Inferring local competition intensity from patch size distributions: a test using biological soil crusts
Matthew A. Bowker, Fernando T. Maestre
2012, Oikos (121) 1914-1922
Dryland vegetation is inherently patchy. This patchiness goes on to impact ecology, hydrology, and biogeochemistry. Recently, researchers have proposed that dryland vegetation patch sizes follow a power law which is due to local plant facilitation. It is unknown what patch size distribution prevails when competition predominates over facilitation, or if...
Description of 2005-10 domestic water use for selected U.S. cities and guidance for estimating domestic water use
Joan F. Kenny, Kyle E. Juracek
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5163
Domestic water-use and related socioeconomic and climatic data for 2005-10 were used in an analysis of 21 selected U.S. cities to describe recent domestic per capita water use, investigate variables that potentially affect domestic water use, and provide guidance for estimating domestic water use. Domestic water use may be affected...
Optimal egg size in a suboptimal environment: reproductive ecology of female Sonora mud turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense) in central Arizona, USA
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Sheila V. Madrak, Charles A. Drost, Anthony J. Monatesti, Dennis Casper, Mohammed Znari
2012, Amphibia-Reptilia (33) 161-170
We studied the reproductive ecology of female Sonora mud turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense) at Montezuma Well, a chemically-challenging natural wetland in central Arizona, USA. Females matured between 115.5 and 125 mm carapace length (CL) and 36-54% produced eggs each year. Eggs were detected in X-radiographs from 23 April-28 September (2007-2008) and...
Changes in sources and storage in a karst aquifer during a transition from drought to wet conditions
C.I. Wong, B.J. Mahler, M. Musgrove, J.L. Banner
2012, Journal of Hydrology (468-469) 159-172
Understanding the sources and processes that control groundwater compositions and the timing and magnitude of groundwater vulnerability to potential surface-water contamination under varying meteorologic conditions is critical to informing groundwater protection policies and practices. This is especially true in karst terrains, where infiltrating surface water can rapidly affect groundwater quality....
Using integrated research and interdisciplinary science: Potential benefits and challenges to managers of parks and protected areas
Charles van Riper III, Robert B. Powell, Gary Machlis, Jan W. van Wagtendonk, Carena J. van Riper, Eick von Ruschkowski, Steven E. Schwarzbach, Russell E. Galipeau
2012, The George Wright Forum (29) 216-226
Our purpose in this paper is to build a case for utilizing interdisciplinary science to enhance the management of parks and protected areas. We suggest that interdisciplinary science is necessary for dealing with the complex issues of contemporary resource management, and that using the best available integrated scientific information be...
Clutch and egg allometry of the turtle Mauremys leprosa (Chelonia: Geoemydidae) from a polluted peri-urban river in west-central Morocco
Mohamed Naimi, Mohammed Znari, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Youssef Feddadi, Moulay Abdeljalil Ait Baamrane
2012, Herpetological Journal (22) 43-49
We examined the relationships of clutch size (CS) and egg size to female body size (straight-line carapace length, CL) in a population of the turtle Mauremys leprosa from a polluted segment of oued (river) Tensift in arid west-central Morocco. Twenty-eight adult females were collected in May–July, 2009 and all were...
Relations between retired agricultural land, water quality, and aquatic-community health, Minnesota River Basin
Victoria G. Christensen, Kathy Lee, James M. McLees, Scott L. Niemela
2012, Journal of Environmental Quality (41) 1459-1472
The relative importance of agricultural land retirement on water quality and aquatic-community health was investigated in the Minnesota River Basin. Eighty-two sites, with drainage areas ranging from 4.3 to 2200 km2, were examined for nutrient concentrations, measures of aquatic-community health (e.g., fish index of biotic integrity [IBI] scores), and environmental...
Toxicity, sublethal effects, and potential modes of action of select fungicides on freshwater fish and invertebrates
Adria A. Elskus
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1213
Despite decades of agricultural and urban use of fungicides and widespread detection of these pesticides in surface waters, relatively few data are available on the effects of fungicides on fish and invertebrates in the aquatic environment. Nine fungicides are reviewed in this report: azoxystrobin, boscalid, chlorothalonil, fludioxonil, myclobutanil, fenarimol, pyraclostrobin,...
