Evaluation of an aerial survey to estimate abundance of wintering ducks in Mississippi
Aaron T. Pearse, Stephen J. Dinsmore, Richard M. Kaminski, Kenneth J. Reinecke
2008, Journal of Wildlife Management (72) 1413-1419
Researchers have successfully designed aerial surveys that provided precise estimates of wintering populations of ducks over large physiographic regions, yet few conservation agencies have adopted these probability-based sampling designs for their surveys. We designed and evaluated an aerial survey to estimate abundance of wintering mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), dabbling ducks...
Effect of soil disturbance on recharging fluxes: Case study on the Snake River Plain, Idaho National Laboratory, USA
J. R. Nimmo, K. S. Perkins
2008, Hydrogeology Journal (16) 829-844
Soil structural disturbance influences the downward flow of water that percolates deep enough to become aquifer recharge. Data from identical experiments in an undisturbed silt-loam soil and in an adjacent simulated waste trench composed of the same soil material, but disturbed, included (1) laboratory- and field-measured unsaturated hydraulic properties and...
Recovery of a fish pathogenic bacterium, Aeromonas salmonicida, from ebonyshell mussels Fusconaia ebena using nondestructive sample collection procedures
C. E. Starliper
2008, Journal of Shellfish Research (27) 775-782
Refugia are increasingly being used to maintain and propagate imperiled freshwater mussels for future population augmentations. Success for this endeavor is dependent on good husbandry, including a holistic program of resource health management. A significant aspect to optimal health is the prevention or control of infectious diseases. Describing and monitoring...
Ferguson rock slide buries California State Highway near Yosemite National Park
E. L. Harp, M.E. Reid, J. W. Godt, J.V. DeGraff, A.J. Gallegos
2008, Landslides (5) 331-337
During spring 2006, talus from the toe area of a rock-block slide of about 800,000 m3 buried California State Highway 140, one of the main routes into heavily-visited Yosemite National Park, USA. Closure of the highway for 92 days caused business losses of about 4.8 million USD. The rock slide,...
Hydrological response to timber harvest in northern Idaho: Implications for channel scour and persistence of salmonids
D. Tonina, C.H. Luce, B. Rieman, J.M. Buffington, P. Goodwin, S.R. Clayton, S. Ali, J.J. Barry, C. Berenbrock
2008, Hydrological Processes (22) 3223-3235
The potential for forest harvest to increase snowmelt rates in maritime snow climates is well recognized. However, questions still exist about the magnitude of peak flow increases in basins larger than 10 km2 and the geomorphic and biological consequences of these changes. In this study, we used observations from two...
Late Pleistocene dune construction in the Central Sand Plain of Wisconsin, USA
J. E. Rawling III, P.R. Hanson, A.R. Young, J.W. Attig
2008, Geomorphology (100) 494-505
Wisconsin's Central Sand Plain east of the Wisconsin River is composed of eolian sand forming high-relief dunes surrounded by sand sheets and scattered low-relief dunes. To establish a maximum age for dune formation, three samples for optical dating were taken from glacial Lake Wisconsin lacustrine sediment that underlies eolian sand....
Controls on coastal dune morphology, shoreline erosion and barrier island response to extreme storms
C. Houser, C. Hapke, S. Hamilton
2008, Geomorphology (100) 223-240
The response of a barrier island to an extreme storm depends in part on the surge elevation relative to the height and extent of the foredunes which can exhibit considerable variability alongshore. While it is recognized that alongshore variations in dune height and width direct barrier island response to storm...
Exposure of xenopus laevis tadpoles to cadmium reveals concentration-dependent bimodal effects on growth and monotonic effects on development and thyroid gland activity
Bibek Sharma, R. Patino
2008, Toxicological Sciences (105) 51-58
Xenopus laevis were exposed to 0-855 ??g cadmium (Cd)/l (measured concentrations) in FETAX medium from fertilization to 47 days postfertilization. Measurements included embryonic survival and, at 47 days, tadpole survival, snout-vent length, tail length, total length, hindlimb length, weight, Nieuwkoop-Faber (NF) stage of development, initiation of metamorphic climax (??? NF...
Seawater osmium isotope evidence for a middle Miocene flood basalt event in ferromanganese crust records
V. Klemm, M. Frank, S. Levasseur, A. N. Halliday, J.R. Hein
2008, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (273) 175-183
Three ferromanganese crusts from the northeast, northwest and central Atlantic were re-dated using osmium (Os) isotope stratigraphy and yield ages from middle Miocene to the present. The three Os isotope records do not show evidence for growth hiatuses. The reconstructed Os isotope-based growth rates for the sections older than 10??Ma...
