Sensitive environmental DNA methods for low-risk surveillance of at-risk bumble bees
Rodney T. Richardson, Grace Avalos, Cameron J. Garland, Regina Trott, Olivia Hager, Mark J. Hepner, Clayton D. Raines, Karen Goodell
2025, Molecular Ecology Resources (26)
Terrestrial environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques have been proposed as a means of sensitive, non-lethal pollinator monitoring. To date, however, no studies have provided evidence that eDNA methods can achieve detection sensitivity on par with traditional pollinator surveys. Using a large-scale dataset of eDNA and corresponding net surveys, we show that...
Land change, fire, and climate weaken carbon sink in the conterminous U.S.
Jinxun Liu, Benjamin M. Sleeter, Zhiliang Zhu, Mark A. Cochrane, Qiang Zhou, Bin Wang, Grant Domke, Paul Selmants, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Qiuan Zhu, Tamara Wilson, Kristin Byrd, Eric Ward, Terry Sohl, Todd Hawbaker, Zhen Zhang, Christopher Soulard, Kimberly Wickland, Robert G. Striegl
2025, Science Advances (11)
The land carbon sink of the conterminous United States was evaluated using a bottom-up modeling framework and 30-meter land change data from 1985 to 2020. This cross-scale, cross-landscape, and cross-system approach tracked fractional land cover changes and applied regional model calibration. Results show average terrestrial and aquatic carbon sinks of +110 ±...
Morphometric and geological characterization with statistical correlations for 33 tributary drainage basins of the San Juan River watershed in the Four Corners region, USA
K. E. Miltenberger, Zachary Shephard, Rachel Lynn Mixon, Johanna Blake, Shaleene Chavarria, Douglas Yager
2025, Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis (25)
Basin morphometry, climate and geology control how a hydrological network evolves over time, controlling the efficiency of weathering of elements from geological materials, and ultimately the input of sediment and dissolved constituents to river systems. Exceedances to the Navajo Nation surface water quality standards for trace metals have been reported...
A hidden heelsplitter: Distribution of an undescribed endemic freshwater mussel in the Barrens Plateau
Kristin I. Womble, Amanda E. Rosenberger, Andrew R. Henderson
2025, Southeastern Naturalist (24) 17-26
Malacologists generally acknowledge that the Alasminota holstonia (Tennessee Heelsplitter) populations in the Caney Fork, Elk, and Duck river drainages in the Barrens Plateau region of middle Tennessee likely represent a closely related, but distinct, species, collectively referred to as Alasminota sp. (Barrens Heelsplitter). Recent surveys indicate that the species persists in at least 5...
Satellite tracking supports hypotheses of breeding allochrony and allopatry in the Endangered Pterodroma hasitata (Black-capped Petrel, Diablotin)
Yvan G. Satgé, J. Brian Patteson, Bradford S. Keitt, Chris P. Gaskin, Patrick G.R. Jodice
2025, Journal of Caribbean Ornithology (38) 59-66
Pterodroma hasitata, the Black-capped Petrel (locally known as Diablotin), is the only extant Pterodroma petrel nesting in the Caribbean. The species is listed as globally Endangered by the IUCN and was recently listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Pterodroma hasitata show a phenotypic gradient, ranging from a darker, smaller form to...
Megafaunal community structure on ferromanganese and phosphorite hardgrounds in the Southern California Borderland
Devin Vlach, Olivia S. Pereira, Francis Nguyen, Angelica Bradley, Kira Mizell, Lisa A. Levin
2025, Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography (224)
The Southern California Borderland (SCB) is a topographically complex region on the active continental margin that hosts varied hardground habitats, including ferromanganese (FeMn) crusts and phosphorites, marine minerals being considered for resource extraction. The SCB is influenced by seasonal upwelling and terrestrial inputs, and has a well-defined oxygen-minimum zone (OMZ)....
