Latent spatial models and sampling design for landscape genetics
Ephraim M. Hanks, Mevin Hooten, Steven T. Knick, Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Jennifer A. Fike, Todd B. Cross, Michael K. Schwartz
2016, Annals of Applied Statistics (10) 1041-1062
We propose a spatially-explicit approach for modeling genetic variation across space and illustrate how this approach can be used to optimize spatial prediction and sampling design for landscape genetic data. We propose a multinomial data model for categorical microsatellite allele data commonly used in landscape genetic studies, and introduce a...
Application of activity sensors for estimating behavioral patterns
Caleb P. Roberts, James W. Cain III, Robert D. Cox
2016, Wildlife Society Bulletin (40) 764-771
The increasing use of Global Positioning System (GPS) collars in habitat selection studies provides large numbers of precise location data points with reduced field effort. However, inclusion of activity sensors in many GPS collars also grants the potential to remotely estimate behavioral state. Thus, only using GPS collars to collect...
Occurrence and effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the St. Croix River
Sarah M. Elliott, Kathy Lee
2016, Report
The St. Croix River is one of the last undisturbed, large floodplain rivers in the upper Mississippi River System. The Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway encompasses 255 river miles from the St. Croix Flowage and Namekagon River to the confluence of the St. Croix River with the Mississippi River at...
Spatial and ecological variation in dryland ecohydrological responses to climate change: implications for management
Kyle A. Palmquist, Daniel R. Schlaepfer, John B. Bradford, William K. Lauenroth
2016, Ecosphere (7)
Ecohydrological responses to climate change will exhibit spatial variability and understanding the spatial pattern of ecological impacts is critical from a land management perspective. To quantify climate change impacts on spatial patterns of ecohydrology across shrub steppe ecosystems in North America, we asked the following question: How will climate change...
Shifting currents: Progress, setbacks, and shifts in policy and practice
Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters, Charles Dunning, Dale M. Robertson
2016, Report
The Wisconsin Academy’s initial Waters of Wisconsin project (WOW I) facilitated a statewide conversation between 2000 and 2003 around one main question: How can we ensure healthy aquatic ecosystems and clean, abundant water supplies for tomorrow’s Wisconsin? Robust participation in this conversation underscored the important role citizens have in the...
Earthquake source properties from pseudotachylite
Nicholas M. Beeler, Giulio Di Toro, Stefan Nielsen
2016, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (106) 2764-2776
The motions radiated from an earthquake contain information that can be interpreted as displacements within the source and therefore related to stress drop. Except in a few notable cases, the source displacements can neither be easily related to the absolute stress level or fault strength, nor attributed to a particular...
A biographical memoir of Donald Edward White
L.J. Patrick Muffler
2016, Article
Donald E. White was a leading scientist for the U.S. Geological Survey, where his career was devoted almost entirely to the study of hydrothermal processes in the Earth’s crust, from the dual perspectives of active geothermal systems and of extinct hydrothermal systems now represented only by ore deposits and alteration...
Reinforcement and validation of the analyses and conclusions related to fishway evaluation data from Bunt et al.: ‘Performance of fish passage structures at upstream barriers to migration’
C.M. Bunt, Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Alexander Haro
2016, River Research and Applications (32) 2125-2137
Detailed re-examination of the datasets that were used for a meta-analysis of fishway attraction and passage revealed a number of errors that we addressed and corrected. We subsequently re-analysed the revised dataset, and results showed no significant changes in the primary conclusions of the original study; for most species, effective...
Bayesian analysis of Jolly-Seber type models
Eleni Matechou, Geoff K. Nicholls, Byron J. T. Morgan, Jaime A. Collazo, James E. Lyons
2016, Environmental and Ecological Statistics (23) 531-547
We propose the use of finite mixtures of continuous distributions in modelling the process by which new individuals, that arrive in groups, become part of a wildlife population. We demonstrate this approach using a data set of migrating semipalmated sandpipers (Calidris pussila) for which we extend existing stopover...
Movement reveals scale dependence in habitat selection of a large ungulate
Joseph Northrup, Charles R. Anderson Jr., Mevin Hooten, George Wittemyer
2016, Ecological Applications (26) 2746-2757
Ecological processes operate across temporal and spatial scales. Anthropogenic disturbances impact these processes, but examinations of scale dependence in impacts are infrequent. Such examinations can provide important insight to wildlife–human interactions and guide management efforts to reduce impacts. We assessed spatiotemporal scale dependence in habitat selection of mule deer (Odocoileus...
