Global change effects on Bromus tectorum L. (Poaceae) at its high-elevation range margin
Amy L. Concilio, Michael E. Loik, Jayne Belnap
2013, Global Change Biology (19) 161-172
Global change is likely to affect invasive species distribution, especially at range margins. In the eastern Sierra Nevada, California, USA, the invasive annual grass, Bromus tectorum, is patchily distributed and its impacts have been minimal compared with other areas of the Intermountain West. We used a series of in situ...
Terrestrial and marine trophic pathways support young-of-year growth in a nearshore Arctic fish
Vanessa R. von Biela, Christian E. Zimmerman, Brian R. Cohn, Jeffrey M. Welker
2013, Polar Biology (36) 137-146
River discharge supplies nearshore communities with a terrestrial carbon source that is often reflected in invertebrate and fish consumers. Recent studies in the Beaufort Sea have documented widespread terrestrial carbon use among invertebrates, but only limited use among nearshore fish consumers. Here, we examine the carbon source and diet of...
Changes in size and trends of North American sea duck populations associated with North Pacific oceanic regime shifts
Paul L. Flint
2013, Marine Biology (160) 59-65
Broad-scale multi-species declines in populations of North American sea ducks for unknown reasons is cause for management concern. Oceanic regime shifts have been associated with rapid changes in ecosystem structure of the North Pacific and Bering Sea. However, relatively little is known about potential effects of these changes in oceanic...
Warming and the dependence of limber pine (Pinus flexilis) establishment on summer soil moisture within and above its current elevation range
Andrew B. Moyes, Cristina Castanha, Matthew J. Germino, Lara M. Kueppers
2013, Oecologia (171) 271-282
Continued changes in climate are projected to alter the geographic distributions of plant species, in part by affecting where individuals can establish from seed. We tested the hypothesis that warming promotes uphill redistribution of subalpine tree populations by reducing cold limitation at high elevation and enhancing drought stress at low...
Phosphorus losses from agricultural watersheds in the Mississippi Delta
Yongping Yuan, Martin A. Locke, Ronald L. Bingner, Richard A. Rebich
2013, Journal of Environmental Management (115) 14-20
Phosphorus (P) loss from agricultural fields is of environmental concern because of its potential impact on water quality in streams and lakes. The Mississippi Delta has long been known for its fish productivity and recreational value, but high levels of P in fresh water can lead to algal blooms that...
Disturbance metrics predict a wetland Vegetation Index of Biotic Integrity
Martin A. Stapanian, John Mack, Jean V. Adams, Brian Gara, Mick Micacchion
2013, Ecological Indicators (24) 120-126
Indices of biological integrity of wetlands based on vascular plants (VIBIs) have been developed in many areas in the USA. Knowledge of the best predictors of VIBIs would enable management agencies to make better decisions regarding mitigation site selection and performance monitoring criteria. We use a novel statistical technique to...
Effects of road decommissioning on carbon stocks, losses, and emissions in north coastal California
Mary Ann Madej, Joseph Seney, Philip van Mantgem
2013, Restoration Ecology (21) 439-446
During the last 3 decades, many road removal projects have been implemented on public and private lands in the United States to reduce erosion and other impacts from abandoned or unmaintained forest roads. Although effective in decreasing sediment production from roads, such activities have a carbon (C) cost as well...
Regional geophysical expression of a carbonatite terrane in the eastern Mojave Desert, California
David A. Ponce, Kevin M. Denton, David M. Miller
2013, Book
A world-class, rare earth element carbonatite deposit is located near Mountain Pass, in the eastern Mojave Desert of California and is hosted by Proterozoic rocks that extend along the eastern margins of the Clark Mountain Range, Mescal Range, and Ivanpah Mountains in a north-northwest trending fault-bounded block. This Proterozoic block...
Cancer risk from incidental ingestion exposures to PAHs associated with coal-tar-sealed pavement
E. Spencer Williams, Barbara Mahler, Peter C. Van Metre
2013, Environmental Science & Technology (47) 1101-1109
Recent (2009–10) studies documented significantly higher concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in settled house dust in living spaces and soil adjacent to parking lots sealed with coal-tar-based products. To date, no studies have examined the potential human health effects of PAHs from these products in dust and soil. Here...
