Harvest and group effects on pup survival in a cooperative breeder
David E. Ausband, Michael S. Mitchell, Carisa R. Stansbury, Jennifer L. Stenglein, Lisette P. Waits
2017, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (284)
Recruitment in cooperative breeders can be negatively affected by changes in group size and composition. The majority of cooperative breeding studies have not evaluated human harvest; therefore, the effects of recurring annual harvest and group characteristics on survival of young are poorly understood. We evaluated how harvest and groups affect...
Reexamining ultrafiltration and solute transport in groundwater
Christopher E. Neuzil, Mark Person
2017, Water Resources Research (53) 4922-4941
Geologic ultrafiltration—slowing of solutes with respect to flowing groundwater—poses a conundrum: it is consistently observed experimentally in clay-rich lithologies, but has been difficult to identify in subsurface data. Resolving this could be important for clarifying clay and shale transport properties at large scales as well as interpreting solute and isotope...
Comparison of burbot populations across adjacent native and introduced ranges
Annika W. Walters, Elizabeth G. Mandeville, W. Carl Saunders, Paul C. Gerrity, Joseph A. Skorupski, Zachary E. Underwood, Eric I. Gardunio
2017, Aquatic Invasions (12) 251-262
Introduced species are a threat to biodiversity. Burbot, Lota lota, a fish native to the Wind River Drainage, Wyoming and a species of conservation concern, have been introduced into the nearby Green River Drainage, Wyoming, where they are having negative effects on native fish species. We compared these native and...
A decade of boreal rich fen greenhouse gas fluxes in response to natural and experimental water table variability
David Olefeldt, Eugénie S. Euskirchen, Jennifer W. Harden, Evan S. Kane, A. David McGuire, Mark P. Waldrop, Merritt R. Turetsky
2017, Global Change Biology (23) 2428-2440
Rich fens are common boreal ecosystems with distinct hydrology, biogeochemistry and ecology that influence their carbon (C) balance. We present growing season soil chamber methane emission (FCH4), ecosystem respiration (ER), net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and gross primary production (GPP) fluxes from a 9-years water table manipulation experiment in an Alaskan...
Analyzing cloud base at local and regional scales to understand tropical montane cloud forest vulnerability to climate change
Ashley E. Van Beusekom, Grizelle Gonzalez, Martha A. Scholl
2017, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (17) 7245-7259
The degree to which cloud immersion provides water in addition to rainfall, suppresses transpiration, and sustains tropical montane cloud forests (TMCFs) during rainless periods is not well understood. Climate and land use changes represent a threat to these forests if cloud base altitude rises as a result of regional warming...
A land cover change detection and classification protocol for updating Alaska NLCD 2001 to 2011
Suming Jin, Limin Yang, Zhe Zhu, Collin G. Homer
2017, Remote Sensing of Environment (195) 44-55
Monitoring and mapping land cover changes are important ways to support evaluation of the status and transition of ecosystems. The Alaska National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001 was the first 30-m resolution baseline land cover product of the entire state derived from circa 2001 Landsat imagery and geospatial ancillary data....
Microhabitat selection of the Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus fuscus Miller) in the central Appalachians
Corinne A. Diggins, W. Mark Ford
2017, Northeastern Naturalist (24) 173-190
Glaucomys sabrinus fuscus (Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel; VNFS) is a rare Sciurid that occurrs in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia and northwest Virginia. Previous work on this subspecies has confirmed close associations with Picea rubens (Red Spruce) at the landscape and stand levels in the region. However, ongoing Red Spruce restoration...
Projecting community changes in hazard exposure to support long-term risk reduction: A case study of tsunami hazards in the U.S. Pacific Northwest
Benjamin M. Sleeter, Nathan J. Wood, Christopher E. Soulard, Tamara Wilson
2017, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (22) 10-22
Tsunamis have the potential to cause considerable damage to communities along the U.S. Pacific Northwest coastline. As coastal communities expand over time, the potential societal impact of tsunami inundation changes. To understand how community exposure to tsunami hazards may change in coming decades, we projected future development (i.e. urban, residential,...
Aerodynamic roughness length estimation with lidar and imaging spectroscopy in a shrub-dominated dryland
Aihua Li, Wenguang Zhao, Jessica J Mitchell, Nancy F. Glenn, Matthew J. Germino, Joel B. Sankey, Richard M. Allen
2017, Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing (83) 415-427
The aerodynamic roughness length (Z0 m) serves an important role in the flux exchange between the land surface and atmosphere. In this study, airborne lidar (ALS), terrestrial lidar (TLS), and imaging spectroscopy data were integrated to develop and test two approaches to estimate Z0 m over a shrub dominated dryland study area in...
