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Steven Archer

Steven Archer

Professor of Natural Resources and Lab Director, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona

sarcher@email.arizona.edu

520-626-8791

School of Natural Resources and the Environm
University of Arizona
ENR2-N358
Tucson, AZ 85721-0043

Titles

  • Professor of Natural Resources and Lab Director, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona

Biography

Interactions between grasses and woody plants in relation to soils, climate, fire, and grazing. Models are used in conjunction with remote sensing, dendrochronology, and stable isotope chemistry to reconstruct vegetation history, and to predict changes.

Education

  • PhD, Rangeland Ecosystem Science, Colorado State University, 1983
  • MS, Rangeland Ecosystem Science, Colorado State University, 1980
  • BA, Biology, Augustana College, 1975

External Links

Journal Articles

2022

Vivoni, E. R., E. R. Perez-Ruiz, R. L. Scott, A. T. Naito, S. R. Archer, J. A. Biederman and N. P. Templeton. 2022. A micrometeorological flux perspective on brush management in a shrub-encroached Sonoran Desert grassland. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 313(Feb):108763. DOI: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2021.108763. (link )

Weber-Grullon, L., L. A. Gherardi, W. A. Rutherford, S. R. Archer and O. E. Sala. 2022. Woody-plant encroachment: Precipitation, herbivory, and grass-competition interact to affect shrub recruitment. Ecological Applications 32(3):e2536. DOI: 10.1002/eap.2536. (link )

2021

Vivoni, E. R., E. R. Perez-Ruiz, Z. T. Keller, E. A. Escoto, R. C. Templeton, N. P. Templeton, C. A. Anderson, A. P. Schreiner-McGraw, . , A. Robles-Morua, R. L. Scott, S. R. Archer and D. P. Peters. 2021. Long-term research catchments to investigate shrub encroachment in the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts: Santa Rita and Jornada experimental ranges. Hydrological Processes 35(2):e14031. DOI: 10.1002/hyp.14031. (link )

2020

Levi, E. M., S. R. Archer, H. L. Throop and C. Rasmussen. 2020. Soil-litter mixing promotes decomposition and soil aggregate formation on contrasting geomorphic surfaces in a shrub-invaded Sonoran Desert grassland. Plant and Soil DOI: 10.1007/s11104-020-04508-1. (link )

Throop, H. L., S. R. Archer and M. P. McClaran. 2020. Soil organic carbon in drylands: Shrub encroachment and vegetation management effects dwarf those of livestock grazing. Ecological Applications 20(7):e02150. DOI: 10.1002/eap.2150. (link )

2018

Bestelmeyer, B. T., D. P. Peters, S. R. Archer, D. M. Browning, G. S. Okin, R. L. Schooley and N. P. Webb. 2018. The grassland–shrubland regime shift in the southwestern United States: Misconceptions and their Implications for management. BioScience 68(9):678-690. DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biy065. (link )

Huang, C., S. R. Archer, M. P. McClaran and S. E. Marsh. 2018. Shrub encroachment into grasslands: end of an era?. PeerJ 6:e5474. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5474. (link )

Peters, D. P., N. D. Burruss, L. L. Rodriguez, D. S. McVey, E. H. Elias, A. M. Pelzel-McCluskey, J. D. Derner, T. S. Schrader, J. Yao, S. J. Pauszek, J. Lombard, S. R. Archer, B. T. Bestelmeyer, D. M. Browning, C. W. Brungard, J. L. Hatfield, N. Hanan, J. E. Herrick, G. S. Okin, O. E. Sala, H. Savoy and E. R. Vivoni. 2018. An integrated view of complex landscapes: A big data-model integration approach to transdisciplinary science. BioScience 68(9):653-669. DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biy069. (link )

Pierce, N. A., S. R. Archer, B. T. Bestelmeyer and D. K. James. 2018. Grass-shrub competition in arid lands: An overlooked driver in grassland–shrubland state transition?. Ecosystems 1-10. DOI: 10.1007/s10021-018-0290-9. (link )

Predick, K., S. R. Archer, S. M. Aguillon, D. A. Keller, H. L. Throop and P. W. Barnes. 2018. UV-B radiation and shrub canopy effects on surface litter decomposition in a shrub-invaded dry grassland. Journal of Arid Environments 157:13-21. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2018.06.007. (link )

Scholtz, R., S. D. Fuhlendorf and S. R. Archer. 2018. Climate–fire interactions constrain potential woody plant cover and stature in North American Great Plains grasslands. Global Ecology and Biogeography 27(8):936-945. DOI: 10.1111/geb.12752. (link )

Wilcox, B. P., A. Birt, S. D. Fuhlendorf and S. R. Archer. 2018. Emerging frameworks for understanding and mitigating woody plant encroachment in grassy biomes. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainabilit 32:46-52. DOI: 10.1016/j.cosust.2018.04.005. (link )

Wilcox, B. P., A. Birt, S. R. Archer, S. D. Fuhlendorf, U. P. Kreuter, M. G. Sorice, W. J. van Leeuwen and C. B. Zou. 2018. Viewing woody-plant encroachment through a social-ecological lens. BioScience 68(9):691-705. DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biy051. (link )

