Spatial Ecology

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Understanding where species and habitats occur across the landscape — and predicting where they might occur under different conditions — is essential to managing and protecting them effectively. My spatial ecology work applies GIS-based habitat and species distribution modeling to questions ranging from invasive species spread to rare plant community structure to coastal shorebird habitat, with a particular focus on the California Channel Islands (Santa Catalina, San Clemente, and Santa Cruz).

Current Projects

Species distribution and habitat modeling for rare plants, recovery trajectories and management of invasive species on the California Channel Islands (Santa Catalina, San Clemente, Santa Cruz).

Publications

Clemesha, R. E. S., A. Gershunov, D. M. Lawson, T. Longcore, B. MacDonald, M. Booker, B. Munson, and K. O’Connor. 2021. A high-resolution record of coastal clouds and fog and their role in plant distributions over San Clemente Island, California. Environmental Research Communications 3:105003.
Longcore, T., N. Noujdina, and P. Dixon. 2018. Landscape modeling to predict the potential natural vegetation of Santa Catalina Island (California). Western North American Naturalist 78(4):617–632.
Paudel, S., J. C. Benavides, B. MacDonald, T. Longcore, G. W. T. Wilson, and S. R. Loss. 2017. Determinants of native and non-native plant community structure on an oceanic island. Ecosphere 8(9):e01927.
Paudel, S., G.W.T. Wilson, B. MacDonald, T. Longcore, and S. R. Loss. 2016. Predicting spatial extent of invasive earthworms on an oceanic island. Diversity and Distributions 22(10):1013–1023.
Paudel, S., T. Longcore, B. MacDonald, M. McCormick, K. Szlavecz, G. Wilson, and S. R. Loss. 2016. Belowground interactions with aboveground consequences: invasive earthworms and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Ecology 97(3):605–614.
MacDonald, B., T. Longcore, and S. Dark. 2010. Habitat mapping for western snowy plover in central California. The Urban Wildlands Group, Los Angeles. 129 pp.

Reports

Noujdina, N., and T. Longcore. 2022. Habitat suitability modeling to guide surveys for a rare plant, Sibara filifolia, on the California Channel Islands. The Urban Wildlands Group (prepared for Santa Barbara Botanic Garden). 43 pp.

Longcore, T., B. MacDonald, and J. P. Wilson. 2020. Reconstruction of Historical Topography to Estimate Erosion and Model Historical Vegetation Distribution on San Clemente Island, California. Report to U.S. Navy. UCLA Institute of the Environment and University of Southern California Spatial Sciences Institute, Los Angeles. 67 pp.

Paudel, S., B. MacDonald, T. Longcore, and S. Loss. 2015. Invasive species (earthworm) assessment for spatial extent, ecological effects, and control or eradication in San Clemente Island, CA. Final report. Prepared for Naval Base Coronado, Natural Resources Office, Environmental Division (N45), San Diego, California, and Commander, United States Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Stillwater: Oklahoma State University. 24 pp.

Paudel, S., B. MacDonald, T. Longcore, and S. Loss. 2014. Invasive species (earthworm) assessment for control or eradication, San Clemente Island, CA. Annual report. Naval Base Coronado. Stillwater: Oklahoma State University. 35 pp.