Long term changes in Sage Grouse habitat

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Variation in climate across the Great Basin is spatially pervasive across much of the American West and thus is a major influnence on sagebrush communities and their associated fuana. Flucuations in climate through out the Great Basin, atmospheric CO2, and frequency of severe weather events are most notabley favoring cheatgrass expansion and ultimately influencing sagebrush ecosystem resilience (Miller et al. 2010). Characteristics of fire events are important drivers, of structure, composition, and abundance. At broader spatial scales, local fire events, regimes and climate are dominant determinants of habitat configuration and resilience within the landscape (MIller et al. 2010). Timing and abundance of water, which vaires seasonally and annually, are the major factors contributing to sagebrush ecosystems following fire. Local climate patterns and changes post-fire are ultiamtely effecting long-term trends in sustainability, richness, composition, dispersal and resilience.

Sage grouse ecosystems occur across differing environmental gradiants and ecosystem resilience differ greatly depending on local environmental characteristics.Additionally recovery of sage grouse populations following fire would need to be dependant on ecosystem succession, plant adaptations, vegetation cover, productivity, nutritional quality, forage abundance, and interspace perferred by the greater sage grouse. For these reasons recovery across the Great Basin might differ across the American West due to differneces in the characteristics and complexity of local fire events, elevation, precipitation, temperature, pre/post fire climate, plant adaptations, fuel continuity, slope, and aspect. Because of changes in climate, sites are more likely to dry out through out the season, fires are more likely to occur earlier in the season, fires events will burn hotter and longer, and cheatgrass likely will outcompete many of the native forbes and grasses for space and resources trhoughout much of the Great Basin if not managed appropriately.