Lower-crustal xenoliths from Jurassic kimberlite diatremes, upper Michigan (USA): Evidence for Proterozoic orogenesis and plume magmatism in the lower crust of the southern Superior Province
Robert E. Zartman, Pamela D. Kempton, James B. Paces, Hilary Downes, Ian S. Williams, Gabor Dobosi, Kiyoto Futa
2013, Journal of Petrology (54) 575-608
Jurassic kimberlites in the southern Superior Province in northern Michigan contain a variety of possible lower-crustal xenoliths, including mafic garnet granulites, rare garnet-free granulites, amphibolites and eclogites. Whole-rock major-element data for the granulites suggest affinities with tholeiitic basalts. P–T estimates for granulites indicate peak temperatures of 690–730°C and pressures of...
Using simulated maps to interpret the geochemistry, formation and quality of the Blue Gem Coal Bed, Kentucky, USA
Nicholas J. Geboy, Ricardo A. Olea, Mark A. Engle, Jose Antonio Martin-Fernandez
2013, International Journal of Coal Geology (112)
This study presents geostatistical simulations of coal-quality parameters, major oxides and trace metals for an area covering roughly 812 km2 of the Blue Gem coal bed in southeastern Kentucky, USA. The Blue Gem, characterized by low ash yield and low sulfur content, is an important economic resource. Past studies have...
Elk herbivory alters small mammal assemblages in high elevation drainages
Elliott W.R. Parsons, John L. Maron, Thomas E. Martin
2013, Journal of Animal Ecology (82) 459-467
Heavy herbivory by ungulates can substantially alter habitat, but the indirect consequences of habitat modification for animal assemblages that rely on that habitat are not well studied. This is a particularly important topic given that climate change can alter plant–herbivore interactions. We explored short-term responses of small mammal communities...
Thermokarst lakes, drainage, and drained basins
Guido Grosse, Benjamin M. Jones, Christopher D. Arp
John F. Shroder, editor(s)
2013, Book chapter, Treatise on Geomorphology
Thermokarst lakes and drained lake basins are widespread in Arctic and sub-Arctic permafrost lowlands with ice-rich sediments. Thermokarst lake formation is a dominant mode of permafrost degradation and is linked to surface disturbance, subsequent melting of ground ice, surface subsidence, water impoundment, and positive feedbacks between lake growth and permafrost...
Genetic analysis of a novel invasion of Puerto Rico by an exotic constricting snake
R. Graham Reynolds, Alberto R. Puente-Rolon, Robert N. Reed, Liam J. Revell
2013, Biological Invasions (15) 953-959
The tropical island Puerto Rico is potentially vulnerable to invasion by some species of exotic snakes; however, until now no established populations had been reported. Here we report and genetically characterize the nascent invasion of Puerto Rico by an exotic constricting snake of the family Boidae (Boa constrictor) using mtDNA...
Assessment of juvenile coho salmon movement and behavior in relation to rehabilitation efforts in the Trinity River, California, using PIT tags and radiotelemetry
Robert Chase, Nina Hemphill, John Beeman, Steve Juhnke, John Hannon, Amy M. Jenkins
2013, Environmental Biology of Fishes (96) 303-314
Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) of the Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast (SONCC) Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) is federally listed as a threatened species. The Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) is rehabilitating the Trinity River to restore coho salmon (coho) and other salmonid populations. In order to evaluate the program’s actions, several...
An algorithmic and information-theoretic approach to multimetric index construction
Donald R. Schoolmaster Jr., James B. Grace, E. William Schweiger, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Brian R. Mitchell, Kathryn M. Miller, Amanda M. Little
2013, Ecological Indicators (26) 14-23
The use of multimetric indices (MMIs), such as the widely used index of biological integrity (IBI), to measure, track, summarize and infer the overall impact of human disturbance on biological communities has been steadily growing in recent years. Initially, MMIs were developed for aquatic communities using pre-selected biological metrics as...
Development and characterization of thirteen microsatellite loci in Clark's nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana)
Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Jennifer A. Fike, Todd A. Castoe, Diana F. Tomback, Michael B. Wunder, Taza D. Schaming
2013, Conservation Genetics Resources (5) 303-305
Clark’s nutcrackers are important seed dispersers for two widely-distributed western North American conifers, whitebark pine and limber pine, which are declining due to outbreaks of mountain pine beetle and white pine blister rust. Because nutcracker seed dispersal services are key to maintaining viable populations of these imperiled pines, knowledge of...
