A science and management partnership to restore coregonine diversity to the Laurentian Great Lakes
David Bunnell, Amanda Susanne Ackiss, Karen M Alofs, Cory Brant, Charles R. Bronte, Randall M. Claramunt, John M. Dettmers, Andrew Edgar Honsey, Nicholas E. Mandrak, Andrew M. Muir, Victor Santucci, David R. Smith, Russell M. Strach, John A. Sweka, Brian Weidel, William Mattes, Kurt R. Newman
2023, Environmental Reviews (31) 716-738
Similar to many freshwater ecosystems, the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America have undergone numerous anthropogenic stressors resulting in considerable loss of biodiversity and habitat. Among Great Lakes fishes, the coregonine sub-family has endured the most extensive declines, including extinction of several species (Coregonus johannae, C. alpenae,...
When are environmental DNA early detections of invasive species actionable?
Adam Sepulveda, Christine E. Dumoulin, Denise L. Blanchette, John Mcphedran, Colin Holme, Nathan Whalen, Margaret Hunter, Christopher M. Merkes, Catherine A. Richter, Matthew Neilson, Wesley M. Daniel, Devin Nicole Jones, David R. Smith
2023, Journal of Environmental Management (343)
Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling provides sensitive early detection capabilities for recently introduced taxa. However, natural resource managers struggle with how to integrate eDNA results into an early detection rapid response program because positive eDNA detections are not always indicative of...
Creating conservation strategies with value-focused thinking
David M. Martin, Joshua Goldstein, David R. Smith, Jessica Musengezi, Jessie G. Rountree, Pabodha G. A. Galgamuwe, Aileen Craig, Michelle Dietz, Caitlin Kerr
2023, Conservation Biology (37)
Biodiversity and human well-being strategies are only as good as the set of ideas that people think about. This article evaluates value-focused thinking (VFT), a framework that focuses on creating objectives and strategy ideas that are responsive to the objectives. We performed a proof-of-concept study of VFT on six planning...
Six years of fluvial response to a large dam removal on the Carmel River, California, USA
Amy E. East, Lee R. Harrison, Douglas P. Smith, Joshua B. Logan, Rosealea Bond
2023, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (48) 1487-1501
Measuring river response to dam removal affords a rare, important opportunity to study fluvial response to sediment pulses on a large field scale. We present a before–after/control–impact study of the Carmel River, California, measuring fluvial geomorphic and grain-size evolution over 8 years, six of which postdated removal of a 32 m-high...
Incorporating temperature into seepage loss estimates for a large unlined irrigation canal
Ramon C. Naranjo, David Smith, Evan J. Lindenbach
2023, Journal of Hydrology (617)
Quantifying seepage losses from unlined irrigation canals is necessary to improve water use and conservation. The use of heat as a tracer is widely used in quantifying seepage rates across the sediment–water interface. In this study, field observations and two-dimensional numerical models...
Automatic recorders monitor wolves at rendezvous sites: do wolves adjust howling to live near humans?
Vicente Palacios, Bárbara Martí-Domken, Shannon Barber-Meyer, Bilal Habib, José Vicente López-Bao, Douglas W. Smith, Daniel R. Stahler, Emilio José García, Víctor Sazatornil, L. David Mech
2023, Biodiversity and Conservation (23) 363-383
We used automatic sound recorders to study spontaneous vocalizations of wild wolves during the pup-rearing season around rendezvous sites from 24 wolf packs in six study areas across North America, Asia, and Europe. Between 2018 and 2021, for a total of 1225 pack-days, we recorded 605...
Expert perspectives on global biodiversity loss and its drivers and impacts on people
Forest Isbell, Patricia Balvanera, Akira S. Mori, Jin-Sheng He, James M. Bullock, Ganga Ram Regmi, Eric W. Seabloom, Simon Ferrier, Osvaldo E. Sala, Nathaly R. Guerrero-Ramírez, Julia Tavella, Daniel J. Larkin, Bernhard Schmid, Charlotte L. Outhwaite, Pairot Pramua, Elizabeth T. Borer, Michel Loreau, Taiwo Crossby Omotoriogun, David O. Obura, Maggie Anderson, Cristina Portales-Reyes, Kevin Kirkman, Pablo M Vergara, Adam Thomas Clark, Kimberly J Komatsu, Owen L. Petchey, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Laura J. Williams, Scott L. Collins, Nico Eisenhauer, Christopher H Trisos, Delphine Renard, Alexandra J. Wright, Poonam Tripathi, Jane Cowles, Jarrett E. K. Byrnes, Peter B. Reich, Andy Purvis, Zati Sharip, Mary I. O'Connor, Clare E. Kazanski, Nick M. Haddad, Eulogio H. Soto, Laura E. Dee, Sandra Díaz, Chad R. Zirbel, Meghan L. Avolio, Shaopeng Wang, Zhiyuan Ma, Jingjing Liang, Hanan C. Farah, Justin Andrew Johnson, Brian W. Miller, Yann Hautier, Melinda D. Smith, Johannes M. H. Knops, Bonnie Myers, Zuzana Harmáčková, Jorge Cortés, Mike Harfoot, Andrew Gonzalez, Tim Newbold, Jacqueline Oehri, Marina Mazón, Cynnamon Dobbs, Meredith S. Palmer
2023, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (21) 94-103
Despite substantial progress in understanding global biodiversity loss, major taxonomic and geographic knowledge gaps remain. Decision makers often rely on expert judgement to fill knowledge gaps, but are rarely able to engage with sufficiently large and diverse groups of specialists. To improve understanding of the perspectives of thousands of biodiversity...
