The Southern Piedmont’s continued land-use evolution, 1973–2011
Roger F. Auch, Darrell E. Napton, Kristi L. Sayler, Mark A. Drummond, Steven Kambly, Daniel G. Sorenson
2015, Southeastern Geographer (55) 338-361
The southern Piedmont in the U.S. was an important farming region during the 19th century, but by the end of the 20th century, agricultural land use had decreased substantially with forest becoming the majority land cover by the 1970s. Geographical literature has documented this change but has not concentrated on...
Nutritional stress affects corticosterone deposition in feathers of Caspian tern chicks
Allison G. L. Patterson, Alexander S. Kitaysky, Donald E. Lyons, Daniel D. Roby
2015, Journal of Avian Biology (46) 18-24
Stressful environmental conditions affect the adrenocortical function of developing animals, which can have consequences for their fitness. Discovery of the avian stress hormone corticosterone (CORT) in feathers has the potential to broaden the application of endocrine research in ecological and evolutionary studies of wild birds by providing a long-term measure...
Geologic framework and evidence for neotectonism in the epicentral area of the 2011 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake
William C. Burton, Richard W. Harrison, David B. Spears, Nicholas H. Evans, Shannon A. Mahan
2015, GSA Special Papers (509) 345-376
The epicenters of the main shock and associated aftershocks of the 2011 moment magnitude, Mw 5.8 Mineral, Virginia (USA), earthquake, and the updip projection of the possible fault plane that triggered the quakes, are contained in the areas of 2 adjoining 7.5′ quadrangles in the central Virginia Piedmont. These quadrangles...
Monitoring Eastern Spadefoot (Scaphiopus holbrookii) response to weather with the use of a passive integrated transponder (PIT) system
Kevin J. Ryan, Aram J.K. Calhoun, Brad C. Timm, Joseph D. Zydlewski
2015, Journal of Herpetology (49) 257-263
Eastern Spadefoots (Scaphiopus holbrookii) are probably one of the least-understood amphibian species in the United States. In New England, populations are localized and it is likely that some populations go undocumented because of the species' cryptic habits. We used passive integrated transponders (PIT tags) to monitor burrow emergence with the...
Potential role of acetyl-CoA synthetase (acs) and malate dehydrogenase (mae) in the evolution of the acetate switch in Bacteria and Archaea
Elliott P. Barnhart, Marcella A. McClure, Kiki Johnson, Sean Cleveland, Kristopher A. Hunt, Matthew W. Fields
2015, Scientific Reports (5) 1-10
Although many Archaea have AMP-Acs (acetyl-coenzyme A synthetase) and ADP-Acs, the extant methanogenic genus Methanosarcina is the only identified Archaeal genus that can utilize acetate via acetate kinase (Ack) and phosphotransacetylase (Pta). Despite the importance of ack as the potential urkinase in the ASKHA phosphotransferase superfamily, an origin hypothesis does...
R for fledglings
Therese Donovan, Michelle Brown, Jonathan Katz
2015, Book
We’ve been asked to provide a short introduction to R and its utility in natural resource management. In this short introduction, we can guarantee one thing: you won’t learn R in a few days. That would be like learning to speak French in a few days. To actually learn R,...
Climate tolerances and habitat requirements jointly shape the elevational distribution of the American Pika (Ochotona princeps), with implications for climate change effects
Leah H. Yandow, Anna D. Chalfoun, Daniel F. Doak
2015, PLoS ONE (10) 1-21
Some of the most compelling examples of ecological responses to climate change are elevational range shifts of individual species, which have been observed throughout the world. A growing body of evidence, however, suggests substantial mediation of simple range shifts due to climate change by other limiting factors. Understanding limiting factors...
A revision of the Norian Conchostracan Zonation in North America and its implications for Late Triassic North American tectonic history
Robert E. Weems, Spencer G. Lucas
2015, Book chapter, Fossil Record 4. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 67
Collections of Upper Triassic (Norian) conchostracans from the upper Cumnock and lower Sanford formations (North Carolina), Bull Run Formation (Virginia), Gettysburg Formation (Pennsylvania), Passaic Formation (New Jersey), Blomidon Formation (Nova Scotia), and Redonda Formation (New Mexico) have significantly expanded our knowledge of the Norian conchostracan faunas in these units. These...
Broadening the regulated-river management paradigm: A case study of the forgotten dead zone hindering Pallid Sturgeon recovery
Christopher S. Guy, Hilary B. Treanor, Kevin M. Kappenman, Eric A. Scholl, Jason E. Ilgen, Molly A. H. Webb
2015, Fisheries (40) 6-14
The global proliferation of dams within the last half century has prompted ecologists to understand the effects of regulated rivers on large-river fishes. Currently, much of the effort to mitigate the influence of dams on large-river fishes has been focused on downriver effects, and little attention has been given to...
Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge: Draft comprehensive conservation plan and environmental impact statement
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Elizabeth Donovan, William Gascoigne, Catherine Cullinane Thomas
2015, Report
The Connecticut River is treasured by all for its majesty and significance in supporting life along its winding 410-mile passage through urban and rural communities in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Working with our partners, we are inspired to protect and enhance the natural and cultural richness throughout the...
Duckling survival, fecundity, and habitat selection of mottled duck broods on the upper Texas Gulf Coast
Elizabeth A. Rigby, David A. Haukos
2015, Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (2) 156-163
Mottled ducks (Anas fulvigula) on the western Gulf Coast have exhibited a steep population decline since the mid 1990s. Low rates of breeding incidence and nest success have been implicated in this decline, but duckling survival and the habitat needs of broods have not been previously investigated in this region....
Geologic setting of the proposed Fallon FORGE Site, Nevada: Suitability for EGS research and development
James E. Faulds, Douglas Blankenship, Nicholas H. Hinz, Andrew Sabin, Josh Nordquist, Stephen H. Hickman, Jonathan M.G. Glen, Mack Kennedy, Drew Siler, Ann Robinson-Tait, Colin F. Williams, Peter Drakos, Wendy M. Calvin
2015, GRC Transactions (39) 293-302
The proposed Fallon FORGE site lies within and adjacent to the Naval Air Station Fallon (NASF) directly southeast of the town of Fallon, Nevada, within the large basin of the Carson Sink in west-central Nevada. The site is located on two parcels that include land owned by the NASF and...
Scale-appropriate adaptation strategies and actions in the Northeast and Midwest United States
Michelle D. Staudinger, Laura Hilberg, Maria Janowiak, Chris Caldwell, Anthony W. D’Amato, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Radley M. Horton, Rachel A. Katz, Chris Neiil, Keith H. Nislow, Ken Potter, Erika Rowland, Chris Swanston, Frank Thompson, Kristopher J. Winiarski
2015, Report, Integrating climate change into northeast and midwest State Wildlife Action Plans
Climate Change Adaptation is a growing field within conservation and natural resource management. Actions taken toward climate change adaptation account for climate impacts and ecological responses, both current and projected into the future. These actions attempt to accomplish a number of goals, including the conservation of wildlife and ecosystems by...
Implementation of a framework for multi-species, multi-objective adaptive management in Delaware Bay
Conor P. McGowan, David R. Smith, James D. Nichols, James E. Lyons, John A. Sweka, Kevin Kalasz, Lawrence J. Niles, Richard Wong, Jeffrey Brust, Michelle C. Davis, Braddock Spear
2015, Biological Conservation (191) 759-769
Decision analytic approaches have been widely recommended as well suited to solving disputed and ecologically complex natural resource management problems with multiple objectives and high uncertainty. However, the difference between theory and practice is substantial, as there are very few actual resource management programs that represent formal applications of decision...
Paleoseismologic evidence for large-magnitude (Mw 7.5-8.0) earthquakes on the Ventura blind thrust fault: Implications for multifault ruptures in the Transverse Ranges of southern California
Lee J. McAuliffe, James F. Dolan, Edward J. Rhodes, Judith Hubbard, John H. Shaw, Thomas L. Pratt
2015, Geosphere (11) 1629-1650
Detailed analysis of continuously cored boreholes and cone penetrometer tests (CPTs), high-resolution seismic-reflection data, and luminescence and 14C dates from Holocene strata folded above the tip of the Ventura blind thrust fault constrain the ages and displacements of the two (or more) most recent earthquakes. These two earthquakes, which are...
Thermokarst lake methanogenesis along a complete talik profile
J.K. Heslop, K.M. Walter Anthony, A. Sepulveda-Jauregui, K. Martinez-Cruz, A. Bondurant, G. Grosse, Miriam C. Jones
2015, Biogeosciences (12) 4317-4331
Thermokarst (thaw) lakes emit methane (CH4) to the atmosphere formed from thawed permafrost organic matter (OM), but the relative magnitude of CH4 production in surface lake sediments vs. deeper thawed permafrost horizons is not well understood. We assessed anaerobic CH4 production potentials from various depths along a 590 cm long...
Thin‐ or thick‐skinned faulting in the Yakima fold and thrust belt (WA)? Constraints from kinematic modeling of the saddle mountains anticline
Gabriele Casale, Thomas L. Pratt
2015, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (105) 745-752
The Yakima fold and thrust belt (YFTB) deforms the Columbia River Basalt Group flows of Washington State. The YFTB fault geometries and slip rates are crucial parameters for seismic‐hazard assessments of nearby dams and nuclear facilities, yet there are competing models for the subsurface fault geometry involving shallowly rooted versus...
