Integrating community science and agency-collected monitoring data to expand monitoring capacity at large spatial scales
Hannah A. Sipe, Ilai N. Keren, Sarah J. Converse
2023, Ecosphere (14)
Monitoring species to better understand their status, ecology, and management needs is a major expense for agencies tasked with biodiversity conservation. Community science data have the potential to improve monitoring for minimal cost, given appropriate analytical frameworks. We...
Actualizing Indigenous Knowledge in tribal wildlife management: Basic preconditions
Tony W. Ciocco, Stefan Tangen, Chad Smith
2023, The Wildlife Society Bulletin (47)
Indigenous Knowledge (IK) is increasingly involved in the contemporary management of natural resources. Tribal wildlife management programs in the United States may be uniquely positioned to effectively and ethically integrate their IK. While a narrow focus on the body of IK and a particular management activity may suffice for project-level...
Using multiscale environmental and spatial analyses to understand natural and anthropogenic influence on fish communities in four Canadian rivers
Beth L. Sparks-Jackson, Peter C. Esselman, Christopher C. Wilson, Leon M. Carl
2023, Water (15)
Science-based conservation of riverine fishes can be best targeted with specific information about spatial-ecological controls on the community, including anthropogenic stressors. Because anthropogenic stressors can originate at multiple spatial scales, we investigated the influence of natural and anthropogenic variables summarized within the reach, valley, and catchment on fish community composition...
Modern products for a vintage event: An update on the 1933 Long Beach, California, earthquake
Susan E. Hough, J. Luke Blair, Sonia Ellison, Robert Graves, Scott Haefner, Eric M. Thompson, Nicholas van der Elst, Morgan T. Page, David J. Wald
2023, The Seismic Record (3) 171-181
When a notable earthquake occurs in the United States, a range of familiar real‐ and near‐real‐time products are produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS), and made available via the ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog. For historical and early instrumental earthquakes, similar results and products are...
Fall migration, oceanic movement, and site residency patterns of eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis) on the mid-Atlantic Coast
Michael C. True, Katherine M. Gorman, Hila Taylor, Richard J. Reynolds, W. Mark Ford
2023, Movement Ecology (11)
Along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States, eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis) are present during fall mating and migration, though little is currently known about most aspects of bat migration. To reveal migration patterns, and understand drivers of over-water flight, we captured and radio-tagged 115 eastern red bats using...
Nutrient and suspended-sediment concentrations, flux, and yields in the Galena River, Illinois, 2019–21
Paul J. Terrio, Luis A. Garcia
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5044
Two stations on the Galena River in Illinois were monitored for nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediment from 2019 to 2021 to determine physiochemical properties and constituent concentrations, flux, and yields. This information could aide in the management and understanding of the Galena River and the contributions from the intervening 58-square-mile...
Accounting for spatial habitat and management boundaries when estimating forest bird population distribution and density: Inferences from a soap film smoother
Richard J. Camp, David L Miller, Steve T. Buckland, Steve J. Kendall
2023, PeerJ (11)
Birds are often obligate to specific habitats which can result in study areas with complex boundaries due to sudden changes in vegetation or other features. This can result in study areas with concave arcs or that include holes of unsuitable habitat such as lakes or agricultural fields. Spatial models...
Long-term effects of timber harvest on ephemeral pool and occupancy of Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) and Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus)
Amber NM Wiewel, Adrianne Brand, Evan H. Campbell Grant
2023, Journal of Herpetology (57) 142-150
The effects of timber harvest on amphibians can be complex and persist for years postharvest, but overall they are poorly understood. We examined how timber harvest has impacted two pool-breeding species, Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) and Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus), across the Canaan Valley National...
Condition and coloration of lingual lures of Alligator Snapping Turtles
Brad Glorioso, John L. Carr, Carl J. Franklin, Mandi Gordon, Aaron C. Johnson, Ethan J. Kessler, Eric Munscher, Luke Pearson, Viviana Ricardez, Arron Tuggle
2023, Southeastern Naturalist (22) 429-439
The lingual lures of Macrochelys (alligator snapping turtles) are believed to be the only prey-capturing lures within the mouths of modern reptiles. To date, no formal assessment of lure condition in Macrochelys has been published, and few researchers record lure data. Herein, we report damaged or missing lures from...
