Federal collaboration in science for invasive mammal management in U.S. National Parks and Wildlife Refuges of the Pacific Islands
Steven C. Hess, Darcy Hu, Rhonda Loh, Paul C. Banko
L.M. Conner, M. D. Smith, editor(s)
2016, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 16th Wildlife Damage Management Conference
Some of the most isolated islands in the Pacific Ocean are home to US National Parks and Wildlife Refuges. These islands are known for flora and fauna that occur nowhere else, but also for invasive species and other factors which have resulted in the disproportionate extinction of native species. The...
Individual, group, and environmental influences on helping behavior in a social carnivore
David E. Ausband, Michael S. Mitchell, Sarah B. Bassing, Andrea T. Morehouse, Douglas W. Smith, Daniel R. Stahler, Jennifer Struthers
2016, Ethology (122) 963-972
Variation in group composition and environment can affect helping behavior in cooperative breeders. Understanding of how group size, traits of individuals within groups, food abundance, and predation risk simultaneously influence helping behavior is limited. We evaluated pup-guarding behavior in gray wolves (Canis lupus) to assess how differences in individuals, groups,...
Quantifying seepage using heat as a tracer in selected irrigation canals, Walker River Basin, Nevada, 2012 and 2013
Ramon C. Naranjo, David W. Smith
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5133
The Walker River is an important source of water for western Nevada. The river provides water for agriculture and recharge to local aquifers used by several communities. Farmers began diverting water from the Walker River in the 1860s to support growing agricultural development. Over time, the reduced inflows into...
Construction of a groundwater-flow model for the Big Sioux Aquifer using airborne electromagnetic methods, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Joshua F. Valder, Gregory C. Delzer, Janet M. Carter, Bruce D. Smith, David V. Smith
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3075
The city of Sioux Falls is the fastest growing community in South Dakota. In response to this continued growth and planning for future development, Sioux Falls requires a sustainable supply of municipal water. Planning and managing sustainable groundwater supplies requires a thorough understanding of local groundwater resources. The Big Sioux...
Groundwater-level change and evaluation of simulated water levels for irrigated areas in Lahontan Valley, Churchill County, west-central Nevada, 1992 to 2012
David W. Smith, Susan G. Buto, Toby L. Welborn
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5045
The acquisition and transfer of water rights to wetland areas of Lahontan Valley, Nevada, has caused concern over the potential effects on shallow aquifer water levels. In 1992, water levels in Lahontan Valley were measured to construct a water-table map of the shallow aquifer prior to the effects of...
Territoriality and inter-pack aggression in gray wolves: shaping a social carnivore's life history
Kira A. Cassidy, Douglas W. Smith, L. David Mech, Daniel R. MacNulty, Daniel R. Stahler, Matthew C. Metz
2016, Yellowstone Science (24) 37-42
When Rudyard Kipling wrote The Jungle Book in 1894 and included the famous line "For the strength of the Wolf is the Pack, and the strength of the Pack is the Wolf," he would have had no idea that over a century later, scientific research would back up his poetic...
Infectious diseases of wolves in Yellowstone
Emily S. Almberg, Paul C. Cross, Peter J. Hudson, Andrew P. Dobson, Douglas W. Smith, Daniel R. Stahler
2016, Yellowstone Science (24) 47-49
The summer of 2005 began with such promise for wolves in Yellowstone. The population had been at an all-time high the last few years, and the wolves appeared to be in good condition. Several packs had been particularly busy during the breeding season, and early summer pup counts suggested another...
Manual hierarchical clustering of regional geochemical data using a Bayesian finite mixture model
Karl J. Ellefsen, David Smith
2016, Applied Geochemistry (75) 200-210
Interpretation of regional scale, multivariate geochemical data is aided by a statistical technique called “clustering.” We investigate a particular clustering procedure by applying it to geochemical data collected in the State of Colorado, United States of America. The clustering procedure partitions the field samples for the entire survey area into...
Geologic and geophysical models for Osage County, Oklahoma, with implications for groundwater resources
Mark R. Hudson, David V. Smith, Michael P. Pantea, Carol Becker
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5067
This report summarizes a three-dimensional (3-D) geologic model that was constructed to provide a framework to investigate groundwater resources of the Osage Nation in northeastern Oklahoma. This report also presents an analysis of an airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey that assessed the spatial variation of electrical resistivity to depths as great...
