What is the effect of poaching activity on wildlife species?
Jennifer F. Moore, Eustrate Uzabaho, Abel Musana, Prosper Uwingell, James E. Hines, James D. Nichols
2021, Ecological Applications (31)
Poaching is a pervasive threat to wildlife, yet quantifying the direct effect of poaching on wildlife is rarely possible because both wildlife and threat data are infrequently collected concurrently. In this study, we used poaching data collected through the Management Information System (MIST) and wildlife camera trap data collected by...
Wetlands
Brian Tangen, Sheel Bansal
2021, Report, Recarbonizing global soils – A technical manual of recommended management practices
During the last decades, soil organic carbon (SOC) attracted the attention of a much wider array of specialists beyond agriculture and soil science, as it was proven to be one of the most crucial components of the earth’s climate system, which has a great potential to be managed by humans....
Predicting water temperature dynamics of unmonitored lakes with meta-transfer learning
Jared Willard, Jordan Read, Alison P. Appling, Samantha K. Oliver, Xiaowei Jia, Vipin Kumar
2021, Water Resources Research (57)
Most environmental data come from a minority of well-monitored sites. An ongoing challenge in the environmental sciences is transferring knowledge from monitored sites to unmonitored sites. Here, we demonstrate a novel transfer-learning framework that accurately predicts depth-specific temperature in unmonitored lakes (targets) by borrowing models from well-monitored lakes (sources). This...
Exploring GPS observations of postseismic deformation following the 2012 MW7.8 Haida Gwaii and 2013 MW7.5 Craig, Alaska Earthquakes: Implications for viscoelastic Earth structure
Katherine A. Guns, Frederick Pollitz, Thorne Lay, Han Yue
2021, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (126)
The Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault (QC-FF) system off the coast of British Columbia and southeast Alaska is a highly active dextral strike-slip plate boundary that accommodates ∼50 mm/yr of relative motion between the Pacific and North America plates. Nine MW ≥ 6.7 earthquakes have occurred along the QC-FF system since 1910, including a MS(G-R)8.1 event in...
National Park Service Vegetation Mapping Inventory Program: Great Smoky Mountains National Park vegetation mapping project
Kevin D. Hop, Andrew C. Strassman, Stephanie Sattler, Rickie White, Milo Pyne, Tom Govus, Jennifer Dieck
2021, Natural Resource Report 2021/2285
The National Park Service (NPS) Vegetation Mapping Inventory (VMI) Program is an effort to classify, describe, and map existing vegetation communities in national park units throughout the United States. The NPS VMI Program is managed by the NPS Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Inventory and Monitoring Program and provides baseline...
Context-dependent deep learning
Roy M. Turner, Cyndy Loftin, Alex Revello, Logan R. Kline, Meredith Lewis, Salimeh Yasai-Sekeh
2021, Modeling and Using Context (4)
Explicitly representing an agent’s context has been shown to have many benefits, which should also apply to machine learning. In this paper, we describe an approach to do this called context-dependent deep learning (CDDL), which is based on earlier work in context-mediated behavior (CMB) that uses contextual schemas (c-schemas) to...
Alaska Landbird Conservation Plan
Travis L. Booms, Melissa N. Cady, Cheryl A. Carrothers, Lucas H. DeCicco, Maureen L. de Zeeuw, Melanie J. Flamme, Julie Hagelin, Colleen M. Handel, James A. Johnson, Matthew D. Kirchoff, Michelle L. Kissling, Stephen B. Lewis, Steven M. Matsuoka, Debora A. Nigro, Deborah E. Perkins, Heather M. Renner, Susan E. Savage, Kristine M. Sowl, Susan M. Sharbaugh, Iain J Stenhouse, Caroline R. Van Hemert
Colleen M. Handel, Iain Stenhouse, Steven M. Matsuoka, editor(s)
2021, Report
Alaska is a land of extremes. The diversity of its avifauna reflects the heterogeneity of its landscape, with more than 500 species of birds recorded in the state. Species inhabiting primarily terrestrial habitats, known collectively as landbirds, constitute the largest and most ecologically diverse component of the Alaska avifauna. Habitats...
Assessing recovery of spectacled eiders using a Bayesian decision analysis
K.D. Dunham, E.E. Osnas, C. Frost, J.B. Fischer, J. Barry Grand
2021, PLoS ONE (16)
Assessing species status and making classification decisions under the Endangered Species Act is a critical step towards effective species conservation. However, classification decisions are liable to two errors: i) failing to classify a species as threatened or endangered that should be classified (underprotection), or ii) classifying a species as threatened...