Understanding protected area resilience: a multi-scale, social-ecological approach
Graeme S. Cumming, Craig R. Allen, Natalie C. Ban, Duan Biggs, Harry C. Biggs, David H.M Cumming, Alta De Vos, Graham Epstein, Michel Etienne, Kristine Maciejewski, Raphael Mathevet, Christine Moore, Mateja Nenadovic, Michael Schoon
2015, Ecological Applications (25) 299-319
Protected areas (PAs) remain central to the conservation of biodiversity. Classical PAs were conceived as areas that would be set aside to maintain a natural state with minimal human influence. However, global environmental change and growing cross-scale anthropogenic influences mean that PAs can no longer be thought of as ecological...
Climate change in the Northeast and Midwest United States
Alexander Bryan, Ambarish Karmalkar, Ethan Coffel, Liang Ning, Radley M. Horton, Eleonora Demaria, Fanxing Fan, Raymond S. Bradley, Richard Palmer
2015, Report, Integrating climate change into northeast and midwest State Wildlife Action Plans
The climate is changing rapidly in ways that have already impacted wildlife and their habitats. Here, we present a summary of the observed past and projected future climate changes in the region that are relevant to wildlife and ecosystems, as well as what we know and don’t know in order...
Early Permian conodont fauna and stratigraphy of the Garden Valley Formation, Eureka County, Nevada
Bruce R. Wardlaw, Dora M. Gallegos, Valery V. Chernykh, Walter S. Snyder
2015, Micropaleontology (61) 369-387
The lower part of the Garden Valley Formation yields two distinct conodont faunas. One of late Asselian age dominated by Mesogondolella and Streptognathodus and one of Artinskian age dominated by Sweetognathus with Mesogondolella. The Asselian fauna contains the same species as those found in the type area of the Asselian...
Global view of remote sensing of rangelands: Evolution, applications, future pathways
Matthew Reeves, Robert A. Washington-Allen, Jay Angerer, E. Raymond Hunt Jr., Ranjani Wasantha Kulawardhana, Lalit Kumar, Tatiana Loboda, Thomas R. Loveland, Graciela Metternicht, R. Douglas Ramsey
Prasad S. Thenkabail, editor(s)
2015, Book chapter, Remote sensing handbook
The term “rangeland” is rather nebulous, and there is no single definition of rangeland that is universally accepted by land managers, scientists, or international bodies (Lund, 2007; Reeves and Mitchell, 2011). Dozens and possibly hundreds (Lund, 2007) of definitions and ideologies exist because various stakeholders often have unique objectives requiring...
Evaluation of stream flow effects on smolt survival in the Yakima River Basin, Washington, 2012-2014
Ian Courter, Tommy Garrison, Tobias J. Kock, Russell W. Perry
2015, Report
The influence of stream flow on survival of emigrating juvenile (smolts) Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. and steelhead trout O. mykiss is of key management interest. However, few studies have quantified flow effects on smolt migration survival, and available information does not indicate a consistent flow-survival relationship within the typical range...
Continuous monitoring of meteorological conditions and movement of a deep-seated, persistently moving rockslide along Interstate Route 79 near Pittsburgh
Francis Ashland, Helen L. Delano
2015, Pennsylvania Geology (45) 22-26
A large inventory of landslides exists for Allegheny County, Pa., and historical movement of manyof these has resulted in considerable damage to property, roads, and infrastructure. Along InterstateRoute 79, a subset of the landslide inventory includes deep-seated rockslides, two of which reactivatedduring construction of the highway in the late 1960s...
Provenance and detrital zircon geochronologic evolution of lower Brookian foreland basin deposits of the western Brooks Range, Alaska, and implications for early Brookian tectonism
Thomas E. Moore, Paul B. O’Sullivan, Christopher J. Potter, Raymond A. Donelick
2015, Geosphere (11) 93-122
The Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous part of the Brookian sequence of northern Alaska consists of syntectonic deposits shed from the north-directed, early Brookian orogenic belt. We employ sandstone petrography, detrital zircon U-Pb age analysis, and zircon fission-track double-dating methods to investigate these deposits in a succession of thin...
Denitrification in the Mississippi River network controlled by flow through river bedforms
Jesus D. Gomez-Velez, Judson W. Harvey, M. Bayani Cardenas, Brian Kiel
2015, Nature Geoscience (8) 941-945
Increasing nitrogen concentrations in the world’s major rivers have led to over-fertilization of sensitive downstream waters. Flow through channel bed and bank sediments acts to remove riverine nitrogen through microbe-mediated denitrification reactions. However, little is understood about where in the channel network this biophysical process is most efficient, why certain...