North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) mobile acoustic transect surveys standard operating procedure 1—Locating and establishing mobile transect routes
Jaclyn Martin, Dane Smith, Han Li, MacKenzie Hall, Emily Ferrall, Jason Rae, Bethany Straw, Brian Reichert
2022, Techniques and Methods 2-C1
This document is the first of three standard operating procedures (SOPs) providing instructions and considerations for conducting mobile acoustic surveys along road transects to collect bat acoustic data following the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) protocol and sample design. This SOP focuses specifically on selecting NABat grid cells and...
Horseshoe crab
David R. Smith
2022, Book chapter, Technical report for the Delaware estuary and basin, PDE Report No. 22-05
No abstract available....
Evaluation of fish behavior at the entrances to a Selective Water Withdrawal structure in Lake Billy Chinook, Oregon, 2021
Collin D. Smith, Tyson W. Hatton
2022, Open-File Report 2022-1098
Imaging sonar was used to assess the behavior, abundance, and timing of fish at the entrances to the Selective Water Withdrawal (SWW) intake structure located in the forebay of Round Butte Dam, Oregon during the spring of 2021. The purposes of the SWW are (1) to direct surface currents...
Evaluating noninvasive methods for estimating cestode prevalence in a wild carnivore population
E E Brandell, M.K. Jackson, Paul C. Cross, A.J. Piaggio, D. R. Taylor, Douglas W. Smith, B Boufana, Daniel R. Stahler, PJ Hudson
2022, PLoS ONE (17)
Helminth infections are cryptic and can be difficult to study in wildlife species. Helminth research in wildlife hosts has historically required invasive animal handling and necropsy, while results from noninvasive parasite research, like scat analysis, may not be possible at the helminth species or individual host...
Disease outbreaks select for mate choice and coat color in wolves
Sarah Cubaynes, E E Brandell, Daniel R. Stahler, Douglas W. Smith, Emily S. Almberg, Susanne Schindler, Robert K. Wayne, Andrew P. Dobson, Bridgett M. vonHoldt, Daniel R. MacNulty, Paul C. Cross, Peter J. Hudson, Tim Coulson
2022, Science (378) 300-303
We know much about pathogen evolution and the emergence of new disease strains, but less about host resistance and how it is signaled to other individuals and subsequently maintained. The cline in frequency of black-coated wolves (Canis lupus) across North America is hypothesized to result from a relationship with canine...
Multispecies approaches to status assessments in support of endangered species classifications
Daniel Bruce Fitzgerald, Mary Freeman, Kelly O. Maloney, John A. Young, Amanda E. Rosenberger, David C. Kazyak, David R. Smith
2022, Conservation Science and Practice (4)
Multispecies risk assessments have developed within many international conservation programs, reflecting a widespread need for efficiency. Under the United States Endangered Species Act (ESA), multispecies assessments ultimately lead to species-level listing decisions. Although this approach provides opportunities for improved efficiency, it also risks overwhelming or biasing the assessment process and...
Potential effects of energy development on environmental resources of the Williston Basin in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota—Water resources
Timothy T. Bartos, Steven K. Sando, Todd M. Preston, Gregory C. Delzer, Robert F. Lundgren, Rochelle A. Nustad, Rodney R. Caldwell, Zell E. Peterman, Bruce D. Smith, Kathleen M. Macek-Rowland, David A. Bender, Jill D. Frankforter, Joel M. Galloway
2022, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5070-C
The Williston Basin has been a leading oil and gas producing area for more than 50 years. While oil production initially peaked within the Williston Basin in the mid-1980s, production rapidly increased in the mid-2000s, largely because of improved horizontal (directional) drilling and hydraulic fracturing methods. In 2012, energy development...
Light attenuation and erosion characteristics of fine sediments in a highly turbid, shallow, Great Basin Lake—Malheur Lake, Oregon, 2017–18
Tamara M. Wood, Cassandra D. Smith
2022, Scientific Investigations Report 2022-5056
Malheur Lake is a large, shallow, turbid lake in southeastern Oregon that fluctuates widely in surface area in response to yearly precipitation and climatic cycles. High suspended-sediment concentrations (SSCs) likely are negatively affecting the survival of aquatic plants by reducing the intensity of solar radiation reaching the plants, thus...
Potential effects of sea level rise on nearshore habitat availability for surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus) and eelgrass (Zostera marina), Puget Sound, Washington
Collin D. Smith, Theresa L. Liedtke
2022, Open-File Report 2022-1054
In this study we examine the potential effects of three predicted sea level rise (SLR) scenarios on the nearshore eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) and surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus) spawning habitats along a beach on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Baseline bathymetric, geomorphological, and biological surveys were conducted to determine the existing...