Application of ground penetrating radar for identification of washover deposits and other stratigraphic features: Assateague Island, MD
Nicholas Zaremba, Christopher G. Smith, Julie Bernier, Arnell S. Forde
2016, Journal of Environmental & Engineering Geophysics (21) 173-186
A combination of ground penetrating radar (GPR) data, core data, and aerial photographs were analyzed to better understand the evolution of two portions of Assateague Island, Maryland. The focus of the study was to investigate the applicability of using GPR data to image washover deposits in the stratigraphic record. High...
Genetic variation and structure in remnant population of critically endangered Melicope zahlbruckneri
J. A. Raji, Carter T. Atkinson
2016, Journal of Biodiversity & Endangered Species (4) 1-8
The distribution and amount of genetic variation within and between populations of plant species are important for their adaptability to future habitat changes and also critical for their restoration and overall management. This study was initiated to assess the genetic status of the remnant population of Melicope zahlbruckneri–a critically endangered...
Environmental implications of the use of sulfidic back-bay sediments for dune reconstruction — Lessons learned post Hurricane Sandy
Geoffrey S. Plumlee, William Benzel, Todd M. Hoefen, Philip L. Hageman, Suzette A. Morman, Timothy J. Reilly, Monique Adams, Cyrus J. Berry, Jeffrey Fischer, Irene Fisher
2016, Marine Pollution Bulletin (107) 459-471
Some barrier-island dunes damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Sandy's storm surges in October 2012 have been reconstructed using sediments dredged from back bays. These sand-, clay-, and iron sulfide-rich sediments were used to make berm-like cores for the reconstructed dunes, which were then covered by beach sand. In November 2013,...
Selected streambed sediment compounds and water toxicity results for Westside Creeks, San Antonio, Texas, 2014
Cassi L. Crow, Jennifer T. Wilson, James L. Kunz
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3096
IntroductionThe Alazán, Apache, Martínez, and San Pedro Creeks in San Antonio, Texas, are part of a network of urban tributaries to the San Antonio River, known locally as the Westside Creeks. The Westside Creeks flow through some of the oldest neighborhoods in San Antonio. The disruption of streambed sediment is...
Iron and oxygen isotope signatures of the Pea Ridge and Pilot Knob magnetite-apatite deposits, southeast Missouri, USA
Tristan Childress, Adam C. Simon, Warren C. Day, Craig C. Lundstrom, Ilya N. Bindeman
2016, Economic Geology (111) 2033-2044
New O and Fe stable isotope ratios are reported for magnetite samples from high-grade massive magnetite of the Mesoproterozoic Pea Ridge and Pilot Knob magnetite-apatite ore deposits and these results are compared with data for other iron oxide-apatite deposits to shed light on the origin of the southeast Missouri deposits....
Climate change and the Delta
Michael D. Dettinger, Jamie Anderson, Michael L. Anderson, Larry R. Brown, Daniel Cayan, Edwin P. Maurer
2016, San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science (14) 1-26
Anthropogenic climate change amounts to a rapidly approaching, “new” stressor in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta system. In response to California’s extreme natural hydroclimatic variability, complex water-management systems have been developed, even as the Delta’s natural ecosystems have been largely devastated. Climate change is projected to challenge these management and ecological...
Observed and simulated hydrologic response for a first-order catchment during extreme rainfall 3 years after wildfire disturbance
Brian A. Ebel, Francis K. Rengers, Gregory E. Tucker
2016, Water Resources Research (52) 9367-9389
Hydrologic response to extreme rainfall in disturbed landscapes is poorly understood because of the paucity of measurements. A unique opportunity presented itself when extreme rainfall in September 2013 fell on a headwater catchment (i.e., <1 ha) in Colorado, USA that had previously been burned by a wildfire in 2010. We...
