Calibrating environmental DNA metabarcoding to conventional surveys for measuring fish species richness
Mary E McElroy, Terra L Dressler, Georgia C Titcomb, Emily A Wilson, Kristy Deiner, Tom L. Dudley, Erika J. Eliason, Nathan T Evans, Steven D Gaines, Kevin D. Lafferty, Gary A Lamberti, Yiyuan Li, David M. Lodge, Milton S. Love, Andrew R. Mahon, Michael E Pfrender, Mark A Renshaw, Kimberly A Selkoe, Christopher L. Jerde
2020, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (8)
The ability to properly identify species present in a landscape is foundational to ecology and essential for natural resource management and conservation. However, many species are often unaccounted for due to ineffective direct capture and visual surveys, especially in aquatic environments. Environmental DNA metabarcoding is an approach that overcomes low...
Compositional layering in Io driven by magmatic segregation and volcanism
Dan C Spencer, Richard F. Katz, Ian J. Hewitt, David A. May, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi
2020, Journal of Geophysical Research (125)
The compositional evolution of volcanic bodies like Io is not well understood. Magmatic segregation and volcanic eruptions transport tidal heat from Io's interior to its surface. Several observed eruptions appear to be extremely high temperature (≥ 1600 K), suggesting either very high degrees of melting, refractory source regions, or intensive...
Use of environmental DNA to detect grass carp spawning events
Cari-Ann Hayer, Michael F. Bayless, Amy E. George, Nathan Thompson, Catherine A. Richter, Duane Chapman
2020, Fishes (5)
The timing and location of spawning events are important data for managers seeking to control invasive grass carp populations. Ichthyoplankton tows for grass carp eggs and larvae can be used to detect spawning events; however, these samples can be highly debris-laden, and are expensive and laborious to process. An alternative...
Bathymetric surveys of Morse and Geist Reservoirs in central Indiana made with a multibeam echosounder, 2016, and comparison with previous surveys
Justin A. Boldt, Zachary W. Martin
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5067
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Citizens Energy Group, conducted a bathymetric survey of Morse and Geist Reservoirs in central Indiana in April and May of 2016 with a multibeam echosounder. Both reservoirs serve as water supply, flood control, and recreational resources for the city of Indianapolis and the...
Changes in prey, turbidity, and competition reduce somatic growth and cause the collapse of a fish population
Josh Korman, Michael D. Yard, Maria C. Dzul, Charles B. Yackulic, Michael J. Dodrill, Bridget R. Deemer, Theodore Kennedy
2020, Ecological Monographs (91)
Somatic growth exerts strong control on patterns in the abundance of animal populations via effects on maturation, fecundity, and survival rates of juveniles and adults. In this paper, we quantify abiotic and biotic drivers of rainbow trout growth in the Colorado River, AZ, and the resulting impact on spatial and...
Spatiotemporal modeling of dengue fever risk in Puerto Rico
Gavino Puggioni, Jannelle Couret, Emily Serman, Ali S Akanda, Howard S. Ginsberg
2020, Spatial and Spatio-temporal Epidemiology (35)
Dengue Fever (DF) is a mosquito vector transmitted flavivirus and a reemerging global public health threat. Although several studies have addressed the relation between climatic and environmental factors and the epidemiology of DF, or looked at purely spatial or time series analysis,...
Sediment record of mining legacy and water quality from a drinking-water reservoir, Aztec, New Mexico, USA
Johanna M. Blake, Jeb E. Brown, Christina L. Ferguson, Rebecca J. Bixby, Naomi T. Delay
2020, Environmental Earth Sciences (79)
The record of mining legacy and water quality was investigated in sediments collected in 2018 from four trenches in the Aztec, New Mexico, drinking-water reservoir #1. Bulk chemical analysis of sediments with depth in the reservoir revealed variable trace-element (uranium, vanadium, arsenic, copper, sulfur, silver, lead,...
Evidence of prevalent heat stress in Yukon River Chinook salmon
Vanessa R. von Biela, Lizabeth Bowen, Stephen D. McCormick, Michael P. Carey, Daniel S. Donnelly, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, Amy M. Regish, Sarah M. Laske, Randy J Brown, Sean Larson, Stan Zuray, Christian E. Zimmerman
2020, Canadian Journal Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (77) 1878-1892
Migrating adult Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) are sensitive to warm water (>18 °C), with a range of consequences from decreased spawning success to early mortality. We examined the proportion of Yukon River Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) exhibiting evidence of heat stress to assess the potential that high temperatures contribute to freshwater...
