Rangewide climate vulnerability assessment for threatened Bull Trout
Jason B. Dunham
2015, Report
The bull trout, listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, is well adapted to the cold waters of the Northwest. Recent changes in climate have caused winter flooding and warmer summer water temperatures in the region, reducing the cold-water habitats that bull trout depend on. The southernmost bull trout...
Threshold-dependent sample sizes for selenium assessment with stream fish tissue
Nathaniel P. Hitt, David R. Smith
2015, Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (11) 143-149
Natural resource managers are developing assessments of selenium (Se) contamination in freshwater ecosystems based on fish tissue concentrations. We evaluated the effects of sample size (i.e., number of fish per site) on the probability of correctly detecting mean whole-body Se values above a range of potential management thresholds. We modeled...
Data worth and prediction uncertainty for pesticide transport and fate models in Nebraska and Maryland, United States
Bernard T. Nolan, Robert W. Malone, John E. Doherty, Jack E. Barbash, Liwang Ma, Dale L. Shaner
2015, Pest Management Science (71) 972-985
BACKGROUND Complex environmental models are frequently extrapolated to overcome data limitations in space and time, but quantifying data worth to such models is rarely attempted. The authors determined which field observations most informed the parameters of agricultural system models applied to field sites in Nebraska (NE) and...
Understanding heat and groundwater flow through continental flood basalt provinces: insights gained from alternative models of permeability/depth relationships for the Columbia Plateau, USA
Erick R. Burns, Colin F. Williams, Steven E. Ingebritsen, Clifford I. Voss, Frank A. Spane, Jacob DeAngelo
2015, Geofluids (15) 120-138
Heat-flow mapping of the western USA has identified an apparent low-heat-flow anomaly coincident with the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System, a thick sequence of basalt aquifers within the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG). A heat and mass transport model (SUTRA) was used to evaluate the potential impact of groundwater flow...
Development of ten microsatellite loci in the invasive giant African land snail, Achatina (=Lissachatina) fulica Bowdich, 1822
Cheryl L. Morrison, Marcus J. Springmann, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Christopher M. Wade
2015, Conservation Genetics Resources (7) 201-202
A suite of tetra-nucleotide microsatellite loci were developed for the invasive giant African land snail, Achatina (=Lissachatina) fulica Bowdich, 1822, from Ion Torrent next-generation sequencing data. Ten of the 96 primer sets tested amplified consistently in 30 snails from Miami, Florida, plus 12 individuals representative of their native East Africa,...
Long-term decrease in satellite vegetation indices in response to environmental variables in an iconic desert riparian ecosystem: the Upper San Pedro, Arizona, United States
Uyen Nguyen, Edward P. Glenn, Pamela L. Nagler, Russell L. Scott
2015, Ecohydrology (8) 610-625
The Upper San Pedro River is one of the few remaining undammed rivers that maintain a vibrant riparian ecosystem in the southwest United States. However, its riparian forest is threatened by diminishing groundwater and surface water inputs, due to either changes in watershed characteristics such as changes in riparian and...
Forest Ecosystem respiration estimated from eddy covariance and chamber measurements under high turbulence and substantial tree mortality from bark beetles
Heather N. Speckman, John M. Frank, John B. Bradford, Brianna L. Miles, William J. Massman, William J. Parton, Michael G. Ryan
2015, Global Change Biology (21) 708-721
Eddy covariance nighttime fluxes are uncertain due to potential measurement biases. Many studies report eddy covariance nighttime flux lower than flux from extrapolated chamber measurements, despite corrections for low turbulence. We compared eddy covariance and chamber estimates of ecosystem respiration at the GLEES Ameriflux site over seven growing seasons under...
MODFLOW-based coupled surface water routing and groundwater-flow simulation
Joseph D. Hughes, Christian D. Langevin, Jeremy T. White
2015, Groundwater (53) 452-463
In this paper, we present a flexible approach for simulating one- and two-dimensional routing of surface water using a numerical surface water routing (SWR) code implicitly coupled to the groundwater-flow process in MODFLOW. Surface water routing in SWR can be simulated using a diffusive-wave approximation of the Saint-Venant equations and/or...
How have fisheries affected parasite communities?
