. %A Scepan, J. %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %E Heit, M. %E Shortreid, A. %B GIS Applications in Natural Resources %I GIS World, Inc. %C Ft. Collins, Colorado %P 283-293 %G eng %0 Thesis %D 1991 %T Mapping and monitoring regional patterns of species richness from geographic information %A Stoms, D. M. %X Biological diversity has become a major scientific and pol- itical issue, producing an urgent need for inventory and monitoring programs. Remote sensing provides tools to satisfy part of this need, but there has been no scientific framework for guiding its application in biodiversity as- sessments. A research agenda is proposed to expand our knowledge of the role remote sensing might play in providing improved information on the spatial distribution of species richness and its ecological determinants, and the response of these ecological factors to global change. Many physical and biological factors that are correlated with species richness have been mapped with remote sensing, including landscape geometry, primary productivity, and evapotran- spiration. Additional research is required to apply remote sensing methods to the assessment of biodiversity in the context of earth system science and global change programs. Sensitivity of maps of predicted species richness to spatial scale and habitat map generalization and accuracy were exam- ined by means of a geographic information system (GIS) sen- sitivity analysis. Wildlife-habitat relationships (WHR) models were integrated with a map of habitats to predict species number within uniform grid cells for two distinct ecoregions in Idaho. Patterns of richness varied unpredict- ably with size of the spatial sampling units because of the complex interaction of factors that affect richness. For statewide Gap Analysis, a range of grid sizes between 10- 100,000 ha are recommended for the Rocky Mountain Forest ecoregion and 10-60,000 ha for the Intermountain Sagebrush ecoregion. Contiguous, non-overlapping grids provide ade- quate sampling density. Another GIS sensitivity analysis ascertained the effects of the level of generalization (minimum mapping unit) and accu- racy of the habitat map on the predicted distribution of richness in the southern Sierra Nevada, California. Predicted richness declines monotonically as the habitat map is generalized, due to reduction in the number of habitat types mapped in a quadrat. Misclassification had the oppo- site effect of predicting more species than the baseline model. Both factors produced changes in the grid cells predicted as having the most species. It is expected that these effects diminish as sampling unit size increases. %G eng %9 phdPh.D. Dissertation %0 Journal Article %J Remote Sensing of Environment %D 1991 %T Thematic mapper analysis of tree cover in semiarid woodlands using a model of canopy shadowing %A Franklin, J. %A Davis, F. W. %A LeFebvre, P. %B Remote Sensing of Environment %V 36 %P 189-202 %G eng %0 Report %D 1991 %T The Use of Vegetation Maps and Geographic Information Systems for Assessing Conifer Lands in California %A Goodchild, M. F. %A Davis, F. W. %A Painho, M. %A Stoms, D. M. %I NCGIA %C Santa Barbara %P 75 %8 1991 %@ 91-23 %G eng %U "http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/doc_home?elib_id=1732" %0 Generic %D 1991 %T The Use of Vegetation Maps and Geographic Information Systems for Assessing Conifer Lands in California %A Goodchild, M. F. %A Davis, F. W. %A Painho, M. %A Stoms, D. M. %I NCGIA %G eng %9 Technical Report %0 Journal Article %J Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing %D 1990 %T Information analysis of a spatial database for ecological land classification %A Davis, F. W. %A Dozier, J. %K Burton Mesa %K California %K DEM data %K entropy %K GIS %K map errors %K mutual information analysis %K TMS %K vegetation pattern %B Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing %V 56 %P 605-613 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J International Journal of Geographical Information Systems %D 1990 %T An information systems approach to the preservation of biological diversity %A Davis, F. W. %A Stoms, D. M. %A Estes, J. E. %A Scepan, J. %A Scott, J. M. %B International Journal of Geographical Information Systems %V 4 %P 55-78 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Landscape Ecology %D 1990 %T Modeling vegetation pattern