Julie Bethany Rakes Predatory bacteria constitute a guild of heterotrophs specialized in obtaining resources for growth from the live bacteria they prey upon. Its members have been isolated from many environments and are phylogenetically diverse, each having evolved their mode of life independently. We report on a novel type of obligatory predatory bacterium, Candidatus Cyanoraptor […]

Molly Reichenborn Aided by a host of factors including extensive livestock grazing and drought, woody species such as Honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa Torr.) have progressively encroached into historically grass-dominated ecosystems in the southwestern United States. This transition from grassland to shrubland causes concomitant reduction in native grass and forb species, increased soil erosion and redistribution

Kieran Andreoni Grassland-to-shrubland state transitions can impose inconsistent but often significant effects on ecosystem services and biodiversity of drylands.  Mammalian herbivores can play an important role in determining such states because they connect higher a (i.e., predator) and lower (i.e., plant) trophic communities.  Cattle, rodents, and lagomorphs have been shown to often contribute to such

Eli R. Perez-Ruiz, Enrique R. Vivoni and Osvaldo E. Sala Arizona State University Though dryland ecosystems have a fundamental role influencing the global carbon cycle, the seasonal variability of their water and carbon dynamics is not well understood. In this study, we analyze a long-term micrometeorological flux record (2011-2019) in a mixed shrubland of the

Zachary T. Keller and Enrique R. Vivoni Arizona State University Populations residing in arid regions depend heavily on limited amounts of groundwater that is often extracted at rates exceeding natural recharge. Arid aquifers are recharged primarily during flooding events that inundate channels and other permeable landscape features. In the southwestern United States, floods often occur