The University of Arizona

ecohydrology

Tree die-off in response to global-change-type drought: mortality insights from a decade of plant water potential field measurements

Authors:

Breshears, D. D., O. B. Myers, C. W. Myer, F. J. Barnes, C. B. Zou, C. D. Allen, N. G. McDowell, and W. T. Pockman

Source:

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (In Press)

Keywords:

drought; forestry; watershed; pinyon juniper; woodland; soil moisture; vegetation change


Soil water dynamics under low- versus high ponderosa pine stand density: ecohydrological functioning and restoration implications

Authors:

Zou, Chris B.; Breshears, David D.; Newman,B.D.; Wilcox, B.P.; Gard, M.O.

Source:

Ecohydrology (In Press)

Keywords:

restoration; forestry; ponderosa pine; soil moisture; vegetation change


Kathleen A. Lohse

Kathleen Lohse
Area of Expertise: 
Biogeochemistry, ecohydrology, nutrient cycling, ecosystem ecology, water quality, watershed science, integrated socio-ecological systems, sustainability science, soil science, vadose hydrology, global change
Assistant Professor

I am ecosystem scientist who works at the interface of ecology, earth system science and land use planning studying the processes shaping watersheds and their responses to anthropogenic changes. From this foundation, I tackle the challenges and complexities of sustainability and global change science. My research interests include 1) examining the impacts of human activities such as nitrogen (N) deposition, climate change, and land use changes on carbon and nitrogen cycling and loss pathways, 2) determining the


David D. Breshears

David Breshears
Area of Expertise: 
Dryland ecohydrology, vegetation dynamics including drought-triggered die-off, wind and water erosion, gradients of woody plants (grassland-forest continuum), ecosystem carbon dynamics, enabling improved decision making and management for land use, pollution, and global change.
Professor
My research program is highly interdisciplinary and bridges diverse aspects of environmental science, largely from an ecosystems perspective. Much of my work lies within the mission of unraveling competing and interrelated processes in water-limited ecosystems within the grassland-forest continuum, gradients of woody plant coverage that include shrublands, savannas, and woodlands, as well as grasslands and forests. I am interested in interactions between woody and herbaceous plants and the associated patterns of canopy patches of woody plants and the intercanopy patches that separate them.

Shirley A. Kurc

Shirley Kurc
Area of Expertise: 
Ecohydrology, surface hydrology, land-atmosphere interactions, soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, environmental fluid mechanics, soil moisture, eddy covariance methods, Bowen ratio methods, micrometeorology, drylands, MATLAB© for data processing, phenology, creosotebush, Larrea tridentata
Assistant Professor

The main objective of my research group is to characterize key aspects of vegetation that govern water, energy, and carbon cycling in water-limited ecosystems, and vice versa. Understanding these cycles is critical to the sustainability of our native ecosystems as we anticipate gradual and abrupt climatic and anthropogenic change. This understanding is fundamental as changes in our native ecosystems will undoubtedly have effects on the health of our watersheds and rivers. We use state of the art field, lab, and modeling techniques to


Drought & Die-off

pinyon pine die off before and after
Short Description: 
A well-documented pinyon pine die-off sheds light on climate-induced changes to ecosystems.

Dr. Dave Breshears, in the School of Natural Resources, documented massive pinyon pine die-off due to extended drought. He and his colleagues had collected a wealth of data on the woodlands for more than a decade before the massive die-off.


Biosphere 2

Synopsis: 
The Biosphere 2 provides the unique opportunity to study ecosystems under controlled conditions.

Biosphere 2 in nearby Oracle, Arizona is managed by The University of Arizona, and serves as a laboratory for controlled scientific studies, an arena for scientific discovery and discussion, and a far-reaching public education center.

Facility & Technology Information
Acronym: 
B2
Infrastructure Type: 
Facilities

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