Fish assemblage structure and habitat associations in a large western river system
C. D. Smith, Michael C. Quist, R. S. Hardy
2016, River Research and Applications (32) 622-638
Longitudinal gradients of fish assemblage and habitat structure were investigated in the Kootenai River of northern Idaho. A total of 43 500-m river reaches was sampled repeatedly with several techniques (boat-mounted electrofishing, hoop nets and benthic trawls) in the summers of 2012 and 2013. Differences in habitat and fish assemblage structure...
User’s guide for GcClust—An R package for clustering of regional geochemical data
Karl J. Ellefsen, David B. Smith
2016, Techniques and Methods 7-C13
GcClust is a software package developed by the U.S. Geological Survey for statistical clustering of regional geochemical data, and similar data such as regional mineralogical data. Functions within the software package are written in the R statistical programming language. These functions, their documentation, and a copy of the user’s guide...
Hydraulic model and flood-inundation maps developed for the Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina
Douglas G. Smith, Chad R. Wagner
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5137
A one-dimensional step-backwater model was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina, to provide a means for predicting flood-plain inundation. The model was developed for selected reaches of the Pee Dee River, Brown Creek,...
Energetic costs of mange in wolves estimated from infrared thermography
Paul C. Cross, Emily S. Almberg, Catherine G Haase, Peter J. Hudson, Shane K Maloney, Matthew C Metz, Adam J Munn, Paul Nugent, Olivier Putzeys, Daniel R. Stahler, Anya C Stewart, Doug W. Smith
2016, Ecology (97) 1938-1948
Parasites, by definition, extract energy from their hosts and thus affect trophic and food web dynamics even when the parasite may have limited effects on host population size. We studied the energetic costs of mange (Sarcoptes scabiei) in wolves (Canis lupus) using thermal cameras to estimate heat losses associated with...
Groundwater exchanges near a channelized versus unmodified stream mouth discharging to a subalpine lake
James Constantz, Ramon C. Naranjo, Richard G. Niswonger, Kip K. Allander, B. Neilson, Donald O. Rosenberry, David W. Smith, C. Rosecrans, David A. Stonestrom
2016, Water Resources Research (52) 2157-2177
The terminus of a stream flowing into a larger river, pond, lake, or reservoir is referred to as the stream-mouth reach or simply the stream mouth. The terminus is often characterized by rapidly changing thermal and hydraulic conditions that result in abrupt shifts in surface water/groundwater (sw/gw) exchange patterns, creating the potential for...
Available data support protection of the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher under the Endangered Species Act
Tad C. Theimer, Aaron D. Smith, Sean M. Mahoney, Kirsten E. Ironside
2016, The Condor (118) 289-299
Zink (2015) argued there was no evidence for genetic, morphological, or ecological differentiation between the federally endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) and other Willow Flycatcher subspecies. Using the same data, we show there is a step-cline in both the frequency of a mtDNA haplotype and in plumage variation roughly...
Surface-air mercury fluxes across Western North America: A synthesis of spatial trends and controlling variables
Chris S. Eckley, Michael T. Tate, Che-Jen Lin, Mae S. Gustin, Stephen Dent, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Michelle A. Lutz, Kimberly Wickland, Bronwen Wang, John E. Gray, Grant Edwards, David P. Krabbenhoft, David B. Smith
2016, Science of the Total Environment (568) 651-665
Mercury (Hg) emission and deposition can occur to and from soils, and are an important component of the global atmospheric Hg budget. This paper focuses on synthesizing existing surface-air Hg flux data collected throughout the Western North American region and is part of a series of geographically focused Hg synthesis...
Ecoregions of California
Glenn E. Griffith, James M. Omernik, David W. Smith, Terry D. Cook, Ed Tallyn, Kendra Moseley, Colleen B. Johnson
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1021
Ecoregions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. They are designed to serve as a spatial framework for the research, assessment, management, and monitoring of ecosystems and ecosystem components. By recognizing the spatial differences in the capacities and potentials of...
Elevated Rocky Mountain elk numbers prevent positive effects of fire on quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) recruitment
David Solance Smith, Stephen M. Fettig, Matthew A. Bowker
2016, Forest Ecology and Management (362) 46-54
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) is the most widespread tree species in North America and has supported a unique ecosystem for tens of thousands of years, yet is currently threatened by dramatic loss and possible local extinctions. While multiple factors such as climate change and fire suppression are thought to contribute...