Brain aromatase (Cyp19A2) and estrogen receptors, in larvae and adult pejerrey fish Odontesthes bonariensis: Neuroanatomical and functional relations
P. H. Strobl-Mazzulla, C. Lethimonier, M.M. Gueguen, M. Karube, J.I. Fernandino, G. Yoshizaki, R. Patino, C.A. Strussmann, O. Kah, G.M. Somoza
2008, General and Comparative Endocrinology (158) 191-201
Although estrogens exert many functions on vertebrate brains, there is little information on the relationship between brain aromatase and estrogen receptors. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of two estrogen receptors, ?? and ??, in pejerrey. Both receptors' mRNAs largely overlap and were predominantly expressed in the brain, pituitary,...
Effects of habitat disturbance on survival rates of softshell turtles (Apalone spinifera) in an urban stream
M.V. Plummer, D.G. Krementz, L.A. Powell, N.E. Mills
2008, Journal of Herpetology (42) 555-563
We monitored Spiny Softshell Turtles (Apalone spinifera) using mark-recapture during 1994-2005 in Gin Creek, Searcy, Arkansas. In 1997-2000 the creek bed and riparian zone were bulldozed in an effort to remove debris and improve water flow. This disturbance appeared to reduce the quantity and quality of turtle habitat. We tested...
Coolwater culmination: Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb and isotopic evidence for continental delamination in the Syringa Embayment, Salmon River suture, Idaho
K. Lund, J. N. Aleinikoff, E.Y. Yacob, D.M. Unruh, C.M. Fanning
2008, Tectonics (27)
During dextral oblique translation along Laurentia in western Idaho, the Blue Mountains superterrane underwent clockwise rotation and impinged into the Syringa embayment at the northern end of the Salmon River suture. Along the suture, the superterrane is juxtaposed directly against western Laurentia, making this central Cordilleran accretionary-margin segment unusually attenuated....
Modeling wetland blackbird populations as a function of waterfowl abundance in the prairie pothole region of the United States and Canada
G.M. Forcey, G.M. Linz, W.E. Thogmartin, W.J. Bleier
2008, Environmental Bioindicators (3) 124-135
Blackbirds share wetland habitat with many waterfowl species in Bird Conservation Region 11 (BCR 11), the prairie potholes. Because of similar habitat preferences, there may be associations between blackbird populations and populations of one or more species of waterfowl in BCR11. This study models populations of red-winged blackbirds and yellow-headed...
Use of multiple chemical tracers to define habitat use of Indo-Pacific mangrove crab, Scylla serrata (Decapoda: Portunidae)
A. W.J. Demopoulos, Nicole Cormier, K. C. Ewel, B. Fry
2008, Estuaries and Coasts (31) 371-381
The mangrove or mud crab, Scylla serrata, is an important component of mangrove fisheries throughout the Indo-Pacific. Understanding crab diets and habitat use should assist in managing these fisheries and could provide additional justification for conservation of the mangrove ecosystem itself. We used multiple chemical tracers to test whether crab...
A national reconnaissance of pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater contaminants in the United States - I) Groundwater
K.K. Barnes, D.W. Kolpin, E. T. Furlong, S.D. Zaugg, M. T. Meyer, L. B. Barber
2008, Science of the Total Environment (402) 192-200
As part of the continuing effort to collect baseline information on the environmental occurrence of pharmaceuticals, and other organic wastewater contaminants (OWCs) in the Nation's water resources, water samples were collected from a network of 47 groundwater sites across 18 states in 2000. All samples collected were analyzed for 65...
Modified method for external attachment of transmitters to birds using two subcutaneous anchors
Tyler Lewis, Paul L. Flint
2008, Journal of Field Ornithology (79) 336-341
Of the transmitter attachment techniques for birds, the subcutaneous anchor provides a secure attachment that yields relatively few secondary effects. However, the use of subcutaneous anchors has been limited by transmitter size and retention time. Using a modified method of attachment that utilized two subcutaneous anchors, we deployed 69 GPS...
Modelling invasion for a habitat generalist and a specialist plant species
P.H. Evangelista, S. Kumar, T.J. Stohlgren, C. S. Jarnevich, A.W. Crall, J. B. Norman III, D.T. Barnett
2008, Diversity and Distributions (14) 808-817
Predicting suitable habitat and the potential distribution of invasive species is a high priority for resource managers and systems ecologists. Most models are designed to identify habitat characteristics that define the ecological niche of a species with little consideration to individual species' traits. We tested five commonly used modelling methods...
