Latitudinal variation in snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) body mass: A test of Bergmann’s Rule
Laura C. Gigliotti, Nathan D. Berg, Rudy Boonstra, Shawn M. Cleveland, Duane R. Diefenbach, Eric M. Gese, Jacob S. Ivan, Knut Kielland, Charles J. Krebs, Alexander V. Kumar, L. Scott Mills, Jonathan N. Pauli, H. Brian Underwood, Evan Wilson, M.J. Sheriff
2020, Canadian Journal of Zoology (98) 88-95
The relationship between body size and latitude have been the focus of dozens of studies across many species. However, results of testing Bergmann’s Rule – that organisms in colder climates or at higher latitudes possess larger body sizes – have been inconsistent across studies. We investigated whether snowshoe hares (Lepus...
Upper thermal tolerance and heat shock protein response of juvenile American shad (Alosa sapidissima)
Shannon Michael Bayse, Ciaran A Shaughnessy, Amy M. Regish, Stephen D. McCormick
2020, Estuaries and Coasts (43) 182-188
Juvenile American shad (Alosa sapidissima) experience a wide range of temperatures in rivers before migrating to the ocean. Temperatures in these freshwater environments can vary greatly spatially, seasonally, year-to-year, and can be impacted by anthropogenic factors such as power plant discharge or climate change. Currently, there is uncertainty concerning juvenile...
A temporally stratified extension of space‐for‐time Cormack–Jolly–Seber for migratory animals
Dalton J. Hance, Russell Perry, John Plumb, Adam C. Pope
2020, Biometrics (76) 900-912
Understanding drivers of temporal variation in demographic parameters is a central goal of mark‐recapture analysis. To estimate the survival of migrating animal populations in migration corridors, space‐for‐time mark–recapture models employ discrete sampling locations in space to monitor marked populations as they move past monitoring sites, rather than the standard practice...
Marking otoliths of Alligator Gar by immersion in oxytetracycline
Richard A. Snow, James M. Long, Michael J. Porta
2020, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (40) 669-674
Alligator Gar Atractosteus spatula are increasingly being stocked to restore populations, making the need to identify stocked individuals important for monitoring. Oxytetracycline (OTC) immersion allows for large numbers of fish to be marked simultaneously, thus eliminating the need to handle fish individually, but protocols for doing so have not been investigated fully...
Development of two quantitative PCR assays for detection of several Cottus species from environmental DNA in Pacific coast watersheds of North America
Marshal S. Hoy, Carl O. Ostberg
2020, Conservation Genetics Resources (12) 361-363
We developed two quantitative PCR assays for use with environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect numerous species in the genus Cottus that are indigenous to the Pacific coast watersheds of North America. We conducted in vitro assay validations on ten Cottus species and 32 potentially co-occurring non-Cottus species. We demonstrate the efficacy of these assays by...
Malignant melanoma of Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) in Lake Memphremagog, Vermont/Quebec
Vicki S. Blazer, Cassidy H. Shaw, Cheyenne R. Smith, P Emerson, Thomas R. Jones
2020, Journal of Fish Diseases (43) 91-100
In 2012, brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) with large, raised, black growths were first reported from multiple areas within the Vermont portion of Lake Memphremagog. Subsequent surveys conducted from 2014 to 2017 at two sites within the lake indicated a prevalence of 30% in adult brown bullhead 200 mm and above total...
Microplastic concentrations in two Oregon bivalve species: Spatial, temporal, and species variability
Britta Baechler, Elise F. Granek, Matthew G. Hunter, Kathleen E. Conn
2020, Limnology and Oceanography Letters (5) 54-65
Microplastics are an ecological stressor with implications for ecosystem and human health when present in seafood. We quantified microplastic types, concentrations, anatomical burdens, geographic distribution, and temporal differences in Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and Pacific razor clams (Siliqua patula) from 15 Oregon coast, U.S.A. sites. Microplastics were present in organisms...
Coastal marsh bird habitat selection and responses to Hurricane Sandy
Allison Benscoter, James Beerens, Stephanie Romanach
2020, Wetlands (40) 799-810
Wetlands provide numerous ecosystem functions such as water purification, nutrient cycling, and wildlife habitat. Avian populations are indicators of wetland health, and understanding their responses to extreme events can aid in targeting restoration efforts following disturbance. Here, we assessed the habitat selection of six coastal wetland bird species...
