Do laboratory species protect endangered species? Interspecies variation in responses to 17β-estradiol, a model endocrine active compound
Zachary G. Jorgenson, Kevin J. Buhl, Stephen E. Bartell, Heiko L. Schoenfuss
2015, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (68) 204-215
Although the effects of estrogens on model laboratory species are well documented, their utility as surrogates for other species, including those listed as endangered, are less clear. Traditionally, conservation policies are evaluated based on model organism responses but are intended to protect all species in an environment. We tested the...
Lake Ontario benthic prey fish assessment, 2014
Brian Weidel, Maureen Walsh
2015, Report, 2014 Annual Report Bureau of Fisheries Lake Ontario Unit and St. Lawrence River Unit to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission’s Lake Ontario Committee
Benthic prey fishes are an important component of the Lake Ontario fish community and serve as vectors that move energy from benthic invertebrates into native and introduced sport fishes. Since the 1970’s, the USGS Lake Ontario Biological Station has assessed benthic fish populations and community dynamics with bottom trawls at...
Integrating climate change into northeast and midwest State Wildlife Action Plans
Michelle D. Staudinger, Toni L. Morelli, Alexander Bryan, editor(s)
2015, Report
The Department of Interior Northeast Climate Science Center (NE CSC) conducts research that responds to the regional natural resource management community’s needs to anticipate, monitor, and adapt to climate change. The NE CSC is supported by a consortium of partners that includes the University of Massachusetts Amherst, College of Menominee...
Migrations and swimming capabilities of endangered pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) to guide passage designs in the fragmented Yellowstone River
P. J. Braaten, Caroline M. Elliott, Jason C. Rhoten, D. B. Fuller, Brandon J. McElroy
2015, Restoration Ecology (23) 186-195
Fragmentation of the Yellowstone River is hypothesized to preclude recruitment of endangered Scaphirhynchus albus (pallid sturgeon) by impeding upstream spawning migrations and access to upstream spawning areas, thereby limiting the length of free-flowing river required for survival of early life stages. Building on this hypothesis, the reach of the Yellowstone River affected...
A scientific basis for restoring fish spawning habitat in the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers of the Laurentian Great Lakes
Bruce A. Manny, Edward F. Roseman, Gregory W. Kennedy, James C. Boase, Jaquelyn Craig, David H. Bennion, Jennifer Read, Lynn Vaccaro, Justin A. Chiotti, Richard Drouin, Roseanne Ellison
2015, Restoration Ecology (23) 149-156
Loss of functional habitat in riverine systems is a global fisheries issue. Few studies, however, describe the decision-making approach taken to abate loss of fish spawning habitat. Numerous habitat restoration efforts are underway and documentation of successful restoration techniques for spawning habitat of desirable fish species in large rivers connecting...
Songbirds as sentinels of mercury in terrestrial habitats of eastern North America
Allyson K. Jackson, David C. Evers, Evan M. Adams, Daniel A. Cristol, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Samuel T. Edmonds, Carrie E. Gray, Bart Hoskins, Oksana P. Lane, Amy Sauer, Timothy Tear
2015, Ecotoxicology (24) 453-467
Mercury (Hg) is a globally distributed environmental contaminant with a variety of deleterious effects in fish, wildlife, and humans. Breeding songbirds may be useful sentinels for Hg across diverse habitats because they can be effectively sampled, have well-defined and small territories, and can integrate pollutant exposure over time and space....
Copper toxicity and organic matter: Resiliency of watersheds in the Duluth Complex, Minnesota, USA
Nadine M. Piatak, Robert R. Seal, Perry M. Jones, Laurel G. Woodruff
2015, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Acid Rock Drainage and IMWA Annual Conference
We estimated copper (Cu) toxicity in surface water with high dissolved organic matter (DOM) for unmined mineralized watersheds of the Duluth Complex using the Biotic Ligand Model (BLM), which evaluates the effect of DOM, cation competition for biologic binding sites, and metal speciation. A sediment-based BLM was used to estimate...
Synoptic evaluation of scale-dependent metrics for hydrographic line feature geometry
Larry V. Stanislawski, Barbara P. Buttenfield, Paulo Raposo, Madeline Cameron, Jeff T. Falgout
2015, Conference Paper, 18th ICA Workshop on Generalisation and Multiple Representation
Methods of acquisition and feature simplification for vector feature data impact cartographic representations and scientific investigations of these data, and are therefore important considerations for geographic information science (Haunert and Sester 2008). After initial collection, linear features may be simplified to reduce excessive detail or to furnish a reduced-scale version...