Pros and cons of multistory RC tunnel-form (box-type) buildings
E. Kalkan, S.B. Yuksel
2008, Structural Design of Tall and Special Buildings (17) 601-617
Tunnel-form structural systems (i.e., box systems), having a load-carrying mechanism composed of reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls and slabs only, have been prevailingly utilized in the construction of multistory residential units. The superiority of tunnel-form buildings over their conventional counterparts stems from the enhanced earthquake resistance they provide, and the...
Metabolizable energy in Chinese tallow fruit for Yellow-rumped Warblers, Northern Cardinals, and American Robins
M.J. Baldwin, W.C. Barrow Jr., C. Jeske, F.C. Rohwer
2008, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (120) 525-530
The invasive exotic Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) produces an abundant fruit crop, which is primarily bird-dispersed. The fruit pulp of tallow is lipid-rich, high in saturated fatty acids, and consumed by many bird species. Long-chained fatty acids can be difficult for many birds to digest and we investigated the...
Modeling the effect of toe clipping on treefrog survival: Beyond the return rate
J.H. Waddle, K.G. Rice, F.J. Mazzotti, H.F. Percival
2008, Journal of Herpetology (42) 467-473
Some studies have described a negative effect of toe clipping on return rates of marked anurans, but the return rate is limited in that it does not account for heterogeneity of capture probabilities. We used open population mark-recapture models to estimate both apparent survival (ϕ) and the recapture probability (p)...
Identity and physiology of a new psychrophilic eukaryotic green alga, Chlorella sp., strain BI, isolated from a transitory pond near Bratina Island, Antarctica
R. M. Morgan-Kiss, A.G. Ivanov, S. Modla, K. Czymmek, N.P.A. Huner, J.C. Priscu, J.T. Lisle, T.E. Hanson
2008, Extremophiles (12) 701-711
Permanently low temperature environments are one of the most abundant microbial habitats on earth. As in most ecosystems, photosynthetic organisms drive primary production in low temperature food webs. Many of these phototrophic microorganisms are psychrophilic; however, functioning of the photosynthetic processes of these enigmatic psychrophiles (the 'photopsychrophiles') in cold environments...
Assessing the contribution of wetlands and subsided islands to dissolved organic matter and disinfection byproduct precursors in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta: A geochemical approach
T.E.C. Kraus, B.A. Bergamaschi, P.J. Hernes, R.G.M. Spencer, R. Stepanauskas, C. Kendall, R.F. Losee, R. Fujii
2008, Organic Geochemistry (39) 1302-1318
This study assesses how rivers, wetlands, island drains and open water habitats within the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta affect dissolved organic matter (DOM) content and composition, and disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation. Eleven sites representative of these habitats were sampled on six dates to encompass seasonal variability. Using a suite of...
Soil texture drives responses of soil respiration to precipitation pulses in the sonoran desert: Implications for climate change
J.M. Cable, K. Ogle, D. G. Williams, J.F. Weltzin, T. E. Huxman
2008, Ecosystems (11) 961-979
Climate change predictions for the desert southwestern U.S. are for shifts in precipitation patterns. The impacts of climate change may be significant, because desert soil processes are strongly controlled by precipitation inputs ('pulses') via their effect on soil water availability. This study examined the response of soil respiration-an important biological...
Spatial patterns of simulated transpiration response to climate variability in a snow dominated mountain ecosystem
L. Christensen, C.L. Tague, Jill Baron
2008, Hydrological Processes (22) 3576-3588
Transpiration is an important component of soil water storage and stream-flow and is linked with ecosystem productivity, species distribution, and ecosystem health. In mountain environments, complex topography creates heterogeneity in key controls on transpiration as well as logistical challenges for collecting representative measurements. In these settings, ecosystem models can be...
Coherent changes in relative C4 plant productivity and climate during the late Quaternary in the North American Great Plains
L. Nordt, J. Von Fischer, L. Tieszen, J. Tubbs
2008, Quaternary Science Reviews (27) 1600-1611
Evolution of the mixed and shortgrass prairie of the North American Great Plains is poorly understood because of limited proxies available for environmental interpretations. Buried soils in the Great Plains provide a solution to the problem because they are widespread both spatially and temporally with their organic reservoirs serving as...
