Genetic diversity and mate selection in a reintroduced population of gray wolves
David Edward Ausband
2022, Scientific Reports (12)
The genetic composition of an individual can markedly affect its survival, reproduction, and ultimately fitness. As some wildlife populations become smaller, conserving genetic diversity will be a conservation challenge. Many imperiled species are already supported through population augmentation efforts and we often do not know if or how genetic diversity...
Portable optically stimulated luminescence age map of a paleoseismic exposure
Christopher DuRoss, Ryan D. Gold, Harrison J. Gray, Sylvia R. Nicovich
2022, Geology (50) 470-475
The quality and quantity of geochronologic data used to constrain the history of major earthquakes in a region exerts a first-order control on the accuracy of seismic hazard assessments that affect millions of people. However, evaluations of geochronological data are limited by uncertainties related to inherently complex depositional processes that...
Site fidelity as a maladaptive behavior in the Anthropocene
Jerod A. Merkle, Briana Abrahms, Jonathan B. Armstrong, Hall Sawyer, Daniel P. Costa, Anna D. Chalfoun
2022, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (20) 187-194
Site fidelity, or the behavior of returning to previously visited locations, has been observed across taxa and ecosystems. By developing familiarity with a particular location, site fidelity provides a range of benefits and is advantageous in stable or predictable environments. However, the Anthropocene is characterized by rates of environmental change...
Alert optimization of the PLUM earthquake early warning algorithm for the western United States
Elizabeth S. Cochran, Jessie Kate Saunders, Sarah E. Minson, Julian Bunn, Annemarie S. Baltay Sundstrom, Debi Kilb, Colin T O’Rourke, Mitsuyuki Hoshiba, Yuki Kodera
2022, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (112) 803-819
We determine an optimal alerting configuration for the propagation of local undamped motion (PLUM) earthquake early warning (EEW) algorithm for use by the U.S. ShakeAlert system covering California, Oregon, and Washington. All EEW systems should balance the primary goal of providing timely alerts for impactful or potentially damaging shaking while...
Distinct gut microbiomes in two polar bear subpopulations inhabiting different sea ice ecoregions
Megan Franz, Lyle White, Todd C. Atwood, Kristin L. Laidre, Denis Roy, Sophie Watson, Esteban Gongora, Melissa McKinney
2022, Scientific Reports (12)
Gut microbiomes were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding for polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from the southern Beaufort Sea (SB), where sea ice loss has led to increased use of land-based food resources by bears, and from East Greenland (EG), where persistent sea ice has allowed hunting of ice-associated prey...
Mine drainage precipitates attenuate and conceal wastewater-derived phosphate pollution in stream water
Peter M. Smyntek, Natalie Lamagna, Charles A. Cravotta III, William H. J. Strosnider
2022, Science of the Total Environment (815)
Hydrous ferric-oxide (HFO) coatings on streambed sediments may attenuate dissolved phosphate (PO4) concentrations at acidic to neutral pH conditions, limiting phosphorus (P) transport and availability in aquatic ecosystems. Mesh-covered tiles on which “natural” HFO from abandoned mine drainage (AMD) had precipitated were exposed to treated municipal wastewater (MWW) effluent or a mixture of stream water...
Highly pathogenic avian influenza is an emerging disease threat to wild birds in North America
Andrew M. Ramey, Nichola J. Hill, Thomas J. DeLiberto, Samantha E. J. Gibbs, M. Camille Hopkins, Andrew S. Lang, Rebecca L. Poulson, Diann Prosser, Jonathan M. Sleeman, David E. Stallknecht, Xiu-Feng Wan
2022, Journal of Wildlife Management (86)
Prior to the emergence of the A/goose/Guangdong/1/1996 (Gs/GD) H5N1 influenza A virus, the long-held and well-supported paradigm was that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks were restricted to poultry, the result of cross-species transmission of precursor viruses from wild aquatic birds that subsequently gained pathogenicity in...
Leveraging community science data for population assessments during a pandemic
Paige Howell, Patrick Devers, Orin J. Robinson, Andy Royle
2022, Ecological Applications (32)
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted field research programs, making conservation and management decision-making more challenging. However, it may be possible to conduct population assessments using integrated models that combine community science data with existing data from structured surveys. We developed a space-time integrated model to characterize...
Distribution and abundance of Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus) on the Middle San Luis Rey River, San Diego County, southern California—2021 Data summary
Lisa D. Allen, Barbara E. Kus
2022, Data Report 1147
Executive SummaryWe surveyed for Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus; vireo) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus; flycatcher) along the San Luis Rey River, between College Boulevard in Oceanside and Interstate 15 in Fallbrook, California (middle San Luis Rey River), in 2021. Surveys were conducted from April 13 to...
