Original Research
NC RISCC original research investigates how invasive species, climate change, wildfire, and ecological transformation interact across the North Central region.
Ecosystem Transformation
Ecological transformations, also known as state changes, regime shifts, or vegetation type conversions, can be caused by many different disturbances including wildfire, climate change, and invasive species, as well as interactions between these drivers (Guiterman et al. 2022; Kerns et al. 2020; Gaertner et al. 2014).
Examples of invasive species-mediated transformations in the western U.S. can be seen through the spread of invasive grasses into sagebrush steppe and forest systems. NC RISCC research examines where these transformations are occurring, what consequences they have for carbon storage and wildlife communities, and how this information can support management decisions.
Ecological Transformation and Carbon Storage
This project assesses how forest-to-grassland and forest-to-shrubland transformations affect aboveground biomass storage and evaluates the risk of current forest locations transforming into grasslands or shrublands within the next two decades.
The work generates novel research on where ecosystems in the North Central U.S. have experienced transformation due to invasive species, climate change, and changing disturbance regimes, with a focus on the carbon consequences of these changes.
Ecological Transformation and Wildlife Communities
This project investigates how transformation of the sagebrush biome through annual grass invasion is altering songbird communities across the western U.S.
Using biome-wide survey data for 40 species, remote sensing, occupancy modeling, and causal inference, the work shows that annual grass invasion is contributing to ongoing turnover in songbird communities, with sagebrush and riparian specialists declining and grassland species increasing.
Related Work by the NC RISCC Team
- Miller Hesed et al. 2023 — Synthesis of climate and ecological science to support grassland management priorities in the North Central Region
- Fusco et al. 2023 — The invasive plant data landscape
- Fusco et al. 2021 — The human-grass-fire cycle
- Nagy et al. 2020 — Effects of cheatgrass invasion on Great Basin carbon storage
- Fusco et al. 2019 — Invasive grasses increase fire occurrence and frequency
- Bradley et al. 2018 — Cheatgrass distribution and fire frequency
- Balch et al. 2017 — Human-started fires expand the fire niche
- Schoennagel et al. 2017 — Adapt to more wildfire in western North American forests
- Allen and Bradley 2016 — Reduced plant invasion risk with climate change
- Balch et al. 2013 — Introduced annual grass increases regional fire activity
- Woolner unpublished — Brief on Invasive Species Policy in the U.S. North Central Region