Turtle biogeography: Global regionalization and conservation priorities
Joshua R. Ennen, Mickey Agha, Sarah C. Sweat, Wilfredo A. Matamoros, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Anders G.J. Rhodin, John B. Iverson, Christopher W. Hoagstrom
2020, Biological Conservation (241)
Defaunation in the Anthropocene has created a need to focus limited conservation resources on geographically-explicit areas with high conservation significance. Priority conservation areas are often defined as those with high biodiversity – hotspots. While these conservation areas are critical to securing global biodiversity, prevailing approaches for their delineation are often...
The mineral diversity of Jezero crater: Evidence for possible lacustrine carbonates on Mars
Briony H. N. Horgan, Ryan B. Anderson, G. Dromart, Elena S. Amador, Melissa S. Rice
2020, Icarus (339)
Noachian-aged Jezero crater is the only known location on Mars where clear orbital detections of carbonates are found in close proximity to clear fluvio-lacustrine features indicating the past presence of a paleolake; however, it is unclear whether or not the carbonates in Jezero are related to the lacustrine activity. This...
Brodifacoum toxicity in American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) with evidence of increased hazard upon subsequent anticoagulant rodenticide exposure
Barnett A. Rattner, Steven F Volker, Julia S. Lankton, Thomas G. Bean, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Katherine E. Horak
2020, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (39) 468-481
A seminal question in ecotoxicology is the extent to which contaminant exposure evokes prolonged effects on physiological function and fitness. A series of studies were undertaken with American kestrels ingesting environmentally realistic concentrations of the second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide (SGAR) brodifacoum (BROD). Kestrels fed BROD at 0.3, 1.0 or 3.0 µg/g...
Classification of oil spill by thicknesses using multiple remote sensors
Oscar Garcia-Pineda, Gordon Staples, Cathleen E Jones, Chuanmin Hu, Benjamin Holt, Villy Kourafalou, George Graettinger, Lisa DiPinto, Ellen Ramirez, David Street, Jay Cho, Gregg A. Swayze, Shaojie Sun, Diana Garcia, Francisco Haces-Garcia
2020, Remote Sensing of Environment (236)
Satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is an operational tool for monitoring and assessment of oil spills. Satellite SAR has primarily been used to detect the presence/absence of oil, yet its ability to discriminate oil emulsions within a detected oil slick has...
Seasonal variation in sediment delivery across the bay-marsh interface of an estuarine salt marsh
Jessica R. Lacy, Madeline R. Foster-Martinez, Rachel Allen, Matthew C. Ferner, John C. Callaway
2020, Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans (125)
Sediment transport across bay–marsh interfaces depends on wave energy, vegetation, and marsh-edge morphology, and varies over a range of timescales. We investigated these dynamics in a tidal salt marsh with a gently-sloped, vegetated edge adjacent to northern San Francisco Bay. Spartina foliosa (cordgrass) inhabits the lower marsh and Salicornia pacifica...
Wintering in the western subarctic pacific increases mercury contamination of Red-legged Kittiwakes
Abram S Fleishman, Rachael Orben, Nobuo Kokubun, Alexis Will, Rosana Paredes, Joshua T. Ackerman, Akinori Takahashi, Alexander Kitaysky, Scott A. Shaffer
2020, Environmental Science & Technology (53) 13398-13407
Marine methylmercury concentrations vary geographically and with depth, exposing organisms to different mercury levels in unique habitats. Red-legged kittiwakes (Rissa brevirostris), a specialist predator, forage on fish and invertebrates from the mesopelagic zone, a part of the ocean with elevated methylmercury concentrations. We used kittiwakes as bioindicators of...
Petroleum hydrocarbons in semipermeable membrane devices deployed in the Northern Gulf of Mexico and Florida keys following the Deepwater Horizon incident
Timothy Bargar, David A. Alvarez, Scott A. Stout
2020, Marine Pollution Bulletin (150)
The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill from April to July of 2010 contaminated Gulf of Mexico waters through release of an estimated 4.1 × 106 barrels of oil. Beginning in June of 2010, semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) were deployed near areas with sensitive marine habitats (Alabama Alps and Western Shelf) potentially exposed to that oil....
Calibration analysis and noise estimates of WWSSN Station ALQ (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
Adam T. Ringler, David C. Wilson, Emily Wolin, Tyler Storm, L. D. Sandoval
2020, Seismological Research Letters (91) 1359-1366
World‐Wide Standardized Seismograph Network (WWSSN) records contain daily calibration pulses that can be used to retrieve the magnification as well as the response of the instrument for a given day record. We analyze a select number of long‐period vertical (LPZ) records from WWSSN station ALQ (Albuquerque, New Mexico). Although we...