Parasites in kelp-forest food webs increase food-chain length, complexity, and specialization, but reduce connectance
Dana N. Morton, Kevin D. Lafferty
2022, Ecological Monographs (92)
We explored whether parasites are important in kelp forests by examining their effects on a high-quality, high-resolution kelp-forest food web. After controlling for generic effects of network size, parasites affected kelp-forest food web structure in some ways consistent with other systems. Parasites increased the trophic span of the web, increasing...
North American tree migration paced by climate in the West, lagging in the East
Shubhi Sharma, Robert Andrus, Yves Bergeron, Michal Bogdziewicz, Don C. Bragg, Dale G. Brockway, Natalie L. Cleavitt, Benoit Courbaud, Adrian Das, Michael Dietze, Timothy J. Fahey, Jerry F. Franklin, Gilbert S. Gregory, Cathryn H. Greenberg, Qinfeng Guo, Janneke Hille Ris Lambers, Ines Ibanez, Jill F. Johnstone, Christopher L. Kilner, Johannes M. H. Knops, Walter D. Koenig, Georges Kunstler, Jalene M. LaMontagne, Diana Macias, Emily V. Moran, Jonathan A. Myers, Robert Parmenter, Ian Pearse, Renata Poulton-Kamakura, Miranda D. Redmond, Chantal D. Reid, Kyle C. Rodman, C. Lane Scher, William H. Schlesinger, Michael A. Steele, Nathan L. Stephenson, Jennifer J. Swenson, Margaret Swift, Thomas T. Veblen, Amy V. Whipple, Thomas G. Whitham, Andreas P. Wion, Christopher W. Woodall, Roman Zlotin, James S. Clark
2022, PNAS (119)
Tree fecundity and recruitment have not yet been quantified at scales needed to anticipate biogeographic shifts in response to climate change. By separating their responses, this study shows coherence across species and communities, offering the strongest support to date that migration is in progress with regional limitations on rates. The...
From crystals to crustal-scale seismic anisotropy: Bridging the gap between rocks and seismic studies with digital geologic map data in Colorado
Michael G. Frothingham, Kevin H. Mahan, Vera Schulte-Pelkum, Jonathan Caine, Frederick W. Vollmer
2022, Tectonics (41)
Deep continental crustal structures are enigmatic due to lack of direct exposures and limited tools to investigate them remotely. Seismic waves can sample these rocks, but most seismic methods focus on coarse crustal structures while laboratory measurements concentrate on crystal-scale rock properties, and little work has...
Biocrusts mediate a new mechanism for land degradation under a changing climate
Michala Lee Phillips, Brandon E McNellis, Armin J. Howell, Cara Marie Lauria, Jayne Belnap, Sasha C. Reed
2022, Nature Climate Change (12) 71-76
Global concerns for desertification have focused on the slow recovery of extensive and expanding drylands following disturbance, which may be exacerbated by climate change. Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are photosynthetic soil communities found in drylands worldwide, which are central to the stability and resilience of dryland...
Where groundwater seeps: Evaluating modeled groundwater discharge patterns with thermal infrared surveys at the river-network scale
Janet R. Barclay, Martin A. Briggs, Eric Moore, J. Jeffrey Starn, Ann E.H. Hanson, Ashley Helton
2022, Advances in Water Resources (106)
Predicting baseflow dynamics, protecting aquatic habitat, and managing legacy contaminants requires explicit characterization and prediction of groundwater discharge patterns throughout river networks. Using handheld thermal infrared (TIR) cameras, we surveyed 47 km of stream length across the Farmington River watershed (1,570 km2; CT...
Species-specific responses to landscape features shaped genomic structure within Alaska galliformes
Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Robert E. Wilson, Sandra L. Talbot
2022, Journal of Biogeography (49) 261-273
AimConnectivity is vital to the resiliency of populations to environmental change and stochastic events, especially for cold-adapted species as Arctic and alpine tundra habitats retract as the climate warms. We examined the influence of past and current landscapes on genomic connectivity in cold-adapted galliformes as a critical...
System characterization report on Planet SkySat
Minsu Kim, Seonkyung Park, Aparajithan Sampath, Cody Anderson, Gregory L. Stensaas
2022, Open-File Report 2021-1030-E
This report addresses system characterization of Planet’s SkySat and is part of a series of system characterization reports produced and delivered by the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Cal/Val Center of Excellence. These reports present and detail the methodology and procedures for characterization; present technical and operational...
