Restoring sand shinnery oak prairies with herbicide and grazing in New Mexico
Jennifer C. Zavaleta, David A. Haukos, Blake A. Grisham, Clint W. Boal, Charles Dixon
2016, Southwestern Naturalist (61) 225-232
Sand shinnery oak (Quercus havardii) prairies are increasingly disappearing and increasingly degraded in the Southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico. Restoring and managing sand shinnery oak prairie can support biodiversity, specific species of conservation concern, and livestock production. We measured vegetation response to four treatment combinations of herbicide...
Nesting ecology of Whimbrels in boreal Alaska
Christopher M. Harwood, Robert E. Gill Jr., Abby Powell
2016, Wader Study (123) 99-113
Breeding ecology studies of boreal waders have been relatively scarce in North America. This paucity is due in part to boreal habitats being difficult to access, and boreal waders being widely dispersed and thus difficult to monitor. Between 2008 and 2014 we studied the nesting ecology of Whimbrels Numenius phaeopus hudsonicus in...
Panarchy use in environmental science for risk and resilience planning
David G. Angeler, Craig R. Allen, Ahjond S. Garmestani, Lance H. Gunderson, Igor Linkov
2016, Environment Systems and Decisions (36) 225-228
Environmental sciences have an important role in informing sustainable management of built environments by providing insights about the drivers and potentially negative impacts of global environmental change. Here, we discuss panarchy theory, a multi-scale hierarchical concept that accounts for the dynamism of complex socio-ecological systems, especially for those systems with...
A global review of freshwater crayfish temperature tolerance, preference, and optimal growth
Jacob T. Westhoff, Amanda E. Rosenberger
2016, Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries (26) 329-349
Conservation efforts, environmental planning, and management must account for ongoing ecosystem alteration due to a changing climate, introduced species, and shifting land use. This type of management can be facilitated by an understanding of the thermal ecology of aquatic organisms. However, information on thermal ecology for entire taxonomic groups is...
Radiometric calibration updates to the Landsat collection
Esad Micijevic, Obaidul Haque, Nischal Mishra
2016, Conference Paper, Proceedings Volume 9972, Earth Observing Systems XXI
The Landsat Project is planning to implement a new collection management strategy for Landsat products generated at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. The goal of the initiative is to identify a collection of consistently geolocated and radiometrically calibrated images across the entire Landsat...
Estimating the effects of 17α-ethinylestradiol on stochastic population growth rate of fathead minnows: a population synthesis of empirically derived vital rates
Adam R. Schwindt, Dana L. Winkelman
2016, Ecotoxicology (25) 1364-1375
Urban freshwater streams in arid climates are wastewater effluent dominated ecosystems particularly impacted by bioactive chemicals including steroid estrogens that disrupt vertebrate reproduction. However, more understanding of the population and ecological consequences of exposure to wastewater effluent is needed. We used empirically derived vital rate estimates from a mesocosm study...
The effects of anthropogenic land cover change on pollen-vegetation relationships in the American Midwest
Ellen Ruth Kujawa, Simon Goring, Andria Dawson, Randy Calcote, Eric Grimm, Sara C. Hotchkiss, Stephen T. Jackson, Elizabeth A. Lynch, Jason S. McLachlan, Jeannine-Marie St-Jacques, Charles Umbanhowar Jr., John W. Williams
2016, Anthropocene (15) 60-71
Fossil pollen assemblages provide information about vegetation dynamics at time scales ranging from centuries to millennia. Pollen-vegetation models and process-based models of dispersal typically assume stable relationships between source vegetation and corresponding pollen in surface sediments, as well as stable parameterizations of dispersal and productivity. These assumptions, however, are...
Dense lower crust elevates long-term earthquake rates in the New Madrid seismic zone
William Brower Levandowski, Oliver S. Boyd, Leonardo Ramirez-Guzman
2016, Geophysical Research Letters (43) 8499-8510
Knowledge of the local state of stress is critical in appraising intraplate seismic hazard. Inverting earthquake moment tensors, we demonstrate that principal stress directions in the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) differ significantly from those in the surrounding region. Faults in the NMSZ that are incompatible with slip in the...
Dome growth, collapse, and valley fill at Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat, from 1995 to 2013: Contributions from satellite radar measurements of topographic change
D. W. D. Arnold, J. Biggs, G. Wadge, S. K. Ebmeier, H. M. Odbert, Michael P. Poland
2016, Geosphere (12) 1300-1315
Frequent high-resolution measurements of topography at active volcanoes can provide important information for assessing the distribution and rate of emplacement of volcanic deposits and their influence on hazard. At dome-building volcanoes, monitoring techniques such as LiDAR and photogrammetry often provide a limited view of the area affected by the eruption....