Fiber-optic sensing for earthquake hazards research, monitoring and early warning
Jeffrey J. McGuire, Andrew J. Barbour, Zack J. Spica, Verónica Rodríguez Tribaldos, Zhongwen Zhan, Bradley P. Lipovsky, Robert J. Mellors, Ettore Biondi, Clara Yoon, Martin Karrenbach, Adam T. Ringler, James William Atterholt, Avinash Nayak, Theresa Marie Sawi, Loic Viens, Eileen R. Martin, Allen L. Husker, Paul Bodin, Morgan P. Moschetti, Qibin Shi, Nathaniel C. Miller, Prisha Puri
2025, Seismological Research Letters
The use of fiber‐optic sensing systems in seismology has exploded in the past decade. Despite an ever‐growing library of ground‐breaking studies, questions remain about the potential of fiber‐optic sensing technologies as tools for advancing if not revolutionizing earthquake‐hazards‐related research, monitoring, and early warning systems. A working group convened to explore...
Potential for continental scientific drilling to inform fault mechanics and earthquake science
Elizabeth S. Cochran, Natalia Zakharova, Brett Carpenter, Folarin Kolawole, Nicholas W. Hayman, Hiroki Sone, Douglas R. Schmitt, Peter Eichhubl, William Ellsworth, Yves Guglielmi, Stephen H. Hickman, Harold J. Tobin
2025, Seismica (4)
Our understanding of fault mechanics and earthquake processes remains limited, largely due to minimal direct observations near active faults at seismogenic depths. This lack of data restricts our ability to accurately assess and mitigate both natural and human-induced seismic hazards. However, recent advancements in drilling capabilities and...
Cosmic dust reveals dynamic shifts in central Arctic sea-ice coverage over the past 30,000 years
Frank J. Pavia, Jesse Farmer, Laura Gemery, Thomas M. Cronin, Jonathan Treffkorn, Kenneth A. Farley
2025, Science (390) 628-632
Arctic sea-ice loss affects biological productivity, sustenance in coastal communities, and geopolitics. Forecasting these impacts requires mechanistic understanding of how Arctic sea ice responds to climate change, but this is limited by scarce long-term records. We present continuous 30,000-year reconstructions of sea-ice coverage from the Arctic Ocean based on measurements...
Occurrence and surface availability of Siskiyou Mountains Salamanders (Plethodon stormi) and Scott Bar Salamanders (P. asupak) in northern California
Brian J. Halstead, Daniel Antonio Macias, Casey D. Moss, Patrick M. Kleeman, Jonathan P. Rose
2025, Herpetologica (81) 336-345
Estimating the distributions of cryptic species is essential for conservation, yet our understanding is hampered by animal behavior and imperfect detection. We developed and implemented a multiscale occupancy survey protocol to estimate the probability of occurrence, probability of being active on the surface, and detection probability of two range-restricted terrestrial...
Spatial distribution and relative biomass of bigheaded carps in Lake Balaton, Hungary estimated from an environmental DNA survey
Nora Boross, Ardo Laszlo, Duane C. Chapman, Gergely Boros, Zoltán Vitál, Viktor Tóth, Nathan Thompson, Katy E. Klymus, Catherine A. Richter
2025, PLoS ONE (20)
Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), bighead carp (H. molitrix) and their hybrids, collectively known as bigheaded carps, have been introduced to Lake Balaton, Hungary. The current stock sizes are difficult to assess. We investigated environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques targeted for bigheaded carps, assessed the spatial distribution of eDNA in Lake Balaton,...
Development of genomic markers for monitoring and research on plethodontid salamanders
Benjamin M. Fitzpatrick, Kara Suzanne Jones, Aaron W. Aunins, Michael S. Eackles, David C. Kazyak
2025, PLoS ONE (20)
Despite the importance of plethodontid salamanders and their vulnerability to ongoing environmental change, they are inherently difficult to monitor due to their cryptic nature. Recent advances in genomics have created new opportunities for monitoring of populations and their responses to environmental perturbations. In this study, we developed...
