Meeting the challenge of interacting threats in freshwater ecosystems: A call to scientists and managers
Laura S. Craig, Julian D. Olden, Angela Arthington, Sally Entrekin, Charles P. Hawkins, John J. Kelly, Theodore A. Kennedy, Bryan M. Maitland, Emma J. Rosi, Allison H. Roy, David L. Strayer, Jennifer L. Tank, Amie O. West, Matthew S. Wooten
2017, Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene
Human activities create threats that have consequences for freshwater ecosystems and, in most watersheds, observed ecological responses are the result of complex interactions among multiple threats and their associated ecological alterations. Here we discuss the value of considering multiple threats in research and management, offer suggestions for filling knowledge gaps,...
Comparison of two viewing methods for estimating largemouth bass and walleye ages from sectioned otoliths and dorsal spines
Eric J. Wegleitner, Daniel A. Isermann
2017, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (37) 1304-1310
Many biologists use digital images for estimating ages of fish, but the use of images could lead to differences in age estimates and precision because image capture can produce changes in light and clarity compared to directly viewing structures through a microscope. We used sectioned sagittal otoliths from 132 Largemouth...
Toward a unified near-field intensity map of the 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, Earthquake
Sujan Raj Adhikari, Gopi Baysal, Amod Dixit, Stacey Martin, Mattieu Landes, Remy Bossu, Susan E. Hough
2017, Earthquake Spectra (33) S21-S34
We develop a unified near-field shaking intensity map for the 25 April 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake by synthesizing intensities derived from macroseismic effects that were determined by independent groups using a variety of approaches. Independent assessments by different groups are generally consistent, with minor differences that are likely due...
Sea turtles, light pollution, and citizen science: A preliminary report
Heather Afford, Susan Teel, Mark Nicholas, Thomas R. Stanley, Jeremy White
2017, Conference Paper, Connections across people, place, and time: Proceedings of the 2017 George Wright Society Conference on Parks, Protected Areas, and Cultural Sites
Sea turtles are an important ecological resource for Gulf Islands National Seashore’s (Gulf Islands) waters and shorelines. Regionally, sea turtles face anthropogenic threats from situations such as entanglement in fishing gear and ingestion of marine debris, as well as possible changes in sex ratios due to increasing temperatures related to human-induced...
Do observed levels of exploitation from consumption-oriented and trophy-oriented fisheries reduce relative stock densities of Muskellunge below target levels in northern Wisconsin?
Matthew D. Faust, Michael J. Hansen
2017, Book chapter, Muskellunge management: Fifty years of cooperation among anglers, scientists, and fisheries biologists
Muskellunge anglers desire to catch large fish, and release rates by recreational anglers often approach 100% (Isermann et al. 2011). Muskellunge are also a culturally significant fish for Chippewa tribes and support a subsistence spearing fishery in Wisconsin’s Ceded Territory (Erickson 2007). Although Muskellunge populations within the state’s Ceded Territory...
Passive integrated transponder tags: Review of studies on warmwater fishes with notes on additional species
W. Chris Musselman, Thomas A. Worthington, Joshua Mouser, Desiree M. Williams, Shannon K. Brewer
2017, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (8) 353-364
Although numerous studies have assessed retention and survival of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags, data are scattered and information gaps remain for many diminutive fishes. Our study objectives were to 1) systematically review PIT tag studies and summarize retention, growth, and survival data for warmwater fishes; and 2) conduct a...
Turtles: Freshwater
J. Whitfield Gibbons, Jeffrey E. Lovich, R.M. Bowden
2017, Book chapter, Reference module in life sciences
With their iconic shells, turtles are morphologically distinct in being the only extant or extinct vertebrate animals to have their shoulders and hips inside their rib cages. By the time an asteroid hit the earth 65.5 million years ago, causing the extinction of dinosaurs, turtles were already an ancient lineage...
CO2 cycle
Timothy N. Titus, Shane Byrne, Anthony Colaprete, Francois Forget, Timothy I. Michaels, Thomas H. Prettyman
2017, Book chapter, The atmosphere and climate of Mars
This chapter discusses the use of models, observations, and laboratory experiments to understand the cycling of CO2 between the atmosphere and seasonal Martian polar caps. This cycle is primarily controlled by the polar heat budget, and thus the emphasis here is on its components, including solar and infrared radiation, the...