Analysis of genomic sequence data reveals the origin and evolutionary separation of Hawaiian hoary bat populations
Corinna A. Pinzari, Lin Kang, Pawel Michalak, Lars S Jermiin, Donald K Price, Frank Bonaccorso
2020, Genome Biology and Evolution (12) 1504-1514
We examine the genetic history and population status of Hawaiian hoary bats (Lasiurus semotus), the most isolated bats on Earth, and their relationship to northern hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus), through whole-genome analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphisms mapped to a de novo-assembled reference genome. Profiles of genomic diversity and divergence indicate that...
Water priorities for the Nation—U.S. Geological Survey Integrated Water Availability Assessments
Mark P. Miller, Brian R. Clark, Sandra M. Eberts, Patrick M. Lambert, Patricia Toccalino
2020, Fact Sheet 2020-3044
The United States faces growing challenges to its water supply, infrastructure, and aquatic ecosystems because of population growth, climate change, floods and droughts, and aging water delivery systems. To help address these challenges, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Resources Mission Area has established new strategic priorities that capitalize on...
Grade and tonnage model for tungsten skarn deposits—2020 update
Carlin J. Green, Graham W. Lederer, Heather L. Parks, Michael L. Zientek
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5085
This report presents an updated grade and tonnage model for tungsten skarn deposits. As a critical component of the U.S. Geological Survey’s three-part form of quantitative mineral resource assessment, robust grade and tonnage models are essential to transforming mineral resource assessments into effective tools for decision makers. Using the best...
Drones provide a better method to find nests and estimate nest survival for colonial waterbirds: A demonstration with Western Grebes
Deo Lachman, Courtney J. Conway, Kerri Vierling, Ty Matthews
2020, Wetlands Ecology and Management (28) 837-845
Drone use in wildlife biology has greatly increased as they become cheaper and easier to deploy in the field. In this paper we describe a less invasive method of using drones and exploring their limitations for studying colonial nesting waterbirds. Western Grebes, like most colonial nesting waterbirds, can be very...
Concentrations and size distribution of TiO2 and Ag engineered particles in five wastewater treatment plants in the United States
Md. Mahmudun Nabi, Jingjing Wang, Madeleine Meyer, Marie Noele Croteau, Niveen Ismail, Mohammed Baalousha
2020, Science of the Total Environment (753)
The growing use of engineered particles (e.g., nanosized and pigment sized particles, 1 to 100 nm and 100 to 300 nm, respectively) in a variety of consumer products increases the likelihood of their release into the environment. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are an important pathways of introduction of engineered particles to the...
Assessment of dissolved-selenium concentrations and loads in the Lower Gunnison River Basin, Colorado, as part of the Selenium Management Program, 2011–17
Mark F. Henneberg
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1078
The Gunnison Basin Selenium Management Program implemented a water-quality monitoring network in 2011 to measure concentrations of selenium in the lower Gunnison River Basin in Colorado. Selenium is a trace element that bioaccumulates in aquatic food chains. Selenium is essential for life, but elevated amounts can cause reproductive failure, deformities,...
Immune and sex-biased gene expression in the threatened Mojave desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizii
Cindy Xu, Greer A. Dolby, K. Kristina Drake, Todd Esque, Kenro Kusumi
2020, PLoS ONE (15)
The immune system of ectotherms, particularly non-avian reptiles, remains poorly characterized regarding the genes involved in immune function, and their function in wild populations. We used RNA-Seq to explore the systemic response of Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) gene expression to three levels of Mycoplasma infection to better understand the host response...
Distribution and transport of Olympia oyster, Ostrea lurida, larvae in northern Puget Sound, Washington, USA
S.K. Grossman, Eric E. Grossman, Julie S. Barber, S.K. Gamblewood, Sean C. Crosby
2020, Journal of Shellfish Research (39) 215-233
As efforts for restoring Olympia oyster (Ostrea lurida) populations have expanded, there is an increased need to understand local factors that could influence the long-term success of these projects. To address concerns over potential limitations to recruitment at a restoration site in northern Puget Sound, Washington, USA, a study was...
Mineral deposits of the Mesoproterozoic Midcontinent Rift system in the Lake Superior region – A space and time classification
Laurel G. Woodruff, Klaus J. Schulz, Suzanne W. Nicholson, Connie L. Dicken
2020, Ore Geology Reviews (126)
The Mesoproterozoic Midcontinent Rift System (MRS) of North America hosts a diverse suite of magmatic and hydrothermal mineral deposits in the Lake Superior region where rift rocks are exposed at or near the surface. Historically, hydrothermal deposits, such as Michigan’s native copper deposits and the White Pine sediment-hosted stratiform...
