Non-invasive genetic sampling of Southern Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus fuliginatus) reveals limited movement across California State Route 67 in San Diego County
Anna Mitelberg, Amy G. Vandergast
2016, Western Wildlife (3) 8-18
—The Southern Mule Deer is a mobile but non-migratory large mammal found throughout southern California and is a covered species in the San Diego Multi-Species Conservation Plan. We assessed deer movement and population connectivity across California State Route 67 and two smaller roads in eastern San Diego County using non-invasive...
Estimating flood magnitude and frequency at gaged and ungaged sites on streams in Alaska and conterminous basins in Canada, based on data through water year 2012
Janet H. Curran, Nancy A. Barth, Andrea G. Veilleux, Robert T. Ourso
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5024
Estimates of the magnitude and frequency of floods are needed across Alaska for engineering design of transportation and water-conveyance structures, flood-insurance studies, flood-plain management, and other water-resource purposes. This report updates methods for estimating flood magnitude and frequency in Alaska and conterminous basins in Canada. Annual peak-flow data through water...
Linking hydrodynamic complexity to delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) distribution in the San Francisco Estuary, USA
Aaron J. Bever, Michael L. MacWilliams, Bruce Herbold, Larry R. Brown, Frederick V. Feyrer
2016, San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science (14) 1-27
Long-term fish sampling data from the San Francisco Estuary were combined with detailed three dimensional hydrodynamic modeling to investigate the relationship between historical fish catch and hydrodynamic complexity. Delta Smelt catch data at 45 stations from the Fall Midwater Trawl (FMWT) survey in the vicinity of Suisun Bay were used...
Threshold responses of Blackside Dace (Chrosomus cumberlandensis) and Kentucky Arrow Darter (Etheostoma spilotum) to stream conductivity
Nathaniel P. Hitt, Michael Floyd, Michael Compton, Kenneth McDonald
2016, Southeastern Naturalist (15) 41-60
Chrosomus cumberlandensis (Blackside Dace [BSD]) and Etheostoma spilotum (Kentucky Arrow Darter [KAD]) are fish species of conservation concern due to their fragmented distributions, their low population sizes, and threats from anthropogenic stressors in the southeastern United States. We evaluated the relationship between fish abundance and stream conductivity, an index of environmental quality and...
Seasonal response of ghrelin, growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor I in the free-ranging Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris)
Rachel L Tighe, Robert K. Bonde, Julie P. Avery
2016, Mammalian Biology (81) 247-254
Seasonal changes in light, temperature, and food availability stimulate a physiological response in an animal. Seasonal adaptations are well studied in Arctic, Sub-Arctic, and hibernating mammals; however, limited studies have been conducted in sub-tropical species. The Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris), a sub-tropical marine mammal,...
Toxoplasma gondii antibody prevalence and two new genotypes of the parasite in endangered Hawaiian Geese (nene: Branta sandvicensis)
Thierry M. Work, Shiv K. Verma, Chunlei Su, John Medeiros, Thomas Kaiakapu, Oliver C. Kwok, Jitender P. Dubey
2016, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (52) 253-257
Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite transmitted by domestic cats (Felis catus) that has historically caused mortality in native Hawaiian birds. To estimate how widespread exposure to the parasite is in nene (Hawaiian Geese, Branta sandvicensis), we did a serologic survey for T. gondii antibody and genetically characterized parasite DNA from the tissues of dead...
Spatial and temporal patterns of cloud cover and fog inundation in coastal California: Ecological implications
Bharat Rastogi, A. Park Williams, Douglas T. Fischer, Sam F. Iacobellis, Kathryn McEachern, Leila Carvalho, Charles Leslie Jones, Sara A. Baguskas, Christopher J. Still
2016, Earth Interactions (20)
The presence of low-lying stratocumulus clouds and fog has been known to modify biophysical and ecological properties in coastal California where forests are frequently shaded by low-lying clouds or immersed in fog during otherwise warm and dry summer months. Summer fog and stratus can ameliorate summer drought stress and enhance...
The Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP) Phase 2: Scientific objectives and experimental design
Alan M. Haywood, Harry J. Dowsett, Aisling M. Dolan, David Rowley, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Bette Otto-Bliesner, Mark A. Chandler, Stephen J. Hunter, Daniel J. Lunt, Matthew Pound, Ulrich Salzmann
2016, Climate of the Past (12) 663-675
The Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP) is a co-ordinated international climate modelling initiative to study and understand climate and environments of the Late Pliocene, as well as their potential relevance in the context of future climate change. PlioMIP examines the consistency of model predictions in simulating Pliocene climate...
