Body and diet composition of sympatric black and grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Charles C. Schwartz, Jennifer K. Fortin, Justin E. Teisberg, Mark A. Haroldson, Christopher Servheen, Charles T. Robbins, Frank T. van Manen
2013, Journal of Wildlife Management (78) 68-78
The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) has experienced changes in the distribution and availability of grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) food resources in recent decades. The decline of ungulates, fish, and whitebark pine seeds (Pinus albicaulis) has prompted questions regarding their ability to adapt. We examined body composition and diet of grizzly...
Quantitative and qualitative approaches to identifying migration chronology in a continental migrant
William S. Beatty, Dylan C. Kesler, Elisabeth B. Webb, Andrew H. Raedeke, Luke W. Naylor, Dale D. Humburg
2013, PLoS ONE 1-9
The degree to which extrinsic factors influence migration chronology in North American waterfowl has not been quantified, particularly for dabbling ducks. Previous studies have examined waterfowl migration using various methods, however, quantitative approaches to define avian migration chronology over broad spatio-temporal scales are limited, and the implications for using different...
Connectedness of land use, nutrients, primary production, and fish assemblages in oxbow lakes
Leandro E. Miranda, Caroline S. Andrews, Robert Kroger
2013, Aquatic Sciences (76) 41-50
We explored the strength of connectedness among hierarchical system components associated with oxbow lakes in the alluvial valley of the Lower Mississippi River. Specifically, we examined the degree of canonical correlation between land use (agriculture and forests), lake morphometry (depth and size), nutrients (total nitrogen and total phosphorus), primary production...
Oryx callotis (Artiodactyla: Bovidae)
Dana N. Lee, Richard W. Dolman, David M. Leslie Jr.
2013, Mammalian Species (45)
Oryx callotis O. Thomas, 1982 (fringe-eared oryx) is a relatively large, long-bodied bovid, with an appropriate common name because of its distinguishing tufts of hair extending from the ends of the ears. It occupies arid lands in Kenya and Tanzania. O. callotis can go up to a month without drinking water if succulent...
Case study: Prioritization strategies for reforestation of minelands to benefit Cerulean Warblers
Molly E. McDermott, Matthew B. Shumar, Petra Bohall Wood
2013, Journal American Society of Mining and Reclamation (2) 80-99
The central Appalachian landscape is being heavily altered by surface coal mining. The practice of Mountaintop Removal/Valley Fill (MTRVF) mining has transformed large areas of mature forest to non-forest and created much forest edge, affecting habitat quality for mature forest wildlife. The Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative is working to restore...
Spatial variation in breeding habitat selection by Cerulean Warblers (Setophaga cerulea) throughout the Appalachian Mountains
Than J. Boves, David A. Buehler, James Sheehan, Petra Bohall Wood, Amanda D. Rodewald, Jeffrey L. Larkin, Patrick D. Keyser, Felicity L. Newell, Andrea Evans, Gregory A. George, T.B. Wigley
2013, The Auk (130) 46-59
Studies of habitat selection are often of limited utility because they focus on small geographic areas, fail to examine behavior at multiple scales, or lack an assessment of the fitness consequences of habitat decisions. These limitations can hamper the identification of successful site-specific management strategies, which are urgently needed for...
The overlooked terrestrial impacts of mountaintop mining
James Wickham, Petra Bohall Wood, Matthew C. Nicholson, William Jenkins, Daniel Druckenbrod, Glenn W. Suter, Michael P. Strager, Christine Mazzarella, Walter Galloway, John Amos
2013, BioScience (63) 335-348
Ecological research on mountaintop mining has been focused on aquatic impacts because the overburden (i.e., the mountaintop) is disposed of in nearby valleys, which leads to a wide range of water-quality impacts on streams. There are also numerous impacts on the terrestrial environment from mountaintop mining that have been largely...
Comparison of point counts and territory mapping for detecting effects of forest management on songbirds
Felicity L. Newell, James Sheehan, Petra Bohall Wood, Amanda D. Rodewald, David A. Buehler, Patrick D. Keyser, Jeffrey L. Larkin, Tiffany A. Beachy, Marja H. Bakermans, Than J. Boves, Andrea Evans, Gregory A. George, Molly E. McDermott, Kelly A. Perkins, Matthew White, T. Bently Wigley
2013, Journal of Field Ornithology (84) 270-286
Point counts are commonly used to assess changes in bird abundance, including analytical approaches such as distance sampling that estimate density. Point-count methods have come under increasing scrutiny because effects of detection probability and field error are difficult to quantify. For seven forest songbirds, we compared fixed-radii counts (50 m...
