Incorporating Hydrologic Data and Ecohydrologic Relationships into Ecological Site Descriptions

The purpose of this paper is to recommend a framework and methodology for incorporating hydrologic data and ecohydrologic relationships in Ecological Site Descriptions (ESDs) and thereby enhance the utility of ESDs for assessing rangelands and guiding resilience-based management strategies. Resilience-based strategies assess and manage ecological state dynamics that affect state vulnerability and, therefore, provide opportunities to adapt management. Many rangelands are spatially heterogeneous or sparsely vegetated where the vegetation structure strongly influences infiltration and soil retention. Infiltration and soil retention further influence soil water recharge, nutrient availability, and overall plant productivity. These key ecohydrologic relationships govern the ecologic resilience of the various states and community phases on many rangeland ecological sites (ESs) and are strongly affected by management practices, land use, and disturbances. However, ecohydrologic data and relationships are often missing in ESDs and state-and-transition models (STMs). To address this void, we used literature to determine the data required for inclusion of key ecohydrologic feedbacks into ESDs, developed a framework and methodology for data integration within the current ESD structure, and applied the framework to a select ES for demonstrative purposes. We also evaluated the utility of the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model (RHEM) for assessment and enhancement of ESDs based in part on hydrologic function. We present the framework as a broadly applicable methodology for integrating ecohydrologic relationships and feedbacks into ESDs and resilience-based management strategies. Our proposed framework increases the utility of ESDs to assess rangelands, target conservation and restoration practices, and predict ecosystem responses to management. The integration of RHEM technology and our suggested framework on ecohydrologic relations expands the ecological foundation of the overall ESD concept for rangeland management and is well aligned with resilience-based, adaptive management of US rangelands. The proposed enhancement of ESDs will improve communication between private land owners and resource managers and researchers across multiple disciplines in the field of rangeland management

Red Queen Coevolution on Fitness Landscapes

Species do not merely evolve, they also coevolve with other organisms. Coevolution is a major force driving interacting species to continuously evolve ex- ploring their fitness landscapes. Coevolution involves the coupling of species fit- ness landscapes, linking species genetic changes with their inter-specific ecological interactions. Here we first introduce the Red Queen hypothesis of evolution com- menting on some theoretical aspects and empirical evidences. As an introduction to the fitness landscape concept, we review key issues on evolution on simple and rugged fitness landscapes. Then we present key modeling examples of coevolution on different fitness landscapes at different scales, from RNA viruses to complex ecosystems and macroevolution.Comment: 40 pages, 12 figures. To appear in "Recent Advances in the Theory and Application of Fitness Landscapes" (H. Richter and A. Engelbrecht, eds.). Springer Series in Emergence, Complexity, and Computation, 201

Estimating Conservation Needs for Rangelands Using USDA National Resources Inventory Assessments

This study presents (1) the overall concept of assessing non-federal western rangeland soil loss rates at a national scale for determining areas of vulnerability for accelerated soil loss using USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) National Resources Inventory (NRI) data and the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model (RHEM) and (2) the evaluation of a risk-based vulnerability approach as an alternative to the conventional average annual soil loss tolerance (T) for assessment of rangeland sustainability. RHEM was used to estimate runoff and soil loss at the hillslope scale for over 10,000 NRCS NRI sample points in 17 western states on non-federal rangelands. The national average annual soil loss rate on non-federal rangeland is estimated to be 1.4 ton ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. Nationally, 20% of non-federal rangelands generate more than 50% of the average annual soil loss. Over 29.2 × 10⁶ ha (18%) of the non-federal rangelands might benefit from treatment to reduce 1559-1570 soil loss to below 2.2 ton ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. National average annual soil loss rates combine areas with low and accelerated soil loss. Evaluating data in this manner can misrepresent the magnitude of the soil loss problem on rangelands. Between 23% and 29% of U.S. non-federal rangelands are vulnerable to accelerated soil loss (≥ 2.2 ton ha⁻¹ event⁻¹) if assessed as a function of vulnerability to a runoff event with a return period of ≥ 25 years. The NRCS has not evaluated potential soil loss risk in national reports in the past, and adaptation of this technique will allow the USDA and its partners to be proactive in preventing accelerated soil loss on rangelands.Keywords: Soil erosion, Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model, Non-federal rangelands, Conservation Effects Assessment Project, Soil loss tolerance, Soil and water conservation, National resources inventor

How do “mental health professionals” who are also or have been “mental health service users” construct their identities?