National protocol framework for the inventory and monitoring of bees
Sam Droege, Joseph D. Engler, Elizabeth A. Sellers, Lee O’Brien
2016, Report
This national protocol framework is a standardized tool for the inventory and monitoring of the approximately 4,200 species of native and non-native bee species that may be found within the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). However, this protocol framework may also...
Regulation of the hunting season as a tool for adaptive harvest management — First results for pink-footed geese Anser brachyrhynchus
Jesper Madsen, Kevin K. Clausen, Thomas K. Christensen, Fred A. Johnson
2016, Wildlife Biology (22) 204-208
Adjustment of hunting season length is often used to regulate harvest of waterbirds but the effects are disputed. We describe the first results of season length extension on the harvest of the pink-footed goose, which has been selected as the first test case of adaptive harvest management of waterbirds in...
Differences found in the macroinvertebrate community composition in the presence or absence of the invasive alien crayfish, Orconectes hylas
Brandye T. Freeland-Riggert, Stefan H. Cairns, Barry C. Poulton, Chris M. Riggert
2016, PLoS ONE (11)
Introductions of alien species into aquatic ecosystems have been well documented, including invasions of crayfish species; however, little is known about the effects of these introductions on macroinvertebrate communities. The woodland crayfish (Orconectes hylas (Faxon)) has been introduced into the St. Francis River watershed in southeast Missouri and has displaced...
Application of organic petrography in North American shale petroleum systems: A review
Paul C. Hackley, Brian J. Cardott
2016, International Journal of Coal Geology (163) 8-51
Organic petrography via incident light microscopy has broad application to shale petroleum systems, including delineation of thermal maturity windows and determination of organo-facies. Incident light microscopy allows practitioners the ability to identify various types of organic components and demonstrates that solid bitumen is the dominant organic matter occurring in shale...
Biochemical and clinical responses of Common Eiders to implanted satellite transmitters
Christopher J. Latty, Tuula E. Hollmen, Margaret R. Petersen, Abby Powell, Russel D. Andrews
2016, The Condor (118) 489-501
Implanted biologging devices, such as satellite-linked platform transmitter terminals (PTTs), have been used widely to delineate populations and identify movement patterns of sea ducks. Although in some cases these ecological studies could reveal transmitter effects on behavior and mortality, experiments conducted under controlled conditions can provide valuable information to understand...
Resource management and operations in southwest South Dakota: Climate change scenario planning workshop summary January 20-21, 2016, Rapid City, SD
Nicholas A. Fisichelli, Gregor W. Schuurman, Amy J. Symstad, Andrea Ray, Brian Miller, Molly Cross, Erika Rowland
2016, Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/NRR—2016/1289
The Scaling Climate Change Adaptation in the Northern Great Plains through Regional Climate Summaries and Local Qualitative-Quantitative Scenario Planning Workshops project synthesizes climate data into 3-5 distinct but plausible climate summaries for the northern Great Plains region; crafts quantitative summaries of these climate futures for two focal areas; and applies...
Genetic variation at the MHC DRB1 locus is similar across Gunnison's prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni) colonies regardless of plague history
Kacy R. Cobble, Katy J. Califf, Nathan E. Stone, Megan M. Shuey, Dawn Birdsell, Rebecca E. Colman, James M. Schupp, Maliha Aziz, Roger Van Andel, Tonie E. Rocke, David M. Wagner, Joseph D. Busch
2016, Ecology and Evolution (6) 2624-2651
Yersinia pestis was introduced to North America around 1900 and leads to nearly 100% mortality in prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) colonies during epizootic events, which suggests this pathogen may exert a strong selective force. We characterized genetic diversity at an MHC class II locus (DRB1) in Gunnison's prairie dog (C. gunnisoni)...
Use of free water by nesting lesser prairie-chickens
Samantha G. Robinson, David A. Haukos, Daniel S. Sullins, Reid T. Plumb
2016, Southwestern Naturalist (61) 187-193
The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) is a grassland grouse of semiarid regions. Use of free water has been hypothesized as necessary for egg formation during drought. We assessed the use of hydrogen isotopes (deuterium, δ2H) to determine if female lesser prairie-chickens use and incorporate free water during egg formation by...
