Isotopic niche partitioning in a multi-species assemblage
Carson L. Arends, Hannah B. Vander Zanden, Margaret Lamont
2023, Marine Biology (171)
Multi-species assemblages can help identify key resources in their habitat by evaluating how they are partitioning their resources. Here we used the isotopic niche of loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, and green sea turtles to assess their ecological niche within a Gulf of Mexico bay. Additionally, we assessed...
Steady-state forms of channel profiles shaped by debris flow and fluvial processes
Luke A. McGuire, Scott W. McCoy, Odin Marc, William Struble, Katherine R. Barnhart
2023, Earth Surface Dynamics (11) 1117-1143
Debris flows regularly traverse bedrock channels that dissect steep landscapes, but our understanding of bedrock erosion by debris flows and their impact on steepland morphology is still rudimentary. Quantitative models of steep bedrock channel networks are based on geomorphic transport laws designed to represent...
Expanding our view of the cold-water coral niche and accounting of the ecosystem services of the reef habitat
Erick E. Cordes, Amanda Demopoulos, Andrew Davies, Ryan Gasbarro, Alexandria Rhoads, Elizabeth Lobecker, Dereck Sowers, Jason Chaytor, Cheryl Morrison, Alexis Marie Weinnig, Sandra Brooke, Jay J. Lunden, Furu Mienis, Samantha B. Joye, Andrea M. Quattrini, Tracey Sutton, Catherine McFadden, Jill R. Bourque, Jennifer McClain Counts, Brian D. Andrews, Melissa Betters, Peter Etnoyer, Gary Wolff, Bernie Bernard, James Brooks, Michael Rasser, Caitlin Adams
2023, Scientific Reports (13)
Coral reefs are iconic ecosystems that support diverse, productive communities in both shallow and deep waters. However, our incomplete knowledge of cold-water coral (CWC) niche space limits our understanding of their distribution and precludes a complete accounting of the ecosystem services they provide. Here, we present...
Considerations for colorblind individuals on selecting colorimetric or fluorescent dye assay outcomes
Kirstyn Loyva, Erik K. Hofmeister, Fiona Georgousi, Constance Roderick, Rebecca A. Cole
2023, BioTechniques (75) 240-244
A disadvantage of colorimetric detection in nucleic acid amplification assays is the possibility that a colorblind individual may interpret colors differently than observers with full-color vision. Using an isothermal amplification assay, the ability of colorblind individuals to distinguish between positive and negative results for four dyes was tested. Five...
Predicting daily river chlorophyll concentrations at a continental scale
Philip Savoy, Judson Harvey
2023, Water Resources Research (59)
Eutrophication is one of the largest threats to aquatic ecosystems and chlorophyll a measurements are relevant indicators of trophic state and algal abundance. Many studies have modeled chlorophyll a in rivers but model development and testing has largely occurred at individual sites which hampers creating generalized models capable of making broad-scale...
Snag dynamics and surface fuel loads in the Sierra Nevada: Predicting the impact of the 2012–2016 drought
Hudson Northrop, Jodi N. Axelson, Adrian Das, Nathan L. Stephenson, Emilio Vilanova, Scott L. Stephens, John J. Battles
2023, Forest Ecology and Management (551)
Forest die-backs linked to extreme droughts are expected to increase as the climate dries and warms. An example is the 2012-2016 hotter drought in California that induced widespread tree mortality in the Sierra Nevada, California. The sudden increase in snags (i.e., standing dead trees) raised immediate concerns about their impact...
Marginal value analysis reveals shifting importance of migration habitat for waterfowl under a changing climate
Ryan C. Burner, Benjamin Donald Golas, Kevin J. Aagaard, Eric V. Lonsdorf, Wayne E. Thogmartin
2023, Ecology and Evolution (13)
Migratory waterfowl are an important resource for consumptive and non-consumptive users alike and provide tremendous economic value in North America. These birds rely on a complex matrix of public and private land for forage and roosting during migration and wintering periods, and substantial conservation...
Creating oriented and precisely sectioned mineral mounts for in situ chemical analyses—An example using olivine for diffusion chronometry studies
Kendra J. Lynn, Liliana G. Desmither
2023, Techniques and Methods 5-D5
Diffusion chronometry is now a widely applied methodology for determining the rates and timescales of geologic processes from the chemical zoning observed in minerals. Despite the popularity of the method, several challenges still remain during its application, including: (1) the random sectioning of minerals either in thin sections or grain...