MODIS imagery improves pest risk assessment: A case study of wheat stem sawfly (Cephus cinctus, Hymenoptera: Cephidae) in Colorado, USA
Jordan Lestina, Maxwell Cook, Sunil Kumar, Jeffrey T. Morisette, Paul J. Ode, Frank Peirs
2016, Environmental Entomology (45) 1343-1351
Wheat stem sawfly (Cephus cinctus Norton, Hymenoptera: Cephidae) has long been a significant insect pest of spring, and more recently, winter wheat in the northern Great Plains. Wheat stem sawfly was first observed infesting winter wheat in Colorado in 2010 and, subsequently, has spread rapidly throughout wheat production regions of the...
Geochemistry, Nd-Pb Isotopes, and Pb-Pb Ages of the Mesoproterozoic Pea Ridge Iron Oxide-Apatite–Rare Earth Element Deposit, Southeast Missouri
Robert A. Ayuso, John F. Slack, Warren C. Day, Anne E. McCafferty
2016, Economic Geology (111) 1935-1962
Iron oxide-apatite and iron oxide-copper-gold deposits occur within ~1.48 to 1.47 Ga volcanic rocks of the St. Francois Mountains terrane near a regional boundary separating crustal blocks having contrasting depleted-mantle Sm-Nd model ages (TDM). Major and trace element analyses and Nd and Pb isotope data were obtained to characterize...
Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources in the Dnieper-Donets Basin and North Carpathian Basin Provinces, Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, and Poland, 2015
Timothy R. Klett, Christopher J. Schenk, Michael E. Brownfield, Ronald R. Charpentier, Tracey J. Mercier, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Marilyn E. Tennyson
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3082
Using a geology-based methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 13 million barrels of oil and 2,643 billion cubic feet of natural gas in the Dnieper-Donets Basin and North Carpathian Basin Provinces of Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, and Poland....
Mountain goat abundance and population trends in the Olympic Mountains, northwestern Washington, 2016
Kurt J. Jenkins, Patricia J. Happe, Katherine F. Beirne, William T. Baccus
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1185
Executive SummaryWe estimated abundance and trends of non-native mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) in the Olympic Mountains of northwestern Washington, based on aerial surveys conducted during July 13–24, 2016. The surveys produced the seventh population estimate since the first formal aerial surveys were conducted in 1983. This was the second population...
Annualized earthquake loss estimates for California and their sensitivity to site amplification
Rui Chen, Kishor S. Jaiswal, D Bausch, H Seligson, C.J. Wills
2016, Seismological Research Letters (87) 1363-1372
Input datasets for annualized earthquake loss (AEL) estimation for California were updated recently by the scientific community, and include the National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM), site‐response model, and estimates of shear‐wave velocity. Additionally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s loss estimation tool, Hazus, was updated to include the most recent census...
Lidar-based mapping of flood control levees in south Louisiana
Cindy A. Thatcher, Samsung Lim, Monica Palaseanu-Lovejoy, Jeffrey J. Danielson, Dustin R. Kimbrow
2016, International Journal of Remote Sensing (37) 5708-5725
Flood protection in south Louisiana is largely dependent on earthen levees, and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina the state’s levee system has received intense scrutiny. Accurate elevation data along the levees are critical to local levee district managers responsible for monitoring and maintaining the extensive system of non-federal levees...
Model description and evaluation of the mark-recapture survival model used to parameterize the 2012 status and threats analysis for the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris)
Catherine A. Langtimm, William L. Kendall, Cathy A. Beck, Howard I. Kochman, Amy L. Teague, Gaia Meigs-Friend, Claudia L. Penaloza
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1163
This report provides supporting details and evidence for the rationale, validity and efficacy of a new mark-recapture model, the Barker Robust Design, to estimate regional manatee survival rates used to parameterize several components of the 2012 version of the Manatee Core Biological Model (CBM) and Threats Analysis (TA). The CBM...
Vive la résistance: genome-wide selection against introduced alleles in invasive hybrid zones
Ryan P. Kovach, Brian K. Hand, Paul A. Hohenlohe, Ted F. Cosart, Matthew C. Boyer, Helen H. Neville, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Stephen J. Amish, Kellie Carim, Shawn R. Narum, Winsor H. Lowe, Fred W. Allendorf, Gordon Luikart
2016, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (283)
Evolutionary and ecological consequences of hybridization between native and invasive species are notoriously complicated because patterns of selection acting on non-native alleles can vary throughout the genome and across environments. Rapid advances in genomics now make it feasible to assess locus-specific and genome-wide patterns of natural selection acting on invasive...
