Using mollusks as indicators of restoration in nearshore zones of south Florida's estuaries
G. Lynn Wingard, Bethany Stackhouse, Andre Daniels
2022, Bulletin of Marine Science (98) 351-380
Current south Florida ecosystem restoration efforts are focused on restoring more natural freshwater flow through the wetlands and into the estuaries to reestablish natural salinity gradients, particularly in the nearshore zones. Indicator taxa are used to monitor and assess restoration progress and the current...
Database of topo-bathy cross-shore profiles and characteristics for the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico sandy coastlines
Rangley C. Mickey, Davina Passeri
2022, Data (7)
A database of seamless topographic and bathymetric cross-shore profiles along with metrics of the associated morphological characteristics based on the latest available lidar data ranging from 2011–2020 and bathymetry from the Continuously Updated Digital Elevation Model was developed for U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico open-ocean sandy...
Environmental drivers of autumn migration departure decisions in midcontinental mallards
Florian G. Weller, William S. Beatty, Elisabeth B. Webb, Dylan C. Kesler, David G. Krementz, Kwasi Asante, Luke W. Naylor
2022, Movement Ecology (10)
BackgroundThe timing of autumn migration in ducks is influenced by a range of environmental conditions that may elicit individual experiences and responses from individual birds, yet most studies have investigated relationships at the population level. We used data from individual satellite-tracked mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) to model the timing...
Connecticut and Landsat
U.S. Geological Survey
2022, Fact Sheet 2022-3045
Connecticut, the third-smallest State by land area, is the fourth most densely populated in the United States. Connecticut’s tightly packed cities serve as international hubs for the finance and insurance industries. These same urban enclaves host highly regarded institutions of higher learning, such as Yale, the University of Connecticut, and...
Assessing small-mammal trapping design using spatially explicit capture recapture (SECR) modeling on long-term monitoring data
Chase M. Freeman, Laureen Barthman-Thompson, Robert C. Klinger, Isa Woo, Karen M. Thorne
2022, PLoS ONE (17)
Few studies have evaluated the optimal sampling design for tracking small mammal population trends, especially for rare or difficult to detect species. Spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) models present an advancement over non-spatial models by accounting for individual movement when estimating density. The salt marsh harvest mouse...
The past, present, and future of coral reef growth in the Florida Keys
Lauren Toth, Travis A. Courtney, Michael A. Colella, Selena Anne-Marie Johnson, Robert R. Ruzicka
2022, Global Change Biology (28) 5294-5309
Coral-reef degradation is driving global-scale reductions in reef-building capacity and the ecological, geological, and socioeconomic functions it supports. The persistence of those essential functions will depend on whether coral-reef management is able to rebalance the competing processes of reef accretion and erosion. Here, we reconstructed census-based...
Loss of street trees predicted to cause 6000 L/tree increase in leaf-on stormwater runoff for Great Lakes urban sewershed
Robert C. Coville, James Kruegler, William R. Selbig, Satoshi Hirabayashi, Stephen Loheid, William Avery, William Shuster, Ralph J. Haefner, Bryant C. Scharenbroch, Theodore A. Endreny, Dave Nowak
2022, Urban Forestry & Urban Greening (74)
Urban forests are recognized as a nature-based solution for stormwater management. This study assessed the underlying processes and extent of runoff reduction due to street trees with a paired-catchment experiment conducted in two sewersheds of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Computer models are flexible, fast, and low-cost options to generalize and...
Choosing an optimal duck season: Integrating hunter values and duck abundance
Joshua C. Stiller, William F. Siemer, Kelly A. Perkins, Angela K. Fuller
2022, The Journal of Wildlife Management (46)
State wildlife agencies have long struggled to identify optimal hunting season dates for migratory game bird species that meet the diverse and often competing interests of stakeholders. Many approaches have been used to ensure the regulated community participates in the decision-making process, including public hearings, hunter season-date preference surveys, and...
Concordant patterns of morphological, stable isotope, and genetic variation in a recent ecological radiation (Salmonidae: Coregonus spp.)
Moises A Bernal, Daniel L. Yule, Wendylee Stott, Lori M. Evrard, Thomas E Dowling, Trevor J. Krabbenhoft
2022, Molecular Ecology (31) 4495-4509
Groups of sympatric taxa with low interspecific genetic differentiation, but considerable ecological differences, offer great opportunities to study the dynamics of divergence and speciation. This is the case of ciscoes (Coregonus spp.) in the Laurentian Great Lakes, which are characterized by a complex evolutionary history and are commonly described as having...
