Status of the California Red-legged Frog (Rana draytonii) in the State of Baja California, México
Anny Peralta-Garcia, Bradford D. Hellingsworth, Jonathan Q. Richmond, Jorge H. Valdez-Villavicencio, Gorgonio Ruiz-Campos, Robert N. Fisher, Pedro Cruz-Hernandez, Patricia Galina-Tessaro
2016, Herpetological Conservation and Biology (11) 168-180
The California Red-legged Frog (Rana draytonii) is a threatened species in the United States that has undergone population declines, especially in southern California. Due to the lack of information on the status of Mexican populations, we surveyed for the presence of R. draytonii in Baja California and assessed possible threats...
Effects of turbidity on predation vulnerability of juvenile humpback chub to rainbow and brown trout
David L. Ward, Rylan Morton-Starner, Benjamin M. Vaage
2016, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (7) 1-8
Predation on juvenile native fish by introduced rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and brown trout Salmo trutta is considered a significant threat to the persistence of endangered humpback chub Gila cypha in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. Diet studies of rainbow and brown trout in Glen and Grand canyons indicate...
A fault-based model for crustal deformation, fault slip-rates and off-fault strain rate in California
Yuehua Zeng, Zheng-Kang Shen
2016, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (106) 766-784
We invert Global Positioning System (GPS) velocity data to estimate fault slip rates in California using a fault‐based crustal deformation model with geologic constraints. The model assumes buried elastic dislocations across the region using Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast Version 3 (UCERF3) fault geometries. New GPS velocity and geologic slip‐rate...
Biodiversity conservation and environmental change: Using palaeoecology to manage dynamic landscapes in the Anthropocene.
Charles B. Yackulic
2016, The Quarterly Review of Biology 206-206
No abstract available....
Malberg mystery solved!
Shannon Barber-Meyer
2016, International Wolf (26) 22-23
No abstract available....
At the nexus of fire, water and society
Deborah A. Martin
2016, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (371)
The societal risks of water scarcity and water-quality impairment have received considerable attention, evidenced by recent analyses of these topics by the 2030 Water Resources Group, the United Nations and the World Economic Forum. What are the effects of fire on the predicted water scarcity and declines in water quality?...
Gene transcript profiling in sea otters post-Exxon Valdez oil spill: A tool for marine ecosystem health assessment
Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Brenda E. Ballachey, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, James L. Bodkin
2016, Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (4)
Using a panel of genes stimulated by oil exposure in a laboratory study, we evaluated gene transcription in blood leukocytes sampled from sea otters captured from 2006–2012 in western Prince William Sound (WPWS), Alaska, 17–23 years after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS). We compared WPWS sea otters to reference...
Larval long-toed salamanders incur nonconsumptive effects in the presence of nonnative trout
Erin K. Kenison, Andrea R. Litt, David S. Pilliod, Thomas E. McMahon
2016, Ecosphere (7)
Predators can influence prey directly through consumption or indirectly through nonconsumptive effects (NCEs) by altering prey behavior, morphology, and life history. We investigated whether predator-avoidance behaviors by larval long-toed salamanders (Ambystoma macrodactylum) in lakes with nonnative trout result in NCEs on morphology and development. Field studies in lakes with and...
Changes to extreme wave climates of islands within the Western Tropical Pacific throughout the 21st century under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5, with implications for island vulnerability and sustainability
James B. Shope, Curt D. Storlazzi, Li H. Erikson, Christie Hegermiller
2016, Global and Planetary Change (141) 25-38
Waves are the dominant influence on coastal morphology and ecosystem structure of tropical Pacific islands. Wave heights, periods, and directions for the 21st century were projected using near-surface wind fields from four atmosphere-ocean coupled global climate models (GCM) under representative concentration pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5. GCM-derived wind fields forced...
Baseline and projected future carbon storage and greenhouse-gas fluxes in ecosystems of Alaska
Zhiliang Zhu, A. David McGuire, editor(s)
2016, Professional Paper 1826
This assessment was conducted to fulfill the requirements of section 712 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and to contribute to knowledge of the storage, fluxes, and balance of carbon and methane gas in ecosystems of Alaska. The carbon and methane variables were examined for major terrestrial...
