Genomics reveals extensive population structure and undescribed phylogenetic relationships in the Cascade torrent salamander (Rhyacotriton cascadae)
Christopher D Cousins, Deanna H Olson, Lindsay S Millward, Michael J. Adams, Christopher Pearl, Jennifer Rowe, Tiffany S Garcia
2026, Journal of Biogeography (53)
AimAims of the study are to examine patterns of range-wide genetic differentiation and population structure in a headwater obligate salamander living in a geologically rich region, to identify genetically distinct populations and areas of gene flow between them.LocationOregon and Washington in the Pacific Northwest,...
Characterizing operational signatures of reservoirs with the SWOT satellite by comparing natural lake and reservoir dynamics
Ryan Matthew Riggs, Jesse E. Dickinson, Craig B. Brinkerhoff, Md. Safat Sikder, Jida Wang, Huilin Gao, George H. Allen
2026, Environmental Research Letters (21)
Due to a lack of management operations data, hydrological models may represent reservoirs as natural lakes, leading to poor discharge predictions in regulated basins. To parse seasonal operational signatures, we compare the dynamics of natural lake and reservoir systems across North America using Surface Water and Ocean...
Environment, taxonomy, and socioeconomics predict non-imperilment in freshwater fishes
Christina Amy Murphy, J. Andres Olivos, Ivan Arismendi, Emili García-Berthou, Sherri L. Johnson, Jason Dunham
2026, Nature Communications (17)
Freshwater fishes are among the most threatened taxa, yet conservation assessments remain incomplete for many species. Freshwater fishes provide essential ecosystem services such as food security, recreational opportunities, and cultural significance. Despite heavy alterations to freshwater ecosystems, the reasons for species’ sensitivity and resistance to imperilment are...
Assessment of antibiotic resistance genes in Caribbean corals, including those treated with amoxicillin
Karen L. Neely, Christina A. Kellogg, Julie Jenice Voelschow, Allison R. Cauvin, Sydney A.M. Reed, Ewelina Rubin, Julie L. Meyer
2026, Coral Reefs
The decimation of reefs from stony coral tissue loss disease prompted the use of a topical amoxicillin treatment to prevent coral mortality. Application of this treatment led to concerns about unintentional impacts such as potential alteration of the coral microbiome and possible spread of antibiotic resistance. We...
Vulnerability of mangrove resources to sea-level rise on Sanibel Island, Florida, USA
Kevin J. Buffington, Ken W. Krauss, Karen M. Thorne, Jeremy R. Conrad, Judith Z. Drexler, Zhiliang Zhu
2026, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (333)
Accelerating sea-level rise (SLR) is poised to reshape coastal environments over the coming decades, providing a challenge to land managers who need actionable information. Mangroves have an innate ability to keep pace with some SLR but may drown under the higher rates projected by the end of...
Breeding shorebird surveys in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, suggest population declines over two decades for most species
Stephen C. Brown, James E. Lyons, Sarah T. Saalfeld, Shiloh Schulte, Christopher J. Latty, Metta McGarvey, Lindall R. Kidd, Kirsti L.K. Carr, Richard B. Lanctot
2026, Ornithological Applications
Shorebird populations are declining globally but it generally remains unclear how those declines translate to changes at the regional scale. We conducted the first longitudinal surveys of breeding shorebirds in Alaska under the Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring (PRISM), resurveying the Coastal Plain (1002 Area)...
Revisiting chlorophyll a thresholds for San Francisco Bay: Insights from observations of phytoplankton molecular abundance
Daniel Killam, Keith Bouma-Gregson, Martha Sutula, Raphael Kudela, James Hagy, Stephanie Anderson, David Senn
2026, Harmful Algae (154)
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are a hazard for coastal environments worldwide; identifying screening thresholds of chlorophyll-a (chl-a) associated with increased risk of HABs is a management priority. Molecular surveillance of coastal phytoplankton and bivalve biotoxins could be used to link chl-a with HAB risk, but requires an understanding of whether...
Bathymetric and velocimetric surveys at highway bridges crossing the Missouri River near Kansas City, Missouri, August 8–9, 2023
Richard J. Huizinga, Benjamin C. Rivers
2026, Scientific Investigations Report 2026-5124
Bathymetric and velocimetric data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Transportation, near 8 bridge crossings of the Missouri River near Kansas City, Missouri, on August 8–9, 2023. A multibeam echosounder mapping system was used to obtain channel- bed elevations for river reaches...
