Co-occurrence patterns of trees along macro-climatic gradients and their potential influence on the present and future distribution of Fagus sylvatica L.
E.S. Meier, Thomas C. Edwards Jr., Felix Kienast, M. Dobbertin, N.E. Zimmermann
2011, Journal of Biogeography (38) 371-382
During recent and future climate change, shifts in large-scale species ranges are expected due to the hypothesized major role of climatic factors in regulating species distributions. The stress-gradient hypothesis suggests that biotic interactions may act as major constraints on species distributions under more favourable growing conditions, while climatic constraints may...
Spread of plague among black-tailed prairie dogs is associated with colony spatial characteristics
T. L. Johnson, J.F. Cully Jr., S.K. Collinge, C. Ray, C.M. Frey, B. K. Sandercock
2011, Journal of Wildlife Management (75) 357-368
Sylvatic plague (Yersinia pestis) is an exotic pathogen that is highly virulent in black‐tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) and causes widespread colony losses and individual mortality rates >95%. We investigated colony spatial characteristics that may influence inter‐colony transmission of plague at 3 prairie dog colony complexes in the Great Plains....
Direction of unsaturated flow in a homogeneous and isotropic hillslope
N. Lu, B.S. Kaya, J. W. Godt
2011, Water Resources Research (47)
The distribution of soil moisture in a homogeneous and isotropic hillslope is a transient, variably saturated physical process controlled by rainfall characteristics, hillslope geometry, and the hydrological properties of the hillslope materials. The major driving mechanisms for moisture movement are gravity and gradients in matric potential. The latter is solely...
Challenges in identifying sites climatically matched to the native ranges of animal invaders
G.H. Rodda, C. S. Jarnevich, R.N. Reed
2011, PLoS ONE (6)
Background: Species distribution models are often used to characterize a species' native range climate, so as to identify sites elsewhere in the world that may be climatically similar and therefore at risk of invasion by the species. This endeavor provoked intense public controversy over recent attempts to model areas at...
Empirical critical loads of atmospheric nitrogen deposition for nutrient enrichment and acidification of sensitive US lakes
Jill Baron, C. T. Driscoll, J.L. Stoddard, E.E. Richer
2011, BioScience (61) 602-613
The ecological effects of elevated atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition on high-elevation lakes of the western and northeastern United States include nutrient enrichment and acidification. The nutrient enrichment critical load for western lakes ranged from 1.0 to 3.0 kilograms (kg) of N per hectare (ha) per year, reflecting the nearly nonexistent...
The stratigraphic filter and bias in measurement of geologic rates
R. Schumer, D. Jerolmack, Brandon McElroy
2011, Geophysical Research Letters (38)
Erosion and deposition rates estimated from the stratigraphic record frequently exhibit a power‐law dependence on measurement interval. This dependence can result from a power‐law distribution of stratigraphic hiatuses. By representing the stratigraphic filter as a stochastic process called a reverse ascending ladder, we describe a likely origin of power‐law hiatuses,...
Mapping permeability over the surface of the Earth
T. Gleeson, L. Smith, N. Moosdorf, J. Hartmann, H.H. Durr, Andrew H. Manning, L. P. H. Van Beek, A. Mark Jellinek
2011, Geophysical Research Letters (38)
Permeability, the ease of fluid flow through porous rocks and soils, is a fundamental but often poorly quantified component in the analysis of regional‐scale water fluxes. Permeability is difficult to quantify because it varies over more than 13 orders of magnitude and is heterogeneous and dependent on flow direction. Indeed,...
An occurrence of the protocetid whale "Eocetus" wardii in the middle Eocene Piney Point Formation of Virginia
Robert E. Weems, Lucy E. Edwards, Jason E. Osborne, A.A. Alford
2011, Journal of Paleontology (85) 271-278
Two protocetid whale vertebrae, here referred to “Eocetus” wardii, have been recovered from the riverbed of the Pamunkey River in east-central Virginia. Neither bone was found in situ, but both were found with lumps of lithified matrix cemented to their surfaces. Most of this matrix was removed and processed for...
Demonstration of a conceptual model for using LiDAR to improve the estimation of floodwater mitigation potential of Prairie Pothole Region wetlands
S. Huang, Caitlin Young, M. Feng, Hans Karl Heidemann, Matthew Cushing, D.M. Mushet, S. Liu
2011, Journal of Hydrology (405) 417-426
Recent flood events in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America have stimulated interest in modeling water storage capacities of wetlands and their surrounding catchments to facilitate flood mitigation efforts. Accurate estimates of basin storage capacities have been hampered by a lack of high-resolution elevation data. In this paper, we...