Emulating natural disturbances for declining late-successional species: A case study of the consequences for Cerulean Warblers (Setophaga cerulea)
Than J. Boves, David A. Buehler, James Sheehan, Petra Bohall Wood, Amanda D. Rodewald, Jeffrey L. Larkin, Patrick D. Keyser, Felicity L. Newell, Gregory A. George, Marja H. Bakermans, Andrea Evans, Tiffany A. Beachy, Molly E. McDermott, Kelly A. Perkins, Matthew White, T. Bently Wigley
2013, PLoS ONE (8) 1-13
Forest cover in the eastern United States has increased over the past century and while some late-successional species have benefited from this process as expected, others have experienced population declines. These declines may be in part related to contemporary reductions in small-scale forest interior disturbances such as fire, windthrow, and...
Impact of valley fills on streamside salamanders in southern West Virginia
Petra Bohall Wood, Jennifer M. Williams
2013, Journal of Herpetology (47) 119-125
Valley fills associated with mountaintop-removal mining bury stream headwaters and affect water quality and ecological function of reaches below fills. We quantified relative abundance of streamside salamanders in southern West Virginia during 2002 in three streams below valley fills (VFS) and in three reference streams (RS). We surveyed 36 10-...
Identification and specialization as a waterfowl hunter
Susan A. Schroeder, David C. Fulton, Jeffrey S. Lawrence, Steven D. Cordts
2013, Leisure Science (35) 218-234
Like specialization, identity offers a way for differentiating and understanding recreationists and for gaining insight into the question of participant progression in an activity. We examined how identity related to measures of specialization among lapsed and current waterfowl hunters. Lapsed hunters included those who had purchased a Minnesota waterfowl stamp...
The impact environment of the Hadean Earth
Oleg Abramov, David A. Kring Kring, Stephen J. Mojzsis
2013, Chemie der Erde (73) 227-248
Impact bombardment in the first billion years of solar system history determined in large part the initial physical and chemical states of the inner planets and their potential to host biospheres. The range of physical states and thermal consequences of the impact epoch, however, are not well quantified. Here, we...
Baited lines: An active nondestructive collection method for burrowing crayfish
Zachary J. Loughman, David A. Foltz II, Stuart A. Welsh
2013, Southeastern Naturalist (12) 809-815
A new method (baited lines) is described for the collection of burrowing crayfishes, where fishing hooks baited with earthworms and tied to monofilament leaders are used to lure crayfishes from their burrow entrances. We estimated capture rates using baited lines at four locations across West Virginia for a total of...
Sedimentation in mountain streams: A review of methods of measurement
Lara B. Hedrick, James T. Anderson, Stuart A. Welsh, Lian-Shin Lin
2013, Natural Resources (4) 92-104
The goal of this review paper is to provide a list of methods and devices used to measure sediment accumulation in wadeable streams dominated by cobble and gravel substrate. Quantitative measures of stream sedimentation are useful to monitor and study anthropogenic impacts on stream biota, and stream sedimentation is measurable...
Accuracy of stream habitat interpolations across spatial scales
Kenneth R. Sheehan, Stuart A. Welsh
2013, Journal of Geographic Information System (5) 606-612
Stream habitat data are often collected across spatial scales because relationships among habitat, species occurrence, and management plans are linked at multiple spatial scales. Unfortunately, scale is often a factor limiting insight gained from spatial analysis of stream habitat data. Considerable cost is often expended to collect data at several...
Nesting habitat and productivity of Swainson's Hawks in southeastern Arizona
Catherine Nishida, Clint W. Boal, Stephen DeStefano, Royden J. Hobbs
2013, Journal of Raptor Research (47) 377-384
We studied Swainson's Hawks (Buteo swainsoni) in southeastern Arizona to assess the status of the local breeding population. Nest success (≥1 young fledged) was 44.4% in 1999 with an average of 1.43 ± 0.09 (SE) young produced per successful pair. Productivity was similar in 2000, with 58.2% nesting success and...