Knowledge synthesis of Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow science
Allison Benscoter, Saira Haider, Kelly G. Guilbeau, Stephanie Romanach
2021, Report
This report represents a literature review of science conducted on the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow (Ammospiza maritima mirabilis, hereafter “CSSS” or “spar-row”). This information can be used as a foundation for the upcoming Species Status Assessment and for updating the CSSS Recovery Plan. This report focuses on areas of interest...
Economic geology and environmental characteristics of antimony deposits
Robert R. Seal, II
2021, Book chapter, Antimony
Antimony is commonly listed as a critical mineral, particularly in the United States and European Union [1]. Its criticality, or supply risk, is derived from a combination of economic vulnerability, disruption potential of supply, and trade exposure [2].Disruption potential relates a country’s ability and willingness to supply a commodity. Commodities...
Climate change scenario planning for resource stewardship at Wind Cave National Park
Amber N. Runyon, Gregor W. Schuurman, Brian W. Miller, Amy Symstad, Amanda Hardy
2021, Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/NRR—2021/2274
This report explains scenario planning as a climate change adaptation tool in general, then describes how it was applied to Wind Cave National Park as the second part of a pilot project to dovetail climate change scenario planning with National Park Service (NPS) Resource Stewardship Strategy development. In the orientation...
A tale of two valleys: Endangered species policy and the fate of the giant gartersnake
Brian J. Halstead, Patricia Valcarcel, Richard Kim, Anna Jordan, Jonathan P. Rose, Shannon Skalos, Gabriel Reyes, Julia Ersan, Michael L. Casazza, Allison Essert, Alexandria M Fulton
2021, California Fish and Wildlife 264-283
By the mid-20th Century, giant gartersnakes (Thamnophis gigas) had lost more than 90% of their Central Valley marsh habitat and were extirpated from more than two-thirds of their range. This massive habitat loss led to their inclusion in the inaugural list of rare species under the California Endangered Species Act...
2020 Status of the Lake Ontario lower trophic levels
Kristen T. Holeck, Lars G. Rudstam, Christopher Hotaling, Dave Lemon, Web Pearsall, Jana Lantry, Mike Connerton, Chris Legard, Zy Biesinger, Brian F. Lantry, Brian Weidel, Brian O’Malley
2021, Book chapter, NYSDEC Lake Ontario annual report 2020
Significant Findings for Year 2020: Note that due to covid-19 restrictions, offshore sampling was limited in 2020.1) May – Oct total phosphorus (TP) in 2020 was 10.6 µg/L (offshore) and 7.7 µg/L (nearshore), higher than the long-term (1995-2019) average in the offshore (6.2 µg/L) and close to average in the...
Geophysical insights into Paleoproterozoic tectonics along the southern margin of the Superior Province, central Upper Peninsula, Michigan
Benjamin J. Drenth, William F. Cannon, Klaus Schulz, Robert A. Ayuso
2021, Conference Paper, Proceedings: Volume 67, part 1: Programs and abstracts
No abstract available....
Tools and technologies for quantifying spread and impacts of invasive species
Matt Reeves, Ines Ibanez, Dana Blumenthal, Gang Chen, Qinfeng Guo, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Jennifer Koch, Frank Sapio, Michael D. Schwartz, Ross K. Meentemeyer, Bruce Wylie, Stephen P. Boyte
2021, Book chapter, Invasive species in forests and rangelands of the United States: A comprehensive science synthesis for the United States Forest Sector
The need for tools and technologies for understanding and quantifying invasive species has never been greater. Rates of infestation vary on the species or organism being examined across the United States, and notable examples can be found. For example, from 2001 to 2003 alone, ash (Fraxinus spp.) mortality progressed at a...
Development of aquaculture protocols and gonadal differentiation of red shiner
Chad N. Teal, Daniel J. Schill, Susan B. Fogelson, Scott A. Bonar
2021, North American Journal of Aquaculture (83) 145-154
Developing detailed rearing methods and describing the onset of gonadal differentiation in Red Shiners Cyprinella lutrensis could facilitate the development of novel techniques to control or enhance populations, enable toxicology studies, and help construct bioassays. In this study, we develop and report aquaculture practices for Red Shiner that ensure consistent year-round production...
Bottom trawl assessment of benthic preyfish community in Lake Ontario
Brian O’Malley, Jessica Goretzke, Jeremy P. Holden
2021, Report, NYSDEC Lake Ontario annual report 2020
Since 1978, the Lake Ontario benthic preyfish survey has provided information on the status and trends of the benthic preyfish community related to Lake Ontario Fish Community Objectives that include understanding preyfish population dynamics and community diversity. Beginning in 2015, the benthic preyfish survey expanded from US-only to incorporate lake-wide...