2017

Hewins, D. B., R. L. Sinsabaugh, S. R. Archer and H. L. Throop. 2017. Soil-littering mixing and microbial activity mediate decomposition and soil aggregate formation in a sandy shrub-invaded Chihuahuan Desert grassland. Plant Ecology 218(4):459-474. DOI: 10.1007/s11258-017-0703-4. (link )

2015

Peters, D. P., K. M. Havstad, S. R. Archer and O. E. Sala. 2015. Beyond desertification: New paradigms for dryland landscapes. Frotiers in Ecology and the Environment 13(1):4-12. DOI: 10.1890/140276. (link )

2014

Lee, H., J. Fitzgerald, D. B. Hewins, R. L. McCulley, S. R. Archer, T. Rahn and H. L. Throop. 2014. Soil moisture and soil-litter mixing effects on surface litter decomposition: A controlled environment assessment. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 72(May):123-132. DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.01.027. (link )

2013

Hewins, D. B., S. R. Archer, G. S. Okin, R. L. McCulley and H. L. Throop. 2013. Soil-litter mixing accelerates decomposition in a Chihuahuan Desert grassland. Ecosystems 16(2):183-195. DOI: 10.1007/s10021-012-9604-5. (link )

2012

Barnes, P. W., H. L. Throop, D. B. Hewins, M. L. Abbene and S. R. Archer. 2012. Soil coverage reduces photodegradation and promotes the development of soil-microbial films on dryland leaf litter. Ecoystems 15(2):311-321. DOI: 10.1007/s10021-011-9511-1. (link )

Throop, H. L., S. R. Archer, H. C. Monger and S. Waltman. 2012. When bulk density methods matter: Implications for estimating soil organic carbon pools in rocky soils. Journal of Arid Environments 77(Feb):66-71. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2011.08.020. (link )

Throop, H. L., L. G. Reichmann, O. E. Sala and S. R. Archer. 2012. Response of dominant grass and shrub species to water manipulation: An ecophysiological basis for shrub invasion in a Chihuahuan Desert grassland. Oecologia 169(2):373-383. DOI: 10.1007/s00442-011-2217-4. (link )

2009

Nafus, A. M., M. P. McClaran, S. R. Archer and H. L. Throop. 2009. Multi-species allometric models predict grass biomass in a semi-desert rangeland. Rangeland Ecology & Management 62(1):68-72. DOI: 10.2111/08-003. (link )

2008

Throop, H. L. and S. R. Archer. 2008. Shrub (Prosopis velutina) encroachment in a semi-desert grassland: Spatial-temporal changes in soil organic carbon and nitrogen pools. Global Change Biology 14(10):2420-2431. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01650.x. (link )

2007

Throop, H. L. and S. R. Archer. 2007. Interrelationships among shrub encroachment, land management, and litter decomposition in a semidesert grassland. Ecological Applications 17(6):1809-1823. DOI: 10.1890/06-0889.1. (link )

Book Chapters

2017

Archer, S. R., E. M. Andersen, K. L. Predick, S. Schwinning, R. J. Steidl and S. R. Woods. 2017. Woody plant encroachment: Causes and consequences. Pp. 25-84 In: Briske, D. D. ed., Rangeland Systems: Processes, Management and Challenges. Springer International Publishing. ISBN: 978-3-319-46707-8.

2015

Barnes, P. W., H. L. Throop, S. R. Archer, D. D. Breshears, R. L. McCulley and M. A. Tobler. 2015. Sunlight and soil-litter mixing: Drivers of litter decomposition in drylands. Pp. 273-302 In: Luttge, U. and W. Beyschlag eds., Progress in Botany. Springer International Publishing. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-08807-5_11. ISBN: 978-3-319-08806-8.

2013

Peters, D. P., B. T. Bestelmeyer, K. M. Havstad, A. Rango, S. R. Archer, A. C. Comrie, H. R. Gimblett, L. Lopez-Hoffman, O. E. Sala, E. R. Vivoni, M. L. Brooks, J. Brown, H. C. Monger, J. H. Goldstein, G. S. Okin and C. E. Tweedie. 2013. Desertification of rangelands. Pp. 239-258 Climate Vulnrability: Understanding and Addressing Threads to Essential Resources. Vol 4. Elsevier Inc. Academic Press. ISBN: 9780123847034.

2009

Throop, H. L. and S. R. Archer. 2009. Resolving the dryland decomposition conundrum: Some new perspectives on potential drivers. Pp. 171-194 In: Luttge, U., W. Beyschlag, B. Budel and D. Francis eds., Progress in Botany. Vol 70. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-68421-3_8. ISBN: 978-3-540-68420-6.

Presentations

2017

McCulley, R. L., J. A. Nelson, K. Predick, E. M. Levi, P. W. Barnes, H. L. Throop and S. R. Archer. 2017. UV radiation stimulates but soil-litter mixing reduces fungal role in dryland litter decomposition. Presentation at the Annual Meeting Portland ESA 2017, August 6-11, 2017, Portland, OR. (link )