Risk factors and productivity losses associated with Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae infection in United States domestic sheep operations
Kezia R. Manlove, M Branan, K Baker, D Bradway, E. F. Cassirer, K.L Marshall, Ryan S. Miller, Steven J. Sweeney, Paul C. Cross, T. E. Besser
2019, Preventive Veterinary Medicine 30-38
Association of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae with pneumonia in domestic small ruminants has been described in Europe, Asia, and New Zealand but has received less attention in the United States. In 2011, the US Department of Agriculture’s National Animal Health Monitoring Survey detected M. ovipneumoniae shedding in 88% of 453 domestic sheep...
Three-dimensional partitioning of resources by congeneric forest predators with recent sympatry
Julianna M Jenkins, Damon B. Lesmeister, David Wiens, Jonathan T Kane, Van R. Kane, Jake V Verschuyl
2019, Scientific Reports (9) 1-10
Coexistence of ecologically similar species can be maintained by partitioning along one or more niche axes. Three-dimensional structural complexity is central to facilitating resource partitioning between many forest species, but is underrepresented in field-based studies. We examined resource selection by sympatric northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina), a threatened species...
Eastern Carpenter Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae): Nest structure, nest cell provisions, and trap nest acceptance in Rhode Island
Sara K Tucker, Howard S. Ginsberg, Steven R. Alm
2019, Environmental Entomology (48) 702-710
Analysis of pollen provisions in Xylocopa virginica (L.) nests in southern Rhode Island showed that this species produced pollen loaves from 21 different genera of plants in 2016, 19 in 2017, and 39 in 2018. Antirrhinium majus L. (garden snapdragon) pollen was the most common type collected in all three years (21.4%). Overall, wind-pollinated...
Integrating fish assemblage data, modeled stream temperatures, and thermal tolerance metrics to develop thermal guilds for water temperature regulation: Wyoming case study
Caitlin P. Mandeville, Frank J. Rahel, Lindsay S. Patterson, Annika W. Walters
2019, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (148) 739-754
Many streams are experiencing increased average temperatures due to anthropogenic activity and climate change. As a result, surface water temperature regulation is critical for preserving a diverse stream fish species assemblage. The development of temperature regulations has generally been based on laboratory measurements of individual species' thermal tolerances rather than...
Quantifying ecological integrity of terrestrial systems to inform management of multiple-use public lands in the United States
Sarah K. Carter, Erica Fleishman, Ian I.F. Leinwand, Curtis H. Flather, Natasha B. Carr, Frank A. Fogarty, Matthias Leu, Barry R. Noon, M.E. Wohlfeil, David J. A. Wood
2019, Environmental Management (64) 1-19
The concept of ecological integrity has been applied widely to management of aquatic systems, but still is considered by many to be too vague and difficult to quantify to be useful for managing terrestrial systems, particularly across broad areas. Extensive public lands in the western United States are managed for...
Satellite tracking of gulls and genomic characterization of fecal bacteria reveals environmentally mediated acquisition and dispersal of antimicrobial resistant Escherichia coli on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Christina Ahlstrom, Jonas Bonnedahl, Hanna Woksepp, Jorge Hernandez, John Reed, T. Lee Tibbitts, Bjorn Olsen, David C. Douglas, Andrew M. Ramey
2019, Molecular Ecology (28) 2531-2545
Gulls (Larus spp.) have frequently been reported to carry Escherichia coli exhibiting antimicrobial resistance (AMR E. coli); however, the pathways governing the acquisition and dispersal of such bacteria are not well-described. We equipped 17 landfill-foraging gulls with satellite transmitters and collected gull fecal samples longitudinally from four locations on the...
A framework for characterising and evaluating the effectiveness of environmental modelling
Serena H Hamilton, Baihua Fu, Joseph H. A. Guillaume, Jennifer Badham, Sondoss Elsawah, Patricia Gober, Randall J. Hunt, Takuya Iwanaga, Anthony J. Jakeman, Daniel P. Ames, Allan Curtis, Mary C Hill, Suzanne A Pierce, Fateme Zare
2019, Environmental Modelling and Software (118) 83-98
Environmental modelling is transitioning from the traditional paradigm that focuses on the model and its quantitative performance to a more holistic paradigm that recognises successful model-based outcomes are closely tied to undertaking modelling as a social process, not just as a...
Can multi-element fingerprinting of soils inform assessments of chemical connectivity between depressional wetlands?
Xiaoyan Zhu, Yuxiang Yuan, David M. Mushet, Marinus L. Otte
2019, Wetlands (39) 1015-1027
The question of wetland connectivity is particularly relevant regarding depressional wetlands because these wetlands often seem to be “isolated” from other wetlands on a landscape. In this study, multi-element fingerprinting of soils was used to assess similarity in element composition of depressional-wetland soils as a measure of wetland connectivity. We...
