Lead and strontium isotopes as monitors of anthropogenic contaminants in the surficial environment
Robert A. Ayuso, Nora K. Foley
2018, Book chapter, Environmental Geochemistry
Isotopic discrimination can be an effective tool in establishing a direct link between sources of Pb contamination and the presence of anomalously high concentrations of Pb in waters, soils, and organisms. Residential wells supplying water containing up to 1600 ppb Pb to houses built on the former Mohr orchards commercial site,...
Environmental characteristics and utilization potential of metallurgical slag
Nadine M. Piatak
Benedetto De Vivo, Harvey E. Belkin, Annamaria Lima, editor(s)
2018, Book chapter, Environmental Geochemistry
Slag, an abundant byproduct from the pyrometallurgical processing of ores, can be an environmental liability or a valuable resource. The most common environmental impact of slag is from the leaching of potentially toxic elements, acidity, or alkalinity that may impact nearby soils and surface water and groundwater. Factors that...
Human drivers, biophysical changes, and climatic variation affecting contemporary cropping proportions in the northern prairie of the U.S
Roger F. Auch, George Z. Xian, Christopher R. Laingen, Kristi Sayler, R Reker
2018, Journal of Land Use Science (13) 32-58
Grassland to cropland conversion in the northern prairie of the United States has been a topic of recent land use change studies. Within this region more corn and soybeans are grown now (2017) than in the past, but most studies to date have not examined multi-decadal trends and the synergistic...
Landscape-scale variation in canopy water content of giant sequoias during drought
Tarin Paz-Kagan, Nicolas R. Vaughn, Roberta E. Martin, Philip G. Brodrick, Nathan L. Stephenson, Adrian Das, Koren R. Nydick, Gregory P. Asner
2018, Forest Ecology and Management (419-420) 291-304
Recent drought (2012–2016) caused unprecedented foliage dieback in giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum), a species endemic to the western slope of the southern Sierra Nevada in central California. As part of an effort to understand and map sequoia response to droughts, we studied the patterns of remotely sensed canopy water content...
Fear of feces? Trade-offs between disease risk and foraging drive animal activity around raccoon latrines
Sara B. Weinstein, Chad W. Moura, Jon Francis Mendez, Kevin D. Lafferty
2018, Oikos (127) 927-934
Fear of predation alters prey behavior, which can indirectly alter entire landscapes. A parasite-induced ecology of fear might also exist if animals avoid parasite-contaminated resources when infection costs outweigh foraging benefits. To investigate whether animals avoid parasite contaminated sites, and if such avoidance balances disease costs and foraging gains, we...
Oak habitat recovery on California's largest islands: Scenarios for the role of corvid seed dispersal
Mario B. Pesendorfer, Christopher M. Baker, Martin Stringer, Eve McDonald-Madden, Michael Bode, Kathryn McEachern, Scott A. Morrison, T. Scott Sillett
2018, Journal of Applied Ecology (55) 1185-1194
Seed dispersal by birds is central to the passive restoration of many tree communities. Reintroduction of extinct seed dispersers can therefore restore degraded forests and woodlands. To test this, we constructed a spatially explicit simulation model, parameterized with field data, to consider the effect of different seed...
Numerical modeling of salt marsh morphological change induced by Hurricane Sandy
Kelin Hu, Q. Chen, Hongqing Wang, Ellen K. Hartig, Philip M. Orton
2018, Coastal Engineering (132) 63-81
The salt marshes of Jamaica Bay serve as a recreational outlet for New York City residents, mitigate wave impacts during coastal storms, and provide habitat for critical wildlife species. Hurricanes have been recognized as one of the critical drivers of coastal wetland morphology due to their effects on hydrodynamics and...
Using gene transcription to assess ecological and anthropological stressors in brown bears
Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, Dave Gustine, Kyle Joly, Grant V. Hilderbrand
2018, EcoHealth 121-131
Increasingly, population- and ecosystem-level health assessments are performed using sophisticated molecular tools. Advances in molecular technology enable the identification of synergistic effects of multiple stressors on the individual physiology of different species. Brown bears (Ursus arctos) are an apex predator; thus, they are ideal candidates for detecting potentially...