Effects of landcover on mesocarnivore density and detection rate along an urban to rural gradient
Leah McTigue, Brett Alexander DeGregorio
2023, Global Ecology and Conservation (48)
Human development has major implications for wildlife populations. Urban-exploiter species can benefit from human subsidized resources, whereas urban-avoider species can vanish from wildlife communities in highly developed areas. Therefore, understanding how the density of different species varies in response to landcover changes associated with human development can provide important insight...
Alternative lifestyles: A plague persistence hypothesis
Jeffrey Wimsatt, David A. Eads, Marc R. Matchett, Dean E. Biggins
2023, Ecosphere (14)
Several explanations have been posited for how the plague bacterium (Yersinia pestis) reemerges during sylvatic cycles within the same foci over many years, and often without direct evidence of host die-offs. One prevalent view is that transmission-optimized Y. pestis bacteria, exhibiting epizootic/enzootic behavior, almost continually replicate and survive through repeated, linked, host-centered...
Response of lake metabolism to catchment inputs inferred using high-frequency lake and stream data from across the northern hemisphere
Jessica R. Corman, Jacob Aaron Zwart, Jennifer Klug, Denise A Bruesewitz, Elvira de Eyto, Marcus Klaus, Lesley B. Knoll, James A. Rusak, Michael J. Vanni, Maria Belen Alfonso, Rocio Luz Fernandez, Huaxia Yao, Kari Austnes, Raoul-Marie Couture, Heleen A. de Wit, Jan Karlsson, Alo Laas
2023, Limnology & Oceanography (68) 2617-2631
In lakes, the rates of gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (R), and net ecosystem production (NEP) are often controlled by resource availability. Herein, we explore how catchment vs. within lake predictors of metabolism compare using data from 16 lakes spanning 39°N to 64°N,...
Horizon scanning for potentially invasive non-native marine species to inform trans-boundary conservation management – Example of the northern Gulf of Mexico
Kathryn A. O’Shaughnessy, Lorenzo Vilizzi, Wesley M. Daniel, Monica E. McGarrity, Hanna Bauer, Leslie Hartman, Stephen Geiger, Paul Sammarco, Steve Kolian, Scott Porter, Jessica Dutton, Matthew R. McClure, Michael Norberg, Alex Fogg, Timothy J. Lyons, Justin Procopio, Lauren Bantista, Wayne A Bennett, Mary Wicksten, David B. Reeves, Julie Lively, Elizabeth M. Robinson, Jorge Brenner, Joseph Goy, Ashley Morgan-Olvera, Anna L.E. Yunnie, Gordon H. Copp
2023, Aquatic Invasions (18) 415-453
Prevention of non-native species introductions and establishment is essential to avoid adverse impacts of invasive species in marine environments. To identify potential new invasive species and inform non-native species management options for the northern Gulf of Mexico (Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas), 138 marine species were risk screened...
Georectified polygon database of ground-mounted large-scale solar photovoltaic sites in the United States
K. Sydny Fujita, Zachary H. Ancona, Louisa Kramer, Mary Straka, Tandie E. Gautreau, Dana Robson, Christopher P. Garrity, Ben Hoen, James E. Diffendorfer
2023, Scientific Data (10)
Over 4,400 large-scale solar photovoltaic (LSPV) facilities operate in the United States as of December 2021, representing more than 60 gigawatts of electric energy capacity. Of these, over 3,900 are ground-mounted LSPV facilities with capacities of 1 MWdc or more. Ground mounted LSPV installations continue increasing, with more than 400...
Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) 6-year summary, Naval Outlying Landing Field, Imperial Beach, southwestern San Diego County, California, 2014–20
Suellen Lynn, Shannon M. Mendia, Barbara E. Kus
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1055
Executive SummaryFrom 2014 to 2020, a Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) banding station (station) was operated at the Naval Outlying Landing Field (NOLF), Imperial Beach, in southwestern San Diego County, California. The station was established as part of a long-term monitoring program of Neotropical migratory bird populations on NOLF...
Development and application of a risk assessment tool for aquatic invasive species in the international Rainy-Lake of the Woods Basin, United States and Canada
Amanda H. Bell, Leon R. Katona, Nicole M. Vellequette
2023, Open-File Report 2022-1070
The Rainy-Lake of the Woods Basin covers 70,000 square kilometers in mid-central North America and is contained within the Provinces of Ontario and Manitoba in Canada and the State of Minnesota in the United States. This basin contains natural wilderness areas, national parks, and thousands of lakes that bring outdoor...
Extinction risk modeling predicts range-wide differences of climate change impact on Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis)
Yudi Li, David Wilson, Ralph Grundel, Steven Campbell, Joe Knight, Jim Perry, Jessica J. Hellmann
2023, PLoS ONE (18)
The Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis, or Kbb), a federally endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in decline due to habitat loss, can be further threatened by climate change. Evaluating how climate shapes the population trend of the Kbb can help in the...
