An integrated approach to assess broad-scale condition of coastal wetlands - The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Wetlands pilot survey
J.A. Nestlerode, V.D. Engle, P. Bourgeois, P.T. Heitmuller, J.M. Macauley, Y.C. Allen
2009, Conference Paper, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) initiated a two-year regional pilot survey in 2007 to develop, test, and validate tools and approaches to assess the condition of northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) coastal wetlands. Sampling sites were selected from estuarine and palustrine wetland areas with herbaceous,...
Groundwater's significance to changing hydrology, water chemistry, and biological communities of a floodplain ecosystem, Everglades, South Florida, USA
J. W. Harvey, P.V. McCormick
2009, Hydrogeology Journal (17) 185-201
The Everglades (Florida, USA) is one of the world's larger subtropical peatlands with biological communities adapted to waters low in total dissolved solids and nutrients. Detecting how the pre-drainage hydrological system has been altered is crucial to preserving its functional attributes. However, reliable tools for hindcasting historic conditions in the...
Sexing California Clapper Rails using morphological measurements
Cory T. Overton, Michael L. Casazza, John Y. Takekawa, Tobias M. Rohmer
2009, North American Bird Bander (34) 58-64
California Clapper Rails (Rallus longirostris obsoletus) have monomorphic plumage, a trait that makes identification of sex difficult without extensive behavioral observation or genetic testing. Using 31 Clapper Rails (22 females, 9 males), caught in south San Francisco Bay, CA, and using easily measurable morphological characteristics, we developed a discriminant function...
Temporal variations of Escherichia coli concentrations in a large Midwestern river
K. E. Schilling, Y.-K. Zhang, D.R. Hill, C.S. Jones, C.F. Wolter
2009, Journal of Hydrology (365) 79-85
The Raccoon River used by the Des Moines Water Works to serve more than 400,000 people in central Iowa is threatened by contamination from Escherichia coli bacteria from point and nonpoint sources. The 9389 km2 watershed is highly agricultural, with 73% of the land in row crop production and widespread...
Seed reserves diluted during surface soil reclamation in eastern Mojave Desert
S. J. Scoles-Sciulla, L.A. DeFalco
2009, Arid Land Research and Management (23) 1-13
Surface soil reclamation is used to increase the re-establishment of native vegetation following disturbance through preservation and eventual replacement of the indigenous seed reserves. Employed widely in the mining industry, soil reclamation has had variable success in re-establishing native vegetation in arid and semi-arid regions. We tested whether variable success...
Effects of an invasive plant on a desert sand dune landscape
C.W. Barrows, E.B. Allen, M.L. Brooks, M.F. Allen
2009, Biological Invasions (11) 673-686
Given the abundance of non-native species invading wildland habitats, managers need to employ informed triage to focus control efforts on weeds with the greatest potential for negative impacts. Our objective here was to determine the level of threat Sahara mustard, Brassica tournefortii, represents to meeting regional goals for protecting biodiversity....
Relative importance of habitat area and isolation for bird occurrence patterns in a naturally patchy landscape
T.L. Wilson, E.J. Johnson, J.A. Bissonette
2009, Landscape Ecology (24) 351-360
There is debate among ecologists about whether total habitat area or patch arrangement contributes most to population and/or community responses to fragmented or patchy landscapes. We tested the relative effects of patch area and isolation for predicting bird occurrence in a naturally patchy landscape in the Bear River Mountains of...
Low-velocity zone and topography as a source of site amplification effect on Tarzana hill, California
V. Graizer
2009, Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering (29) 324-332
Tarzana station is located in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains in California near the crest of a low (<20 m) natural hill with gentle slopes. The hill is about 500 m in length by 130 m in width and is formed of extremely weathered shale at the surface...
Hierarchical Bayesian Markov switching models with application to predicting spawning success of shovelnose sturgeon
S. H. Holan, G. M. Davis, M. L. Wildhaber, A. J. DeLonay, D. M. Papoulias
2009, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series C: Applied Statistics (58) 47-64
The timing of spawning in fish is tightly linked to environmental factors; however, these factors are not very well understood for many species. Specifically, little information is available to guide recruitment efforts for endangered species such as the sturgeon. Therefore, we propose a Bayesian hierarchical model for predicting the success...