Evaluation of threatened, endangered, and rare fish species and communities of the St. Lawrence River and its tributaries in the United States
James E. McKenna Jr., Anthony David
2023, The Northeastern Naturalist (30) 1-71
Biodiversity is responsible for important ecological processes like productivity and ecosystem stability, and rare species are a major component of biodiversity. Rarity increases a species' vulnerability to disturbances and also makes them difficult to study. Globally, species of freshwater systems are some of the most...
Arsenic in groundwater in the Grand Canyon region and an evaluation of potential pathways for arsenic contamination of groundwater from breccia pipe uranium mining
Fred D. Tillman, Kimberly R. Beisner, Casey J.R. Jones
2023, PLOS Water (2)
The Grand Canyon in northern Arizona is an international tourist destination, a home or sacred place to many Native Americans, and hosts some of the highest-grade uranium deposits in the United States. Although potential contamination of water resources by uranium from mining activities is a concern,...
Dietary niche of three omnivorous turtle species in a northern Florida river: Insights from stable isotope analysis
Mathew Denton, Gerald R. Johnston, Travis M. Thomas, Hardin Waddle, Susan Walls, Kristen Hart
2023, Southeastern Naturalist (22) 359-377
Macrochelys suwanniensis (Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle) coexists with 2 other native large omnivorous turtle species (Chelydra serpentina [Snapping Turtle] and Trachemys scripta scripta [Yellow-bellied Slider]) in a 9-km section of the Santa Fe River in northern Florida. A major shift in dominant submersed aquatic vegetation prompted us to quantify...
Floodwater drainage assessment of Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, 2020–22
Christopher M. Hobza, Kellan R. Strauch
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5053
Offutt Air Force Base, south of Omaha, Nebraska, experienced major flooding during the March 2019 flood event because of the proximity of the base to the confluence of the Missouri River and nearby tributaries, which exceeded flood stages. Postflood, standing water remained through much of the year, attracting waterfowl and...
The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting Arkansas's economy
Chris Cretini
2023, Fact Sheet 2023-3018
Introduction In recent years, Arkansas has coordinated with Federal and local partners to improve the quality and availability of high-resolution elevation data for the State. With high-quality elevation data, Arkansas can improve services offered to the public and within government, resulting in better quality of life, improved public safety, and higher...
Elucidating the magma plumbing system of Ol Doinyo Lengai (Natron Rift, Tanzania) Using satellite geodesy and numerical modeling
Ntambila Daud, Sarah Stamps, Maurizio Battaglia, Mong-Han Huang, Elifuraha Saria, Kang-Hyeun Ji
2023, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Resources (438)
Ol Doinyo Lengai, located in the southern Eastern Branch of the East African Rift had several eruptive episodes with ash falls and lava flows (VEI 3) that caused damage to the nearby communities between 2007 and 2010. The volcano is remote and access is difficult. Although this volcano has been studied for...
A decade-long study of repeated prescription burning in California native grassland restoration
Jon Keeley, Robert C. Klinger, Teresa J. Brennan, Dawn M. Lawson, John La Grange, Kathryn N. Berg
2023, Restoration Ecology (31)
Native bunchgrass communities dominated by Stipa pulchra are widely distributed in California but share dominance with non-native annual grasses. Restoration of these grasslands focuses on altering the balance of native to non-native grasses to favor the former. This study investigated the impact of burning on vegetation recovery. In the first postfire year...
One Ranney well can make a difference: The impacts of a radial collector well on groundwater level and quality in the Cedar River alluvial aquifer
Adel E. Haj, Lance R. Gruhn, Stephen J. Kalkhoff
2023, Groundwater Monitoring & Remediation (43) 51-60
The City of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, depends on groundwater from the Cedar River alluvial aquifer for residential and industrial use. In 2020, the city completed an additional radial collector well, or Ranney well, and was concerned that pumping from the well at high rates may lower water level elevations in...
Hydrogeology of sand and gravel aquifers in the Owasco Inlet watershed, Cayuga and Tompkins Counties, New York
Paul M. Heisig
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5031
This study is a continuation of a series of hydrogeologic appraisals that have been conducted since 1980, as part of a cooperative, long-term, detailed aquifer mapping program by the U.S. Geological Survey and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. These appraisals provide a foundation for wellhead protection programs,...
