Biomedical and veterinary science can increase our understanding of coral disease
Thierry M. Work, Laurie L. Richardson, T. L. Reynolds, Bette L. Willis
2008, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology (362) 63-70
A balanced approach to coral disease investigation is critical for understanding the global decline of corals. Such an approach should involve the proper use of biomedical concepts, tools, and terminology to address confusion and promote clarity in the coral disease literature. Investigating disease in corals should follow a logical series...
An introduced and a native vertebrate hybridize to form a genetic bridge to a second native species
D.B. McDonald, T.L. Parchman, M.R. Bower, W.A. Hubert, F.J. Rahel
2008, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (105) 10837-10842
The genetic impacts of hybridization between native and introduced species are of considerable conservation concern, while the possibility of reticulate evolution affects our basic understanding of how species arise and shapes how we use genetic data to understand evolutionary diversification. By using mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) sequences and...
Seasonal variation in size-dependent survival of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): Performance of multistate capture-mark-recapture models
B. H. Letcher, G.E. Horton
2008, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (65) 1649-1666
We estimated the magnitude and shape of size-dependent survival (SDS) across multiple sampling intervals for two cohorts of stream-dwelling Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) juveniles using multistate capture-mark-recapture (CMR) models. Simulations designed to test the effectiveness of multistate models for detecting SDS in our system indicated that error in SDS estimates...
Evidence for an apical Na-Cl cotransporter involved in ion uptake in a teleost fish
J. Hiroi, S. Yasumasu, S. D. McCormick, P.-P. Hwang, T. Kaneko
2008, Journal of Experimental Biology (211) 2584-2599
Cation-chloride cotransporters, such as the Na+/K +/2Cl- cotransporter (NKCC) and Na+/Cl - cotransporter (NCC), are localized to the apical or basolateral plasma membranes of epithelial cells and are involved in active ion absorption or secretion. The objectives of this study were to clone and identify 'freshwater-type' and 'seawater-type' cation-chloride cotransporters...
Landscape complexity and soil moisture variation in south Georgia, USA, for remote sensing applications
M.A. Giraldo, D. Bosch, M. Madden, L. Usery, Craig Kvien
2008, Journal of Hydrology (357) 405-420
This research addressed the temporal and spatial variation of soil moisture (SM) in a heterogeneous landscape. The research objective was to investigate soil moisture variation in eight homogeneous 30 by 30 m plots, similar to the pixel size of a Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) or Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+)...
Arsenic(III) fuels anoxygenic photosynthesis in hot spring biofilms from Mono Lake, California
T.R. Kulp, S.E. Hoeft, M. Asao, M.T. Madigan, J.T. Hollibaugh, J.C. Fisher, J.F. Stolz, C.W. Culbertson, L.G. Miller, R.S. Oremland
2008, Science (321) 967-970
Phylogenetic analysis indicates that microbial arsenic metabolism is ancient and probably extends back to the primordial Earth. In microbial biofilms growing on the rock surfaces of anoxic brine pools fed by hot springs containing arsenite and sulfide at high concentrations, we discovered light-dependent oxidation of arsenite [As(III)] to arsenate [As(V)]...
Changes in dissolved organic material determine exposure of stream benthic communities to UV-B radiation and heavy metals: Implications for climate change
W.H. Clements, M.L. Brooks, D.R. Kashian, R.E. Zuellig
2008, Global Change Biology (14) 2201-2214
Changes in regional climate in the Rocky Mountains over the next 100 years are expected to have significant effects on biogeochemical cycles and hydrological processes. In particular, decreased discharge and lower stream depth during summer when ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is the highest combined with greater photo-oxidation of dissolved organic materials...
Spatial patterns and movements of red king and Tanner crabs: Implications for the design of marine protected areas
S. James Taggart, Jennifer Mondragon, A.G. Andrews, J.K. Nielsen
2008, Marine Ecology Progress Series (365) 151-163
Most examples of positive population responses to marine protected areas (MPAs) have been documented for tropical reef species with very small home ranges; the utility of MPAs for commercially harvested temperate species that have large movement patterns remains poorly tested. We measured the distribution and abundance of red king Paralithodes...