Bats in a changing landscape: Linking occupancy and traits of a diverse montane bat community to fire regime
Elisabeth B. Webb, R.V. Blakely, Dylan C. Kesler, R. B. Siegel, D.C. Barrios, J.M. Johnson
2019, Ecology and Evolution (9) 5324-5337
1. Wildfires are increasing in incidence and severity across the western US, leading to changes in forest structure and wildlife habitats. Knowledge of how species respond to fire-driven habitat changes in these landscapes is limited and generally disconnected from our understanding of adaptations that underpin responses to fire. 2. We...
Stratigraphic and structural relations in trench exposures and geomorphology at the Big Burn, Lily Lake, and Lester Ranch sites, Bear River Fault Zone, Utah and Wyoming
Suzanne Hecker, Christopher DuRoss, David P. Schwartz, Francesca R. Cinti, Riccardo Civico, William R. Lund, Adam I. Hiscock, Michael W. West, Tarka Wilcox, Alivia R. Stoller
2019, Scientific Investigations Map 3430
This report provides trench photomosaics, logs and related site information, age data, and earthquake event evidence from three paleoseismic trench sites on the Bear River Fault Zone. Our motivation for studying the Bear River Fault Zone—a nascent normal fault in the Rocky Mountains east of the Basin and Range physiographic...
Seasonality and prevalence of pollen collected from Hawaiian nectarivorous birds
Kathryn van Dyk, Kristina L. Paxton, Patrick J. Hart, Eben H. Paxton
2019, Pacific Science (73) 187-197
Hawaiian nectarivorous forest birds play a vital ecological role as pollinators in Hawaiian ecosystems. However, little is known about what nectar resources are utilized by Hawai‘i’s nectarivorous birds, how seasonality influences nectar availability, and how nectar preference differs by bird species. We sampled pollen from the heads of ‘i‘iwi (Drepanis...
Advancing barrier island habitat mapping using landscape position information
Nicholas Enwright, Lei Wang, Sinéad M. Borchert, Richard Day, Laura Feher, Michael Osland
2019, Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment (43) 425-450
Barrier islands are dynamic ecosystems that change gradually from coastal processes, including currents and tides, and rapidly from episodic events, such as storms. These islands provide many important ecosystem services, including storm protection and erosion control to the mainland, habitat for fish and wildlife, and tourism. Habitat maps, developed by...
The rise of an apex predator following deglaciation
Mevin Hooten, George G. Esslinger
2019, Diversity and Distributions (25) 895-908
AimSea otters (Enhydra lutris) are an apex predator of the nearshore marine community and nearly went extinct at the turn of the 20th century. Reintroductions and legal protection allowed sea otters to re‐colonize much of their former range. Our objective was to chronicle the colonization of...
Three-dimensional basin and fault structure from a detailed seismic velocity model of Coachella Valley, Southern California
Rasheed Ajala, Patricia Persaud, Joann M. Stock, Gary S. Fuis, John A. Hole, Mark Goldman, Daniel S. Scheirer
2019, Journal of Geophysical Research (124) 4728-4750
The Coachella Valley in the northern Salton Trough is known to produce destructive earthquakes, making it a high seismic hazard area. Knowledge of the seismic velocity structure and geometry of the sedimentary basins and fault zones is required to improve earthquake hazard estimates in this region. We simultaneously inverted first...
To forage or flee: Lessons from an elk migration near a protected area
Nathaniel Mikle, Tabitha A. Graves, Edward M. Olexa
2019, Ecosphere (10) 1-15
Alteration of wide-ranging wildlife migrations can drastically impact the structure and function of ecosystems, yet the causes and consequences of shifting migration patterns remain largely unknown. Management decisions made in one portion of a landscape may induce spatial and temporal shifts of wildlife use in another, creating tension among private,...
Rare earth element mineral deposits in the United States
Bradley S. Van Gosen, Philip L. Verplanck, Poul Emsbo
2019, Circular 1454
Because of their unique special chemical properties, many of the metals in the group of rare earth elements (REEs) have essential applications in 21st century technologies. Examples of products that use REEs are cell phones, computers, fluorescent and light-emitting-diode lights, flat-screen television and computer monitors, and in high-strength magnets used...
Environmental DNA sampling reveals high occupancy rates of invasive Burmese pythons at wading bird breeding aggregations in the central Everglades
Sophia C. M. Orzechowski, Peter C. Frederick, Robert M. Dorazio, Margaret Hunter
2019, PLoS ONE (14)
The Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is now established as a breeding population throughout south Florida, USA. However, the extent of the invasion, and the ecological impacts of this novel apex predator on animal communities are incompletely known, in large part because Burmese pythons (hereafter “pythons”) are extremely cryptic...
Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Best Management Practice Implementation in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, 1985–2014
Andrew J. Sekellick, Olivia H. Devereux, Jennifer L. D. Keisman, Jeffrey S. Sweeney, Joel D. Blomquist
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5171
Efforts to restore water quality in Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries often include extensive Best Management Practice (BMP) implementation on agricultural and developed lands. These BMPs include a variety of methods to reduce nutrient and sediment loads, such as cover crops, conservation tillage, urban filtering systems, and other practices.Estimates of...
Groundwater quality and nutrient trends near Marsing, southwestern Idaho, 2018
Kenneth D. Skinner
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1032
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, sampled groundwater from 15 wells during spring 2018 near the city of Marsing in rural northwestern Owyhee County, southwestern Idaho. Samples were analyzed for field parameters, nutrients, trace elements, major inorganics, and dissolved gas, including methane....
A landscape model of variable social-ecological fire regimes
Robert M Scheller, Alec Kretchun, Todd Hawbaker, Paul D. Henne
2019, Ecological Modelling (401) 85-93
Fire regimes are now recognized as the product of social processes whereby fire on any landscape is the product of human-generated drivers: climate change, historical patterns of vegetation manipulation, invasive species, active fire suppression, ongoing fuel management efforts, prescribed burning, and accidental ignitions. We developed a new fire...
Establishing an Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise monitoring program within the Coachella Valley multiple species habitat conservation plan area: Final report to the Coachella Valley conservation commission on work performed near the Orocopia Mountains
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Shellie R. Puffer, Kristy L. Cummings
2019, Book chapter, 2019 Annual Report: Coachella Valley multiple species conservation plan/natural community conservation plan
In support of the goals of the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan and Natural Community Conservation Plan (CVMSHCP/NCCP), a population of Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) was marked and studied to establish a desert tortoise monitoring program near the Orocopia Mountains beginning in early 2017 and ending in...
Biases in the literature on direct wildlife mortality from energy development
Scott R. Loss, Monica Dorning, James E. Diffendorfer
2019, BioScience (69) 348-359
Comparing environmental impacts of different energy sources can inform energy investments and environmental conservation. Direct wildlife mortality from energy development receives substantial public and scientific attention, but it is unclear whether rigorous comparisons of mortality among energy sources are possible. To address this question, we compared availability of mortality...
Hurricane Sandy impacts on coastal wetland resilience
Donald R. Cahoon, Jennifer H. Olker, Alice G. Yeates, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, James B. Grace, Susan C. Adamowicz, Shimon C. Anisfeld, Andrew H. Baldwin, Nels Barrett, Leah Beckett, Alice Benzecry, Linda K. Blum, David M. Burdick, William Crouch, Marci Cole Ekberg, Sarah Fernald, Kristin Wilson Grimes, Joseph Grzyb, Ellen Kracauer Hartig, Danielle A. Kreeger, Marit Larson, Scott Lerberg, James C. Lynch, Nicole Maher, Martha Maxwell-Doyle, Laura R. Mitchell, Jordan Mora, Victoria O’Neill, Angela Padeletti, Diann J. Prosser, Tracy Quirk, Kenneth B. Raposa, William G. Reay, Drexel Siok, Christopher Snow, Adam Starke, J. Court Stevenson, Lorie Staver, Vincent Turner
2019, Open-File Report 2018-1142
The goal of this research was to evaluate the impacts of Hurricane Sandy on surface elevation trends in estuarine marshes located across the northeast region of the United States from Virginia to Maine using data from an opportunistic (in other words, not strategic) and collaborative network (from here on, an...
Implementation of an occupancy-based monitoring protocol for a wide-spread and cryptic species, the New England cottontail Sylvilagus transitionalis
Colin P. Shea, Mitchell J. Eaton, Darryl I. MacKenzie
2019, Wildlife Research
Designing effective long-term monitoring strategies is essential for managing wildlife populations. Implementing a cost-effective, practical monitoring program is especially challenging for widespread but locally rare species. Early successional habitat preferred by the New England cottontail (NEC) has become increasingly rare and fragmented, resulting in substantial declines from their peak distribution...
Annual survival, site fidelity, and longevity in the eastern coastal population of the Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) based on a 20-year mark-recapture/resighting study
Paul W. Sykes, Mary Freeman, Joan J. Sykes, John T. Seginak, M. David Oleyar, Joshua P. Egan
2019, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (131) 96-110
A long-term study of annual survival, longevity, and site fidelity in the eastern coastal population of the Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) during the breeding season was conducted from 1999 through 2018 in the outer coastal plain of the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States. Painted Buntings were uniquely color-banded...