Increased landscape disturbance and streamflow variability threaten fish biodiversity in the Red River catchment, USA
R. Mollenhauer, J.B. Mouser, Victor L. Roland, Shannon K. Brewer
2022, Diversity and Distributions (28) 1934-1950
AimStream fish distributions are hypothesized to be strongly associated with landscape characteristics at multiple scales. Variation in flow regimes and intensity of landscape disturbance are associated with stream fish distributions; however, relationships are poorly understood in many high-diversity regions. Our objective was to identify occurrence relationships between...
A model of the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil carbon following coastal wetland loss applied to a Louisiana salt marsh in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain
Donald R. Schoolmaster Jr., Camille Stagg, Courtney Creamer, Claudia Laurenzano, Eric Ward, Mark Waldrop, Melissa M. Baustian, Tiong Aw, Sergio Merino, Rachel Katherine Villani, Laura Scott
2022, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (127)
The potential for carbon sequestration in coastal wetlands is high due to protection of carbon (C) in flooded soils. However, excessive flooding can result in the conversion of the vegetated wetland to open water. This transition results in the loss of wetland habitat in addition to the potential loss of...
Genome-wide genetic diversity may help identify fine-scale genetic structure among lake whitefish spawning groups in Lake Erie
Peter T. Euclide, Joseph Schmitt, Richard Kraus, Andy Cook, Jim Markham
2022, Journal of Great Lakes Research (48) 1298-1305
In Lake Erie, lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis supported lucrative fisheries before populations were decimated by overfishing and water quality degradation. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in lake whitefish and management of the fishery they support. Lake whitefish spawn on several reefs...
Porphyry copper: Revisiting mineral resource assessment predictions for the Andes
Jane M. Hammarstrom
2022, Minerals (12)
A mineral resource assessment of porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America was done in 2005 in cooperation with geological surveys in South America. The study identified 590 million metric tons (Mt) of copper in identified resources. Continued exploration and development in the region over a 15-year...
Museum genomics provide evidence for persistent genetic differentiation in a threatened seabird species in the Western Atlantic
Paige A. Byerly, R. Terry Chesser, Robert C. Fleischer, Nancy McInerney, Natalia Przelomska, Paul S Leberg
2022, Integrative and Comparative Biology (62) 1838-1848
Connectivity among wildlife populations facilitates exchange of genetic material between groups. Changes to historical connectivity patterns resulting from anthropogenic activities can therefore have negative consequences for genetic diversity, particularly for small or isolated populations. DNA obtained from museum specimens can enable direct comparison of temporal changes in connectivity among...
Measurements of Geologic Characteristics and Geophysical Properties of Sediments From the New England Mud Patch
Jason Chaytor, Meagan Ballard, Brian J. Buczkowski, John A. Goff, Kevin M. Lee, Allen Reed, Allyson Anne Boggess
2022, IEEE Journal of Ocean Engineering (47) 503-530
The characterization of physical, geological, and geophysical properties of sediments within the New England Mud Patch (NEMP) was undertaken to provide a physical basis for acoustic inversions associated with the SeaBed Characterization EXperiment 2017 (SBCEX17). Using a suite of 89 sediment cores (piston/trigger, gravity [acoustic], and...
Using transcriptomics to predict and visualize disease status in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis)
Lizabeth Bowen, Kezia R. Manlove, Annette Roug, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, Nate LaHue, Peregrine Wolff
2022, Conservation Physiology (10)
Increasing risk of pathogen spillover coupled with overall declines in wildlife population abundance in the Anthropocene make infectious disease a relevant concern for species conservation worldwide. While emerging molecular tools could improve our diagnostic capabilities and give insight into mechanisms underlying wildlife disease risk, they have rarely been applied...
The DDT-induced decline influenced genetic diversity in naturally-recovered peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) nesting within the Alaska Arctic and eastern Interior
Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Ted Swem, Skip Ambrose, Melanie J. Flamme, Clayton M White, George K Sage, Sandra L Talbot
2022, Ibis (164) 1265-1272
We assessed the influence of the severe mid-20th century population decline on genetic diversity in non-augmented peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) populations nesting within Alaska Arctic and eastern Interior. Microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data were analyzed for peregrine falcons sampled from three periods: pre-decline, decline, and post-decline....