Developing a translational ecology workforce
Mark W. Schwartz, J. Kevin Hiers, Frank W. Davis, Gregg Garfin, Stephen T. Jackson, Adam J. Terando, Connie A. Woodhouse, Toni Lyn Morelli, Matthew A. Williamson, Mark W. Brunson
2017, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (15) 587-596
We define a translational ecologist as a professional ecologist with diverse disciplinary expertise and skill sets, as well as a suitable personal disposition, who engages across social, professional, and disciplinary boundaries to partner with decision makers to achieve practical environmental solutions. Becoming a translational ecologist requires specific attention to obtaining...
Genetic structure of muskellunge in the Great Lakes region and the effects of supplementation on genetic integrity of wild populations
Keith N. Turnquist, Wesley Larson, John M. Farrell, P.A. Hanchin, Kevin L. Kapuscinski, Loren M. Miller, Kim T. Scribner, Chris C. Wilson, Brian L. Sloss
2017, Journal of Great Lakes Research (43) 1141-1152
Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) are important apex predators that support numerous recreational fisheries throughout the Great Lakes region. Declines in muskellunge abundance from historical overharvest and environmental degradation have threatened the viability of many populations and prompted significant restoration efforts that often include stocking. The goal of our study was to...
Northern hemisphere jet stream positions indices as diagnostic tools for climate and ecosystem dynamics
Soumaya Belmecheri, Flurin Babst, Amy R. Hudson, Julio L. Betancourt, Valerie Trouet
2017, Earth Interactions (21) 1-23
The latitudinal position of the Northern Hemisphere jet stream (NHJ) modulates the occurrence and frequency of extreme weather events. Precipitation anomalies in particular are associated with NHJ variability; the resulting floods and droughts can have considerable societal and economic impacts. This study develops a new climatology of the 300-hPa NHJ...
Decaying lava extrusion rate at El Reventador Volcano, Ecuador measured using high-resolution satellite radar
D. W. D. Arnold, J. Biggs, Kyle R. Anderson, S. Vallejo Vargas, G. Wadge, S. K. Ebmeier, M. F. Naranjo, P. Mothes
2017, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (122) 9966-9988
Lava extrusion at erupting volcanoes causes rapid changes in topography and morphology on the order of tens or even hundreds of meters. Satellite radar provides a method for measuring changes in topographic height over a given time period to an accuracy of meters, either by measuring the width of radar...
Cobalt—Styles of deposits and the search for primary deposits
Murray W. Hitzman, Arthur A. Bookstrom, John F. Slack, Michael L. Zientek
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1155
Cobalt (Co) is a potentially critical mineral. The vast majority of cobalt is a byproduct of copper and (or) nickel production. Cobalt is increasingly used in magnets and rechargeable batteries. More than 50 percent of primary cobalt production is from the Central African Copperbelt. The Central African Copperbelt is the...
Groundwater flux and nutrient loading in the northeast section of Bear Lake, Muskegon County, Michigan, 2015
Alexander R. Totten, Jessica A. Maurer, Joseph W. Duris
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5092
Bear Lake in North Muskegon, Michigan, is listed as part of the Muskegon Lake area of concern as designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This area of concern was designated as a result of eutrophication and beneficial use impairments. On the northeast end of Bear Lake, two man-made retention...
Development of the next generation of seismic design value maps for the 2020 NEHRP Provisions
Ronald Hamburger, David Bonneville, C.B. Crouse, James D. Dolan, Ben Enfield, Julie Furr, Robert Hanson, James A. Harris, John Heintz, William Holmes, Jon Hooper, Charles Kircher, Nico Luco, Steven McCabe, Robert Pekelnicky, Jon Siu, Sanaz Rezaeian, Philipp Schneider, Jonathan P. Stewart, Siamak Sattar, Mai Tong, Jiqiu Yuan
2017, Report
During the period January 2015 through August 2018, a joint committee of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) representatives and National Institute of Building Sciences Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) volunteers and staff formed a committee to conduct Project 17. The purpose of Project 17 was to formulate recommendations for the rules...
North American Breeding Bird Survey in Mississippi
Daniel J. Twedt, Keith L. Pardieck
2017, Mississippi Kite (47) 70-83
Does it seem like you are hearing fewer Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) calls in recent years than you remember when you were younger? Conversely, have you also noticed hearing more “cooing” of Eurasian Collared-Doves (Streptopelia decaocto)? Do such experiences reflect changes in bird populations or are they false impressions? Well,...
