Increased variability in precipitation associated with climate change creates extreme conditions of drought and deluge that can have profound effects on the abundance and composition of plant communit...

Utility-scale solar energy (USSE) development is driving the projected growth in global renewable energy capacity but comes with environmental tradeoffs. New...

Posted by Jürgen Dengler (Chair of the Guest Editors) Outline: Scaling laws are ubiquitous in ecology. Ignoring them can lead

UIC researchers predict that the Sahara Desert could see up to 75% more rain by the end of this century due to rising global temperatures. Using 40 climate models, the team found widespread precipitat...

Now accepting proposals for one $3,000 grant to fund an art project that promotes increased public understanding around the issue of invasive plants in the Sonoran Desert. Proposed projects must […]

Key differences between the agency guidance and scientific literature indicate opportunities to integrate theory and practice to improve seed selection. Research and guidance to mitigate the genetic ....

As droughts become longer and more intense, impacts on terrestrial primary productivity are expected to increase progressively. Yet, some ecosystems appear to acclimate to multiyear drought, with cons...

As droughts become longer and more intense, impacts on terrestrial primary productivity are expected to increase progressively. Yet, some ecosystems appear to acclimate to multiyear drought, with cons...

Context Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) is a problem across the western United States, where it outcompetes and replaces native grass species, alters habitats, and increases the risk of wildfires. Cheatgrass greens up earlier in the growing season compared to native grasses, making it classifiable with multi-temporal and multi-spectral remote sensing. Objectives We mapped cheatgrass at different scales in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem using 10-m Sentinel-2 imagery, 3-m PlanetScope, and 10-cm Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) imagery. We compared these maps to field-collected data to address 1) variation in seasonal phenological signals of native and cheatgrass patches, 2) the influence of scale on detectability and map accuracy across our study area. Results Model accuracy to predict cheatgrass presence increased with imagery resolution and ranged from 83% using 10-m Sentinel-2 to 94% with the integration of PlanetScope and UAS imagery. While there was spatial agreement across models, the fusion of UAS data with satellite sources allowed the detection of small cheatgrass with more precision. Our novel use of NExR and dNExR (a redness and differenced redness index) data in the classification of cheatgrass capitalizes on the senescence of cheatgrass during peak summer periods where cloud free imagery is more prevalent. Conclusions Our satellite and UAS-based models of cheatgrass prediction compare the fusion of very high resolution imagery and phenological time differencing to identify infested areas. Tradeoffs between accuracy and expense lead to important questions for management applications.

From sea level rise to bee populations, the agency’s wildlife and climate programs shed light on the world around us.

Dryland restoration seeding is challenging in large part because landscape heterogeneity and interannual variability contribute to highly variable plant establishment, leading to uncertainty about th...

The Trump administration has proposed devastating cuts to federal Earth and climate science programs, and a government shutdown could give them an opportunity to begin implementing those cuts.

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