Peter Weisberg

Professor, Landscape Ecology

Department: Natural Resources & Environmental Science
Office: 775-784-7573
Email: pweisberg@unr.edu
Building: FA
Room: 220c
Mailstop: 186
Website: https://naes.unr.edu/weisberg

Summary

The mission of Weisberg lab is to improve our understanding of landscape dynamics and to apply this understanding in support of sound natural resource management. We are interested in the causes and consequences of landscape change, including climate shifts, natural and anthropogenic disturbance, fire-climate-vegetation interactions, treeline dynamics, forest mortality and ecosystem resilience, response of vegetation to fire and to altered fire regimes, grazing effects, and invasive species. Of particular interest are the controlling influences on the distribution of trees in arid landscapes, in which context we study spatial pattern and causal mechanism underlying recent and historical expansions and contractions of semi-arid woodlands. With our collaborators we explore animal use of heterogeneous landscapes through spatial modeling of habitat quality, habitat change and landscape connectivity. Our research is highly interdisciplinary and employs a broad methodological toolkit, including field studies, dendrochronology, greenhouse experiments, GIS, remote sensing, geospatial analysis and ecological modeling. Although we often work internationally, the special geographical focus of the Lab is on landscapes of the Great Basin and eastern Sierras.

Education

B.S., 1992, SUNY College of Env. Science and Forestry (Forest Biology)
M.S., 1994, University of Wyoming (Biogeography)
PhD, 1998 Oregon State University (Forest Ecology)

Publications

Bulletins

Plant community response to tamarisk invasion and hydrologic regime in the Cataract Canyon, Canyonlands National Park.

2009

Canyonlands National Park.

Mortenson, S. G., Weisberg, P. J.

Monitoring vegetation of desert springs: a literature review

2008

Death Valley National Park, USDI National Park Service.(pp. 36 p.)

Weisberg, P. J., Dilts, T.

Datasets

Geospatial data for Great Basin perennial montane watersheds - geomorphology, hydrology, vegetation, disturbance and species

2020

Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive.

Board, David I.; Dilts, Thomas E.; Weisberg, Peter J.; Knight, Anna C.; Chambers, Jeanne C.; Lord, Mark L.; Miller, Jerry R.

Pinyon-juniper stem-mapped GIS dataset: upper and lower treelines of Toiyabe range, Nevada (USA).

2020

FigShare

Garbarino, M., Weisberg, P. J.

Journals

Improved topographic ruggedness indices more accurately model fine-scale ecological patterns.

2023

Landscape Ecology, 38, 1395–1410

Dilts, T.E., Blum, M.E., Shoemaker, K.T. et al.

Managing for ecological resilience of pinyon–juniper ecosystems during an era of woodland contraction.

2023

Ecosphere, 14(5), e4505

Redmond, M. D., Urza, A. K., & Weisberg, P. J.

Treeline remote sensing: From tracking treeline shifts to multi-dimensional monitoring of ecotonal change.

2023

Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, 9(6), 729-742

Garbarino, M., Morresi, D., Anselmetto, N., & Weisberg, P. J.

Intraspecific trait variation in a dryland tree species corresponds to regional climate gradients.

2022

Journal of Biogeography, 49(12), pp.2309-2320

Vasey, G.L., Weisberg, P.J. and Urza, A.K.,

Drought alters the understory of pinyon-juniper woodlands indirectly through tree dieback.

2021

Rangeland Ecology & Management, 76, pp.118-128

Flake, S.W. and Weisberg, P.J.

Episodic occurrence of favourable weather constrains recovery of a cold desert shrubland after fire.

2021

Journal of Applied Ecology, 58(8), 1776–1789.

Urza, A. K., Weisberg, P. J., Board, D., Chambers, J. C., Kitchen, S. G., & Roundy, B. A.

Phenology-based classification of invasive annual grasses to the species level.

2021

Remote Sensing of Environment, 263, 112568

Weisberg, P. J., Dilts, T. E., Greenberg, J. A., Johnson, K. N., Pai, H., Sladek, C., … Ready, A.

Quantifying the relationship between soil seed bank and plant community assemblage in sites harboring the threatened Ivesia webberi in the western Great Basin Desert

2021

Applied Vegetation Science 24 (1), e12547

IT Borokini, PJ Weisberg, MM Peacock

Evidence of widespread topoclimatic limitation for lower treelines of the Intermountain West, United States.

2020

Ecological Applications, 30(7), e02158

Urza, A. K., Weisberg, P. J., Dilts, T. E.