Global recreational consumption of non-native inland fish: Higher economic benefits, but lower nutritional value and climate resilience
Marco Milardi, Louisa E. Wood, Elizabeth A. Nyboer, Holly Susan Embke, Sui C. Phang, Abigail J. Lynch
2025, Science of the Total Environment (1005)
Inland recreational fisheries are globally significant leisure pursuits, with well-documented benefits to human health and well-being, but also one of the principal drivers of non-native fish introductions to enhance fishing opportunities, whether for sport or sustenance. In this study, we assess the relative reliance of global inland recreational fisheries on...
U.S. Geological Survey geomagnetic variometer data: Capitalizing on seismic infrastructure
Adam T. Ringler, Andrew Holcomb, E. Joshua Rigler, Spencer Wilbur, C. Balch, Corey Beutel, Brendan Ryan Geels, J. Guerra, A. Horton, Edward Kromer, Kristen A. Lewis, Jeffrey J. Love, Yolando Root, Claudia Kristina Rossavik, N. Shavers, John Spritzer, Tyler Storm, Alexandra Nicole Wernle, David C. Wilson
2025, Seismological Research Letters
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Geomagnetism Program is collaborating with the Earthquake Hazards Program and Global Seismographic Network Program to densify magnetic field observations. This collaboration focuses on the installation of magnetometers, or magnetic variometers, at existing seismic stations. Along with improving the density of space weather observations for hazard monitoring,...
Imaging hyporheic exchange by integrating deep learning and physics-informed inversion of time-lapse self-potential data
Huichao Yin, Scott Ikard, Dale F. Rucker, Scott C. Brooks, Zhenxue Dai, Kenneth C. Carroll
2025, Geophysical Research Letters (52)
Self-potential (SP) monitoring is increasingly used for subsurface flow characterization due to its sensitivity to hydrogeological and geochemical processes. However, SP inversion remains challenging due to its ill-posed nature, sparse data coverage, and strong transient noise. This study proposes a hybrid framework to image hyporheic exchange using a time-lapse SP...
Missing data in ecology: Syntheses, clarifications, and considerations
Michael Dumelle, Rob Trangucci, Amanda M. Nahlik, Anthony R Olsen, Kathryn Irvine, Karen A. Blocksom, Jay Ver Hoef, Claudio Fuentes
2025, Ecological Monographs (95)
In ecology and related sciences, missing data are common and occur in a variety of different contexts. When missing data are not handled properly, subsequent statistical estimates tend to be biased, inefficient, and lack proper confidence interval coverage. Missing data are often grouped into three categories: missing completely at random (MCAR),...
Assessment of coastal and fluvial morphodynamic changes using Structure-for-Motion: A case study of the Sfȃntu Gheorghe Mouth (Danube Delta, Romania)
Andrei Gabriel Dragos, Gabriel Iordache, Florin Dutu, Monica Palaseanu-Lovejoy, Florin Pitea, Irina Stanciu, Adrian Stanica
2025, Conference Paper, Proceedings of Inżynieria Mineralna WMCEES 2025
The ability to accurately map erosion, flooding, and habitat loss in coastal environments is crucial for formulating national strategies aimed at preventing and mitigating the impacts of natural disasters. A fundamental component of this process is the implementation of coastal morphodynamics monitoring through Structure-from-Motion (SfM) techniques, utilizing high-resolution 2D/3D data...
Too hot for comfort: Elevated temperatures influence gene expression and exceed thermal tolerance of bigmouth shiners, Ericymba dorsalis
Ella K. Humphrey, Jonathan J. Spurgeon, Lizabeth Bowen, Robert E. Wilson, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, Braxton M. Newkirk, Sarah A. Sonsthagen
2025, Journal of Fish Biology
Environmental and associated ecosystem change may affect the persistence of fish species based on their ability to adapt to changing conditions, including decreasing flows and rising water temperatures. Exceeding the thermal tolerances of stream fish will likely result in a loss of ability to maintain metabolic processes. We evaluated the...