Seismo-acoustic evidence for an avalanche driven phreatic eruption through a beheaded hydrothermal system: An example from the 2012 Tongariro eruption
A.D. Jolly, P. Jousset, J.J. Lyons, R. Carniel, R. Fournier, B. Fry, C. Miller
2016, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (286) 331-347
The 6 August 2012 Te Maari eruption comprises a complex eruption sequence including multiple eruption pulses, a debris avalanche that propagated ~ 2 km from the vent, and the formation of a 500 m long, arcuate chasm, located ~ 300 m from the main eruption vent. The eruption included 6 distinct...
The role of crystallization-driven exsolution on the sulfur mass balance in volcanic arc magmas
Yanqing Su, Christian Huber, Olivier Bachmann, Zoltan Zajacz, Heather M. Wright, Jorge A. Vazquez
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (121) 5624-5640
The release of large amounts of sulfur to the stratosphere during explosive eruptions affects the radiative balance in the atmosphere and consequentially impacts climate for up to several years after the event. Quantitative estimations of the processes that control the mass balance of sulfur between melt, crystals, and vapor bubbles...
Estimating 40 years of nitrogen deposition in global biomes using the SCIAMACHY NO2 column
Xuehe Lu, Xiuying Zhang, Jinxun Liu, Jiaxin Jin
2016, International Journal of Remote Sensing (37) 4964-4978
Owing to human activity, global nitrogen (N) cycles have been altered. In the past 100 years, global N deposition has increased. Currently, the monitoring and estimating of N deposition and the evaluation of its effects on global carbon budgets are the focus of many researchers. NO2 columns retrieved by space-borne sensors...
Factors affecting wetland connectivity for wintering semipalmated sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) in the Caribbean
Morgan A. Parks, Jaime A. Collazo, Katsi R. Ramos Alvarez
2016, Waterbirds (39) 250-259
Wetland connectivity provides migratory shorebirds varying options to meet energy requirements to survive and complete their annual cycle. Multiple factors mediate movement and residency of spatially segregated wetlands. Information on these factors is lacking in the tropics, yet such information is invaluable for conservation design. The influence of seven biotic...
Resource management and operations in central North Dakota: Climate change scenario planning workshop summary November 12-13, 2015, Bismarck, ND
Nicholas A. Fisichelli, Gregor Schuurman, Amy J. Symstad, Andrea Ray, Jonathan M. Friedman, Brian Miller, Erika Rowland
2016, Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/NRR--2016/1262
The Scaling Climate Change Adaptation in the Northern Great Plains through Regional Climate Summaries and Local Qualitative-Quantitative Scenario Planning Workshops project synthesizes climate data into 3-5 distinct but plausible climate summaries for the northern Great Plains region; crafts quantitative summaries of these climate futures for two focal areas; and applies...
Balanced sediment fluxes in southern California’s Mediterranean-climate zone salt marshes
Jordan A. Rosencranz, Neil K. Ganju, Richard F. Ambrose, Sandra M. Brosnahan, Patrick J. Dickhudt, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Glen M. MacDonald, John Y. Takekawa, Karen M. Thorne
2016, Estuaries and Coasts (39) 1035-1049
Salt marsh elevation and geomorphic stability depends on mineral sedimentation. Many Mediterranean-climate salt marshes along southern California, USA coast import sediment during El Niño storm events, but sediment fluxes and mechanisms during dry weather are potentially important for marsh stability. We calculated tidal creek sediment fluxes within a...
Synthesis of common management concerns associated with dam removal
Desiree D. Tullos, Mathias J. Collins, J. Ryan Bellmore, Jennifer A. Bountry, Patrick J. Connolly, Patrick B. Shafroth, Andrew C. Wilcox
2016, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (52) 1179-1206
Managers make decisions regarding if and how to remove dams in spite of uncertainty surrounding physical and ecological responses, and stakeholders often raise concerns about certain negative effects, regardless of whether or not these concerns are warranted at a particular site. We used a dam-removal science database supplemented with other...
Delta smelt habitat in the San Francisco Estuary: A reply to Manly, Fullerton, Hendrix, and Burnham’s “Comments on Feyrer et al. Modeling the effects of future outflow on the abiotic habitat of an imperiled estuarine fish"
Frederick V. Feyrer, Ken B. Newman, Matthew Nobriga, Ted Sommer
2016, Estuaries and Coasts (39) 287-289
Manly et al. (2015) commented on the approach we (Feyrer et al. 2011) used to calculate an index of the abiotic habitat of delta smelt Hypomesus transpacificus. The delta smelt is an annual fish species endemic to the San Francisco Estuary (SFE) in California, USA. Conserving the delta smelt population...
