These research initiatives encompass a broad dimension of anthropogenic impacts to natural lands such as changing hydrological conditions, invasion by exotic species, alterations to both air and waterborne nutrient flux (e.g., nitrogen deposition), toxic chemical runoff, altered predation rates, fragmentation of natural habitats and species populations, altered wildfire regimes, and soil erosion. These activities cover local geographic areas, from western Riverside County, Coachella Valley, and Joshua Tree National Park to the Cabos of Baja Peninsula to the Chihuahua Desert.

Current projects

Carbon Balance in California Deserts: Impacts of widespread solar power generation
Project PIs: Michael F. Allen, G. Darrel Jenerette, Louis Santiago 

Thresholds of vegetation change following N deposition in southern California ecosystems.
Project PIs: Edith B. Allen, Richard Minnich, Bai-Lian Li
Funding Agency: NSF Division of Environmental Biology (2005-2011)
[Reports and Publications]

Climate change impacts on plant functional groups in a biodiversity hotspot.
Project PIs: Helen Regan & Janet Franklin (ASU)
Funding Agency: NAU-National Institute for Climate Change Research (2010-2011)

Modeling Current and Future Distributions of Targeted Species in the Greater San Jacinto-Santa Rosa Mountains National Monument Ecosystem
Project PIs: Cameron W. Barrows, Michael F. Allen & John T. Rotenberry
Funding Agency: Coachella Valley Conservation Commission (2010-2011)

Niche modeling and implications of climate change on desert tortoises within Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Project PI: Cameron W. Barrows
Funding Agency: USDI National Park Service – DS CESU (2010-2012)

Niche modeling and implications of climate change on the distribution of plant communities and invasive plants within Joshua Tree National Park
Project PI: Cameron W. Barrows
Funding Agency: USDI National Park Service – DS CESU (2010-2011)

The relative importance of climate, food limitation, and nest predation in influencing avian populations on the Baja California Peninsula
Project PI: John T. Rotenberry, Kristine L. Preston, & Ricardo Rodríguez-Estrella (CIBNOR-La Paz)
Funding Agency: UC MEXUS-CONACYT Collaborative Grant (2008-2010)

Past projects

Understanding the algal bloom on the vernal pool of the Santa Rosa Plateau.
Project PI: Michael F. Allen 
Funding Agency: The Nature Conservancy (2009-2010)

Across-Border Research on the Ecology and Conservation Biology of Desert Sand Dunes.
Project PI: Cameron W. Barrows 
Funding Agency: UC MEXUS-COINACYT Collaborative Grant (2007-2009)

Removal of exotic weed species in Riverside County.
Project PIs: Cameron W. Barrows & Edith B. Allen
Funding Agency: UC Integrative Pest Management (2006-2009)

Modeling the Landscape Niches of Reptiles among the National Parks and Monuments in the Chihuahuan Desert Network
Project PIs: John T. Rotenberry, Kristine L. Preston, Kenneth J. Halama, Cameron W. Barrows
Funding Agency: USDI National Park Service – DS CESU (2007-2008)