Integrative modelling reveals mechanisms linking productivity and plant species richness
James B. Grace, T. Michael Anderson, Eric W. Seabloom, Elizabeth T. Borer, Peter B. Adler, W Stanley Harpole, Yann Hautier, Helmut Hillebrand, Eric M. Lind, Meelis Partel, Jonathan D. Bakker, Yvonne M. Buckley, Michael J. Crawley, Ellen Ingman Damschen, Kendi F. Davies, Philip A. Fay, Jennifer Firn, Daniel S. Gruner, Andy Hector, Johannes M.H. Knops, Andrew S. MacDougall, Brett A. Melbourne, John W. Morgan, John L. Orrock, Suzanne M. Prober, Melinda D. Smith
2016, Nature (529) 390-393
How ecosystem productivity and species richness are interrelated is one of the most debated subjects in the history of ecology. Decades of intensive study have yet to discern the actual mechanisms behind observed global patterns. Here, by integrating the predictions from multiple theories into a single model and using data...
Evaluation of the hydraulic and biological performance of the portable floating fish collector at Cougar Reservoir and Dam, Oregon, 2014
John W. Beeman, Scott D. Evans, Philip V. Haner, Hal C. Hansel, Amy C. Hansen, Gabriel S. Hansen, Tyson W. Hatton, Jamie M. Sprando, Collin D. Smith, Noah S. Adams
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1003
The biological and hydraulic performance of a new portable floating fish collector (PFFC) located in a cul-de-sac within the forebay of Cougar Dam, Oregon, was evaluated during 2014. The purpose of the PFFC was to explore surface collection as a means to capture juvenile salmonids at one or more sites...
Age, growth and fall diet of channel catfish in Cheat Lake, West Virginia
Corbin D. Hilling, Stuart A. Welsh, Dustin M. Smith
2016, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (7) 304-314
Acidification has historically impaired Cheat Lake's fish community, but recent mitigation efforts within the Cheat River watershed have improved water quality and species richness. Presently, channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus are abundant and attain desirable sizes for anglers. We evaluated the age, growth, and fall diet of the population. We collected...
Detection probabilities of electrofishing, hoop nets, and benthic trawls for fishes in two western North American rivers
Christopher D. Smith, Michael C. Quist, Ryan S. Hardy
2015, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (6) 371-391
Research comparing different sampling techniques helps improve the efficiency and efficacy of sampling efforts. We compared the effectiveness of three sampling techniques (small-mesh hoop nets, benthic trawls, boat-mounted electrofishing) for 30 species in the Green (WY, USA) and Kootenai (ID, USA) rivers by estimating conditional detection probabilities (probability of detecting...
Regional tectonic setting for the Trinidad earthquake swarms (2000-2012) from gravity and magnetic data
Carol A. Finn, Mason A. Kass, Bruce D. Smith
2015, Conference Paper, Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems
Earthquakes in the Raton basin near Trinidad, Colorado, (Figure 1) are located (Rubenstein et. al., 2014) near a major gravity and magnetic boundary. These earthquakes also occur in an area of hydrocarbon production that includes several high-capacity produced water injection wells. This presentation gives a very basic outline of the...
Environmental DNA calibration study interim technical review report December 2014
Kelly Baerwaldt, Meredith L. Bartron, Kurt Schilling, Debbie Lee, Edmond Russo, Trudy Estes, Richard Fischer, Beth Fleming, Michael P. Guilfoyle, Jack Killgore, Richard Lance, Edward Perkins, Martin Schultz, David Smith, Jon J. Amberg, Duane Chapman, Mark P. Gaikowski, Katy E. Klymus, Catherine A. Richter
2015, Report
The Environmental DNA Calibration Study (ECALS) is a multi-year study to improve the understanding and interpretation of the detection of Asian carp DNA in environmental samples (eDNA) used in early detection monitoring. eDNA surveillance programs seek to detect the presence of genetic material (DNA in cells sloughed off in slime,...
Developing a conservation strategy to maximize persistence of an endangered freshwater mussel species while considering management effectiveness and cost
David R. Smith, Sarah E. McRae, Tom Augspurger, Judith A. Ratcliffe, Robert B. Nichols, Chris B. Eads, Tim Savidge, Arthur E. Bogan
2015, Freshwater Science (34) 1324-1339
We used a structured decision-making process to develop conservation strategies to increase persistence of Dwarf Wedgemussel (Alasmidonta heterodon) in North Carolina, USA, while accounting for uncertainty in management effectiveness and considering costs. Alternative conservation strategies were portfolios of management actions that differed by location of management actions on the landscape....