Horizontal movements of Atlantic blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) in the Gulf of Mexico
Richard T. Kraus, R.J.D. Wells, J.R. Rooker
2011, Marine Biology (158) 699-713
We examined movements of Atlantic blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) from the Gulf of Mexico based upon 42 pop-up archival transmitting (PAT) tags. Long deployments (including one 334-day track) revealed diverse movement patterns within the Gulf of Mexico. North–south seasonal changes in blue marlin distribution showed strong correspondence with established seasonal...
Estimating phosphorus availability for microbial growth in an emerging landscape
S.K. Schmidt, C.C. Cleveland, D.R. Nemergut, S.C. Reed, A.J. King, P. Sowell
2011, Geoderma (163) 135-140
Estimating phosphorus (P) availability is difficult—particularly in infertile soils such as those exposed after glacial recession—because standard P extraction methods may not mimic biological acquisition pathways. We developed an approach, based on microbial CO2 production kinetics and conserved carbon:phosphorus (C:P) ratios, to estimate the amount of P available for microbial...
Use of waveform lidar and hyperspectral sensors to assess selected spatial and structural patterns associated with recent and repeat disturbance and the abundance of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) in a temperate mixed hardwood and conifer forest
J.E. Anderson, Mark J. Ducey, A. Fast, M.E. Martin, L. Lepine, M.-L. Smith, T.D. Lee, R.O. Dubayah, M.A. Hofton, P. Hyde, Birgit Peterson, J.B. Blair
2011, Journal of Applied Remote Sensing (5)
Waveform lidar imagery was acquired on September 26, 1999 over the Bartlett Experimental Forest (BEF) in New Hampshire (USA) using NASA's Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor (LVIS). This flight occurred 20 months after an ice storm damaged millions of hectares of forestland in northeastern North America. Lidar measurements of the amplitude...
Goldschmidt crater and the Moon's north polar region: Results from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3)
L.C. Cheek, C.M. Pieters, J.W. Boardman, R. N. Clark, J. #NAME? Combe, J.W. Head, P.J. Isaacson, T. B. McCord, D. Moriarty, J.W. Nettles, N.E. Petro, J.M. Sunshine, L.A. Taylor
2011, Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets (116)
Soils within the impact crater Goldschmidt have been identified as spectrally distinct from the local highland material. High spatial and spectral resolution data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) on the Chandrayaan-1 orbiter are used to examine the character of Goldschmidt crater in detail. Spectral parameters applied to a north...
Antibiotic use during the intracoelomic implantation of electronic tags into fish
D.M. Mulcahy
2011, Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries (21) 83-96
The use of antibiotics, in particular, the use of a single dose of antibiotics during electronic tag implantation is of unproven value, and carries with it the potential for the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria and the alteration of the immune response of the fish. Antibiotic use during electronic...
Scale-dependent factors affecting North American river otter distribution in the midwest
Mackenzie R. Jeffress, Craig P. Paukert, Joanna B. Whittier, B. K. Sandercock, P. S. Gipson
2011, American Midland Naturalist (166) 177-193
The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) is recovering from near extirpation throughout much of its range. Although reintroductions, trapping regulations and habitat improvements have led to the reestablishment of river otters in the Midwest, little is known about how their distribution is influenced by local- and landscape-scale habitat....
Glacial influence on the geochemistry of riverine iron fluxes to the Gulf of Alaska and effects of deglaciation
A.W. Schroth, John Crusius, F. Chever, B.C. Bostick, O.J. Rouxel
2011, Geophysical Research Letters (38)
Riverine iron (Fe) derived from glacial weathering is a critical micronutrient source to ecosystems of the Gulf of Alaska (GoA). Here we demonstrate that the source and chemical nature of riverine Fe input to the GoA could change dramatically due to the widespread watershed deglaciation that is underway. We examine...
Increased fitness of rice plants to abiotic stress via habitat adapted symbiosis: A strategy for mitigating impacts of climate change
R. S. Redman, Y.-O. Kim, C.J.D.A. Woodward, C. Greer, L. Espino, S.L. Doty, R. J. Rodriguez
2011, PLoS ONE (6)
Climate change and catastrophic events have contributed to rice shortages in several regions due to decreased water availability and soil salinization. Although not adapted to salt or drought stress, two commercial rice varieties achieved tolerance to these stresses by colonizing them with Class 2 fungal endophytes isolated from plants growing...