Can captive populations function as sources of genetic variation for reintroductions into the wild? A case study of the Arabian oryx from the Phoenix Zoo and the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve, Jordan
Alexander Ochoa, Stuart A. Wells, Gary West, Ma’en Al-Smadi, Sergio A. Redondo, Sydnee R. Sexton, Melanie Culver
2016, Conservation Genetics (17) 1145-1155
The Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) historically ranged across the Arabian Peninsula and neighboring countries until its extirpation in 1972. In 1963–1964 a captive breeding program for this species was started at the Phoenix Zoo (PHX); it ultimately consisted of 11 animals that became known as the ‘World Herd’....
Morphodynamics of prograding beaches: A synthesis of seasonal- to century-scale observations of the Columbia River littoral cell
Peter Ruggiero, George Kaminsky, Guy R. Gelfenbaum, Nicholas Cohn
2016, Marine Geology (376) 51-68
Findings from nearly two decades of research focused on the Columbia River littoral cell (CRLC), a set of rapidly prograding coastal barriers and strand-plains in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, are synthesized to investigate the morphodynamics associated with prograding beaches. Due to a large sediment supply from the Columbia...
Future land-use related water demand in California
Tamara Wilson, Benjamin M. Sleeter, D. Richard Cameron
2016, Environmental Research Letters (11)
Water shortages in California are a growing concern amidst ongoing drought, earlier spring snowmelt, projected future climate warming, and currently mandated water use restrictions. Increases in population and land use in coming decades will place additional pressure on already limited available water supplies. We used a state-and-transition simulation model to...
Dimmuborgir: a rootless shield complex in northern Iceland
Alasdair Skelton, Erik Sturkell, Martin Jakobsson, Draupnir Einarsson, Elin Tollefsen, Tim R. Orr
2016, Bulletin of Volcanology (78)
The origin of Dimmuborgir, a shield-like volcanic structure within the Younger Laxá lava flow field near Lake Mývatn, in northern Iceland, has long been questioned. New airborne laser mapping (light detection and ranging (LiDAR)), combined with ground-penetrating radar results and a detailed field study, suggests that Dimmuborgir is a complex...
One thousand years of fires: Integrating proxy and model data
Natalie M. Kehrwald, Julie C. Aleman, Michael Coughlan, Colin J. Courtney Mustaphi, Esther N. Githumbi, Brian I. Magi, Jennifer R. Marlon, Mitchell J. Power
2016, Frontiers of Biogeography (8)
The current fires raging across Indonesia are emitting more carbon than the annual fossil fuel emissions of Germany or Japan, and the fires are still consuming vast tracts of rainforest and peatlands. The National Interagency Fire Center (www.nifc.gov) notes that 2015 is one worst fire years on record in the...
Natural thorium resources and recovery: Options and impacts
Timothy Ault, Bradley S. Van Gosen, Steven Krahn, Allen Croff
2016, Nuclear Technology (194) 136-151
This paper reviews the front end of the thorium fuel cycle, including the extent and variety of thorium deposits, the potential sources of thorium production, and the physical and chemical technologies required to isolate and purify thorium. Thorium is frequently found within rare earth element–bearing minerals that exist in diverse...
Development and use of mathematical models and software frameworks for integrated analysis of agricultural systems and associated water use impacts
K. R. Fowler, E.W. Jenkins, M. Parno, J.C. Chrispell, A. I. Colon, Randall T. Hanson
2016, AIMS Agriculture and Food (1) 208-226
The development of appropriate water management strategies requires, in part, a methodology for quantifying and evaluating the impact of water policy decisions on regional stakeholders. In this work, we describe the framework we are developing to enhance the body of resources available to policy makers, farmers, and other community members...