Land-use legacies and forest change.

2020

Landscape Ecology, 35, 2641-2644

Garbarino, M., Weisberg, P. J.

Rapidly Accelerating Deforestation in Cambodia’s Mekong River Basin: A Comparative Analysis of Spatial Patterns and Drivers.

2020

Water, 12(8), 2191

Lohani, S., Dilts, T. E., Weisberg, P. J., Null, S. E., Hogan, Z. S.

Aridity drives spatiotemporal patterns of masting across the latitudinal range of a dryland conifer.

2019

Ecography, Volume 43, Issue 4

Wion, A. P., Weisberg, P. J., Pearse, I. S., Redmond, M. D.

Assessment of the suitability of tree rings as archives of global and regional atmospheric mercury pollution.

2019

Environmental Science and Technology, 53, 3663-3671

Peckham, M. A., Gustin, M. S., Weisberg, P. J.

Results of a controlled field experiment to assess the use of tree tissue concentrations as bioindicators of air Hg.

2019

Biogeochemistry (2019) 142: 265

Peckham, M., Gustin, M. S., Weisberg, P. J., Weiss-Penzias, P.

Shrub facilitation of tree establishment varies with ontogenetic stage across environmental gradients.

2019

New Phytologist, 223(4), 1795--1808

Urza, A. K., Weisberg, P. J., Chambers, J. C., Sullivan, B. W.

Evidence for nonstomatal uptake of Hg by aspen and translocation of Hg from foliage to tree rings in Austrian pine.

2018

Environmental Science and Technology, 52(23), 1174-1182.

Arnold, J., Gustin, M. S., Weisberg, P. J.

The sensitivity of snow ephemerality to warming climate across an arid to montane vegetation gradient

2018

Ecohydrology

Petersky R,, Shoemaker K.T., Weisberg P.J., Harpold A.

Using paleolandscape modeling to investigate the impact of Native American-set fires on pre-Columbian forests in the southern Sierra Nevada, California, USA.

2018

Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 108(6), 1635-1654.

Klimaszewski-Patterson, A., Weisberg, P. J., Mensing, S. A., Scheller, R. M.

Development of remote sensing indicators for mapping episodic die-off of an invasive annual grass (Bromus tectorum) from the Landsat archive.

2017

Ecological Indicators, 79, 173-181.

Weisberg, P. J., Dilts, T., Baughman, O., Meyer, S., Leger, E. A., Van Gunst, J., Cleeves, L.

Hydrologic influences on plant community structure in long-term inundated vernal pools of northeastern California.

2017

Wetlands, 37(2), 257 - 268.

Gosejohan, M. C., Weisberg, P. J., Merriam, K. E.

Shrubs facilitate pine colonization by controlling seed predation in dry Mediterranean dwarf shrublands.

2017

Journal of Arid Environments, 147, 34-39.

Ziffer-Berger, J., Weisberg, P. J., Cablk, M. E., Moshe, Y., Osem, Y.

The value of native plants and local production in an era of global agriculture.

2017

Frontiers in Plant Science, 8, 2069.

Shelef, O., Weisberg, P. J., Provenza, F. D.

Woodland resilience to regional drought: dominant controls on tree regeneration following overstorey mortality.

2017

Journal of Ecology, 106(2), 625-639

Redmond, M. D., Weisberg, P. J., Cobb, N. S., Clifford, M. J.

A robust method to determine historical annual cone production among slow-growing conifers.

2016

Forest Ecology and Management

Redmond, M. D., Weisberg, P. J., Cobb, N. S., Gehring, C. A., Whipple, A. V., Whitham, T. G.

Do denser forests have greater risk of tree mortality: A remote sensing analysis of density-dependent forest mortality.

2016

Forest Ecology and Management, 359, 19-32.

Van Gunst, K. J., Weisberg, P. J., Yang, J., Fan, Y.

Impacts of climate change and renewable energy development on habitat of an endemic squirrel Xerospermophilus mohavensis in the Mojave Desert, USA.

2016

Biological Conservation, 200, 112-121

Inman, R., Esque, T., Nussear, K., Matocq, M., Leitner, P., Weisberg, P., Dilts, T.

Multi-scale connectivity and graph theory highlight critical areas for conservation under climate change.

2016

Ecological Applications, 26, 1223-1237

Dilts, T., Weisberg, P., Leitner, P., Matocq, M., Inman, R., Nussear, K., Esque, T.

Rangeland Ecology and Management, 69, 185 - 194.

2016

Livestock use has mixed effects on slender orcutt grass in northeastern California vernal pools.