“Mental health professionals” are increasingly speaking out about their own experiences of using mental health services. However, research suggests that they face identity-related dilemmas because social conventions tend to assume two distinct identities: “professionals” as relatively socially powerful and “patients” as comparatively powerless. The aim of this study was, through discourse analysis, to explore how “mental health professionals” with “mental health service user” experience “construct” their identity. Discourse analysis views identity as fluid and continually renegotiated in social contexts. Ten participants were interviewed, and the interviews were transcribed and analyzed. Participants constructed their identity variously, including as separate “professional” and “patient” identities, switching between these in relation to different contexts, suggesting “unintegrated” identities. Participants also demonstrated personally valued “integrated” identities in relation to some professional contexts. Implications for clinical practice and future research are explored. Positive identity discourses that integrate experiences as a service user and a professional included “personhood” and insider “activist,” drawing in turn on discourses of “personal recovery,” “lived experience,” and “use of self.” These integrated identities can potentially be foregrounded to contribute to realizing the social value of service user and other lived experience in mental health workers, and highlighting positive and hopeful perspectives on mental distress

Evaluation of a site conservation rating system in southeastern Arizona

The objectives of this study were to identify a Site Conservation Threshold, the point at which accelerated erosion occurs, and to examine the usefulness of the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model in determining the Site Conservation Threshold on a clay loam upland rangeland site. Sixteen sample sites were chosen to represent a wide range of species composition, ground cover, biomass and apparent soil stability to determine which of these factors could be used to evaluate the site conservation status of a clay-loam upland ecological site on a southern Arizona semi-arid desert grassland. A Site Stability Rating based on observable vegetation and soil-surface characteristics (i.e. ground surface cover and distribution of plants) was developed. A Site Stability Rating was estimated for 100 quadrats per sample site and averaged for the entire sample site. The Water Erosion Prediction Project model was used as an objective index of soil stability to assess the degree of site protection. The Soil Conservation Service soil loss tolerance value (T) was used with the sediment yield predicted by the WEPP model to establish a threshold value for the Site Stability Rating. The objective measures of standing biomass, basal cover, average distance to the nearest perennial plant, and frequency of quadrats with no rooted perennial plant showed strong relationships to the subjective Site Stability Rating. Site Conservation Thresholds were identified for standing biomass (750 kg/ha), basal cover (8%), average distance to the nearest perennial plant (15 cm), and frequency of quadrats (20 X 20 cm) with no rooted perennial plant (13%).The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 202

Hydrologic response of diverse western rangelands

There are several generalizations or assumptions concerning rangeland hydrology and erosion relationships found in the literature and in the management arena. These generalizations have found their way into rangeland models, where modelers have assumed that diverse rangeland types can be lumped or averaged together in some way to develop one algorithm or equation to describe a process or relationship across the entire spectrum of rangeland types. These assumptions and modeling approaches based on the universal concept may not be appropriate for diverse rangeland types. This paper presents a comprehensive data set of vegetation, soils, hydrology, and erosion relationships of diverse western rangelands, and utilizes the data to assess the validity of the various assumptions/generalizations for rangelands. The data set emphasizes the difficulty in understanding hydrologic responses on semiarid rangelands, where the relationship between plant/soil characteristics and infiltration/erosion is not well established. When all sites were pooled together, infiltration and sediment production were not correlated with any measured vegetation or soil characteristic. A myriad group of factors determine infiltration and erosion, and is dependent on rangeland type and site conditions. The infiltration and erosion responses and correlation/regression analyses presented highlight the risk of using generalized assumptions about rangeland hydrologic response and emphasize the need to change the current modeling approach. Universal algorithms to represent the response of all rangeland types, such as the pooled multiple regression equations presented, will not provide sufficient accuracy for prediction or assessment of management. We need to develop a rationale to organize rangeland types/vegetation states according to similarities in relationships and responses. These functional rangeland units would assist in the development of more accurate predictive equations to enhance model performance and management of rangelands.The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 202