Detection of tamarisk defoliation by the northern tamarisk beetle based on multitemporal Landsat 5 thematic mapper imagery
Ran Meng, Philip E. Dennison, Levi R. Jamison, Charles van Riper III, Pamela Nager, Kevin R. Hultine, Dan W. Bean, Tom Dudley
2012, GIScience and Remote Sensing (49) 510-537
The spread of tamarisk (Tamarix spp., also known as saltcedar) is a significant ecological disturbance in western North America and has long been targeted for control, leading to the importation of the northern tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda carinulata) as a biological control agent. Following its initial release along the Colorado River...
Toxicity of copper to early-life stage Kootenai River white sturgeon, Columbia River white sturgeon, and rainbow trout
E. E. Little, R.D. Calfee, G. Linder
2012, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (63) 400-408
White sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) populations throughout western North America are in decline, likely as a result of overharvest, operation of dams, and agricultural and mineral extraction activities in their watersheds. Recruitment failure may reflect the loss of early-life stage fish in spawning areas of the upper Columbia River, which are...
Estimation of evaporation from open water - A review of selected studies, summary of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers data collection and methods, and evaluation of two methods for estimation of evaporation from five reservoirs in Texas
Glenn R. Harwell
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5202
Organizations responsible for the management of water resources, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), are tasked with estimation of evaporation for water-budgeting and planning purposes. The USACE has historically used Class A pan evaporation data (pan data) to estimate evaporation from reservoirs but many USACE Districts have...
Electrical anisotropy of gas hydrate-bearing sand reservoirs in the Gulf of Mexico
Anne E. Cook, Barbara I. Anderson, John Rasmus, Keli Sun, Qiming Li, Timothy S. Collett, David S. Goldberg
2012, Marine and Petroleum Geology (34) 72-84
We present new results and interpretations of the electricalanisotropy and reservoir architecture in gashydrate-bearingsands using logging data collected during the Gulf of MexicoGasHydrate Joint Industry Project Leg II. We focus specifically on sandreservoirs in Hole Alaminos Canyon 21 A (AC21-A), Hole Green Canyon 955 H (GC955-H) and Hole Walker Ridge...
Survey of roadside alien plants in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and adjacent residential areas 2001-2005
Keali’i F. Bio, Linda W. Pratt, James D. Jacobi
2012, Technical Report HCSU-032
The sides of all paved roads of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park (HAVO) were surveyed on foot in 2001 to 2005, and the roadside presence of 240 target invasive and potentially invasive alien plant species was recorded in mile-long increments. Buffer zones 5–10 miles (8–16 km) long along Highway 11 on...
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Ordovician Utica Shale of the Appalachian Basin Province, 2012
Mark A. Kirschbaum, Christopher J. Schenk, Troy A. Cook, Robert T. Ryder, Ronald R. Charpentier, Timothy R. Klett, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Katherine J. Whidden
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3116
The U.S. Geological Survey assessed unconventional oil and gas resources of the Upper Ordovician Utica Shale and adjacent units in the Appalachian Basin Province. The assessment covers parts of Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. The geologic concept is that black shale of the Utica Shale and...
Test drilling and data collection in the Calaveras County portion of the Eastern San Joaquin Groundwater Subbasin, California, December 2009-June 2011
Loren F. Metzger, John A. Izbicki, Joseph M. Nawikas
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1049
Two multiple-well monitoring sites were drilled in the Calaveras County portion of the Eastern San Joaquin Groundwater Subbasin, about 100 miles east of San Francisco, California, during December 2009 and January 2010. Site 3N/9E-12G1-4 was drilled to a depth of 503 feet below land surface (bls), and four wells were...
Method for estimating potential wetland extent by utilizing streamflow statistics and flood-inundation mapping techniques: Pilot study for land along the Wabash River near Terre Haute, Indiana
Moon H. Kim, Christian T. Ritz, Donald V. Arvin
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5175
Potential wetland extents were estimated for a 14-mile reach of the Wabash River near Terre Haute, Indiana. This pilot study was completed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The study showed that potential wetland extents can be estimated...