Long-term ocean observing for international capacity development around tsunami early warning
Danielle F. Sumy, Sara K. McBride, Christa von Hillebrandt-Andrade, Monica D. Kohler, John Orcutt, Shuichi Kodaira, Kate Moran, Daniel McNamara, Takane Hori, Elizabeth Vanacore, Benoit Pirenne, John A. Collins
2022, Oceanography (34) 70-77
The 2004 magnitude (M) 9.1 Sumatra-Andaman Islands earthquake in the Indian Ocean triggered the deadliest tsunami ever, killing more than 230,000 people. In response, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) established three additional Intergovernmental Coordination Groups (ICGs) for the Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Early Warning System:...
Analytical assessments in support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 3-bat species status assessment
Bethany Straw, Jaclyn Martin, Jonathan D. Reichard, Brian Reichert, editor(s)
2022, Report
Beginning in February of 2020, researchers and staff of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Bat Conservation International (BCI), Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and Montana State University associated with the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) collaborated with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to provide...
gTOOLS, an open-source MATLAB program for processing high precision, relative gravity data for time-lapse gravity monitoring
Maurizio Battaglia, Antonina Calahorrano-Di Patre, Ashton F. Flinders
2022, Computers & Geosciences (160)
gTOOLS is an open-source software for the processing of relative gravity data. gTOOLS is available in MATLAB and as a compiled executable to be run under the free MATLAB Runtime Compiler. The software has been designed for time-lapse (temporal) gravity monitoring....
Climate and land change impacts on future managed wetland habitat: A case study from California’s Central Valley
Tamara Wilson, Elliott Matchett, Kristin B. Byrd, Erin Conlisk, Matthew E. Reiter, Cynthia Wallace, Lorraine E. Flint, Alan L. Flint, Monica Mei Jeen Moritsch
2022, Landscape Ecology (37) 861-881
ConceptCalifornia’s Central Valley provides critical habitat for migratory waterbirds, yet only 10% of naturally occurring wetlands remain. Competition for limited water supplies and climate change will impact the long-term viability of these intensively managed habitats.ObjectivesForecast the distribution, abundance, and connectivity of surface water and managed wetland...
Stoneflies in the genus Lednia (Plecoptera: Nemouridae): Sentinels of climate change impacts on mountain stream biodiversity
Matthew D. Green, Lusha M. Tronstad, J. Joseph Giersch, Alisha A. Shah, Candace E. Fallon, Emilie Blevins, Taylor Kai, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Debra S. Finn, Scott Hotaling
2022, Biodiversity and Conservation (31) 353-377
Rapid recession of glaciers and snowfields is threatening the habitats of cold-water biodiversity worldwide. In many ice-sourced headwaters of western North America, stoneflies in the genus Lednia (Plecoptera: Nemouridae) are a prominent member of the invertebrate community. With a broad distribution in mountain streams and close ties to...
Examination of the interaction between age-specific predation and chronic disease in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Ellen E. Brandell, Paul C. Cross, Douglas W. Smith, William J. Rogers, Nathan L. Galloway, Daniel R. MacNulty, Daniel R. Stahler, John J. Treanor, Peter J. Hudson
2022, Journal of Animal Ecology (91) 1373-1384
Predators may create healthier prey populations by selectively removing diseased individuals. Predators typically prefer some ages of prey over others, which may, or may not, align with those prey ages that are most likely to be diseased.The interaction of age-specific infection and predation has not been previously explored and...
Protocol for installing and monitoring a RestoreNet restoration field trial network site
Katherine M. Laushman, Molly L. McCormick, Seth M. Munson, Kathleen R. Balazs, Bradley J. Butterfield
2022, Techniques and Methods 2-A18
RestoreNet is an ecological restoration experiment that is networked across multiple sites, spanning dryland ecosystems in the southwestern United States. The experiment is organized and led by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest (RAMPS). This protocol functions to provide guidance to additional partners on...
The relative importance of mercury methylation and demethylation in rice paddy soil varies depending on the presence of rice plants
R. J. Strickman, S. M. Larson, H. Huang, Evangelos Kakouros, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, C. P. J. Mitchell, R. B. Neumann
2022, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety (230)
Neurotoxic methylmercury (MeHg) accumulates in rice grain from paddy soil, where its concentration is controlled by microbial mercury methylation and demethylation. Both up- and down-regulation of methylation is known to occur in the presence of rice plants in comparison to non-vegetated paddy soils; the influence of rice plant presence/absence on...
Complete genome sequence of Rhodococcus opacus strain MoAcy1 (DSM 44186), an aerobic acetylenotroph isolated from soil
John M. Sutton, Timothy J. Bushman, Denise M. Akob, Janna L. Fierst
2022, Microbiology Resource Announcements (11)
We report the genome of Rhodococcus opacus strain MoAcy1 (DSM 44186), an aerobic soil isolate capable of using acetylene as its primary carbon and energy source (acetylenotrophy). The genome is composed of a single circular chromosome of ∼8 Mbp and two closed plasmids, with a G+C content of 67.3%....