Gopherus agassizii
Kristin H. Berry, L. J. Allison, A. M. McLuckie, M. Vaughn, R. W. Murphy
2021, The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021
A provisional Red List Assessment of the widespread Desert Tortoise, Gopherus agassizii (sensu lato), was performed at a Desert Tortoise Council workshop in 2010 and updated by the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (TFTSG) in 2011, at which time the Mojave Desert subpopulation, now considered G. agassizii (sensu...
Mineral Mapping of the Battle Mountain District, Nevada, USA, Using AVIRIS-Classic and SpecTIR Inc. AisaFENIX 1K Imaging Spectrometer Datasets
John Michael Meyer, Elizabeth A. Holley, Raymond F. Kokaly, Gregg A. Swayze, Todd M. Hoefen
2021, Conference Paper, 2021 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium IGARSS
Imaging spectroscopy (hyperspectral imaging) has been used to successfully map minerals at the outcrop, deposit, district, and regional scale. This contribution presents spectral-based mineral maps of the Battle Mountain mining district, Nevada, USA, generated using multi-scale airborne imaging and ground-based point spectrometers. Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer...
Restoration of organic coastal and inland freshwater forests
Beth Middleton, Eric Ward, Lorenzo Menichetti
2021, Book chapter, Recarbonizing global soils – A technical manual of recommended management practices
Peatland forests occur worldwide in inundated soils where primary production and anaerobic conditions contribute to the building of soil organic matter (Günther et al., 2020). Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) can be substantial from drained freshwater forests with organic soils. Therefore, rewetting peat via hydrologic restoration (see factsheet n°12 on Peatland...
Effects of chronic and acute stressors on transplanted black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) seedlings along an eroding Louisiana shoreline
Aaron Macy, Michael Osland, Julia A. Cherry, Just Cebrian
2021, Restoration Ecology (29)
Coastal wetland restoration can be used to offset past wetland losses and/or reduce future losses due to land-use changes, rising sea levels, and accelerating climate change. However, there is a need for information regarding the restoration-relevant performance of foundation species like mangrove and marsh plants, including their responses to acute...
Using landscape metrics to characterize towns along an urban-rural gradient
Abigail R. Kaminski, Dana Marie Bauer, Kathleen P. Bell, Cyndy Loftin, Erik Nelson
2021, Landscape Ecology (36) 2937-2956
ContextUrban-rural gradients are useful tools when examining the influence of human disturbances on ecological, social and coupled systems, yet the most commonly used gradient definitions are based on single broad measures such as housing density or percent forest cover that fail to capture landscape patterns important for conservation.<h3...
The distribution of anadromy in steelhead / rainbow trout in the Eel River, northwestern California
Bret C. Harvey, Rodney J. Nakamoto, Adam J.R. Kent, Christian E. Zimmerman
2021, California Fish and Wildlife Journal (107) 77-88
To inform management and conservation of the species, we investigated the distribution of anadromy and residency of steelhead/rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Eel River of northwestern California. We determined maternal anadromy versus residency for 106 juvenile O. mykiss using otolith microchemistry. To attempt to relate patterns of anadromy with...
Conspecific and congeneric interactions shape increasing rates of breeding dispersal of northern spotted owls
Julianna M. A. Jenkins, Damon B. Lesmeister, Eric D. Forsman, Katie M. Dugger, Steven H. Ackers, Steven Andrews, Scott A. Gremel, Bruce A. Hollen, Chris E. McCafferty, Shane Pruett, Janice A. Reid, Stan A. Sovern, David Wiens
2021, Ecological Applications (31)
Breeding dispersal, the movement from one breeding territory to another, is rare for philopatric species that evolved within relatively stable environments, such as the old-growth coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest. Although dispersal is not inherently maladaptive, the consequences of increased dispersal on population dynamics in...
Fragmentation and streamflow metrics drive prairie chub (Macrhybopsis australis) occurrence in the upper Red River basin
R. Mollenhauer, Shannon K. Brewer, J.S. Perkin, D. Swedberg, M. Wedgeworth, Z.D. Steffensmeier
2021, Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (31) 3215-3227
Dam construction threatens global aquatic biodiversity by fragmenting stream networks and altering flow regimes. The negative effects of dams are exacerbated by increased drought periods and associated water withdrawals, especially in semi-arid regions. Stream fishes are particularly threatened owing to their mobile nature and requirement for multiple habitats to...