Re-Os systematics and geochemistry of cobaltite (CoAsS) in the Idaho cobalt belt, Belt-Purcell Basin, USA: Evidence for middle Mesoproterozoic sediment-hosted Co-Cu sulfide mineralization with Grenvillian and Cretaceous remobilization
N.J. Saintilan, R.A. Creaser, Arthur A. Bookstrom
2017, Ore Geology Reviews (86) 509-525
We report the first study of the Re-Os systematics of cobaltite (CoAsS) using disseminated grains and massive sulfides from samples of two breccia-type and two stratabound deposits in the Co-Cu-Au Idaho cobalt belt (ICB), Lemhi subbasin to the Belt-Purcell Basin, Idaho, USA. Using a 185Re + 190Os spike solution, magnetic and non-magnetic...
Assessment of frequency and duration of point counts when surveying for golden eagle presence
Ben R. Skipper, Clint W. Boal, Jo-Szu Tsai, Mark R. Fuller
2017, Wildlife Society Bulletin (41) 212-223
We assessed the utility of the recommended golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) survey methodology in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2013 Eagle Conservation Plan Guidance. We conducted 800-m radius, 1-hr point-count surveys broken into 20-min segments, during 2 sampling periods in 3 areas within the Intermountain West of the United...
Effects of temperature, total dissolved solids, and total suspended solids on survival and development rate of larval Arkansas River Shiner
Julia S. Mueller, Timothy B. Grabowski, Shannon K. Brewer, Thomas A. Worthington
2017, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (8) 79-88
Decreases in the abundance and diversity of stream fishes in the North American Great Plains have been attributed to habitat fragmentation, altered hydrological and temperature regimes, and elevated levels of total dissolved solids and total suspended solids. Pelagic-broadcast spawning cyprinids, such as the Arkansas River Shiner Notropis girardi, may be particularly vulnerable...
Calculation of in situ acoustic sediment attenuation using off-the-shelf horizontal ADCPs in low concentration settings
Dan Haught, Jeremy G. Venditti, Scott Wright
2017, Water Resources Research (53) 5017-5037
The use of “off-the-shelf” acoustic Doppler velocity profilers (ADCPs) to estimate suspended sediment concentration and grain-size in rivers requires robust methods to estimate sound attenuation by suspended sediment. Theoretical estimates of sediment attenuation require a priori knowledge of the concentration and grain-size distribution (GSD), making the method impractical to apply...
Enclosed nests may provide greater thermal than nest predation benefits compared with open nests across latitudes
Thomas E. Martin, Andy J. Boyce, Karolina Fierro-Calderon, Adam E. Mitchell, Connor E. Armstad, James C. Mouton, Evertius E. Bin Soudi
2017, Functional Ecology (31) 1231-1240
Nest structure is thought to provide benefits that have fitness consequences for several taxa. Traditionally, reduced nest predation has been considered the primary benefit underlying evolution of nest structure, whereas thermal benefits have been considered a secondary or even non-existent factor. Yet, the relative roles of these...
Habitat models to predict wetland bird occupancy influenced by scale, anthropogenic disturbance, and imperfect detection
Wesley J. Glisson, Courtney J. Conway, Christopher P. Nadeau, Kathi L. Borgmann
2017, Ecosphere (8) 1-20
Understanding species–habitat relationships for endangered species is critical for their conservation. However, many studies have limited value for conservation because they fail to account for habitat associations at multiple spatial scales, anthropogenic variables, and imperfect detection. We addressed these three limitations by developing models for an endangered wetland bird, Yuma...
The greenscape shapes surfing of resource waves in a large migratory herbivore
Ellen O. Aikens, Matthew J. Kauffman, Jerod Merkle, Samantha Dwinnell, Gary L. Fralick, Kevin L. Monteith
2017, Ecology Letters (20) 741-750
The Green Wave Hypothesis posits that herbivore migration manifests in response to waves of spring green-up (i.e. green-wave surfing). Nonetheless, empirical support for the Green Wave Hypothesis is mixed, and a framework for understanding variation in surfing is lacking. In a population of migratory mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), 31% surfed...
