scholarly journals Influence of whitebark pine decline on fall habitat use and movements of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (10) ◽  
pp. 2004-2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecily M. Costello ◽  
Frank T. Manen ◽  
Mark A. Haroldson ◽  
Michael R. Ebinger ◽  
Steven L. Cain ◽  
...  
PLoS ONE ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e88160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel D. Bjornlie ◽  
Frank T. Van Manen ◽  
Michael R. Ebinger ◽  
Mark A. Haroldson ◽  
Daniel J. Thompson ◽  
...  

Sensors ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 4983-4994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Landenburger ◽  
Rick Lawrence ◽  
Shannon Podruzny ◽  
Charles Schwartz

Author(s):  
William Romme ◽  
James Walsh

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is a keystone species of upper subalpine ecosystems (Tomback et al. 2001), and is especially important in the high-elevation ecosystems of the northern Rocky Mountains (Arno and Hoff 1989). Its seeds are an essential food source for the endangered grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), particularly in the autumn, prior to winter denning (Mattson and Jonkel 1990, Mattson and Reinhart 1990, Mattson et al. 1992). In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), biologists have concluded that the fate of grizzlies is intrinsically linked to the health of the whitebark pine communities found in and around Yellowstone National Park (YNP) (Mattson and Merrill 2002). Over the past century, however, whitebark pine has severely declined throughout much of its range as a result of an introduced fungus, white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola) (Hoff and Hagle 1990, Smith and Hoffman 2000, McDonald and Hoff 2001), native pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) infestations (Bartos and Gibson 1990, Kendall and Keane 2001), and, perhaps in some locations, successional replacement related to fire exclusion and fire suppression (Amo 2001). The most common historical whitebark pine ftre regimes are "stand-replacement", and "mixed­ severity" regimes (Morgan et al. 1994, Arno 2000, Arno and Allison-Bunnell2002). In the GYE, mixed-severity ftre regimes have been documented in whitebark pine forests in the Shoshone National forest NW of Cody, WY (Morgan and Bunting 1990), and in NE Yellowstone National Park (Barrett 1994). In Western Montana and Idaho, mixed fire regimes have been documented in whitebark pine communities in the Bob Marshall Wilderness (Keane et al. 1994), Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness (Brown et al. 1994), and the West Bighole Range (Murray et al.1998). Mattson and Reinhart (1990) found a stand­replacing fire regime on the Mount Washburn Massif, within Yellowstone National Park.


2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 2507-2524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Polly C. Buotte ◽  
Jeffrey A. Hicke ◽  
Haiganoush K. Preisler ◽  
John T. Abatzoglou ◽  
Kenneth F. Raffa ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles C. Schwartz ◽  
Jennifer K. Fortin ◽  
Justin E. Teisberg ◽  
Mark A. Haroldson ◽  
Christopher Servheen ◽  
...  

Ursus ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Haroldson ◽  
Charles C. Schwartz ◽  
Katherine C. Kendall ◽  
Kerry A. Gunther ◽  
David S. Moody ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Patrick R. Cross ◽  
Robert L. Crabtree

Mountain ecosystems are sensitive to climate change, and climate-driven declines in primary producers can impact food webs. Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) seed, a valuable food resource for montane wildlife species, is threatened by climate change. Whitebark pine exhibit masting, and during a snowtracking study of Rocky Mountain red foxes (Vulpes vulpes macroura Baird, 1852) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem that happened to coincide with masting, we unexpectedly observed red foxes consuming whitebark pine seeds from red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Erxleben, 1777) middens. Seed production then decreased the following year. To investigate whether whitebark pine seed availability affected winter foraging and habitat use by red foxes, we assessed interannual variance in our dietary and habitat use data. We found both seed consumption and use of habitats where seeds were available also decreased during the non-mast winter. Given the limitations of our small-scale, opportunistic analysis, we suggest whitebark pine seeds may be an important food resource for red foxes, and that their relationship warrants further research and consideration in conservation efforts for both species.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 119
Author(s):  
David Laufenberg ◽  
David Thoma ◽  
Andrew Hansen ◽  
Jia Hu

Research Highlights: The efficacy of planting for restoration is important for ecosystem managers. Planting efforts represent an opportunity for conserving and managing species during a population crisis. Background and Objectives: Federal agencies have been planting whitebark pine (WBP), an important subalpine species that is late to mature and long-lived, for three decades in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). These efforts have been met with varying success, and they have not been evaluated beyond the first five years post-planting. Ecosystem managers will continue to plant WBP in the GYE for years to come, and this research helps to inform and identify higher quality habitat during a period of changing climate and high GYE WBP mortality rates. Materials and Methods: We use a combination of field sampling and a water balance model to investigate local biophysical gradients as explanatory variables for WBP performance at twenty-nine GYE planting sites. Results: We found that the WBP growth rate was positively correlated with actual evapotranspiration (AET) and was greatest when cumulative growing season AET was above 350 mm. Growth rate was not strongly affected by competition at the levels found in this study. However, site density change over time was negatively affected by mean growing season temperature and when more than five competitors were present within 3.59 m radius. Conclusions: If they make it to maturity, trees that are planted this season will not begin to produce cones until the latter half of this century. We recommend planting efforts that optimize AET for growth rate objectives, minimize water deficit (WD) that cause stress and mortality, and removing competitors if they exceed five within a short distance of seedlings.


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