Demography and genetic structure of a recovering grizzly bear population
K.C. Kendall, J.B. Stetz, J. Boulanger, A.C. Macleod, David Paetkau, Gary C. White
2009, Journal of Wildlife Management (73) 3-17
Grizzly bears (brown bears; Ursus arctos) are imperiled in the southern extent of their range worldwide. The threatened population in northwestern Montana, USA, has been managed for recovery since 1975; yet, no rigorous data were available to monitor program success. We used data from a large noninvasive genetic sampling effort...
Potential effects of mercury on threatened California black rails
Danika C. Tsao, A. Keith Miles, John Y. Takekawa, Isa Woo
2009, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (56) 292-301
San Francisco Bay (SFB) estuary sediments contain high levels of mercury (Hg), and tidal marsh resident species may be vulnerable to Hg contamination. We examined Hg concentrations in California black rails, a threatened waterbird species that inhabits SFB tidal salt marshes. We captured 127 black rails during the prebreeding and...
Depleted uranium analysis in blood by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
T.I. Todorov, H. Xu, J.W. Ejnik, F.G. Mullick, K. Squibb, M.A. McDiarmid, J.A. Centeno
2009, Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry (24) 189-193
In this study we report depleted uranium (DU) analysis in whole blood samples. Internal exposure to DU causes increased uranium levels as well as change in the uranium isotopic composition in blood specimen. For identification of DU exposure we used the 235U/238U ratio in blood samples, which ranges from 0.00725...
Forecasting the combined effects of urbanization and climate change on stream ecosystems: from impacts to management options
Karen C. Nelson, Margaret A. Palmer, James E. Pizzuto, Glenn E. Moglen, Paul L. Angermeier, Robert H. Hilderbrand, Mike Dettinger, Katharine Hayhoe
2009, Journal of Applied Ecology (46) 154-163
Streams collect runoff, heat, and sediment from their watersheds, making them highly vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbances such as urbanization and climate change. Forecasting the effects of these disturbances using process-based models is critical to identifying the form and magnitude of likely impacts. Here, we integrate a new biotic model with...
Removal of phosphorus from agricultural wastewaters using adsorption media prepared from acid mine drainage sludge
Philip L. Sibrell, Gary A. Montgomery, Kelsey L. Ritenour, Travis W. Tucker
2009, Water Research (43) 2240-2250
Excess phosphorus in wastewaters promotes eutrophication in receiving waterways. A??cost-effective method for the removal of phosphorus from water would significantly reduce the impact of such wastewaters on the environment. Acid mine drainage sludge is a waste product produced by the neutralization of acid mine drainage, and consists mainly of the...
Ecophysiology of "halarsenatibacter silvermanii" strain SLAS-1T, gen. nov., sp. nov., a facultative chemoautotrophic arsenate respirer from salt-saturated Searles Lake, California
J.S. Blum, S. Han, B. Lanoil, C. Saltikov, B. Witte, F.R. Tabita, S. Langley, T.J. Beveridge, L. Jahnke, R.S. Oremland
2009, Applied and Environmental Microbiology (75) 1950-1960
Searles Lake occupies a closed basin harboring salt-saturated, alkaline brines that have exceptionally high concentrations of arsenic oxyanions. Strain SLAS-1T was previously isolated from Searles Lake (R. S. Oremland, T. R. Kulp, J. Switzer Blum, S. E. Hoeft, S. Baesman, L. G. Miller, and J. F. Stolz, Science 308:1305-1308, 2005)....
Disentangling effects of growth and nutritional status on seabird stable isotope ratios
J. Sears, Scott A. Hatch, D. M. O’Brien
2009, Oecologia (159) 41-48
A growing number of studies suggest that an individual’s physiology affects its carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures, obscuring a signal often assumed to be only a reflection of diet and foraging location. We examined effects of growth and moderate food restriction on red blood cell (RBC) and feather δ15N...
Mid-Wisconsinan environments on the eastern Great Plains
R. G. Baker, E. Arthur Bettis III, R.D. Mandel, J.A. Dorale, G. G. Fredlund
2009, Quaternary Science Reviews (28) 873-889
Few sites on the eastern Great Plains contain paleobotanical records for the mid-Wisconsin. We report on four sites, two stream cutbanks and two quarry exposures, ranging in age from >50 to ???23.4 ka. The oldest site at >50 ka contains a suite of macrofossils from prairie and disturbed ground habitats,...
