Rory O'Connor

Courtesy Appointment

Grassland and shrubland ecology
Rangeland plant ecophysiology
Restoration of woody encroached or invaded rangelands
Evaluating fire, herbivory and climate effects on plant communities
Rangeland carbon dynamics

Email: rory.o'connor@usda.gov

Google Scholar page

At OSU

Affiliated with:

Animal & Rnglnd Sciences

Career Links:

Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, USDA-ARS Rangeland Ecologist

Professional Accomplishments

Education:

2019: PhD of Biology Kansas State University

2014: MSc of Biology Brigham Young University

2009: BSc of Ecology, Wildlife, and Fisheries at Brigham Young University - Idaho

My Publications

2024

Journal Article

M. D. Smith, Wilkins, K. D., Holdrege, M. C., Wilfahrt, P., O'Connor, R., Larson, J. E., and Munson, S. M., “Extreme Drought Impacts have been Underestimated in Grasslands and Shrublands Globally”, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 121, no. 4, 2024.

R. O'Connor, Fox, V. G., and Hamerlynck, E. P., “Photosynthetic Resilience of Elymus elymoides and Pseudoroegneria spicata Seedlings Following Acute Water Stress”, Rangeland Ecology & Management, vol. 94, pp. 195 - 198, 2024.

K. A. Ehlert, Brennan, J., Beard, J., Reuter, R., Menendez, H., Vandermark, L., Stephenson, M., Hoag, D., Meiman, P., O'Connor, R., and Noelle, S., “What's in a Name? Standardizing Terminology for the Enhancement of Research, Extension, and Industry Applications of Virtual Fence Use on Grazing Livestock”, Rangeland Ecology & Management, vol. 94, pp. 199 - 206, 2024.

2023

Journal Article

E. P. Hamerlynck, O'Connor, R., and Copeland, S. M., “Reproductive Compensatory Photosynthesis in a Semi-Arid Rangeland Bunchgrass”, Oecologia, vol. 201, no. 3, 2023.

C. S. Boyd, O'Connor, R., Ranches, J., Bohnert, D. W., Bates, J. D., Johnson, D. D., Davies, K. W., Parker, T., and Doherty, K. E., “Using Virtual Fencing to Create Fuel Breaks in the Sagebrush Steppe”, Rangeland Ecology & Management, vol. 89, pp. 87 - 93, 2023.

Report

J. Goodwin, Porensky, L., Meiman, P., Wilmer, H., and O'Connor, R., “Rangeland Ecosystem Services: Connecting Nature and People”, 2023.

2022

Journal Article

R. O'Connor, Blumenthal, D. M., Ocheltree, T. W., and Nippert, J. B., “Elevated CO2 Counteracts Effects of Water Stress on Woody Rangeland-Encroaching Species”, Tree Physiology, 2022.

V. Schroeder, Johnson, D. D., O'Connor, R., Crouch, C. G., Dragt, W. J., Quicke, H. E., Silva, L. F., and Wood, D. J., “Managing Invasive Annual Grasses, Annually: A Case for More Case Studies”, Rangelands, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 210-217, 2022.

E. P. Hamerlynck and O'Connor, R., “Photochemical Performance of Reproductive Structures in Great Basin Bunchgrasses in Response to Soil-Water Availability”, AoB PLANTS, vol. 14, no. 1, 2022.

S. Pau, Nippert, J. B., Slapikas, R., Griffith, D., Bachle, S., Helliker, B. R., O'Connor, R., Riley, W. J., Still, C. J., and Zaricor, M., “Poor Relationships Between NEON Airborne Observation Platform Data and Field‐Based Vegetation Traits at a Mesic Grassland”, Ecology, vol. 103, no. 2, pp. 1-10, 2022.

My Media

My Video Gallery:

Ecological Drought and...

Ecological Drought and Resistance and Resilience (OConnor SRM 2022)

Great Basin Rangeland...

Great Basin Rangeland Carbon SRM2021

Virtual Fence Applicat...

Virtual Fence Application Riparian Exclusion

My News Articles:

Photochemical Performance of Bunchgrass Reproductive Structures

Sequence of photographs showing preparations to sample dark adapted chlorophyll florescence measurements of bunchgrasses under a multi-layered space blanket. Image credit: Hamerlynck and O’Connor.

How does drought influence the photochemical performance of reproductive structures of native and exotic bunchgrasses of the Great Basin?

Full Story

Intra-clonal differences in leaf physiology after fire in Cornus drummondii

Cornus drummondii scattered across the hilly landscape of the Konza Prairie Biological Station just south of Manhattan, KS, USA. Image credit: Wedel et al.

Do we need to account for intra-clonal differences in response to disturbance to accurately parameterize models of clonal shrub encroachment?

Full story

Primary tabs

Rory O'Connor

2024

Journal Article

2023

Journal Article

Report

2022

Journal Article

Ecological Drought and Resistance and Resilience (OConnor SRM 2022)

Great Basin Rangeland Carbon SRM2021

Virtual Fence Application Riparian Exclusion

Photochemical Performance of Bunchgrass Reproductive Structures

Photochemical Performance of Bunchgrass Reproductive Structures

Intra-clonal differences in leaf physiology after fire in Cornus drummondii

Intra-clonal differences in leaf physiology after fire in Cornus drummondii

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