The 2007 Nazko, British Columbia, earthquake sequence: Injection of magma deep in the crust beneath the Anahim volcanic belt
J.F. Cassidy, N. Balfour, C. Hickson, H. Kao, Rickie White, J. Caplan-Auerbach, S. Mazzotti, Gary C. Rogers, I. Al-Khoubbi, A.L. Bird, L. Esteban, M. Kelman, J. Hutchinson, D. McCormack
2011, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (101) 1732-1741
On 9 October 2007, an unusual sequence of earthquakes began in central British Columbia about 20 km west of the Nazko cone, the most recent (circa 7200 yr) volcanic center in the Anahim volcanic belt. Within 25 hr, eight earthquakes of magnitude 2.3-2.9 occurred in a region where no earthquakes...
No correlation between Anderson Reservoir stage level and underlying Calaveras fault seismicity despite calculated differential stress increases
T. Parsons
2011, Lithosphere (3) 261-264
Concerns have been raised that stresses from reservoir impoundment may trigger damaging earthquakes because rate changes have been associated with reservoir impoundment or stage-level changes globally. Here, the idea is tested blindly using Anderson Reservoir, which lies atop the seismically active Calaveras fault. The only knowledge held by the author...
Mechanism of the 1996-97 non-eruptive volcano-tectonic earthquake swarm at Iliamna Volcano, Alaska
Diana Roman, John A. Power
2011, Bulletin of Volcanology (73) 143-153
A significant number of volcano-tectonic (VT) earthquake swarms, some of which are accompanied by ground deformation and/or volcanic gas emissions, do not culminate in an eruption. These swarms are often thought to represent stalled intrusions of magma into the mid- or shallow-level crust. Real-time assessment of the likelihood that a...
Post-breeding bird responses to canopy tree retention, stand size, and edge in regenerating Appalachian hardwood stands
Molly E. McDermott, Petra B. Wood
2011, Forest Ecology and Management (262) 547-554
Avian use of even-aged timber harvests is likely affected by stand attributes such as size, amount of edge, and retained basal area, all characteristics that can easily be manipulated in timber harvesting plans. However, few studies have examined their effects during the post-breeding period. We studied the impacts of clearcut,...
Downhole well log and core montages from the Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well, Alaska North Slope
Timothy S. Collett, R.E. Lewis, William J. Winters, Myung W. Lee, K.K. Rose, R.M. Boswell
2011, Marine and Petroleum Geology (28) 561-577
The BPXA-DOE-USGS Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well was an integral part of an ongoing project to determine the future energy resource potential of gas hydrates on the Alaska North Slope. As part of this effort, the Mount Elbert well included an advanced downhole geophysical logging program. Because gas...
Permafrost-associated natural gas hydrate occurrences on the Alaska North Slope
Timothy S. Collett, Myung W. Lee, Warren F. Agena, John J. Miller, Kristen A. Lewis, M.V. Zyrianova, R. Boswell, T.L. Inks
2011, Marine and Petroleum Geology (28) 279-294
In the 1960s Russian scientists made what was then a bold assertion that gas hydrates should occur in abundance in nature. Since this early start, the scientific foundation has been built for the realization that gas hydrates are a global phenomenon,...
King eider foraging effort during the pre-breeding period in Alaska
Steffen Oppel, Abby N. Powell, Malcolm G. Butler
2011, The Condor (113) 52-60
For reproduction, many arctic-nesting migratory birds rely on nutrients obtained on the breeding grounds, so they devote sufficient time to foraging immediately prior to nesting. However, little is known about the increase in foraging effort necessary to meet the energetic requirements of reproduction. In early June 2006 and 2008, we...
Understanding the role of fog in forest hydrology: Stable isotopes as tools for determining input and partitioning of cloud water in montane forests
Martha A. Scholl, W. Eugster, R. Burkard
2011, Hydrological Processes (25) 353-366
Understanding the hydrology of tropical montane cloud forests (TMCF) has become essential as deforestation of mountain areas proceeds at an increased rate worldwide. Passive and active cloud‐water collectors, throughfall and stemflow collectors, visibility or droplet size measurements, and micrometeorological sensors are typically used to measure the fog water inputs to...