Using structured decision making to evaluate potential management responses to detection of dreissenid mussel (Dreissena spp.) environmental DNA
Adam Sepulveda, David R. Smith, Katherine M O'Donnell, Nathan Owens, Brittany White, Cathy A. Richter, Christopher M. Merkes, Skylar Wolf, Mike Rau, Matthew Neilson, Wesley M. Daniel, Christine E. Dumoulin, Margaret Hunter
2022, Management of Biological Invasions (13) 344-368
Environmental (e)DNA tools are sensitive and cost-effective for early detection of invasive species. However, the uncertainty associated with the interpretation of positive eDNA detections makes it challenging to determine appropriate natural resource management responses. Multiple sources of error can give rise to positive detections of eDNA in a sample when...
Monitoring fish abundance and behavior, using multi-beam acoustic imaging sonar, at a Selective Water Withdrawal structure in Lake Billy Chinook, Deschutes River, Oregon, 2020
Collin D. Smith, Tyson W. Hatton, Noah S. Adams
2022, Open-File Report 2022-1038
Collection of juvenile salmonids at Round Butte Dam is a critical part of the effort to enhance populations of anadromous fish species in the upper Deschutes River because fish that are not collected at the dam may either incur increased mortality during dam passage or remain landlocked and lost...
Status and trends of North American bats: Summer occupancy analysis 2010-2019
Bradley James Udell, Bethany Straw, Tina L. Cheng, Kyle Enns, Winifred F. Frick, Benjamin Gotthold, Kathryn Irvine, Cori Lausen, Susan Loeb, Jonathan D. Reichard, Thomas J. Rodhouse, Dane Smith, Christian Stratton, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Brian Reichert
2022, Report
• We developed an analytical pipeline supported by web-based infrastructure for integrating continental scale bat monitoring data (stationary acoustic, mobile acoustic, and capture records) to estimate summer (May 1–Aug 31) occupancy probabilities and changes in occupancy over time for 12 North American bat species. This serves as one of multiple...
Hematology and biochemistry reference intervals for American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) in South Florida, USA
Laura A. Brandt, Nicole D. Jennings, Michiko A. Squires, Caitlin E. Hackett, Christopher D. Smith, Frank J. Mazzotti
2022, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (58) 457-464
We calculated reference intervals for 48 blood parameters from 120 wild American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) in South Florida, US. Although previously reported by others, this study includes additional parameters not yet reported in wild populations. Most previously reported blood parameter values were similar to ours...
Performance of a carbon dioxide injection system at a navigation lock to control the spread of aquatic invasive species
Thomas J. Zolper, David Smith, P. Ryan Jackson, Aaron R. Cupp
2022, Journal of Environmental Engineering (148)
Natural resource agencies need effective strategies to control the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) such as invasive fish, which can expand their range using rivers as hydrological pathways to access new areas. Lock and dam structures within major rivers are prospective locations to deploy techniques, such...
Examination of the interaction between age-specific predation and chronic disease in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Ellen E. Brandell, Paul C. Cross, Douglas W. Smith, William J. Rogers, Nathan L. Galloway, Daniel R. MacNulty, Daniel R. Stahler, John J. Treanor, Peter J. Hudson
2022, Journal of Animal Ecology (91) 1373-1384
Predators may create healthier prey populations by selectively removing diseased individuals. Predators typically prefer some ages of prey over others, which may, or may not, align with those prey ages that are most likely to be diseased.The interaction of age-specific infection and predation has not been previously explored and...
Surface infiltration and unsaturated zone characterization in support of managed aquifer recharge in Bedell Flat, Washoe County, Nevada
Todd Caldwell, Ramon C. Naranjo, David Smith, Christian Kropf
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5137
Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) expands the portfolio of public water supply and improves resiliency to drought and future water demand. This study investigated the feasibility of ASR in the Bedell Flat Hydrographic Area using land-based methods including in-channel managed aquifer recharge (MAR) and rapid infiltration basins (RIB). Bedell Flat,...
Quantification of metal loading using tracer dilution and instantaneous synoptic sampling and importance of diel cycling in Leavenworth Creek, Clear Creek County, Colorado, 2012
Katherine Walton-Day, Robert L. Runkel, Christin D. Smith, Briant A. Kimball
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1078
Leavenworth Creek, a tributary of South Clear Creek and Clear Creek near Georgetown, Colorado, contains copper, lead, and zinc at concentrations close to or in excess of aquatic-life standards. In the summer of 2012, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the...
Telemetry reveals migratory drivers and disparate space use across seasons and age-groups in American horseshoe crabs
Justin J. Bopp, Matthew Sclafani, Michael G. Frisk, Kim McKown, Catherine Zeigler, David R. Smith, Robert Cerrato
2021, Ecosphere (12)
Identifying mechanisms that underpin animal migration patterns and examining variability in space use within populations is crucial for understanding population dynamics and management implications. In this study, we quantified the migration rates, seasonal changes in migratory connectivity, and residency across population demographics (age and sex) to...