Estimating abundance in the presence of species uncertainty
Thierry A. Chambert, Blake R. Hossack, LeeAnn Fishback, Jon M. Davenport
2016, Methods in Ecology and Evolution (7) 1041-1049
1.N-mixture models have become a popular method for estimating abundance of free-ranging animals that are not marked or identified individually. These models have been used on count data for single species that can be identified with certainty. However, co-occurring species often look similar during one or more life stages,...
Abundance, distribution, and removals of feral pigs at Big Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex 2010–2015
Christina R. Leopold, Steve C. Hess, Steve J. Kendall, Seth W. Judge
2016, Technical Report HCSU-075
The Hakalau Forest Unit (HFU) of Big Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex (BINWRC) has intensively monitored non-native ungulate presence and distribution during surveys of all managed areas since 1988. In this report we: 1) provide results from recent ungulate surveys and the number of removals at HFU to determine the...
Susceptibility and antibody response of Vesper Sparrows (Pooecetes gramineus) to West Nile virus: A potential amplification host in sagebrush-grassland habitat
Erik K. Hofmeister, Robert J. Dusek, Carol Fassbinder-Orth, Benjamin Owen, J. Christian Franson
2016, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (52)
West Nile virus (WNV) spread to the US western plains states in 2003, when a significant mortality event attributed to WNV occurred in Greater Sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus ). The role of avian species inhabiting sagebrush in the amplification of WNV in arid and semiarid regions of the North America...
Ecological requirements for pallid sturgeon reproduction and recruitment in the Missouri River—Annual report 2014
Aaron J. DeLonay, Kimberly A. Chojnacki, Robert B. Jacobson, Patrick J. Braaten, Kevin J. Buhl, Caroline M. Elliott, Susannah O. Erwin, Jacob D.A. Faulkner, James S. Candrl, David B. Fuller, Kenneth M. Backes, Tyler M. Haddix, Matthew L. Rugg, Christopher J. Wesolek, Brandon L. Eder, Gerald E. Mestl
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1013
The Comprehensive Sturgeon Research Project is a multiyear, multiagency collaborative research framework developed to provide information to support pallid sturgeon recovery and Missouri River management decisions. The project strategy integrates field and laboratory studies of sturgeon reproductive ecology, early life history, habitat requirements, and physiology. The project scope of work...
Potential effects of alterations to the hydrologic system on the distribution of salinity in the Biscayne aquifer in Broward County, Florida
Joseph D. Hughes, Dorothy F. Sifuentes, Jeremy T. White
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5022
To address concerns about the effects of water-resource management practices and rising sea level on saltwater intrusion, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Broward County Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division, initiated a study to examine causes of saltwater intrusion and predict the effects of future alterations to...
Rockfall triggering by cyclic thermal stressing of exfoliation fractures
Brian D. Collins, Greg M. Stock
2016, Nature Geoscience (9) 395-400
Exfoliation of rock deteriorates cliffs through the formation and subsequent opening of fractures, which in turn can lead to potentially hazardous rockfalls. Although a number of mechanisms are known to trigger rockfalls, many rockfalls occur during periods when likely triggers such as precipitation, seismic activity and freezing conditions are absent....
Metapopulation viability of an endangered shorebird depends on dispersal and human-created habitats: Piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) and prairie rivers
Daniel H. Catlin, Sara L. Zeigler, M. Bomberger Brown, Lauren R. Dinan, James D. Fraser, Kelsi L. Hunt, Joel G. Jorgensen
2016, Movement Ecology (4)
Background Many species are distributed as metapopulations in dynamic landscapes, where habitats change through space and time. Individuals locate habitat through dispersal, and the relationship between a species and landscape characteristics can have profound effects on population persistence. Despite the importance of connectivity in dynamic environments,...
Hydrologic data and groundwater-flow simulations in the Brown Ditch Watershed, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, near Beverly Shores and Town of Pines, Indiana
David C. Lampe
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5141
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected data and simulated groundwater flow to increase understanding of the hydrology and the effects of drainage alterations on the water table in the vicinity of Great Marsh, near Beverly Shores and Town of Pines, Indiana. Prior land-management practices have modified drainage and caused changes...
Variability of surface-water quantity and quality and shallow groundwater levels and quality within the Rio Grande Project Area, New Mexico and Texas, 2009–13
Jessica M. Driscoll, Lauren R. Sherson
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5006
Drought conditions during the study period of January 1, 2009, to September 30, 2013, caused a reduction in surface-water releases from water-supply storage infrastructure of the Rio Grande Project, which led to changes in surface-water and groundwater (conjunctive) use in downstream agricultural alluvial valleys. Surface water and groundwater in the...