Empirical estimation of habitat suitability for rare plant restoration in an era of ongoing climatic shifts
Paul Krushelnycky, Lucas Fortini, Jeffrey Mallinson, Jesse Felts
2023, Scientific Reports (13)
Accurate estimates of current and future habitat suitability are needed for species that may require assistance in tracking a shifting climate. Standard species distribution models (SDMs) based on occurrence data are the most common approach for evaluating climatic suitability, but these may suffer from inaccuracies stemming...
Movement dynamics influence population monitoring and adaptive harvest management strategies in migratory birds
Jay Alan VonBank, Daniel P. Collins, Kristen S. Ellis, J. Patrick Donnelly, Jeffrey M. Knetter
2023, Global Ecology and Conservation (48)
Informed population monitoring efforts are essential for sound management of harvested species, and adaptive strategies that provide detailed information to monitoring efforts often require data inputs from complimentary sources. Movement ecology information is seldom directly incorporated into population monitoring or adaptive...
Development of the North Carolina stormwater-treatment decision-support system by using the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM)
Gregory E. Granato, Charles C. Stillwell, J. Curtis Weaver, Andrew H. McDaniel, Brian S. Lipscomb, Susan C. Jones, Ryan M. Mullins
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5113
The Federal Highway Administration and State departments of transportation nationwide need an efficient method to assess potential adverse effects of highway stormwater runoff on receiving waters to optimize stormwater-treatment decisions. To this end, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and the North Carolina Department of...
Sea ice concentration decline in an important Adélie penguin molt area
Annie E. Schmidt, Amélie Lescroël, Simeon Lisovski, Megan Elrod, Dennis Jongsomjit, Katie Dugger, Grant Ballard
2023, PNAS (120)
Unlike in many polar regions, the spatial extent and duration of the sea ice season have increased in the Ross Sea sector of the Southern Ocean during the satellite era. Simultaneously, populations of Adélie penguins, a sea ice obligate, have been stable or increasing in the region. Relationships between...
Geologic carbon management options for the North Atlantic-Appalachian Region
Peter D. Warwick, Madalyn S. Blondes, Sean T. Brennan, Steven M. Cahan, C. Ozgen Karacan, Kevin D. Kroeger, Matthew D. Merrill
2023, Fact Sheet 2023-3038
IntroductionThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) North Atlantic-Appalachian Region is developing the regionwide capacity to provide timely science support for decision-makers attempting to enhance carbon removal, sequestration, and emissions mitigation to meet national atmospheric carbon reduction goals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that in 2021, the fourteen States and...
Thirty years of regional groundwater-quality trend studies in the United States: Major findings and lessons learned
Bruce D. Lindsey, Brandon J. Fleming, Phillip J. Goodling, Amanda Nicole May
2023, Journal of Hydrology (627)
Changes in groundwater quality have been evaluated for more than 2,200 wells in 25 Principal Aquifers in the United States based on repeated decadal sampling (once every 10 years) from 1988 to 2021. The purpose of this study is to identify contaminants with changing concentrations, the...
Two centuries of southwest Iceland annually-resolved marine temperature reconstructed from Arctica islandica shells
Madelyn Jean Mette, Carin Andersson, Bernd Schöne, Fabian Bonitz, Vilde Melvik, Tamara Trofimova, Martin Miles
2023, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (294)
Iceland's exposure to major ocean current pathways of the central North Atlantic makes it a useful location for developing long-term proxy records of past marine climate. Such records provide more detailed understanding of the full range of past variability which is necessary to improve...
The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting Maine’s economy
Dan Walters
2023, Fact Sheet 2023-3036
IntroductionInland flooding, sea-level rise, and pollution pose challenges for Maine’s infrastructure and natural resources. A highly detailed, three-dimensional (3D) model of the Earth’s surface is allowing the State of Maine to address these challenges in an increasingly comprehensive and timely manner. In addition, highly accurate elevation data facilitate land development,...
Reach-scale associations between introduced Brook Trout and juvenile and stream-resident Bull Trout in Idaho
Nicholas S. Voss, Brett J. Bowersox, Michael Quist
2023, Transactions of American Fisheries Society (152) 835-848
ObjectiveNative Bull Trout Salvelinus confluentus populations can be influenced by a variety of stressors operating at multiple spatial scales, making the relative importance of biotic versus abiotic controls difficult to discern at small scales where monitoring and management typically occur. Nonnative Brook Trout S. fontinalis were widely introduced throughout western North...
