SIGNIFICANT RESULTS

Title: Interactions among Biodiversity and Socioeconomics in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem PI: Andrew Hansen,  Montana State University Co-PI: Warren Cohen: Oregon State University; Jerry Johnson, Bruce Maxwell, Ray Rasker, Jay Rotella: Montana State University http: www.homepage.montana.edu/~hansen/hansen/lab/index.htm

Questions:

• How fast and why are humans expanding into semi-natural landscapes?
• Does ecosystem quality contribute to economic performance?
• Is human growth influencing biodiversity in nature reserves?

Obj 1.: Quantify 25-Year History of GYE
Cover maps from Landsat done for 1976, 1985, 1994 with 65-87% accuracy. Conifer decreased by fire, logging; increased by conifer encroachment. Urban expanded at expense of Agriculture. Human density increased dramatically.
Obj 2.: Test hypotheses on Causes and Consequences
Human population growth and economic expansion is associated with ecosystem quality.
Abiotic factors cause biodiversity to be concentrated in small hot spots on private land
Intense land use is concentrated near biodiversity hot spots.
Intense use of private lands increases probability of extinction of native species, even in nature reserves.
Obj 3.: Assess Risk to Biodiversity
Dynamic Habitat and Population Analyses was developed as a new method of risk assessment.
Obj 4.: Outreach
Provide tools and knowledge to stakeholders.

Conclusions:

• GYE is changing rapidly in land cover, human population size, and economics.
• The quality of the ecosystem appears to be contributing to population growth, home location, and economic expansion.
• Because abiotic gradients structure both biodiversity and humans, intense land use is concentrated in locations critical to native species.
• Development in private lands strongly influences native species in YNP.
• Innovative management is needed to sustain both the ecosystem and the human communities dependent upon it.

Publications:

• Hansen, A.J., J.J. Rotella, and M.L. Kraska. 1999. Dynamic habitat and population analysis: A filtering approach to resolve the biodiversity manager's dilemma. Ecological Applications 9(4):1459–1476.
• Hansen, A.J., J.J. Rotella, M.L. Kraska and D. Brown. 2000. Spatial patterns of primary productivity in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Landscape Ecology. In Press
• Hansen, A.J. and J.J. Rotella. 2000. Bird responses to forest fragmentation. Pgs 202-221 in R.L. Knight, F.W. Smith, S.W. Buskirk, W.H. Romme, and W.L. Baker, (eds.) Forest Fragmentation in the Southern Rocky Mountains. University of Colorado Press, Boulder, CO.
• Hansen, A.J. and J.J. Rotella. In press. Nature Reserves and Land Use: Implications of the "Place" Principle. Pages xx-xx in Dale, V. and R. Haeuber, eds. Applying Ecological Principles to Land Management. Springer Verlag, New York, NY.
• Hansen, A.J. and J.J. Rotella. 1999. Abiotic factors. Pages 161-209. In: M.L Hunter, Jr. (ed.). Maintaining biodiversity in forest ecosystems. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, Great Britain.
• Hansen, A.J., and V. Dale. In Review. Biodiversity in U.S. Forests Under Global Climate Change. Ecosystems.
• Johnson, J.D. 1998. The New West Boom Towns, the Ecological Trap, and Migration. Montana Policy Review.
• Maxwell, B.M., J.D. Johnson and C. Montagne. 2000. Predicting Land Use Change In And Around A Rural Community. In: Spatial Information For Land Use Management. M. Hill And R. Aspinall (Eds). In Press.
• Rasker, R. and A. Hansen. In Review. Natural Amenities and Population Growth in the Greater Yellowstone Region. Human Ecology Review.
• Rotella, J.J., M.L. Taper, and A.J. Hansen. 2000. Correcting nesting-success estimates for observer effects: maximum-likelihood estimates of daily survival rates with reduced bias. Auk 117:92-109.

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