Wing pathology of white-nose syndrome in bats suggests life-threatening disruption of physiology
Paul M. Cryan, Carol U. Meteyer, Justin G. Boyles, David S. Blehert
2010, BMC Biology (8) 135
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is causing unprecedented declines in several species of North American bats. The characteristic lesions of WNS are caused by the fungus Geomyces destructans, which erodes and replaces the living skin of bats while they hibernate. It is unknown how this infection kills the bats. We review here...
Visible and infrared remote imaging of hazardous waste: A review
Terrence Slonecker, Gary B. Fisher, Danielle P. Aiello, Barry Haack
2010, Remote Sensing (2) 2474-2508
One of the critical global environmental problems is human and ecological exposure to hazardous wastes from agricultural, industrial, military and mining activities. These wastes often include heavy metals, hydrocarbons and other organic chemicals. Traditional field and laboratory detection and monitoring of these wastes are generally expensive and time consuming. The...
Vegetation index methods for estimating evapotranspiration by remote sensing
Edward P. Glenn, Pamela L. Nagler, Alfredo R. Huete
2010, Surveys in Geophysics (31) 531-555
Evapotranspiration (ET) is the largest term after precipitation in terrestrial water budgets. Accurate estimates of ET are needed for numerous agricultural and natural resource management tasks and to project changes in hydrological cycles due to potential climate change. We explore recent methods that combine vegetation indices (VI) from satellites with...
Variation in δ13C and δ15N diet–vibrissae trophic discrimination factors in a wild population of California sea otters
Seth D. Newsome, Gena B. Bentall, M. Tim Tinker, Olav T. Oftedal, Katherine Ralls, James A. Estes, Marilyn L. Fogel
2010, Ecological Applications (20) 1744-1752
The ability to quantify dietary inputs using stable isotope data depends on accurate estimates of isotopic differences between a consumer (c) and its diet (d), commonly referred to as trophic discrimination factors (TDFs) and denoted by Δc-d. At present, TDFs are available for only a few mammals and are usually...
Application of the control volume mixed finite element method to a triangular discretization
R.L. Naff
2010, Conference Paper, Proceedings XVIII International Conference on Computational Methods in Water Resources
A control volume mixed finite element scheme for a triangular discretization of a 2-D domain is presented; several control-volume scenarios for use with the scheme are explored....
Whole-rock analyses of core samples from the 1988 drilling of Kilauea Iki lava lake, Hawaii
Rosalind Tuthill Helz, Joseph E. Taggart Jr.
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1093
This report presents and evaluates 64 major-element analyses of previously unanalyzed Kilauea Iki drill core, plus three samples from the 1959 and 1960 eruptions of Kilauea, obtained by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis during the period 1992 to 1995. All earlier major-element analyses of Kilauea Iki core, obtained by classical (gravimetric)...
Using a distribution and conservation status weighted hotspot approach to identify areas in need of conservation action to benefit Idaho bird species
Aaron M. Haines, Matthias Leu, Leona K. Svancara, Gina Wilson, J. Michael Scott
2010, Northwest Science (84) 170-182
Identification of biodiversity hotspots (hereafter, hotspots) has become a common strategy to delineate important areas for wildlife conservation. However, the use of hotspots has not often incorporated important habitat types, ecosystem services, anthropogenic activity, or consistency in identifying important conservation areas. The purpose of this study was to identify hotspots...
Use and environmental occurrence of pharmaceuticals in freestall dairy farms with manured forage fields
Naoko Watanabe, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Keith A. Loftin, Michael T. Meyer, Thomas Harter
2010, Environmental Science & Technology (44) 6591-6600
Environmental releases of antibiotics from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are of increasing regulatory concern. This study investigates the use and occurrence of antibiotics in dairy CAFOs and their potential transport into first-encountered groundwater. On two dairies we conducted four seasonal sampling campaigns, each across 13 animal production and waste...
Update on geographic spread of invasive lionfishes (Pterois volitans [Linnaeus, 1758] and P. miles [Bennett, 1828]) in the Western North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico
Pamela J. Schofield
2010, Aquatic Invasions (5) S117-S122
The Indo-Pacific lionfishes (Pterois volitans [Linnaeus, 1758] and P. miles [Bennett, 1828]: Family Scorpaenidae) are the first nonnative marine fishes to establish in the Western North Atlantic/Caribbean region. The chronology of the invasion was reported last year (Schofield 2009) using records from the US Geological Survey's Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database....