Examining dynamic occupancy of gray wolves in Idaho after a decade of managed harvest
David Edward Ausband, Sarah J. Thompson, Brendan A. Oates, Shane Roberts, Mark A. Hurley, Matthew Mumma
2023, Journal of Wildlife Management (87)
Gray wolves (Canis lupus) were reintroduced to Idaho, USA, in 1995–1996. The removal of Endangered Species Act protections in 2011 transferred wolf management to the state where wolves were subsequently classified as a harvested (i.e., hunted, trapped) big game species. We implemented a camera-based survey across Idaho from 2016–2021 as...
Quality of surface water in Missouri, water year 2021
Kendra M. Markland
2023, Data Report 1179
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, maintains a statewide group of stations known as the Ambient Water-Quality Monitoring Network, which includes selected streams and springs in Missouri. During water year 2021 (October 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021), the U.S. Geological Survey collected...
Towards a better future for biodiversity and people: Modelling Nature Futures
H. Kim, G.D. Peterson, W.W. Cheung, S. Ferrier, R. Alkemade, A. Arneth, Jan J. Kuiper, S. Okayasu, L.M. Pereira, L.A. Acosta, R. Chaplin-Kramer, E. den Belder, T.D. Eddy, J. C. Johnson, S. Karlsson-Viinkhuyzen, M.T.J. Kok, P. Leadley, D. Leclère, C. Lundquist, C. Rondini, R.J. Scholes, M.A. Schoolenberg, Y. Shin, E. Stehfest, F. Stephenson, P. Visconti, D. van Vuuren, C.C.C. Wabnitz, J.J. Alava, I. Cuadros-Casanova, K.K. Davies, M.A. Gasalla, G. Halouani, M. Harfoot, S. Hashimoto, T. Hickler, T. Hirsch, G. Kolomytsev, Brian W. Miller, H. Ohashi, M.G. Palomo, A. Popp, R.P. Remme, O. Saito, U.R. Sumalia, S. Willcock, H.M. Pereira
2023, Global Environmental Change (82)
The Nature Futures Framework (NFF) is a heuristic tool for co-creating positive futures for nature and people. It seeks to open up a diversity of futures through mainly three value perspectives on nature – Nature for Nature, Nature for Society, and Nature as Culture. This paper...
Increased aridity is associated with stronger tradeoffs in ponderosa pine vital functions
Angela Gonzalez, Ian Pearse, Miranda Redmond
2023, Ecology (104)
Trees must allocate resources to core functions like growth, defense, and reproduction. These allocation patterns have profound effects on forest health, yet little is known about how core functions trade off over time, and even less is known about how a changing climate will impact...
Dynamic population models with temporal preferential sampling to infer phenology
Michael Schwob, Mevin B. Hooten, Travis Mcdevitt-Galles
2023, Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics (28) 774-791
To study population dynamics, ecologists and wildlife biologists typically use relative abundance data, which may be subject to temporal preferential sampling. Temporal preferential sampling occurs when the times at which observations are made and the latent process of interest are conditionally dependent. To account for preferential...
Targeted metabolomics characterizes metabolite occurrence and variability in stable freshwater mussel populations
Diane L. Waller, Joel Putnam, J. Nolan Steiner, Brant Fisher, Grant N. Burcham, John W. Oliver, Stephen B. Smith, Richard A. Erickson, Anne Remek, Nancy Bodeker
2023, Conservation Physiology (11)
Freshwater mussels (order Unionida) play a key role in freshwater systems as ecosystem engineers and indicators of aquatic ecosystem health. The fauna is globally imperilled due to a diversity of suspected factors; however, causes for many population declines and mortality events remain unconfirmed due partly to limited health assessment...
Attenuation of barium, strontium, cobalt, and nickel plumes formed during microbial iron-reduction in a crude-oil-contaminated aquifer
Katherine Jones, Brady Ziegler, Audrey Davis, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli
2023, ACS Earth and Space Chemistry (7) 1322-1336
We assessed the spatial distribution of 35 elements in aquifer sediments and groundwater of a crude-oil-contaminated aquifer and show evidence of the dissolution of barium (Ba), strontium (Sr), cobalt (Co), and nickel (Ni) during hydrocarbon oxidation coupled to historic microbial Fe(III)-reduction near the oil. Trace element plumes occur in the...
