The Impact of Fire on the Reported Presence of Animals in California Deserts Using Open-Source Data

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dc.contributor.advisorLortie, Christopher
dc.contributor.authorGoldgisser, Marina
dc.date.accessioned2023-12-08T14:49:00Z
dc.date.available2023-12-08T14:49:00Z
dc.date.issued2023-12-08
dc.date.updated2023-12-08T14:48:59Z
dc.degree.disciplineGeography
dc.degree.levelMaster's
dc.degree.nameMSc - Master of Science
dc.description.abstractChanging fire regimes across southwest North American deserts may impact endangered animal communities endemic to the region. This study examines the impact of fires on the occurrence of endangered animal species (ES) in California desert systems and evaluates ES recovery trends using open-source data—mostly collected through citizen science—retrieved from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Mean annual NDVI was used to evaluate vegetation productivity in fire impacted desert regions. ES occurrence records were fit to generalized linear mixed models and compared pre- and post-fire to evaluate ES response to fire disturbance. ES recovery was evaluated using a incidence-based ChaoSørensen similarity index. Burned regions had higher vegetation productivity than unburned regions in some, but not all, deserts. ES continue to visit burned habitat, even 19 years after a fire. Findings suggest ES resiliency to fire disturbance, likely through habitat-use modification, and support implementing citizen science data in future ecosystem monitoring.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10315/41777
dc.languageen
dc.rightsAuthor owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.
dc.subjectPhysical geography
dc.subjectWildlife conservation
dc.subjectMacroecology
dc.subject.keywordsDesert
dc.subject.keywordsFire
dc.subject.keywordsGBIF
dc.subject.keywordsNDVI
dc.subject.keywordsCitizen science
dc.subject.keywordsGrass/fire cycle
dc.subject.keywordsEndangered species
dc.subject.keywordsOpen-source data
dc.subject.keywordsDisturbance
dc.subject.keywordsRecovery
dc.titleThe Impact of Fire on the Reported Presence of Animals in California Deserts Using Open-Source Data
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation

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