Unmodeled observation error induces bias when inferring patterns and dynamics of species occurrence via aural detections
Brett T. McClintock, Larissa L. Bailey, Kenneth H. Pollock, Theodore R. Simons
2010, Ecology (91) 2446-2454
The recent surge in the development and application of species occurrence models has been associated with an acknowledgment among ecologists that species are detected imperfectly due to observation error. Standard models now allow unbiased estimation of occupancy probability when false negative detections occur, but this is conditional on no false...
USGS perspectives on an integrated approach to watershed and coastal management
Matthew C. Larsen, Pixie A. Hamilton, John W. Haines, Mason Jr.
2010, Marine Technology Society Journal (44) 18-21
The writers discuss three critically important steps necessary for achieving the goal for improved integrated approaches on watershed and coastal protection and management. These steps involve modernization of monitoring networks, creation of common data and web services infrastructures, and development of modeling, assessment, and research tools. Long-term monitoring is needed...
Uncloaking a cryptic, threatened rail with molecular markers: origins, connectivity and demography of a recently-discovered population
Philippe Girard, John Y. Takekawa, Steven R. Beissinger
2010, Conservation Genetics (11) 2409-2418
The threatened California Black Rail lives under dense marsh vegetation, is rarely observed, flies weakly and has a highly disjunct distribution. The largest population of rails is found in 8–10 large wetlands in San Francisco Bay (SF Bay), but a population was recently discovered in the foothills of the Sierra...
Two-dimensional time dependent hurricane overwash and erosion modeling at Santa Rosa Island
R.T. McCall, J. S. M. Van Theil de Vries, N.G. Plant, A. R. Van Dongeren, J.A. Roelvink, D.M. Thompson, A.J.H.M. Reniers
2010, Coastal Engineering (57) 668-683
A 2DH numerical, model which is capable of computing nearshore circulation and morphodynamics, including dune erosion, breaching and overwash, is used to simulate overwash caused by Hurricane Ivan (2004) on a barrier island. The model is forced using parametric wave and surge time series based on field data and large-scale...
Transcriptome analysis of rainbow trout infected with high and low virulence strains of Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus
Maureen K. Purcell, Inderjit Singh Marjara, William Batts, Gael Kurath, John D. Hansen
2010, Fish and Shellfish Immunology (30) 84-93
There are three main genetic lineages or genogroups of Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) in N. America. Strains representing the M genogroup are more virulent in rainbow trout relative to the U genogroup. In this study, we used microarray analysis to evaluate potential mechanisms responsible for host-specific virulence in rainbow...
Traffic effects on bird counts on North American Breeding Bird Survey routes
Emily H. Griffith, John R. Sauer, J. Andrew Royle
2010, The Auk (127) 387-393
The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is an annual roadside survey used to estimate population change in >420 species of birds that breed in North America. Roadside sampling has been criticized, in part because traffic noise can interfere with bird counts. Since 1997, data have been collected on the...
Tidal calibration of Plate Boundary Observatory borehole strainmeters: Roles of vertical and shear coupling
Evelyn Roeloffs
2010, Journal of Geophysical Research (115)
A multicomponent borehole strainmeter directly measures changes in the diameter of its cylindrical housing at several azimuths. To transform these measurements to formation strains requires a calibration matrix, which must be estimated by analyzing the installed strainmeter's response to known strains. Typically, theoretical calculations of Earth tidal strains serve as...
Thresholds in forest bird occurrence as a function of the amount of early-seral broadleaf forest at landscape scales
M.G. Betts, J.C. Hagar, J.W. Rivers, J.D. Alexander, K. McGarigal, B.C. McComb
2010, Ecological Applications (20) 2116-2130
Recent declines in broadleaf-dominated, early-seral forest globally as a function of intensive forest management and/or fire suppression have raised concern about the viability of populations dependent on such forest types. However, quantitative information about the strength and direction of species associations with broadleaf cover at landscape scales are rare. Uncovering...