A biogeochemical and genetic survey of acetylene fermentation by environmental samples and bacterial isolates
Laurence G. Miller, Shaun M. Baesman, Julie Kirshtein, Mary A. Voytek, Ronald S. Oremland
2013, Geomicrobiology Journal (30) 501-516
Anoxic samples (sediment and groundwater) from 13 chemically diverse field sites were assayed for their ability to consume acetylene (C2H2). Over incubation periods ranging from ˜ 10 to 80 days, selected samples from 7 of the 13 tested sites displayed significant C2H2 removal. No significant formation of ethylene was noted...
Influence of dietary carbon on mercury bioaccumulation in streams of the Adirondack Mountains of New York and the Coastal Plain of South Carolina, USA
Karen Riva-Murray, Paul M. Bradley, Lia C. Chasar, Daniel T. Button, Mark E. Brigham, Barbara C. Scudder Eikenberry, Celeste A. Journey, Michelle A. Lutz
2013, Ecotoxicology (22) 60-71
We studied lower food webs in streams of two mercury-sensitive regions to determine whether variations in consumer foraging strategy and resultant dietary carbon signatures accounted for observed within-site and among-site variations in consumer mercury concentration. We collected macroinvertebrates (primary consumers and predators) and selected forage fishes from three sites in...
An alternative process model of preferential contaminant travel times in the unsaturated zone: Application to Rainier Mesa and Shoshone Mountain, Nevada
Brian A. Ebel, John R. Nimmo
2013, Environmental Modeling & Assessment (18) 345-363
Simulating contaminant transport in unsaturated zones with sparse hydraulic property information is a difficult, yet common, problem. When contaminant transport may occur via preferential flow, simple modeling approaches can provide predictions of interest, such as the first arrival of contaminant, with minimal site characterization. The conceptual model for unsaturated zone...
Polybrominated diphenyl ether metabolism in field collected fish from the Gila River, Arizona, USA-Levels, possible sources, and patterns
Kathy R. Echols, Paul H. Peterman, Jo Ellen Hinck, Carl E. Orazio
2013, Chemosphere (90) 20-27
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were determined in fish collected from the Gila River, Arizona, a tributary of the Colorado River in the lower part of the Colorado River Basin. Fish samples were collected at sites on the Gila River downstream from Hayden, Phoenix, and Arlington, Arizona in late summer 2003....
A seascape approach to investigating fish spillover across a marine protected area boundary in Hawai'i
Kostantinos A. Stamoulis, Alan M. Friedlander
2013, Fisheries Research (144) 2-14
Marine protected areas (MPAs) can benefit fisheries through export of pelagic eggs and larvae and the net emigration of adults and juveniles (spillover). Spillover was investigated for a marine protected area on the north shore of Oahu, Hawai‘i utilizing a seascape approach. This study incorporated habitat variables and underwater visual...
Optimal temperature for malaria transmission is dramatically lower than previously predicted
Erin A. Mordecai, Krijn P. Paaijmans, Leah R. Johnson, Christian Balzer, Tal Ben-Horin, Emily de Moor, Amy McNally, Samraat Pawar, Sadie J. Ryan, Thomas C. Smith, Kevin D. Lafferty
2013, Ecology Letters (16) 22-30
The ecology of mosquito vectors and malaria parasites affect the incidence, seasonal transmission and geographical range of malaria. Most malaria models to date assume constant or linear responses of mosquito and parasite life-history traits to temperature, predicting optimal transmission at 31 °C. These models are at odds with field observations...
The response of Lake Tahoe to climate change
G.B. Sahoo, S.G. Schladow, J.E. Reuter, R. Coats, M. Dettinger, J. Riverson, B. Wolfe, M. Costa-Cabral
2013, Climatic Change (116) 71-95
Meteorology is the driving force for lake internal heating, cooling, mixing, and circulation. Thus continued global warming will affect the lake thermal properties, water level, internal nutrient loading, nutrient cycling, food-web characteristics, fish-habitat, aquatic ecosystem, and other important features of lake limnology. Using a 1-D numerical model - the Lake...
Safety of florfenicol administered in feed to tilapia (Oreochromis sp.)
Mark P. Gaikowski, Jeffrey C. Wolf, Susan M. Schleis, Darrell Tuomari, Richard G. Endris
2013, Toxicologic Pathology (41) 639-652
The safety of Aquaflor® (50% w/w florfenicol [FFC]) incorporated in feed then administered to tilapia for 20 days (2x the recommended duration) at 0, 15, 45, or 75 mg/kg body weight/day (0, 1, 3, or 5x the recommended dose of 15 mg FFC/kg BW/d) was investigated. Mortality, behavioral change, feed...