Spatial dynamic N-mixture models with interspecific interactions
Qing Zhao, Angela K Fuller, Andy Royle
2022, Methods in Ecology and Evolution (13) 2209-2221
Interspecific interactions and movement are key factors that drive the coexistence of metapopulations in heterogenous landscapes. Yet, it is challenging to understand these factors because separating movement from local population processes relied on capture-based data that are difficult to collect. Recent development of spatial dynamic N-mixture models (SDNMs) made...
A structured decision-making framework for managing cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms in New York State parks
Jennifer L. Graham, Gabriella M. Cebada Mora, Rebecca M. Gorney, Lianne C. Ball, Claudia Mengelt, Michael C. Runge
2022, Scientific Investigations Report 2022-5053
Cyanobacteria are increasingly a global water-quality concern because of the potential for these organisms to develop into potentially harmful blooms that affect ecological, economic, and public health. Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs) can lead to a decrease in water quality and affect many of the recreational and ecological benefits of...
Scope of the cortisol stress response in Chinook salmon during maturation
Claire E. Couch, Michael Colvin, Rob L. Chitwood, James Peterson, Carl B. Schreck
2022, Fisheries Research (254)
In semelparous Pacific salmon, increased cortisol levels accompany sexual maturation and may be related to the rapid senescence and death that occur after spawning. In fish with extremely high cortisol, pre-spawning mortality is more likely. This may be because elevated cortisol is accompanied by energy depletion and reduces the immune...
Miocene terrestrial paleoclimates inferred from pollen in the Monterey Formation, Naples Coastal Bluffs section, California
Linda E. Heusser, John A. Barron, Gregg Blake, Jon Nichols
Ivano Aiello, John A. Barron, Christina Ravelo, editor(s)
2022, Book chapter, Understanding the Monterey Formation and similar biosiliceous units across space and time
We present here a comprehensive record of Miocene terrestrial ecosystems from exposures of the Monterey Formation along the Naples coastal bluffs, west of Santa Barbara, California. Constrained by an updated chronology, pollen analyses of 28 samples deposited between 18 and 6 Ma reflect the demise of mesophytic taxa that grew...
Sediment thickness and ground motion site amplification along the United States Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains
Oliver S. Boyd, David Henry Churchwell, Morgan P. Moschetti, Eric M. Thompson, Thomas L. Pratt, Martin C. Chapman, Sanaz Rezaeian
2022, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 12th National Conference on Earthquake Engineering
Past and present research on earthquake ground motions along the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains and Mississippi Embayment show significant period-dependent site response that is not presently accounted for in ground motion models. These deviations are strongly correlated with the thickness of Mesozoic and younger syn- and post-rift sediments. With...
Using in situ/ex situ research collaborations to support polar bear conservation
Randi Meyerson, Todd C. Atwood
Eric Miller, Nadine Lamberski, Paul Calle, editor(s)
2022, Book chapter, Fowler's zoo and wild animal medicine current therapy
A warming Arctic threatens the long-term persistence of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in the wild. Historically, little collaboration existed between the in situ and ex situ polar bear scientific communities. However, for the past decade, zoo professionals, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) have partnered to leverage resources and expertise...
Egg retention in wild-caught Python bivittatus in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, Florida, USA
Gretchen Erika Anderson, Frank N. Ridgley, Jillian Maureen Josimovich, Robert Reed, Bryan G. Falk, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Andrea Faye Currylow
2022, Herpetological Journal (32) 109-113
Retention of eggs in oviducts beyond the normal oviposition period is a common problem for captive reptiles, but the occurrence of egg retention in wild populations is largely unknown. The Burmese python (Python [molurus] bivittatus; Kühl 1820) is an oviparous snake native to south-eastern Asia that is now established in...
Standard operating protocol for mark and recapture monitoring of Brook Floater in streams
Sean Sterrett, Allison H. Roy, Peter Hazelton, Beth Swartz, Ethan Nedeau, Jason Carmignani, Ayla Skorupa
2022, Cooperator Science Series CSS-142-2022
The Brook Floater (Alasmidonta varicosa) is a small (<100 mm) freshwater mussel (Family: Unionidae) found in streams of the eastern United States (U.S.) (Nedeau 2008). While there has been limited effort to document the status of Brook Floater across its range, there is evidence of Brook Floater range contraction and...