Interaction between urbanization and climate variability amplifies watershed nitrate export in Maryland
S.S. Kaushal, P.M. Groffman, L.E. Band, C.A. Shields, R.P. Morgan, Margaret A. Palmer, K.T. Belt, C.M. Swan, S.E.G. Findlay, G. T. Fisher
2008, Environmental Science & Technology (42) 5872-5878
We investigated regional effects of urbanization and land use change on nitrate concentrations in approximately 1,000 small streams in Maryland during record drought and wet years in 2001-2003. We also investigated changes in nitrate-N export during the same time period in 8 intensively monitored small watersheds across an urbanization gradient...
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...
Spatial dynamics of overbank sedimentation in floodplain systems
Aaron R. Pierce, S.L. King
2008, Geomorphology (100) 256-268
Floodplains provide valuable social and ecological functions, and understanding the rates and patterns of overbank sedimentation is critical for river basin management and rehabilitation. Channelization of alluvial systems throughout the world has altered hydrological and sedimentation processes within floodplain ecosystems. In the loess belt region of the Lower Mississippi Alluvial...
Mapping regional distribution of a single tree species: Whitebark pine in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
L. Landenburger, R.L. Lawrence, S. Podruzny, C.C. Schwartz
2008, Sensors (8) 4983-4994
Moderate resolution satellite imagery traditionally has been thought to be inadequate for mapping vegetation at the species level. This has made comprehensive mapping of regional distributions of sensitive species, such as whitebark pine, either impractical or extremely time consuming. We sought to determine whether using a combination of moderate resolution...
Disentangling the role of hybridization in the evolution of the endangered Arizona cliffrose (Purshia subintegra; Rosaceae): A molecular and morphological analysis
S.E. Travis, J.E. Baggs, J. Maschinski
2008, Conservation Genetics (9) 1183-1194
Hybridization may threaten the conservation status of rare species through genetic assimilation and may confound the ability to distinguish among taxa. We studied these issues in an endangered shrub, Purshia subintegra (Rosaceae), known from four populations growing on limestone outcrops in central Arizona (USA). Using amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP)...
A double-observer method for reducing bias in faecal pellet surveys of forest ungulates
K.J. Jenkins, B.F.J. Manly
2008, Journal of Applied Ecology (45) 1339-1348
1. Faecal surveys are used widely to study variations in abundance and distribution of forest-dwelling mammals when direct enumeration is not feasible. The utility of faecal indices of abundance is limited, however, by observational bias and variation in faecal disappearance rates that obscure their relationship to population size. We developed...
Sources and fate of nitrate in the Illinois River Basin, Illinois
S.V. Panno, W.R. Kelly, Keith C. Hackley, H.-H. Hwang, A.T. Martinsek
2008, Journal of Hydrology (359) 174-188
We conducted a two-year investigation into the sources and fate of nitrate (NO3-) in the Illinois River from the Chicago area to the river's confluence with the Mississippi River. Samples from waterways in the Chicago area (Des Plaines River and the Sanitary and Ship Canal) had relatively high concentrations of...
Calculating wave-generated bottom orbital velocities from surface-wave parameters
P.L. Wiberg, C. R. Sherwood
2008, Computers & Geosciences (34) 1243-1262
Near-bed wave orbital velocities and shear stresses are important parameters in many sediment-transport and hydrodynamic models of the coastal ocean, estuaries, and lakes. Simple methods for estimating bottom orbital velocities from surface-wave statistics such as significant wave height and peak period often are inaccurate except in very shallow water. This...
Diversity of soil yeasts isolated from South Victoria Land, Antarctica
L. Connell, R. Redman, S. Craig, G. Scorzetti, M. Iszard, R. Rodriguez
2008, Microbial Ecology (56) 448-459
Unicellular fungi, commonly referred to as yeasts, were found to be components of the culturable soil fungal population in Taylor Valley, Mt. Discovery, Wright Valley, and two mountain peaks of South Victoria Land, Antarctica. Samples were taken from sites spanning a diversity of soil habitats that were not directly associated...