Survival and conflict behavior of American black bears after rehabilitation
Coy D Blair, Lisa I Muller, Joseph D. Clark, William H Stiver
2020, Journal of Wildlife Management (84) 75-84
Wildlife agencies face difficult situations when orphaned or injured American black bear (Ursus americanus ) cubs (<12 months old) or yearlings (≥12 and <24 months old) are captured. One option is bear rehabilitation, the care and feeding of cubs or yearlings in a semi‐natural environment, followed by release. Unfortunately, the survival...
#EarthquakeAdvisory: Exploring discourse between government officials, news media and social media during the Bombay Beach 2016 Swarm
Sara K. McBride, Andrea L. Llenos, Morgan T. Page, Nicholas van der Elst
2020, Seismological Research Letters (91) 438-451
Communicating probabilities of natural hazards to varied audiences is a notoriously difficult task. Many of these challenges were encountered during the 2016 Bombay Beach, California, swarm of ~100 2≤M≤4.3 earthquakes, which began on 26 September 2016 and lasted for several days. The swarm’s proximity to the...
Grazing-induced changes to biological soil crust cover mediate hillslope erosion in a long-term exclosure experiment
Stephen E. Fick, Jayne Belnap, Michael C. Duniway
2020, Rangeland Ecology & Management (73) 61-72
Dryland ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to erosion generated by livestock grazing. Quantifying this risk across a variety of landscape settings is essential for successful adaptive management, particularly in light of a changing climate. In the Upper Colorado River Basin, there are...
Vulnerability of resource-users in Louisiana’s oyster fishery to environmental hazards
A. T. Humphries, L. Josephs, Megan K. LaPeyre, S. A. Hall, R.D. Beech
2020, Ecology and Society (24)
Knowledge of vulnerability provides the foundation for developing actions that minimize impacts on people while maximizing the sustainability of ecosystem goods and services. As a result, it is becoming increasingly important to determine how resource-dependent people are vulnerable to environmental hazards. This is particularly true in coastal Louisiana where the...
Isotopic and geochemical assessment of the sensitivity of groundwater resources of Guam, Mariana Islands, to intra- and inter-annual variations in hydroclimate
Lakin Beal, Corinne I. Wong, Kaylyn K Bautista, John W. Jenson, Jay L. Banner, Mark A Lander, Stephen B. Gingerich, Judson W. Partin, Ben Hardt, N.H. van Oort
2020, Journal of Hydrology (568) 174-183
Assessing the sensitivity of groundwater systems to hydroclimate variability is critical to sustainable management of the water resources of Guam, US territory. We assess spatial and temporal variability of isotopic and geochemical compositions of vadose and phreatic groundwater sampled from cave drip sites and production wells, respectively, to better understand the vulnerability of the...
Does vegetation change over 28 years affect habitat use and reproductive success?
Karolina Fierro-Calderón, Thomas E. Martin
2020, The Auk (137) 1-9
Individuals should prefer and use habitats that confer high fitness, but habitat use is not always adaptive. Vegetation in natural landscapes changes gradually and the ability of species to adaptively adjust their habitat use to long-term changes is largely unstudied. We studied nest patch and territory use over 28 yr...
Nonlinear reaction–diffusion process models improve inference for population dynamics
Xinyi Lu, Perry J. Williams, Mevin Hooten, James A. Powell, Jamie N. Womble, Michael R. Bower
2020, Environmetrics (31)
Partial differential equations (PDEs) are a useful tool for modeling spatiotemporal dynamics of ecological processes. However, as an ecological process evolves, we need statistical models that can adapt to changing dynamics as new data are collected. We developed a model that combines an ecological diffusion equation and logistic growth to...
Change points in annual peak streamflows: Method comparisons and historical change points in the United States
Karen R. Ryberg, Glenn A. Hodgkins, Robert W. Dudley
2020, Journal of Hydrology (583)
Change-point, or step-trend, detection is an active area of research in statistics and an area of great interest in hydrology because change points may be evidence of natural or anthropogenic changes in climatic, hydrologic, or landscape processes. A common change-point technique is the Pettitt test; however, many change-point methods are...
Hydrologic modeling for flow-ecology science in the Southeastern United States and Puerto Rico
Peter V. Caldwell, Jonathan G. Kennen, Ernie F. Hain, Stacy A.C. Nelson, Ge Sun, Steven G. McNulty
2020, General Technical Report SRS-246
An understanding of the applicability and utility of hydrologic models is critical to support the effective management of water resources throughout the Southeastern United States (SEUS) and Puerto Rico (PR). Hydrologic models have the capacity to provide an estimate of the quantity of available water at ungauged locations (i.e., areas...