Merriam, K. E., Gosejohan, M. C., Weisberg, P. J., Bovee, K. M.

Topographic context of the burn edge influences postfire recruitment of arid land shrubs.

2016

Rangeland Ecology and Management, 69(2), 129-133

Condon, L., Weisberg, P. J.

Fire modulates climate change response of simulated aspen distribution across topoclimatic gradients in a semi-arid montane landscape.

2015

Landscape Ecology, 30(6), 1055 - 1073.

Yang, J., Weisberg, P. J., Shinneman, D. J., Dilts, T., Earnst, S. L., Scheller, R. M. (2015).

Functionally relevant climate variables for arid lands: using climatic water deficit modeling to predict distribution of desert shrub vegetation.

2015

Journal of Biogeography, 42(10), 1986 - 1997.

Dilts, T., Weisberg, P. J., Dencker, C. M., Chambers, J. C.

Geomorphic predictors of riparian vegetation in small mountain watersheds.

2015

Journal of Plant Ecology, 8, 593 - 604.

Engelhardt, B. M., Chambers, J. C., Weisberg, P. J.

Predicting wildfire occurrence distribution with spatial point process models and its uncertainty assessment: a case study in the Lake Tahoe Basin, USA.

2015

International Journal of Wildland Fire, 24, 380 - 390.

Yang, J., Weisberg, P. J., Dilts, T., Loudermilk, L., Scheller, R., Stanton, A., Skinner, C.

Sex-related spatial segregation along environmental gradients in the dioecious conifer, Taxus baccata.

2015

Forest Ecology and Management, 358, 122 - 129.

Garbarino, M., Weisberg, P. J., Bagnara, L., Urbinati, C.

Synergistic effects of spring temperatures and land cover on nest survival of urban birds.

2015

Condor, 117, 18 - 30.

Becker, M. E., Weisberg, P. J.

A 40-year record of tree establishment following chaining and prescribed fire in pinyon-juniper woodlands.

2014

Rangeland Ecology and Management, 67, 389-396.

Bristow, N. A., Weisberg, P. J., Tausch, R. J.

Application of tree rings [dendrochemistry] for detecting historical trends in air Hg concentrations across multiple scales

2014

Biogeochemistry120:149-12

Wright, G., Woodward, C., Peri, L., Weisberg, P., Gustin, M. S.

Guild-specific responses of avian species richness to LiDAR-derived habitat heterogeneity.

2014

Acta Oecologica, 59, 72-83.

Weisberg, P. J., Dilts, T., Becker, M. E., Young, J. S., Wong-Kone, D. C., Newton, W. E., Ammon, E. C.

Influence of climate and environment on post-fire recovery of mountain big sagebrush.

2014

International Journal of Wildland Fire, 23, 131-142.

Nelson, Z. J., Weisberg, P. J., Kitchen, S. G.

Spatial patterns provide support for the stress-gradient hypothesis over a range-wide aridity gradient.

2014

Journal of Arid Environments, 102, 27-33.

Berger, J. Z., Weisberg, P. J., Cablk, M., Osem, Y.

Spatio-temporal analysis of remotely-sensed forest mortality associated with road de-icing salts.

2014

Science of the Total Environment, 472, 929-938.

Fan, Y., Weisberg, P. J., Nowak, R. S.

Development and evaluation of a nutrient cycling extension for the LANDIS-II landscape simulation model.

2013

Ecological Modelling, 250: 45-57.

Karam, S. L., Weisberg, P. J., Scheller, R. M., Johnson, D. W., and W. Miller.

Gallery Forest or Herbaceous Wetland? The Need for Multi-Target Perspectives in Riparian Restoration Planning.

2013

Restoration Ecology, 21(1): 12-16.

Weisberg, P.J., Mortenson, S.G., and T.E. Dilts.

Direct and indirect effects of irrigated agriculture on land cover change in an arid lands watershed.

2012

Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 102(3): 531-548.

Dilts, T.E., Yang, J., Weisberg, P.J., Olson, T.J., Turner, P.L., and Condon, L.A.

Old tree morphology in singleleaf pinyon pine (Pinus monophylla).

2012

Forest Ecology and Management, 263: 67-73.

Weisberg, P.J., and D.W. Ko.

The influence of floods and precipitation on Tamarix establishment in Grand Canyon, Arizona: consequences for flow regime restoration.

2012

Biological Invasions, 14(5): 1061-1076.

Mortenson, S.G., Weisberg, P.J. and L.E. Stevens.