Alternative foraging strategies enable a mountain ungulate to persist after migration loss
Alyson B. Courtemanch, Matthew J. Kauffman, Steve Kilpatrick, Sarah Dewey
2017, Ecosphere (8) 1-16
The persistence of many migratory ungulate populations worldwide is threatened due to anthropogenic impacts to seasonal ranges and migration routes. While many studies have linked migratory ungulate declines to migration disruption or loss, very few have explored the underlying factors that determine whether a population perishes or persists. In some...
Behavioral responses of Pacific lamprey to alarm cues
Laurie L. Porter, Michael C. Hayes, Aaron D. Jackson, Brian J. Burke, Mary L. Moser, R. Steven Wagner
2017, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (8) 101-113
Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus), an anadromous ectoparasite, faces several challenges during adult migration to spawning grounds. Developing methods to address these challenges is critical to the success of ongoing conservation efforts. The challenges are diverse, and include anthropogenic alterations to the ecosystem resulting in loss of habitat, impassable barriers such...
Amphibians, pesticides, and the amphibian chytrid fungus in restored wetlands in agricultural landscapes
Rebecca A. Reeves, Clay Pierce, Mark W. Vandever, Erin L. Muths, Kelly L. Smalling
2017, Herpetological Conservation and Biology (12) 68-77
Information on interactions between pesticide exposure and disease prevalence in amphibian populations is limited, especially from field data. Exposure to certain herbicides and insecticides has the potential to decrease the immune response in frogs, which can potentially lead to increased abundance of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) zoospores on individuals and in...
Reflected stochastic differential equation models for constrained animal movement
Ephraim M. Hanks, Devin S. Johnson, Mevin Hooten
2017, Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics (22) 353-372
Movement for many animal species is constrained in space by barriers such as rivers, shorelines, or impassable cliffs. We develop an approach for modeling animal movement constrained in space by considering a class of constrained stochastic processes, reflected stochastic differential equations. Our approach generalizes existing methods for modeling unconstrained animal...
Biogenic non-crystalline U(IV) revealed as major component in uranium ore deposits
Amrita Bhattacharyya, Kate M. Campbell, Shelly Kelly, Yvonne Roebbert, Stefan Weyer, Rizlan Bernier-Latmani, Thomas Borch
2017, Nature Communications (8)
Historically, it is believed that crystalline uraninite, produced via the abiotic reduction of hexavalent uranium (U(VI)) is the dominant reduced U species formed in low-temperature uranium roll-front ore deposits. Here we show that non-crystalline U(IV) generated through biologically mediated U(VI) reduction is the predominant U(IV) species in an undisturbed U roll-front ore deposit...
The morphology of transverse aeolian ridges on Mars
Paul Geissler, Justin T. Wilgus
2017, Aeolian Research (26) 63-71
A preliminary survey of publicly released high resolution digital terrain models (DTMs) produced by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter identified transverse aeolian ridges (TARs) in 154 DTMs in latitudes from 50°S to 40°N. Consistent with previous surveys, the TARs identified in HiRISE DTMs...
Uncertainties in forecasting the response of polar bears to global climate change
David C. Douglas, Todd C. Atwood
Andy Butterworth, editor(s)
2017, Book chapter, Marine animal welfare
Several sources of uncertainty affect how precisely the future status of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) can be forecasted. Foremost are unknowns about the future levels of global greenhouse gas emissions, which could range from an unabated increase to an aggressively mitigated reduction. Uncertainties also arise because different climate...
Guidelines for evaluation and treatment of lead poisoning of wild raptors
Jesse A. Fallon, Patrick Redig, Tricia A. Miller, Michael J. Lanzone, Todd E. Katzner
2017, Wildlife Society Bulletin (41) 205-211
Lead poisoning is a threat to birds, particularly scavenging birds of prey. With the availability of portable lead-testing kits, an increasing number of field researchers are testing wild-caught birds, in situ, for lead poisoning. We describe guidelines for evaluation of lead toxicity in wild raptors by outlining field testing of blood-lead...
Finite‐fault Bayesian inversion of teleseismic body waves
Brandon S. Clayton, Stephen H. Hartzell, Morgan P. Moschetti, Sarah E. Minson
2017, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (107) 1526-1544
Inverting geophysical data has provided fundamental information about the behavior of earthquake rupture. However, inferring kinematic source model parameters for finite‐fault ruptures is an intrinsically underdetermined problem (the problem of nonuniqueness), because we are restricted to finite noisy observations. Although many studies use least‐squares techniques to make the finite‐fault problem...
