Geology topics

Bradford P. Wilcox

Publications and source records attributed to Bradford P. Wilcox.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2012

Successional stage of biological soil crusts: an accurate indicator of ecohydrological condition

Biological soil crusts are a key component of many dryland ecosystems. Following disturbance, biological soil crusts will recover in stages. Recently, a simple classification of these stages has been developed, largely on the basis of external features of the crusts, which reflects their level of development (LOD). The classification system has six LOD classes, from low (1) to high (6). To determine whether the LOD of a crust is related to its ecohydrological function, we used rainfall simulation to evaluate differences in infiltration, runoff, and erosion among crusts in the various LODs, across a range of soil depths and with different wetting pre-treatments. We found large differences between the lowest and highest LODs, with runoff and erosion being greatest from the lowest LOD. Under dry antecedent conditions, about 50% of the water applied ran off the lowest LOD plots, whereas less than 10% ran off the plots of the two highest LODs. Similarly, sediment loss was 400 g m -2 from the lowest LOD and almost zero from the higher LODs. We scaled up the results from these simulations using the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model. Modelling results indicate that erosion increases dramatically as slope length and gradient increase, especially beyond the threshold values of 10 m for slope length and 10% for slope gradient. Our findings confirm that the LOD classification is a quick, easy, nondestructive, and accurate index of hydrological condition and should be incorporated in field and modelling assessments of ecosystem health.

Ecohydrology↗

USGS2012

Introduced and invasive species in novel rangeland ecosystems: friends or foes?

Globally, new combinations of introduced and native plant and animal species have changed rangelands into novel ecosystems. Whereas many rangeland stakeholders (people who use or have an interest in rangelands) view intentional species introductions to improve forage and control erosion as beneficial, others focus on unintended costs, such as increased fire risk, loss of rangeland biodiversity, and threats to conservation efforts, specifically in nature reserves and parks. These conflicting views challenge all rangeland stakeholders, especially those making decisions on how best to manage novel ecosystems. To formulate a conceptual framework for decision making, we examined a wide range of novel ecosystems, created by intentional and unintentional introductions of nonnative species and land-use–facilitated spread of native ones. This framework simply divides decision making into two types: 1) straightforward–certain, and 2) complex–uncertain. We argue that management decisions to retain novel ecosystems are certain when goods and services provided by the system far outweigh the costs of restoration, for example in the case of intensively managed Cenchrus pastures. Decisions to return novel ecosystems to natural systems are also certain when the value of the system is low and restoration is easy and inexpensive as in the case of biocontrol of Opuntia infestations. In contrast, decisions whether to retain or restore novel ecosystems become complex and uncertain in cases where benefits are low and costs of control are high as, for example, in the case of stopping the expansion of Prosopis and Juniperus into semiarid rangelands. Decisions to retain or restore novel ecosystems are also complex and uncertain when, for example, nonnative Eucalyptus trees expand along natural streams, negatively affecting biodiversity, but also providing timber and honey. When decision making is complex and uncertain, we suggest that rangeland managers utilize cost–benefit analyses and hold stakeholder workshops to resolve conflicts.

Rangeland Ecology and Management↗

USGS1996

Runoff and erosion on the Pajarito Plateau: Observations from the field

Sites within the Pajarito Plateau have widespread, if low levels, of surface contamination. The major mechanism by which contaminants are moved and redistributed is surface runoff and associated soil erosion. To better understand the processes involved, we have been making detailed measurements of water and sediment movement at three sites across the plateau, one located in a ponderosa pine forest, one in a stable pinyon-juniper woodland, and one in a rapidly eroding pinyon-juniper woodland. For the ponderosa pine site, both surface runoff (overland flow) and subsurface runoff (interflow) are important. Overland flow can be generated by intense summer rain storms, more gentle frontal storms, or snowmelt while soils are frozen; interflow, although generated mostly by melting snow, can occur any time of the year. For the pinyon-juniper sites, the most important producer of runoff is summer thunderstorms, but at all scales snowmelt runoff can be important as well. The rapidly eroding pinyon juniper site produces more runoff than the stable pinyon-juniper site and hundreds of times more erosion than either the stable pinyon-juniper or the ponderosa site. These long-term studies are providing a better conceptual understanding of runoff and erosion on the Pajarito Plateau and other similar semiarid regions and enabling better assessments of the potential for contaminant transport in these systems.

New Mexico↗