Database of the United States Coal Pellet Collection of the U.S. Geological Survey Organic Petrology Laboratory
Nikolaus J. Deems, Paul C. Hackley
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1151
The Organic Petrology Laboratory (OPL) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Eastern Energy Resources Science Center in Reston, Virginia, contains several thousand processed coal sample materials that were loosely organized in laboratory drawers for the past several decades. The majority of these were prepared as 1-inch-diameter particulate coal pellets (more...
Summary of oceanographic and water-quality measurements near the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland, 2011
Neil K. Ganju, Patrick J. Dickhudt, Ellyn T. Montgomery, Patrick Brennand, R. Kyle Derby, Thomas W. Brooks, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Marinna A. Martini, Jonathan Borden, Sandra M. Baldwin
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1099
Suspended-sediment transport is a critical element governing the geomorphology of tidal marshes. Marshes rely on both organic material and inorganic sediment deposition to maintain their elevation relative to sea level. In wetlands near the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland, portions of the salt marsh have been subsiding relative to sea...
Storage capacity and sedimentation trends of Lago Garzas, Puerto Rico, 1996-2007
L.R. Soler-Lopez
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3218
Lago Garzas is located in west-central Puerto Rico, about 3.5 kilometers southwest of the town of Adjuntas, in the confluence of the Río Vacas and three other unnamed tributaries (fig. 1). The dam is owned and operated by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), and was constructed in 1943...
Geophysical investigation of sentinel lakes in Lake, Seminole, Orange, and Volusia Counties, Florida
Christopher Reich, James Flocks, Jeffrey Davis
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1201
This study was initiated in cooperation with the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) to investigate groundwater and surface-water interaction in designated sentinel lakes in central Florida. Sentinel lakes are a SJRWMD established set of priority water bodies (lakes) for which minimum flows and levels (MFLs) are determined. Understanding...
Bathymetric and velocimetric surveys at highway bridges crossing the Missouri River in and into Missouri during summer flooding, July-August 2011
Richard J. Huizinga
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5204
Bathymetric and velocimetric surveys were conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Kansas and Missouri Departments of Transportation, in the vicinity of 36 bridges at 27 highway crossings of the Missouri River between Brownville, Nebraska and St. Louis, Missouri, from July 13 through August 3, 2011, during...
Structures data collection for the national map using volunteered geographic information
Barbara S. Poore, Eric B. Wolf, Erin M. Korris, Jennifer L. Walter, Greg D. Matthews
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1209
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has historically sponsored volunteered data collection projects to enhance its topographic paper and digital map products. This report describes one phase of an ongoing project to encourage volunteers to contribute data to The National Map using online editing tools. The USGS recruited students studying geographic...
Neighborhood and habitat effects on vital rates: expansion of the Barred Owl in the Oregon Coast Ranges
Charles B. Yackulic, Janice Reid, Raymond Davis, James E. Hines, James D. Nichols, Eric Forsman
2012, Ecology (93) 1953-1966
In this paper, we modify dynamic occupancy models developed for detection-nondetection data to allow for the dependence of local vital rates on neighborhood occupancy, where neighborhood is defined very flexibly. Such dependence of occupancy dynamics on the status of a relevant neighborhood is pervasive, yet frequently ignored. Our framework permits...
Modeling habitat dynamics accounting for possible misclassification
Sophie Veran, Kevin J. Kleiner, Remi Choquet, Jaime Collazo, James D. Nichols
2012, Landscape Ecology (27) 943-956
Land cover data are widely used in ecology as land cover change is a major component of changes affecting ecological systems. Landscape change estimates are characterized by classification errors. Researchers have used error matrices to adjust estimates of areal extent, but estimation of land cover change is more difficult and...
Estimation of baseline daily mean streamflows for ungaged locations on Pennsylvania streams, water years 1960-2008
Marla H. Stuckey, Edward H. Koerkle, James E. Ulrich
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5142
Water-resource managers use daily mean streamflows to generate streamflow statistics and analyze streamflow conditions. An in-depth evaluation of flow regimes to promote instream ecological health often requires streamflow information obtainable only from a time series hydrograph. Historically, it has been difficult to estimate daily mean streamflow for an ungaged location....