Developing post-alert messaging for ShakeAlert, the earthquake early warning system for the West Coast of the United States of America
Sara K. McBride, Ann Bostrom, Jeannette Sutton, Robert Michael deGroot, Annemarie S. Baltay Sundstrom, Brian Terbush, Paul Bodin, Maximilian Dixon, Emily Holland, Ryan Arba, Paul C. Laustsen, Sophia Liu, Margaret J. Vinci
2020, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (50)
As ShakeAlert, the earthquake early warning system for the West Coast of the U.S., begins its transition to operational public alerting, we explore how post-alert messaging might represent system performance. Planned post-alert messaging can provide timely, crucial information to both emergency managers and ShakeAlert operators as well as calibrate expectations...
Genetic and environmental indicators of climate change vulnerability for desert bighorn sheep
Tyler G. Creech, Clinton W. Epps, John D. Wehausen, Rachel S. Crowhurst, Jef R. Jaeger, Kathleen Longshore, Brandon Holton, William B. Sloan, Ryan J. Monello
2020, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (8)
Assessments of organisms’ vulnerability to potential climatic shifts are increasingly common. Such assessments are often conducted at the species level and focused primarily on the magnitude of anticipated climate change (i.e., climate exposure). However, wildlife management would benefit from population-level assessments that also incorporate measures of local or...
Flood-frequency estimation for very low annual exceedance probabilities using historical, paleoflood, and regional information with consideration of nonstationarity
Karen R. Ryberg, Kelsey A. Kolars, Julie E. Kiang, Meredith L. Carr
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5065
Streamflow estimates for floods with an annual exceedance probability of 0.001 or lower are needed to accurately portray risks to critical infrastructure, such as nuclear powerplants and large dams. However, extrapolating flood-frequency curves developed from at-site systematic streamflow records to very low annual exceedance probabilities (less than 0.001) results in...
Development of regional skew coefficients for selected flood durations in the Columbia River Basin, northwestern United States and British Columbia, Canada
Greg D. Lind, Jonathan R. Lamontagne, Adam J. Stonewall
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5073
Flood-frequency (hereinafter frequency) estimates provide information used to design, operate, and maintain hydraulic structures such as bridges and dams. Failures of these structures could cause catastrophic loss of property, life, or both. In addition to frequency estimates that use annual peak streamflow, frequency estimates of flood durations are required to...
Reducing water scarcity by improving water productivity in the United States
Landon Marston, Gambhir Lamsal, Zachary H. Ancona, Peter V Caldwell, Brian Richter, Benjamin Ruddell, Richard Rushforth, Kyle F. Davis
2020, Environmental Research Letters (15)
Nearly one-sixth of U.S. river basins are unable to consistently meet societal water demands while also providing sufficient water for the environment. Water scarcity is expected to intensify and spread as populations increase, new water demands emerge, and climate changes. Improving water productivity by meeting realistic benchmarks for all water...
Groundwater upwelling regulates thermal hydrodynamics and salmonid movements during high-temperature events at a montane tributary confluence
Thomas David Ritter, Alexander V. Zale, Grant Grisak, Michael J. Lance
2020, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (149) 600-619
The Smith River is a popular recreational sport fishery in western Montana, but salmonid abundances there are thought to be artificially limited by riparian land-use alterations, irrigation water withdrawals, and high summer water temperatures. We used integrated networks of temperature loggers, PIT tag antenna stations, and in situ temperature mapping...
Stratigraphic units of shallow unconsolidated deposits in Deadwood, South Dakota, delineated by real-time kinematic surveys
Wyatt S. Tatge, Colton J. Medler, William G. Eldridge, Joshua F. Valder
2020, Scientific Investigations Map 3459
The City of Deadwood, South Dakota, has been working on a new archeological investigation in preparation for economic growth and expansion within the city limits, through the Deadwood Historic Preservation Office. During the excavation process, buried artifacts and historical features from the late 1800s have been uncovered. The stratigraphy of...
Vegetation responses to Quaternary volcanic and hydrothermal disturbances in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (USA)
Christopher Schiller, Cathy Whitlock, Mio Alt, Lisa Ann Morgan Morzel
2020, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (559)
Volcanic and hydrothermal processes produce disturbances by diverse mechanisms and ecological responses are varied. New and published pollen records from the Northern Rocky Mountains and Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem document the response of vegetation to three different types of volcanic...