Assessing the evolution of soil moisture and vegetation conditions during the 2012 United States flash drought
Jason A. Otkin, Martha C. Anderson, Christopher Hain, Mark Svoboda, David Johnson, Richard Mueller, Tsegaye Tadesse, Brian D. Wardlow, Jesslyn F. Brown
2016, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology (218-219) 230-242
This study examines the evolution of several model-based and satellite-derived drought metrics sensitive to soil moisture and vegetation conditions during the extreme flash drought event that impacted major agricultural areas across the central U.S. during 2012. Standardized anomalies from the remote sensing based Evaporative Stress Index (ESI) and Vegetation...
Analyses of historical and projected climates to support climate adaptation in the northern Rocky Mountains: Chapter 4
John E. Gross, Michael Tercek, Kevin Guay, Tony Chang, Marian Talbert, Ann Rodman, David Thoma, Patrick Jantz, Jeffrey T. Morisette
2016, Book chapter, Climate change in wildlands: Pioneering approaches to science and management
Most of the western United States is experiencing the effects of rapid and directional climate change (Garfin et al. 2013). These effects, along with forecasts of profound changes in the future, provide strong motivation for resource managers to learn about and prepare for future changes. Climate adaptation plans are based...
Effects of experimental removal of barred owls on population demography of northern spotted owls in Washington and Oregon—2015 progress report
J. David Wiens, Katie M. Dugger, Krista E. Lewicki, David C. Simon
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1041
Evidence indicates that competition with newly established barred owls (Strix varia) is causing rapid declines in populations of northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina), and that the longterm persistence of spotted owls may be in question without additional management intervention. A pilot study in California showed that lethal removal of...
Complementary approaches to diagnosing marine diseases: a union of the modern and the classic
Colleen A. Burge, Carolyn S. Friedman, Rodman G. Getchell, Marcia House, Kevin D. Lafferty, Laura D. Mydlarz, Katherine C. Prager, Kathryn P. Sutherland, Tristan Renault, Ikunari Kiryu, Rebecca Vega-Thurber
2016, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (371) 1-11
Linking marine epizootics to a specific aetiology is notoriously difficult. Recent diagnostic successes show that marine disease diagnosis requires both modern, cutting-edge technology (e.g. metagenomics, quantitative real-time PCR) and more classic methods (e.g. transect surveys, histopathology and cell culture). Here, we discuss how this combination of traditional and modern approaches...
What a drag: Quantifying the global impact of chronic bottom trawling on continental shelf sediment
Ferdinand K. J. Oberle, Curt D. Storlazzi, Till J.J. Hanebuth
2016, Journal of Marine Systems (159) 109-119
Continental shelves worldwide are subject to intense bottom trawling that causes sediment to be resuspended. The widely used traditional concepts of modern sedimentary transport systems on the shelf rely only on estimates for naturally driven sediment resuspension such as through storm waves, bottom currents, and gravity-driven flows but they overlook...
Efficacy of landscape scale woodland and savanna restoration at multiple spatial and temporal scales
H. Tyler Pittman, David G. Krementz
2016, Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (3) 233-242
The loss of historic ecosystem conditions has led forest managers to implement woodland and savanna ecosystem restoration on a landscape scale (≥10,000 ha) in the Ozark Plateau of Arkansas. Managers are attempting to restore and conserve these ecosystems through the reintroduction of disturbance, mainly short-rotation early-growing-season prescribed fire. Short-rotation early-growing...
Methods to estimate historical daily streamflow for ungaged stream locations in Minnesota
David L. Lorenz, Jeffrey R. Ziegeweid
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5181
Effective and responsible management of water resources relies on a thorough understanding of the quantity and quality of available water; however, streamgages cannot be installed at every location where streamflow information is needed. Therefore, methods for estimating streamflow at ungaged stream locations need to be developed. This report presents a...
Coherent late-Holocene climate-driven shifts in the structure of three Rocky Mountain lakes
Jeffery R. Stone, Jasmine E. Saros, Gregory T. Pederson
2016, The Holocene (26) 1103-1111
Large-scale atmospheric pressure centers, such as the Aleutian and Icelandic Low, have a demonstrated relationship with physical lake characteristics in contemporary monitoring studies, but the responses to these phenomena are rarely observed in lake records. We observe coherent changes in the stratification patterns of three deep (>30 m) lakes inferred from...