Drought-induced recharge promotes long-term storage of porewater salinity beneath a prairie wetland
Zeno F Levy, Donald O. Rosenberry, Robert Moucha, David M. Mushet, Martin B. Goldhaber, James W. LaBaugh, Anthony J Fiorentino, Donald I. Siegel
2018, Journal of Hydrology (557) 391-409
Subsurface storage of sulfate salts allows closed-basin wetlands in the semiarid Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America to maintain moderate surface water salinity (total dissolved solids [TDS] from 1 to 10 g L−1), which provides critical habitat for communities of aquatic biota. However, it is unclear how the salinity of wetland...
Dual-phase mass balance modeling of small mineral particle losses from sedimentary rock-derived soils
Carleton R. Bern, Tiffany Yesavage
2018, Chemical Geology (476) 441-455
Losses of small mineral particles can be a significant physical process that affects the elemental composition of soils derived from sedimentary rocks. Shales, in particular, contain abundant clay-sized minerals that can be mobilized by simple disaggregation, and solutional weathering is limited because the parent rock is composed primarily of recalcitrant minerals...
The timing and origin of pre- and post-caldera volcanism associated with the Mesa Falls Tuff, Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field
Mark E. Stelten, Duane E. Champion, Mel A. Kuntz
2018, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (350) 47-60
We present new sanidine 40Ar/39Ar ages and paleomagnetic data for pre- and post-caldera rhyolites from the second volcanic cycle of the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field, which culminated in the caldera-forming eruption of the Mesa Falls Tuff at ca. 1.3 Ma. These data allow for a detailed reconstruction of the eruptive history of the second volcanic cycle and...
Volcano crisis communication: Challenges and solutions in the 21st century
Carina J Fearnley, Annie E G Winson, John S. Pallister, Robert I. Tilling
2018, Book chapter
This volume, Observing the volcano world: volcanic crisis communication, focuses at the point where the ‘rubber hits the road’, where the world of volcano-related sciences and all its uncertainties meet with the complex and ever-changing dynamics of our society, wherever and whenever this may be. Core to the issues addressed in this...
MHC class II DRB diversity predicts antigen recognition and is associated with disease severity in California sea lions naturally infected with Leptospira interrogans
Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse, Frances Gulland, Lizabeth Bowen
2018, Infection, Genetics and Evolution (57) 158-165
We examined the associations between California sea lion MHC class II DRB (Zaca-DRB) configuration and diversity, and leptospirosis. As Zaca-DRB gene sequences are involved with antigen presentation of bacteria and other extracellular pathogens, we predicted that they would play a role in determining responses to these pathogenic spirochaetes. Specifically, we...
The influence of bed friction variability due to land cover on storm-driven barrier island morphodynamics
Davina Passeri, Joseph W. Long, Nathaniel G. Plant, Matthew V. Bilskie, Scott C. Hagen
2018, Coastal Engineering (132) 82-94
Variations in bed friction due to land cover type have the potential to influence morphologic change during storm events; the importance of these variations can be studied through numerical simulation and experimentation at locations with sufficient observational data to initialize realistic scenarios, evaluate model accuracy and guide interpretations. Two-dimensional in...
From salmon to shad: Shifting sources of marine-derived nutrients in the Columbia River Basin
Craig A. Haskell
2018, Ecology of Freshwater Fish (27) 310-322
Like Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), nonnative American shad (Alosa sapidissima) have the potential to convey large quantities of nutrients between the Pacific Ocean and freshwater spawning areas in the Columbia River Basin (CRB). American shad are now the most numerous anadromous fish in the CRB, yet the magnitude of the resulting...
Mapping of compositional properties of coal using isometric log-ratio transformation and sequential Gaussian simulation – A comparative study for spatial ultimate analyses data
C. Ozgen Karacan, Ricardo A. Olea
2018, Journal of Geochemical Exploration (186) 36-49
Chemical properties of coal largely determine coal handling, processing, beneficiation methods, and design of coal-fired power plants. Furthermore, these properties impact coal strength, coal blending during mining, as well as coal's gas content, which is important for mining safety. In order for these processes and quantitative predictions to be successful, safer, and...
Will fluctuations in salt marsh–mangrove dominance alter vulnerability of a subtropical wetland to sea‐level rise?
Karen L. McKee, William Vervaeke
2018, Global Change Biology (24) 1224-1238
To avoid submergence during sea-level rise, coastal wetlands build soil surfaces vertically through accumulation of inorganic sediment and organic matter. At climatic boundaries where mangroves are expanding and replacing salt marsh, wetland capacity to respond to sea-level rise may change. To compare how well mangroves and salt marshes accommodate sea-level...