Conservation status of North American freshwater crayfish (Decapoda: Cambaridae) from the southern United States
Zachary J. Loughman, Stuart A. Welsh, James W. Fetzner, Roger F. Thoma
2015, Journal of Crustacean Biology (35) 850-860
A list is provided of all crayfishes (family Cambaridae) in the southern United States, which includes common names, global conservation status, an alternative review of the conservation status based on the IUCN red list criteria, and state distribution. This list includes 357 native crayfishes, of which 12 (3.4%) are critically...
Population connectivity of deep-sea corals
Cheryl L. Morrison, Amy Baco, Martha S. Nizinski, D. Katharine Coykendall, Amanda W.J. Demopoulos, Walter Cho, Tim Shank
2015, NOAA Technical Memorandum X-12
Identifying the scale of dispersal among habitats has been a challenge in marine ecology for decades (Grantham et al., 2003; Kinlan & Gaines, 2003; Hixon, 2011). Unlike terrestrial habitats in which barriers to dispersal may be obvious (e.g. mountain ranges, rivers), few absolute barriers to dispersal are recognizable in the...
Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration in National Parks: Values for the Conterminous United States
Leslie A. Richardson, Christopher Huber, Zhi-Liang Zhu, Lynne Koontz
2015, Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/EQD/NRR-2014/880
Lands managed by the National Park Service (NPS) provide a wide range of beneficial services to the American public. This study quantifies the ecosystem service value of carbon sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems within NPS units in the conterminous United States for which data were available. Combining annual net carbon balance...
Fisheries research and monitoring activities of the Lake Erie Biological Station, 2014
Betsy L. Bodamer Scarbro, William Edwards, Carrie Gawne, Patrick M. Kocovsky, Richard T. Kraus, Mark W. Rogers, Taylor Stewart
2015, Report, Compiled reports to the Great Lakes Fishery commission of the annual bottom trawl and acoustics surveys, 2014
In 2014, the USGS LEBS successfully completed large vessel surveys in all three of Lake Erie’s basins. Lake Erie Biological Station’s primary vessel surveys included the Western Basin Forage Fish Assessment and East Harbor Forage Fish Assessment as well as contributing to the cooperative multi-agency Central Basin Hydroacoustics Assessment, the...
A Candidate Vegetation Index of Biological Integrity Based on Species Dominance and Habitat Fidelity
Brian D Gara, Martin A. Stapanian
2015, Ecological Indicators (50) 225-232
Indices of biological integrity of wetlands based on vascular plants (VIBIs) have been developed in many areas of the USA and are used in some states to make critical management decisions. An underlying concept of all VIBIs is that they respond negatively to disturbance. The Ohio VIBI (OVIBI) is calculated...
2014 National Park visitor spending effects: economic contributions to local communities, states, and the nation
Catherine Cullinane Thomas, Christopher Huber, Lynne Koontz
2015, Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/EQD/NRR—2015/947
The National Park System covers more than 84 million acres and is comprised of more than 401 sites across the Nation. These lands managed by the National Park Service (NPS) serve as recreational destinations for visitors from across the Nation and around the world. On vacations or on day trips,...
Towards sustainable management of huntable migratory waterbirds in Europe
Jesper Madsen, Matthieu Guillemain, Szabolcs Nagy, Pierre Defos du Rau, Jean-Yves Mondain-Monval, Cy Griffin, James Henty Williams, Nils Bunnefeld, Alexandre Czajkowski, Richard Hearn, Andreas Grauer, Mikko Alhainen, Angus Middleton, Fred A. Johnson
2015, Report
The EU Birds Directive and the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement provide an adequate legal framework for sustainable management of migratory waterbird populations. The main shortcoming of both instruments is that it leaves harvest decisions of a shared resource to individual Member States and Contracting Parties without providing a shared information base...
Tsunami geology in paleoseismology
Yuichi Nishimura, Bruce E. Jaffe
2015, Report, The Contribution of Palaeoseismology to Seismic Hazard Assessment in Site Evaluation for Nuclear Installations
The 2004 Indian Ocean and 2011 Tohoku-oki disasters dramatically demonstrated the destructiveness and deadliness of tsunamis. For the assessment of future risk posed by tsunamis it is necessary to understand past tsunami events. Recent work on tsunami deposits has provided new information on paleotsunami events, including their recurrence interval and...
Ecological effects of the harvest phase of geoduck clam (Panopea generosa Gould, 1850) aquaculture on infaunal communities in southern Puget Sound, Washington USA.
Glenn R. VanBlaricom, Jennifer L. Eccles, Julian D. Olden, P. Sean Mcdonald
2015, Journal of Shellfish Research (34) 171-187
Intertidal aquaculture for geoducks (Panopea generosa Gould, 1850) is expanding in southern Puget Sound, Washington, where gently sloping sandy beaches are used for field culture. Geoduck aquaculture contributes significantly to the regional economy, but has become controversial because of a range of unresolved questions involving potential biological impacts on marine ecosystems....