Abiotic and biotic influences on Bromus tectorum invasion and Artemisia

2011

International Journal of Wildland Fire, 20, 597-604

Condon, L. A., Weisberg, P. J., Chambers, J. C.

Avian response to urbanization in the arid riparian context of Reno, USA

2011

Landscape and Urban Planning, 102(2), 93-101

Trammell, E. Jamie, Weisberg, P. J., Bassett, S.

Land-use legacy of historical tree harvesting for charcoal production in a semi-arid woodland

2011

Forest Ecology and Management, 261(7), 1283-1292

Ko, D. W., Sparrow, A. D., Weisberg, P. J.

Remote sensing approaches for reconstructing fire perimeters and burn severity mosaics in desert spring ecosystems

2011

Remote Sensing of Environment, 115(9), 2384-2389

Sunderman, S. O., Weisberg, P. J.

Does river regulation increase dominance of woody species in riparian landscapes?

2010

Global Ecology & Biogeography, 19, 562-574.

Mortenson, S. J., Weisberg, P. J.

Global macroecology of bird assemblages in urbanized and semi-natural ecosystems

2010

Global Ecology and Biogeography, no. doi: 10.1111/j.1466-8238.2010.00616.x

Pautasso, M., Böhning-Gaese, K., Clergeau, P., Cueto, V. R., Dinetti, M., Fernández-Juricic, E., Kaisanlahti-Jokimäki, M.-L., Jokimäki, J., McKinney, M. L., Sodhi, N. S., Storch, D., Tomialojc, L., Weisberg, P. J., Woinarski, J., Fuller, R. A., Cantarello, E.

Application of a rule-based model to estimate mercury exchange for three background biomes in the continental United States.

2009

Environmental Science and Technology, 43, 4989 - 4994.

Hartman, J., Weisberg, P. J., Pillai, R., Ericksen, J., Kuiken, T., Lindberg, S., Zhang, H., Rytuba, J., Gustin, M. S.

Canopy cover estimation in semi-arid woodlands: comparison of field-based and remote sensing methods..

2009

Forest Science, 55, 132 - 141.

Ko, D., Bristow, N., Greenwood, D. L., Weisberg, P. J.

Fire history of a central Nevada pinyon-juniper woodland..

2009

Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 39, 1589 - 1599.

Bauer, J. M., Weisberg, P. J.

GIS-based modeling of pinyon-juniper woodland structure in the Great Basin..

2009

Forest Science, 55, 1 - 12.

Greenwood, D. L., Weisberg, P. J.

Historical fire frequency on contrasting slope facets along the McKenzie River, western Oregon Cascades..

2009

Western North American Naturalist, 69, 206 - 214.

Weisberg, P. J.

Influence of climate, fire, and topography on contemporary age structures of Douglas-fir at 205 old forest sites in Western Oregon: A study in variability.

2009

Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 39, 1518 - 1530.

Poage, N. J., Weisberg, P. J., Tappeiner, J. C., Impara, P. C., Sensenig, T. S.

Natural and anthropogenic disturbances: interactions and effects on the structure of European larch forests..

2009

Forest Ecology and Management, 257, 1794 - 1802.

Garbarino, M., Weisberg, P. J., Motta, R.

Modeling fire and landform influences on the distribution of old-growth pinyon-juniper woodland.

2008

Landscape Ecology, 23, 931-943.

Weisberg, P. J., Ko, D., Py, C., Bauer, J.

Presentations

Landscape Genetics of the Pygmy Rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) across the Sagebrush Sea of the Great Basin.

2019

American Fisheries Society & The Wildlife Society

M Matocq, TE Dilts, E Larrucea, P Weisberg, M Crowell, KT Shoemaker

Professional Papers

Fire Patterns and Fire Effects on the Plant Community, Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.

2010

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.

Weisberg, P. J., Sunderman, S. O., Karam, S. L.

Long-term Vegetation Response to Chaining and Prescribed Fire in Eastern Nevada Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands.

2010

Bureau of Land Management.

Bristow, N., Tausch, R., Weisberg, P. J.

Research Reports

Charcoal's Role in Nevada Mining and Forest History: Charcoal Pits.

2023

Nevada Historical Society Q 66(4), 2-38

Page, D.H., Jr., Weisberg, P., Page, S.E., & Straka, T.J.

Technical Publication

Fire Patterns in Piñon and Juniper Land Cover Types in the Semiarid Western US from 1984 through 2013.

2018

US Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station

Board, D. I., Chambers, J. C., Miller, R. F., Weisberg, P. J.