Thermomagmatic evolution of Mesoproterozoic crust in the Blue Ridge of SW Virginia and NW North Carolina: Evidence from U-Pb geochronology and zircon geothermometry
Richard P. Tollo, John N. Aleinikoff, Joseph L. Wooden, Frank K. Mazdab, Scott Southworth, Mark C. Fanning
2010, GSA Memoirs (206) 589-596
New geologic mapping, petrology, and U-Pb geochronology indicate that Mesoproterozoic crust near Mount Rogers consists of felsic to mafic meta-igneous rocks emplaced over 260 m.y. The oldest rocks are compositionally diverse and migmatitic, whereas younger granitoids are porphyritic to porphyroclastic. Cathodoluminescence imaging indicates that zircon from four representative units preserves...
Thin-skinned deformation of sedimentary rocks in Valles Marineris, Mars
Joannah Metz, John P. Grotzinger, Chris Okubo, Ralph Milliken
2010, Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets (115)
Deformation of sedimentary rocks is widespread within Valles Marineris, characterized by both plastic and brittle deformation identified in Candor, Melas, and Ius Chasmata. We identified four deformation styles using HiRISE and CTX images: kilometer-scale convolute folds, detached slabs, folded strata, and pull-apart structures. Convolute folds are detached rounded slabs of...
Thermochronology and tectonics of the Leeward Antilles: Evolution of the southern Caribbean Plate boundary zone
Roelant van der Lelij, Richard A. Spikings, Andrew C. Kerr, Alexandre Kounov, Michael Cosca, David Chew, Diego Villagomez
2010, Tectonics (29)
Tectonic reconstructions of the Caribbean Plate are severely hampered by a paucity of geochronologic and exhumation constraints from anastomosed basement blocks along its southern margin. New U/Pb, 40Ar/39Ar, apatite fission track, and apatite (U-Th)/He data constrain quantitative thermal and exhumation histories, which have been used to propose a model for...
Thermal state of permafrost in North America: A contribution to the international polar year
S.L. Smith, V.E. Romanovsky, A.G. Lewkowicz, C.R. Burn, M. Allard, G.D. Clow, K. Yoshikawa, J. Throop
2010, Permafrost and Periglacial Processes (21) 117-135
A snapshot of the thermal state of permafrost in northern North America during the International Polar Year (IPY) was developed using ground temperature data collected from 350 boreholes. More than half these were established during IPY to enhance the network in sparsely monitored regions. The measurement sites span a diverse...
The use of early summer mosquito surveillance to predict late summer West Nile virus activity
Howard S. Ginsberg, Ilia Rochlin, Scott R. Campbell
2010, Journal of Vector Ecology (35) 35-42
Utility of early-season mosquito surveillance to predict West Nile virus activity in late summer was assessed in Suffolk County, NY. Dry ice-baited CDC miniature light traps paired with gravid traps were set weekly. Maximum-likelihood estimates of WNV positivity, minimum infection rates, and % positive pools were generally well correlated. However,...
The use of Emeraid Exotic Carnivore Diet improves postsurgical recovery and survival of long-tailed ducks
Glenn H. Olsen, Scott Ford, Matthew C. Perry, Alicia M. Wells-Berlin
2010, Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine (19) 165-168
Gavage feeding is a commonly used technique in wildlife rehabilitation. While implanting satellite transmitters in long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis), a need for extra postsurgical nutritional support was identified. A new product, Emeraid Exotic Carnivore Diet, has proven effective in maintaining and even increasing the birds' body weights while in captivity....
The toll of toxics: investigating environmental contaminants
Donald W. Sparling, Barnett A. Rattner, John S. Barclay
2010, The Wildlife Professional (4) 24-30
On Earth Day of this year, the British Petroleum-operated Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, 41 miles off the Louisiana coast. The blast killed 11 workers, injured 17, launched a massive oil spill, and triggered an environmental catastrophe—the full impact of which may not be...
The role of discharge variation in scaling of drainage area and food chain length in rivers
John L. Sabo, Jacques C. Finlay, Theodore A. Kennedy, David M. Post
2010, Science (330) 965-967
Food chain length (FCL) is a fundamental component of food web structure. Studies in a variety of ecosystems suggest that FCL is determined by energy supply, environmental stability, and/or ecosystem size, but the nature of the relationship between environmental stability and FCL, and the mechanism linking ecosystem size to FCL,...