Loss of dendritic connectivity in southern California's urban riverscape facilitates decline of an endemic freshwater fish
Jonathan Q. Richmond, Adam R. Backlin, Carey Galst-Cavalcante, John W. O’Brien, Robert N. Fisher
2018, Molecular Ecology (27) 369-386
Life history adaptations and spatial configuration of metapopulation networks allow certain species to persist in extreme fluctuating environments, yet long-term stability within these systems relies on the maintenance of linkage habitat. Degradation of such linkages in urban riverscapes can disrupt this dynamic in aquatic species, leading to increased extinction debt...
Occurrence of dichloroacetamide herbicide safeners and co-applied herbicides in midwestern U.S. streams
Emily Woodward, Michelle L. Hladik, Dana W. Kolpin
2018, Environmental Science & Technology Letters (5) 3-8
Dichloroacetamide safeners (e.g., AD-67, benoxacor, dichlormid, and furilazole) are co-applied with chloroacetanilide herbicides to protect crops from herbicide toxicity. While such safeners have been used since the early 1970s, there are minimal data about safener usage, occurrence in streams, or potential ecological effects. This study focused on one of these...
Water guns affect abundance and behavior of bigheaded carp and native fish differently
Jose Rivera, David C. Glover, Patrick Kocovsky, James E. Garvey, Mark P. Gaikowski, Nathan R. Jensen, Ryan F. Adams
2018, Biological Invasions (20) 1243-1255
Water guns have shown the potential to repel nuisance aquatic organisms. This study examines the effects of exposure to a 1966.4 cm3 seismic water gun array (two guns) on the abundance and behavior of Bighead Carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, Silver Carp H. molitrix (collectively referred to as bigheaded carp) and native fishes...
Inferring epidemiologic dynamics from viral evolution: 2014–2015 Eurasian/North American highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses exceed transmission threshold, R0 = 1, in wild birds and poultry in North America
Daniel R. Grear, Jeffrey S. Hall, Robert J. Dusek, S. Ip
2018, Evolutionary Applications (11) 547-557
Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) is a multihost pathogen with lineages that pose health risks for domestic birds, wild birds, and humans. One mechanism of intercontinental HPAIV spread is through wild bird reservoirs, and wild birds were the likely sources of a Eurasian (EA) lineage HPAIV into North America...
Estimating the per-capita contribution of habitats and pathways in a migratory network: A modelling approach
Ruscena Wiederholt, Brady J. Mattsson, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Michael C. Runge, Jay E. Diffendorfer, Richard A. Erickson, Paula Federico, Laura Lopez-Hoffman, John Fryxell, D. Ryan Norris, Christine Sample
2018, Ecography (41) 815-824
Every year, migratory species undertake seasonal movements along different pathways between discrete regions and habitats. The ability to assess the relative demographic contributions of these different habitats and pathways to the species’ overall population dynamics is critical for understanding the ecology of migratory species, and also has practical applications for...
The geomorphic legacy of water and erosion control structures in a semiarid rangeland watershed
Mary H. Nichols, Christopher S. Magirl, N.F. Sayre, Jeremy R. Shaw
2018, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (43) 909-918
Control over water supply and distribution is critical for agriculture in drylands where manipulating surface runoff often serves the dual purpose of erosion control. However, little is known of the geomorphic impacts and legacy effects of rangeland water manipulation infrastructure, especially if not maintained. This study investigated the geomorphic impacts...
Weekly summer diet of gray wolves (Canis lupus) in northeastern Minnesota
Thomas D. Gable, Steve K. Windels, John G. Bruggink, Shannon Barber-Meyer
2018, American Midland Naturalist (179) 15-27
Wolves (Canis lupus) are opportunistic predators and will capitalize on available abundant food sources. However, wolf diet has primarily been examined at monthly, seasonal, or annual scales, which can obscure short-term responses to available food. We examined weekly wolf diet from late June to early October by collecting scats from...
Watershed export of fine sediment, organic carbon, and chlorophyll-a to Chesapeake Bay: Spatial and temporal patterns in 1984–2016
Qian Zhang, Joel D. Blomquist
2018, Science of the Total Environment (619-620) 1066-1078
Chesapeake Bay has long experienced nutrient enrichment and water clarity deterioration. This study provides new quantification of loads and yields for sediment (fine and coarse grained), organic carbon (total, dissolved, and particulate), and chlorophyll-a from the monitored nontidal Chesapeake Bay watershed (MNTCBW), all of which are expected to drive estuarine water clarity. We...