Internal tidal currents in the Gaoping (Kaoping) Submarine Canyon
I.-H. Lee, Y. #NAME? Wang, J.T. Liu, W.-S. Chuang, J. Xu
2009, Journal of Marine Systems (76) 397-404
Data from five separate field experiments during 2000-2006 were used to study the internal tidal flow patterns in the Gaoping (formerly spelled Kaoping) Submarine Canyon. The internal tides are large with maximum interface displacements of about 200??m and maximum velocities of over 100cm/s. They are characterized by a first-mode velocity...
Extreme endurance flights by landbirds crossing the Pacific Ocean: Ecological corridor rather than barrier?
Robert E. Gill Jr., T. Lee Tibbitts, David C. Douglas, Colleen M. Handel, Daniel M. Mulcahy, Jon C. Gottschalck, Nils Warnock, Brian J. McCaffery, Phil F. Battley, Theunis Piersma
2009, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (276) 447-457
Mountain ranges, deserts, ice fields and oceans generally act as barriers to the movement of land-dependent animals, often profoundly shaping migration routes. We used satellite telemetry to track the southward flights of bar-tailed godwits (Limosa lapponica baueri), shorebirds whose breeding and non-breeding areas are separated by the vast central Pacific...
A cross-site comparison of factors influencing soil nitrification rates in northeastern USA forested watersheds
D.S. Ross, B.C. Wemple, A.E. Jamison, G. Fredriksen, J. B. Shanley, G.B. Lawrence, S.W. Bailey, J.L. Campbell
2009, Ecosystems (12) 158-178
Elevated N deposition is continuing on many forested landscapes around the world and our understanding of ecosystem response is incomplete. Soil processes, especially nitrification, are critical. Many studies of soil N transformations have focused on identifying relationships within a single watershed but these results are often not transferable. We studied...
Landscape planning for agricultural nonpoint source pollution reduction III: Assessing phosphorus and sediment reduction potential
M.W. Diebel, J.T. Maxted, Dale M. Robertson, S. Han, M. J. Vander Zanden
2009, Environmental Management (43) 69-83
Riparian buffers have the potential to improve stream water quality in agricultural landscapes. This potential may vary in response to landscape characteristics such as soils, topography, land use, and human activities, including legacies of historical land management. We built a predictive model to estimate the sediment and phosphorus load reduction...
What parts of the US mainland are climatically suitable for invasive alien pythons spreading from Everglades National Park?
G.H. Rodda, C. S. Jarnevich, R.N. Reed
2009, Biological Invasions (11) 241-252
The Burmese Python (Python molurus bivittatus) is now well established in southern Florida and spreading northward. The factors likely to limit this spread are unknown, but presumably include climate or are correlated with climate. We compiled monthly rainfall and temperature statistics from 149 stations located near the edge of the...
Histopathology of repeated, intermittent exposure of chloramine-T to walleye (Sander vitreum) and (Ictalurus punctalus) channel catfish
M.P. Gaikowski, Christine L. Densmore, V. S. Blazer
2009, Aquaculture (287) 28-34
Chloramine-T (Cl-T) has been used safely and effectively to control bacterial gill disease in salmonids at a maximum exposure regimen of up to four consecutive, once-daily exposures administered for 60??min at 20??mg/L. However, data to document safe treatment concentrations of Cl-T are lacking for freshwater-reared fish other than salmonids. We...
Naturally acidic surface and ground waters draining porphyry-related mineralized areas of the Southern Rocky Mountains, Colorado and New Mexico
P. L. Verplanck, D. Kirk Nordstrom, D. J. Bove, G.S. Plumlee, R.L. Runkel
2009, Applied Geochemistry (24) 255-267
Acidic, metal-rich waters produced by the oxidative weathering and resulting leaching of major and trace elements from pyritic rocks can adversely affect water quality in receiving streams and riparian ecosystems. Five study areas in the southern Rocky Mountains with naturally acidic waters associated with porphyry mineralization were studied to document...
Interactive effects of fire, soil climate, and moss on CO2 fluxes in black spruce ecosystems of interior Alaska
Jonathan A. O’Donnell, Merritt R. Turetsky, Jennifer W. Harden, Kristen L. Manies, L.E. Pruett, Gordon Shetler, Jason C. Neff
2009, Ecosystems (12) 57-72
Fire is an important control on the carbon (C) balance of the boreal forest region. Here, we present findings from two complementary studies that examine how fire modifies soil organic matter properties, and how these modifications influence rates of decomposition and C exchange in black spruce (Picea mariana)...