Spatial patterns of atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and sulfur using ion-exchange resin collectors in Rocky Mountain National Park, USA
David W. Clow, Heidi Roop, Leora Nanus, Mark Fenn, Graham A. Sexstone
2015, Atmospheric Environment (101) 149-157
Lakes and streams in Class 1 wilderness areas in the western United States (U.S.) are at risk from atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S), and protection of these resources is mandated under the Federal Clean Air Act and amendments. Assessment of critical loads, which are the maximum exposure...
Determining origin in a migratory marine vertebrate: a novel method to integrate stable isotopes and satellite tracking
Hannah B. Vander Zanden, Anton D. Tucker, Kristen M. Hart, Margaret M. Lamont, Ikuko Fujisaki, David S. Addison, Katherine L. Mansfield, Katrina F. Phillips, Michael B. Wunder, Gabriel J. Bowen, Mariela Pajuelo, Alan B. Bolten, Karen A. Bjorndal
2015, Ecological Applications (25) 320-335
Stable isotope analysis is a useful tool to track animal movements in both terrestrial and marine environments. These intrinsic markers are assimilated through the diet and may exhibit spatial gradients as a result of biogeochemical processes at the base of the food web. In the marine environment, maps to predict...
Hyperspectral remote sensing for terrestrial applications
Prasad S. Thenkabail, Pardhasaradhi G. Teluguntla, Murali Krishna Gumma, Venkateswarlu Dheeravath
2015, Book chapter, Land resources monitoring, modeling, and mapping with remote sensing
Remote sensing data are considered hyperspectral when the data are gathered from numerous wavebands, contiguously over an entire range of the spectrum (e.g., 400–2500 nm). Goetz (1992) defines hyperspectral remote sensing as “The acquisition of images in hundreds of registered, contiguous spectral bands such that for each picture element of...
Impacts of fire management on aboveground tree carbon stocks in Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
John R. Matchett, James A. Lutz, Leland W. Tarnay, Douglas G. Smith, Kendall M.L. Becker, Matthew L. Brooks
2015, Report, Natural Resource Report NPS/SIEN/NRR—2015/910
Forest biomass on Sierra Nevada landscapes constitutes one of the largest carbon stocks in California, and its stability is tightly linked to the factors driving fire regimes. Research suggests that fire suppression, logging, climate change, and present management practices in Sierra Nevada forests have altered historic patterns of landscape carbon...
Variables associated with nest survival of Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) among vegetation communities commonly used for nesting
Kyle R. Aldinger, Theron M. Terhune II, Petra Bohall Wood, David A. Buehler, Marja H. Bakermans, John L. Confer, David J. Flaspohler, Jeffrey L. Larkin, John P. Loegering, Katie L. Percy, Amber M. Roth, Curtis G. Smalling
2015, Avian Conservation and Ecology (10)
Among shrubland- and young forest-nesting bird species in North America, Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) are one of the most rapidly declining partly because of limited nesting habitat. Creation and management of high quality vegetation communities used for nesting are needed to reduce declines. Thus, we examined whether common characteristics could...
The origin of Mauna Loa's Nīnole Hills: Evidence of rift zone reorganization
Jeffrey Zurek, Glyn Williams-Jones, Frank A. Trusdell, Simon Martin
2015, Geophysical Research Letters (42) 8358-8366
In order to identify the origin of Mauna Loa volcano's Nīnole Hills, Bouguer gravity was used to delineate density contrasts within the edifice. Our survey identified two residual anomalies beneath the Southwest Rift Zone (SWRZ) and the Nīnole Hills. The Nīnole Hills anomaly is elongated, striking northeast, and in inversions...
Fluid-faulting interactions: Fracture-mesh and fault-valve behavior in the February 2014 Mammoth Mountain, California, earthquake swarm
David R. Shelly, Taka’aki Taira, Stephanie Prejean, David P. Hill, Douglas S. Dreger
2015, Geophysical Research Letters (42) 5803-5812
Faulting and fluid transport in the subsurface are highly coupled processes, which may manifest seismically as earthquake swarms. A swarm in February 2014 beneath densely monitored Mammoth Mountain, California, provides an opportunity to witness these interactions in high resolution. Toward this goal, we employ massive waveform-correlation-based event detection and relative...
Lithobates sylvaticus (wood frog). Habitat use.
Luke A. Groff, Aram J.K. Calhoun, Cynthia S. Loftin
2015, Herpetological Review (46) 234-234
Lithobates sylvaticus is the second most widely distributed anuran in North America (Martof and Humphries 1959. Am. Midl. Nat. 61:350–389), and its habitat use reflects the environmental variation that exists across its geographic range (Semlitsch et al. 2009. BioScience 59:853–862). Although L. sylvaticus post-breeding habitat selection has been described in...