Effects of groundwater withdrawals for water bottling and municipal use, Wards Brook Valley, Maine and New Hampshire
John R Mullaney, Janet R. Barclay, Jennifer S. Stanton, Carl S Carlson, Madeleine Holland
2026, Preprint
Hydrologic models for the Wards Brook valley near Fryeburg, Maine were developed for historical (2016 – 2021) and hypothetical future conditions (2046 – 2065 and 2080 – 2099) to understand the effects of groundwater withdrawals for bottled water and municipal use on hydrologic conditions (stream base flows and groundwater levels)....
Constructed value of information with iterative scoring and parametric uncertainty to identify management-relevant research priorities for a declining raptor species
Kristin P. Davis, Mitchell J. Eaton, Emily R. Bjerre, Hillary M. White, Clint W. Boal, Jennifer H. Herner-Thogmartin, Orin J. Robinson, Abigail Jean Lawson
2026, Conservation Biology
Constructed value of information (CVoI) is an expert elicitation decision-analytic tool used to prioritize sources of uncertainty based on their potential to improve decision outcomes if resolved. Despite increased application of CVoI, the robustness of CVoI prioritization of sources of uncertainty relative to differences in expert elicitation and scoring methods...
Habitat-based predictions of bridle shiner (Notropis bifrenatus) in the northeastern U.S.
Lara S. Katz, Stephen M. Coghlan Jr., Matthew A. Carpenter, Michael T. Kinnison, Joseph D. Zydlewski
2026, Ecology and Evolution (16)
We sought to assess bridle shiner (Notropis bifrenatus) habitat associations at local and regional scales across southern Maine and New Hampshire. We used local habitat data at 95 Maine sites to predict occupancy with classification and regression trees (CART). We then used ensemble species distribution models (SDMs)...
Inference of pattern-based geological CO2 sequestration and oil recovery potential in a commingled main pay and residual oil zone CO2-EOR flood
C. Ozgen Karacan, Emil Attanasi, Sean T. Brennan, Peter D. Warwick
2026, Geoenergy Science and Engineering (260)
Several detailed studies have shown that residual oil zones (ROZs) can present significant resources for additional hydrocarbon recovery as well as subsurface carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration via enhanced oil recovery by injecting CO2 (CO2-EOR). Field development strategies included new wells drilled dedicated to main pay zones (MPZ) and ROZs,...
Experimental translocation of a rare Hawaiian tree reveals disparity between remnant and potential habitat
Julia Douglas, Mingzhou Bai, Lucas Berio Fortini, Stephanie G. Yelenik, Nina Rønsted
2026, Biological Conservation (316)
Translocation is implemented worldwide as a conservation strategy for rare and endangered plant species, yet the factors that influence long-term success remain poorly understood. Remnant wild populations are often used as indicators to model habitat preference and select translocation sites, but such populations may be refugia from past biological or...
Intraspecific contact among white-tailed deer: A literature review and chronic wasting disease case study
Nathaniel H. Wehr, Kristin J. Bondo, Christopher S. Rosenberry, David Stainbrook, Bret D. Wallingford, W. David Walter
2026, Ecology and Evolution (16)
White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are a valuable game mammal in the eastern United States necessitating detailed understanding of disease transmission. We conducted a literature review on intraspecific contact (i.e., interactions wherein disease transmission may occur) among deer. From 69 studies, we identified five themes underlying research on...
Multiple-well monitoring site adjacent to the Midway- Sunset and Buena Vista Oil Fields, Kern County, California
Rhett R. Everett, Janice M. Gillespie, Riley Gannon, Anthony A. Brown, Andrew Morita
2026, Preprint
Groundwater quality in and around oil fields in the Southern San Joaquin Valley is of interest to many California residents that rely heavily on groundwater for domestic, commercial, and agricultural use. To help assess the effects of historical oil-field activities and natural geologic sources on groundwater near the southwest margins...
Groundwater quality near an oil field in a stream-dominated recharge setting, California, USA
Jennifer S. Stanton, Michael J. Stephens, Matthew K. Landon, David H. Shimabukuro, Andrew G. Hunt, Justin T. Kulongoski, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Theron A. Sowers
2026, PLOS Water (5)
Alluvial valley aquifers are important sources of water supply in many areas but effects of co-located oil and gas development on these resources have not been widely reported, especially in settings where recharge is dominated by stream infiltration. Interpreting the presence of geochemical indicators in the context of hydrology, geology,...