using digital terrain data %A Davis, F. W. %A Goetz, S. %K California %K coast live oak forest %K DEM %K geology %K GIS %K Lompoc %K remote sensing %K solar radiation %B Landscape Ecology %V 4 %P 69-80 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Water Resources Research %D 1990 %T Topographic distribution of clear-sky radiation over the Konza Prairie, Kansas %A Dubayah, R. %A Dozier, J. %A Davis, F. W. %B Water Resources Research %V 26 %P 679-690 %G eng %0 Thesis %D 1990 %T Utilizing GIS technology to combine regional physiognomic and floristic vegetation maps %A Duncan, B. W. %G eng %9 phdMasters thesis %0 Journal Article %J Vegetatio %D 1989 %T Establishment of miscroscale vegetation pattern in maritime chaparral after fire %A Davis, F. W. %A Borchert, M. I. %A Odion, D. C. %B Vegetatio %V 84 %P 53-67 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Ecology %D 1989 %T Interactions of factors affecting seedling recruitment of Blue oak (Quercus douglasii) in California %A Borchert, M. I. %A Davis, F. W. %A Michaelsen, J. %A Oyler, L. D. %K acorn blue oak cattle exclosures gophers interaction mice predation seedling woodland classification and regression tree (CART) hierarchical cluster analysis stepwise logistic regression American Canyon Agua Escondido San Luis Obispo County northness inde %B Ecology %V 70 %P 389-404 %G eng %0 Thesis %B Geography %D 1989 %T Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of a Blue Oak Woodland %A Harvey, Larry Edward %X The purpose of this research was to analyze spatial and temporal patterns of regeneration and mortality of blue oak (Quercus douglasii H. & A.). Specific objectives were to: (1) describe the population age and size structure, (2) reconstruct variations in blue oak recruitment rates over the past century, (3) relate recruitment to land-use changes, climate variation and fire history, (4) describe the spatial relationship between blue oak life stages, and (5) describe the spatial dynamics of blue oaks. Blue oaks at four sites were described by their height, diameters at the base and breast height, and crown shape. Age structure was determined from growth-ring counts and the statistical relationship between size and age. Study sites included a blue oak savanna with many large trees and no seedlings, two woodland sites of mixed ages and sizes, and a forest with few large trees and numerous seedlings. Blue oak survivorship functions based on the log-logistic survivorship distribution were used to construct time series of expected survivorship. Recruitment indices derived by standardizing the ratio of observed versus expected survivorship were compared to historical records of livestock grazing and precipitation using linear regressions. Prior to the introduction of livestock recruitment at the forested site followed winter precipitation trends. Recent declines in recruitment were correlated with increased grating intensity at two of four sites. Fires did not significantly affect recruitment. A second-order neighborhood analysis of overall dispersion detected clustering and spatial randomness at two sites each. Spatial patterns of height- and age-based life stages were analyzed using the matrix comparison method. Seedlings were clustered, saplings were randomly dispersed, and adults were uniformly distributed. Spatial dynamics were inferred from maps of aged trees using the matrix comparison method, but trends were weak. Acorns germinated in clusters, but over time members of these clusters died in a nonrandom thinning process. The geographic structure evolves from a clustered pattern to a random pattern of juveniles and adults. An inhibitory parent-offspring spatial relationship is suggested for blue oaks at one site. This spatial pattern is indistinguishable from random after 40 years of age. %B Geography %I University of California %C Santa Barbara %P 184 %8 1989 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Madroño %D 1988 %T Composition of maritime chaparral related to fire history and soil, Burton Mesa, Santa Barbara County, California %A Davis, F. W. %A Hickson, D. E. %A Odion, D. C. %B Madroño %V 35 %P 169-195 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Conservation Biology %D 0 %T Global warming and extinctions of endemic species from biodiversity hotspots %A Malcolm, J. R. %A C. R. Liu %B Conservation Biology %V 20 %G eng %N 2 %& 538-548.