Assessing streamflow characteristics as limiting factors on benthic invertebrate assemblages in streams across the western United States
C.P. Konrad, A.M.D. Brasher, J. T. May
2008, Freshwater Biology (53) 1983-1998
1. Human use of land and water resources modifies many streamflow characteristics, which can have significant ecological consequences. Streamflow and invertebrate data collected at 111 sites in the western U.S.A. were analysed to identify streamflow characteristics (magnitude, frequency, duration, timing and variation) that are probably to limit characteristics of benthic...
Atmospheric mercury accumulation and washoff processes on impervious urban surfaces
C.S. Eckley, B. Branfireun, M. Diamond, P. C. Van Metre, F. Heitmuller
2008, Atmospheric Environment (42) 7429-7438
The deposition and transport of mercury (Hg) has been studied extensively in rural environments but is less understood in urbanized catchments, where elevated atmospheric Hg concentrations and impervious surfaces may efficiently deliver Hg to waterways in stormwater runoff. We determined the rate at which atmospheric Hg accumulates on windows, identified...
Organochlorine pollutants and stable isotopes in resident and migrant passerine birds from northwest Michoacán, Mexico
Miguel A. Mora
2008, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (55) 488-495
Although concentrations of organochlorine compounds (OCs) in birds from most of the United States and Canada have decreased over the last 30 years, there is still concern that migrant birds might be exposed to elevated concentrations of OCs during migration in Latin America. The Lerma-Chapala Basin in west-central Mexico is an...
Application of sedimentary-structure interpretation to geoarchaeological investigations in the Colorado River Corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA
A.E. Draut, D. M. Rubin, J.L. Dierker, H.C. Fairley, R.E. Griffiths, J.E. Hazel Jr., R. E. Hunter, K. Kohl, L.M. Leap, F.L. Nials, D.J. Topping, M. Yeatts
2008, Geomorphology (101) 497-509
We present a detailed geoarchaeological study of landscape processes that affected prehistoric formation and modern preservation of archaeological sites in three areas of the Colorado River corridor in Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA. The methods used in this case study can be applied to any locality containing unaltered, non-pedogenic sediments and,...
Development of a three-dimensional, regional, coupled wave, current, and sediment-transport model
J.C. Warner, C. R. Sherwood, R. P. Signell, C. K. Harris, H.G. Arango
2008, Computers & Geosciences (34) 1284-1306
We are developing a three-dimensional numerical model that implements algorithms for sediment transport and evolution of bottom morphology in the coastal-circulation model Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS v3.0), and provides a two-way link between ROMS and the wave model Simulating Waves in the Nearshore (SWAN) via the Model-Coupling Toolkit. The...
Buried paleoindian-age landscapes in stream valleys of the central plains, USA
R.D. Mandel
2008, Geomorphology (101) 342-361
A systematic study of late-Quaternary landscape evolution in the Central Plains documented widespread, deeply buried paleosols that represent Paleoindian-age landscapes in terrace fills of large streams (> 5th order), in alluvial fans, and in draws in areas of western Kansas with a thick loess mantle. Alluvial stratigraphic sections were investigated...
Temporal change in fragmentation of continental US forests
James D. Wickham, K.H. Riitters, Timothy G. Wade, Collin G. Homer
2008, Landscape Ecology (23) 891-898
Changes in forest ecosystem function and condition arise from changes in forest fragmentation. Previous studies estimated forest fragmentation for the continental United States (US). In this study, new temporal land-cover data from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) were used to estimate changes in forest fragmentation at multiple scales for...
Galileo observations of volcanic plumes on Io
P.E. Geissler, M.T. McMillan
2008, Icarus (197) 505-518
Io's volcanic plumes erupt in a dazzling variety of sizes, shapes, colors and opacities. In general, the plumes fall into two classes, representing distinct source gas temperatures. Most of the Galileo imaging observations were of the smaller, more numerous Prometheus-type plumes that are produced when hot flows of silicate lava...