Emerging coral diseases in Kāne'ohe Bay, O'ahu, Hawai'i (USA): two major disease outbreaks of acute Montipora white syndrome
Greta S. Aeby, Sean Callahan, Evelyn F. Cox, Christina M. Runyon, Ashley Smith, Frank G. Stanton, Blake Ushijima, Thierry M. Work
2016, Diseases of Aquatic Organisms (119) 189-198
In March 2010 and January 2012, we documented 2 widespread and severe coral disease outbreaks on reefs throughout Kāne‘ohe Bay, Hawai‘i (USA). The disease, acute Montipora white syndrome (aMWS), manifested as acute and progressive tissue loss on the common reef coral M. capitata. Rapid visual surveys in 2010 revealed 338...
Map visualization of groundwater withdrawals at the sub-basin scale
Daniel J. Goode
2016, Hydrogeology Journal (24) 1057-1065
A simple method is proposed to visualize the magnitude of groundwater withdrawals from wells relative to user-defined water-resource metrics. The map is solely an illustration of the withdrawal magnitudes, spatially centered on wells—it is not capture zones or source areas contributing recharge to wells. Common practice is to...
What do we really know about the role of microorganisms in iron sulfide mineral formation?
Aude A. Picard, Amy Gartman, Peter R. Girguis
2016, Frontiers in Earth Science (4)
Iron sulfide mineralization in low-temperature systems is a result of biotic and abiotic processes, though the delineation between these two modes of formation is not always straightforward. Here we review the role of microorganisms in the precipitation of extracellular iron sulfide minerals. We summarize the evidence that links sulfur-metabolizing microorganisms...
Lithium brines: A global perspective
LeeAnn Munk, Scott Hynek, Dwight Bradley, David Boutt, Keith A. Labay, Hillary Jochens
Philip L. Verplanck, Murray W. Hitzman, editor(s)
2016, Book chapter, Rare earth and critical elements in ore deposits
Lithium is a critical and technologically important element that has widespread use, particularly in batteries for hybrid cars and portable electronic devices. Global demand for lithium has been on the rise since the mid-1900s and is projected to...
Hierarchical species distribution models
Trevor J. Hefley, Mevin Hooten
2016, Current Landscape Ecology Reports (1) 87-97
Determining the distribution pattern of a species is important to increase scientific knowledge, inform management decisions, and conserve biodiversity. To infer spatial and temporal patterns, species distribution models have been developed for use with many sampling designs and types of data. Recently, it has been shown that count, presence-absence, and...
A decision framework for identifying models to estimate forest ecosystem services gains from restoration
Zachary Christin, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Michael Verdone
2016, Forest Ecosystems (3)
Restoring degraded forests and agricultural lands has become a global conservation priority. A growing number of tools can quantify ecosystem service tradeoffs associated with forest restoration. This evolving “tools landscape” presents a dilemma: more tools are available, but selecting appropriate tools has become more challenging. We present a Restoration Ecosystem...
Trophic dynamics of shrinking Subarctic lakes: naturally eutrophic waters impart resilience to rising nutrient and major ion concentrations
Tyler Lewis, Mark S. Lindberg, Joel A. Schmutz, Patricia J. Heglund, Joshua H. Schmidt, Adam J. Dubour, Jennifer R. Rover, Mark R. Bertram
2016, Oecologia (181) 583-596
Shrinking lakes were recently observed for several Arctic and Subarctic regions due to increased evaporation and permafrost degradation. Along with lake drawdown, these processes often boost aquatic chemical concentrations, potentially impacting trophic dynamics. In particular, elevated chemical levels may impact primary productivity, which may in turn influence populations of primary...
Making it and breaking it in the Midwest: Continental assembly and rifting from modeling of EarthScope magnetotelluric data
Paul A. Bedrosian
2016, Precambrian Research (278) 337-361
A three-dimensional lithospheric-scale resistivity model of the North American mid-continent has been estimated based upon EarthScope magnetotelluric data. Details of the resistivity model are discussed in relation to lithospheric sutures, defined primarily from aeromagnetic and geochronologic data, which record the southward growth of the Laurentian margin in the Proterozoic. The...