Monitoring changes in Landsat thermal features in urban and non-urban interfaces from 1986 to 2023 in two international urban centers: Implications for climate and global issues
Hua Shi, Christopher P. Barber, Kristi L. Sayler, Kelcy Smith, Reza Hussain
2026, Remote Sensing (18)
Rapid urbanization is reshaping thermal environments worldwide, with the strongest impacts occurring at the interface between urban and non-urban areas. Impervious surfaces, as key indicators of urban expansion, are critical for monitoring urban growth and assessing surface urban heat island (SUHI) effects. Land use and land cover...
Tracking baseflow supply dynamics using SWOT data from small groundwater-dominated lakes
Martin A. Briggs, Merritt Elizabeth Harlan, David M. Rey, Danielle K. Hare, Denis R. LeBlanc, David F. Boutt, Michael N. Gooseff
2026, Hydrological Processes (40)
In situ surface-water monitoring strategies are biased towards larger perennial streams and lakes and are generally not designed to track mechanisms of baseflow supply contributed by the dynamic storage of aquifers. Additionally, small (< 1 km2) groundwater-influenced lakes and wetlands globally have little in situ monitoring infrastructure. We explored the...
Hierarchical mixture models and high-resolution monitoring data can inform siting and operational strategies to mitigate bat fatalities at wind turbines
Charles J. Labuzzetta, Arnold (Contractor) Johnsen, Amber Andress, Teresa Bohner, Alejandro Grajal-Puche, Megan Seymour, Bethany R. Straw, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Bradley James Udell, Ashton M. Wiens, James E. Diffendorfer
2026, Ecological Informatics (94)
Bats provide critical ecosystem services, but bat fatalities due to wind energy development may imperil some bat populations. Statistical models are used to estimate the total fatalities that occur based on carcasses observed during monitoring surveys. Current models often estimate fatalities aggregated across species, time, and/or turbines, but fall short...
Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources in the Santos Basin, Campos Basin, and Espírito Santo Basin provinces of Brazil, 2024
Christopher J. Schenk, Sarah E. Gelman, Jane S. Hearon, Tracey J. Mercier, Phuong A. Le, Andrea D. Cicero, Benjamin G. Johnson, Jenny H. Lagesse, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller
2026, Fact Sheet 2026-3062
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean conventional resources of 10.4 billion barrels of oil and 53.3 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Santos Basin, Campos Basin, and Espírito Santo Basin provinces of Brazil....
Prince William Sound Herring Program, fiscal year 2024
Paul Hershberger, David James Páez
2026, Report
Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) were collected from three sites in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska (Table 1) during the spring pre-spawn period from March 29 – April 1, 2024, to test for viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV), viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN), and Ichthyophonus prevalence (Table 1). Ichthyophonus was detected in...
Suspended-sediment and phosphorus response in a fire-affected central Montana headwater catchment
Gregory D. Clark, Michael W. Suplee, Haylie M. Brown, Molly A. Moloney, Rodney R. Caldwell
2026, Journal of Soils and Sediments (26)
Purpose Eutrophication and nuisance filamentous algal blooms (i.e. Cladophora) are increasingly common occurrences throughout much of the western United States. Wildfire may be contributing to the frequency and magnitude of algal blooms through excess sediment and nutrient loading to streams and rivers. Our objective was to evaluate the effects the 2021...
Ecogeomorphic feedbacks influence elevation change across microtidal wetland settings of coastal Louisiana
Carol Wilson, Tracy Quirk, Donald R. Cahoon, Gregg A. Snedden, Leigh Anne Sharp
2026, Nature Communications (17)
No abstract available. ...
Using eye lens stable isotopes to identify the rearing origin of fall age-0 walleye (Sander vitreus)
Justin M. Sturtz, Benjamin J. Schall, Matthew J. Ward, Cody E. Treft, Steven R. Chipps, Christopher A. Cheek
2026, Fisheries Management and Ecology
Isotope values in fish eye lenses may be useful in differentiating rearing origins. We compared eye lens isotopic values of fall fingerling age-0 walleye (Sander vitreus) reared in a hatchery pond, a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS), and a natural lake. Using 10 fish per rearing source, we...
Day-roost use by ‘ōpe‘ape‘a, the Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus semotus)
P. Marcos Gorresen, Kristina Montoya-Aiona, Karen Courtot, Amy L. Vievard, Josephine L. Tupu
2026, Acta Chiropterologica (27) 233-248
The ‘ōpe‘ape‘a, also known as the Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus semotus; family Vespertilionidae), is a solitary, insectivorous, foliage-roosting endemic species. Over a three-year period, we investigated day-roost lability and fidelity of 35 bats at 52 roosts (for a total of 544 days of observation), and roost emergence and return patterns...