Shifts in controls on the temporal coherence of throughfall chemical flux in Acadia National Park, Maine, USA
Sarah J. Nelson, Katherine E. Webster, Cynthia S. Loftin, Kathleen C. Weathers
2013, Biogeochemistry (116) 147-160
Major ion and mercury (Hg) inputs to terrestrial ecosystems include both wet and dry deposition (total deposition). Estimating total deposition to sensitive receptor sites is hampered by limited information regarding its spatial heterogeneity and seasonality. We used measurements of throughfall flux, which includes atmospheric inputs to forests and the net...
Larval gizzard shad characteristics in Lake Oahe, South Dakota: A species at the northern edge of its range
Mark J. Fincel, Steven R. Chipps, Brian D. S. Graeb, Kris R. Edwards
2013, Journal of Freshwater Ecology (28) 17-26
Gizzard shad, Dorosoma cepedianum, have generally been restricted to the lower Missouri River impoundments in South Dakota. In recent years, gizzard shad numbers have increased in Lake Oahe, marking the northern-most natural population. These increases could potentially affect recreational fishes. Specifically, questions arise about larval gizzard shad growth dynamics and if age-0...
Evaluating spatial overlap and relatedness of white-tailed deer in a chronic wasting disease management zone
Michael D. Samuel, Seth B. Magle, Timothy R. Van Deelen, Stacie J. Robinson, Nancy E. Mathews
2013, PLoS ONE (8)
Wildlife disease transmission, at a local scale, can occur from interactions between infected and susceptible conspecifics or from a contaminated environment. Thus, the degree of spatial overlap and rate of contact among deer is likely to impact both direct and indirect transmission of infectious diseases such chronic wasting disease (CWD)...
Habitat, wildlife and one health: Arcanobacterium pyogenes in Maryland and Upper Eastern Shore white-tailed deer populations
Melissa M. Turner, Christopher S. DePerno, Mark C. Conner, T. Brian Eyler, Richard A. Lancia, Robert W. Klaver, Michael K. Stoskopf
2013, Infection Ecology and Epidemiology (3)
Background: Understanding the distribution of disease in wildlife is key to predicting the impact of emerging zoonotic one health concerns, especially for wildlife species with extensive human and livestock interfaces. The widespread distribution and complex interactions of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) with humans suggest deer population health and management may...
A non-marine source of variability in Adélie Penguin demography
William R. Fraser, Donna L. Patterson-Fraser, Christine Ribic, Oscar Schofield, Hugh Ducklow
2013, Oceanography (26) 207-209
A primary research objective of the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program has been to identify and understand the factors that regulate the demography of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae). In this context, our work has been focused on variability in the marine environment on which this species depends for...
Landsat imagery reveals declining clarity of Maine’s lakes during 1995-2010
Ian M. McCullough, Cynthia S. Loftin, Steven A. Sader
2013, Freshwater Science (32) 741-752
Water clarity is a strong indicator of regional water quality. Unlike other common water-quality metrics, such as chlorophyll a, total P, or trophic status, clarity can be accurately and efficiently estimated remotely on a regional scale. Satellite-based remote sensing is useful in regions with many lakes where traditional field-sampling techniques may...
A Common Loon incubates rocks as surrogates for eggs
Stephen DeStefano, Kiana K. G. Koenen, Jillian W. Pereira
2013, Northeastern Naturalist (20) 143-147
A nesting Gavia immer (Common Loon) was discovered incubating 2 rocks on a floating nest platform on the Quabbin reservoir in central Massachusetts for 43 days, well beyond the typical period of 28 days, before we moved in to investigate. The rocks were likely unearthed in the soil and vegetation used on...
Do singing-ground surveys reflect american woodcock abundance in the western Great Lakes region?
Matthew R. Nelson, David E. Andersen
2013, Wildlife Society Bulletin (37) 585-595
The Singing-ground Survey (SGS) is the primary monitoring tool used to assess population status and trends of American woodcock (Scolopax minor). Like most broad-scale surveys, the SGS cannot be directly validated because there are no independent estimates of abundance of displaying male American woodcock at an appropriate spatial scale. Furthermore,...
First report of fasciation in Pitcher's Thistle, Cirsium pitcheri (Asteraceae)
Noel B. Pavlovic, Megan K Korte, Kathryn McEachern, Ralph Grundel
2013, The Michigan Botanist (52) 58-66
We document the first reported occurrence of fasciation in the federally threatened Pitcher’s thistle, Cirsium pitcheri (Asteraceae). In 2013, we discovered two adult plants of Pitcher’s thistle out of a total of 176 plants at West Beach, near Miller, Indiana, USA, that exhibited both normal and fasciated growth. Unlike plants...