Spring weather influences breeding propensity, the most important productivity component for Arctic-nesting lesser snow geese
Antti Piironen, Joshua L. Dooley, Vasiliy V. Baraynyuk, Jeffrey M. Knetter, Kyle A. Spragens, Alexander R. Schindler, Vijay P. Patil, Eric T. Reed, Adam C. Behney, Megan V. Ross, Todd A. Sanders, Mark J. Petrie, Mitch D. Weegman
2025, Proceedings of the Royal Society B (292)
Animal reproduction is composed of several stages, which collectively determine overall productivity. Yet, it is not fully understood how different productivity components contribute to population change. To bridge this gap, we leveraged integrated population modelling and transient life-table response experiments, together with population-level data on lesser snow...
Gas bubble trauma progression and mortality in sculpin, threespine stickleback, and Northern pikeminnow
Kenneth F. Tiffan, Brad D. Liedtke
2025, Northwest Science (98) 174-189
We examined the progression of gas bubble trauma (GBT) and associated mortality in sculpin (Cottus spp.), threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), and Northern pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus oregonensis) exposed to three levels of total dissolved gas (TDG; 120, 125, and 130% saturation) in laboratory experiments. Sculpin were most sensitive to elevated TDG followed by...
Predicting secretive species distribution using Bayesian networks with and without expert elicitation: A case study incorporating double-blind peer review
Dustin E. Brewer, Elisabeth B. Webb, Anne E. Mini, S. Keith McKnight
2025, Ecological Solutions and Evidence (6)
1. Species that are secretive, imperilled and consequently data deficient often re-quire conservation action despite limited available information. In such scenarios, Bayesian networks (BNs) offer a versatile and intuitive approach for utilizing various information sources, including literature reviews, community science data sets and expert knowledge. Although it...
A high-resolution late Paleocene–early Eocene organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst zonation of the United States Atlantic Coastal Plain
Mei Nelissen, Appy Sluijs, Debra A. Willard, Henk Brinkhuis
2025, Journal of Micropalaeontology (44) 431-467
Over the past decades, many expanded sedimentary records from the US Atlantic Coastal Plain (ACP) have been studied in detail to assess causes and consequences of the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM; ∼ 56 Ma). In ACP sections, the PETM, which is globally marked by a distinct negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE) lasting <span...
Changes in phosphorus concentration and flux from 2011 to 2023 in major U.S. tributaries to the Laurentian Great Lakes
Dustin William Kincaid, Matthew W. Diebel, Erin E. Bertke, Donald B. Bonville, G. F. Koltun, Dale M. Robertson, Luke C. Loken
2025, Journal of Great Lakes Research (51)
Reducing phosphorus (P) flux to the Great Lakes is critical for improving water quality and controlling eutrophication. We used 13 water years (2011–2023) of U.S. Geological Survey data from 24 major U.S. tributaries (representing 47% of the U.S. Great Lakes watershed area) to evaluate temporal changes in orthophosphate (PO4-P) and...
Analysis of trends in terrestrial vegetation at Mediterranean Coast Network Parks: Channel Islands National Park
Leigh Ann Starcevich, Christopher Murray, Lena F.S. Lee, Cameron B. Williams, Kathryn McEachern
2025, Science Report NPS/SR-2025/358
The five islands comprising Channel Islands National Park (CHIS) experience natural gradients in temperature and moisture driven by ocean currents. Additionally, the islands were used as ranchlands and military land before becoming a national park, resulting in widespread erosion and vegetation change. As a result, CHIS spans gradients in climate...
Evaluating Laramide orogenesis via flexural basin response in the San Juan basin, New Mexico and Colorado
Kurt Rudolph, Ryan J Leary, Tyson Michael Smith, Kristine L. Zellman
2025, Conference Paper, New Mexico Geological Society 75th annual fall field conference guidebook
A challenge in interpreting the location, timing, and magnitude of ancient orogenic events is that ongoing uplift and erosion in the hinterlands often destroys much of the primary record of these events. However, basin-thickness patterns in the sedimentary record can provide complimentary evidence of uplift via flexural effects. Here, we...