Evidence for migratory spawning behavior by morphologically distinct Cisco (Coregonus artedi) from a small inland lake
Alexander J. Ross, Brian Weidel, Mellisa Leneker, Christopher T. Solomon
2017, The American Midland Naturalist (178) 237-244
Conservation and management of rare fishes relies on managers having the most informed understanding of the underlying ecology of the species under investigation. Cisco (Coregonus artedi), a species of conservation concern, is a cold-water pelagic fish that is notoriously variable in morphometry and life history. Published reports indicate, at spawning...
Potential for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems applications for identifying groundwater-surface water exchange in a meandering river reach
H. Pai, H. Malenda, Martin A. Briggs, K. Singha, R. González-Pinzón, M. Gooseff, S.W. Tyler, AirCTEMPS Team
2017, Geophysical Research Letters (44) 11868-11877
The exchange of groundwater and surface water (GW-SW), including dissolved constituents and energy, represents a critical yet challenging characterization problem for hydrogeologists and stream ecologists. Here, we describe the use of a suite of high spatial-resolution remote-sensing techniques, collected using a small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS), to provide novel and...
Sage grouse
Shawna Zimmerman, Jennifer M. Timmer, Cameron L. Aldridge, Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Clait E. Braun, Jessica R. Young
2017, Book chapter, Colorado Encyclopedia
Sage grouse are a group of chicken-sized birds with a unique breeding behavior and dependence on sagebrush shrubs (genus Artemisia) for food and shelter throughout their life cycle. In the last century, human population expansion throughout western North America has reduced the amount of sagebrush and degraded and fragmented the...
Impact-related microspherules in Late Pleistocene Alaskan and Yukon “muck” deposits signify recurrent episodes of catastrophic emplacement
Jonathan T. Hagstrum, Richard B. Firestone, Allen West, James C. Weaver, Ted E. Bunch
2017, Scientific Reports (7)
Large quantities of impact-related microspherules have been found in fine-grained sediments retained within seven out of nine, radiocarbon-dated, Late Pleistocene mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) and bison (Bison priscus) skull fragments. The well-preserved fossils were recovered from frozen “muck” deposits (organic-rich silt) exposed within the Fairbanks and Klondike mining districts of Alaska,...
Volcanic ash and aviation–The challenges of real-time, global communication of a natural hazard
Peter Lechner, Andrew C. Tupper, Marianne C. Guffanti, Sue Loughlin, Thomas Casadevall
2017, Book chapter, Advances in Volcanology
More than 30 years after the first major aircraft encounters with volcanic ash over Indonesia in 1982, it remains challenging to inform aircraft in flight of the exact location of potentially dangerous ash clouds on their flight path, particularly shortly after the eruption has occurred. The difficulties include reliably forecasting...
Role of social media and networking in volcanic crises and communication
Sally K. Sennert, Erik W. Klemetti, Deanne Bird
2017, Book chapter, Advances in Volcanology
The growth of social media as a primary and often preferred news source has contributed to the rapid dissemination of information about volcanic eruptions and potential volcanic crises as an eruption begins. Information about volcanic activity comes from a variety of sources: news organisations, emergency management personnel, individuals (both public...
Monitoring the welfare of polar bear populations in a rapidly changing Arctic
Todd C. Atwood, Colleen G. Duncan, Kelly A. Patyk, Sarah A. Sonsthagen
2017, Book chapter, Marine mammal welfare
Most programs for monitoring the welfare of wildlife populations support efforts aimed at reaching discrete management objectives, like mitigating conflict with humans. While such programs can be effective, their limited scope may preclude systemic evaluations needed for large-scale conservation initiatives, like the recovery of at-risk species. We discuss select categories...
Concepts and practices: Estimating abundance of prey species using hierarchical model-based approaches
Robert Dorazio, N. Samba Kumar, J. Andrew Royle, Arjun M. Gopalaswamy
2017, Book chapter, Methods for monitoring tiger and prey populations
Tigers predominantly prey on large ungulate species, such as sambar (Cervus unicolor), red deer (Cervus elaphus), gaur (Bos gaurus), banteng (Bos javanicus), chital (Axis axis), muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak), wild pig (Sus scrofa), and bearded pig (Sus barbatus). The density of a tiger population is strongly correlated with the density of...
Implications of rapid environmental change for polar bear behavior and sociality
Todd C. Atwood
2017, Book chapter, Marine mammal welfare
Historically, the Arctic sea ice has functioned as a structural barrier that has limited the nature and extent of interactions between humans and polar bears (Ursus maritimus). However, declining sea ice extent, brought about by global climate change, is increasing the potential for human-polar bear interactions. Loss of...