Chelsea L. Wood, Kevin D. Lafferty
2015, Parasitology (142) 134-144
To understand how fisheries affect parasites, we conducted a meta-analysis of studies that contrasted parasite assemblages in fished and unfished areas. Parasite diversity was lower in hosts from fished areas. Larger hosts had a greater abundance of parasites, suggesting that fishing might reduce the abundance of parasites by selectively removing...
Demography of the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens): 1974-2006
Rebecca L. Taylor, Mark S. Udevitz
2015, Marine Mammal Science (31) 231-254
Global climate change may fundamentally alter population dynamics of many species for which baseline population parameter estimates are imprecise or lacking. Historically, the Pacific walrus is thought to have been limited by harvest, but it may become limited by global warming-induced reductions in sea ice. Loss of sea ice, on...
Processes of arroyo filling in northern New Mexico, USA
Jonathan M. Friedman, Kirk R. Vincent, Eleanor R. Griffin, Michael L. Scott, Patrick B. Shafroth, Gregor T. Auble
2015, Geological Society of America Bulletin (127) 621-640
We documented arroyo evolution at the tree, trench, and arroyo scales along the lower Rio Puerco and Chaco Wash in northern New Mexico, USA. We excavated 29 buried living woody plants and used burial signatures in their annual rings to date stratigraphy in four trenches across the arroyos. Then, we...
Dietary mercury exposure to endangered California Clapper Rails in San Francisco Bay
Michael L. Casazza, Mark A. Ricca, Cory T. Overton, John Y. Takekawa, Angela Merritt, Joshua T. Ackerman
2015, Marine Pollution Bulletin (86) 254-260
California Clapper Rails (Rallus longirostris obsoletus) are an endangered waterbird that forage in tidal-marsh habitats that pose risks from mercury exposure. We analyzed total mercury (Hg) in six macro-invertebrate and one fish species representing Clapper Rail diets from four tidal-marshes in San Francisco Bay, California. Mercury concentrations among individual taxa...
Potential future land use threats to California's protected areas
Tamara Sue Wilson, Benjamin Michael Sleeter, Adam Wilkinson Davis
2015, Regional Environmental Change (15) 1051-1064
Increasing pressures from land use coupled with future changes in climate will present unique challenges for California’s protected areas. We assessed the potential for future land use conversion on land surrounding existing protected areas in California’s twelve ecoregions, utilizing annual, spatially explicit (250 m) scenario projections of land use for...
Patterns in diurnal airspace use by migratory landbirds along an ecological barrier
Anna C. Peterson, Gerald J. Niemi, Douglas H. Johnson
2015, Ecological Applications (25) 673-684
Migratory bird populations and survival are affected by conditions experienced during migration. While many studies and conservation and management efforts focus on terrestrial stoppage and staging areas, the aerial environment through which migrants move also is subjected to anthropogenic impacts with potential consequences to migratory movement and survival. During autumn...
A century of ocean warming on Florida Keys coral reefs: historic in situ observations
Ilsa B. Kuffner, Barbara H. Lidz, J. Harold Hudson, Jeffery S. Anderson
2015, Estuaries and Coasts (38) 1085-1096
There is strong evidence that global climate change over the last several decades has caused shifts in species distributions, species extinctions, and alterations in the functioning of ecosystems. However, because of high variability on short (i.e., diurnal, seasonal, and annual) timescales as well as the recency of a comprehensive instrumental...
The unseen iceberg: Plant roots in arctic tundra
Colleen M. Iverson, Victoria L. Sloan, Patrick F. Sullivan, E.S. Euskirchen, A. David McGuire, Richard J. Norby, Anthony P. Walker, Jeffrey M. Warren, Stan D. Wullschleger
2015, New Phytologist (205) 34-58
Plant roots play a critical role in ecosystem function in arctic tundra, but root dynamics in these ecosystems are poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we synthesized available literature on tundra roots, including their distribution, dynamics and contribution to ecosystem carbon and nutrient fluxes, and highlighted key aspects of...
Propagation of hybrid Devils Hole Pupfish × Ash Meadows Amargosa Pupfish
Olin Feuerbacher, Justin A. Mapula, Scott A. Bonar
2015, North American Journal of Aquaculture (77) 513-523
Recent censuses of Devils Hole Pupfish Cyprinodon diabolis revealed that fewer than 100 individuals currently remain in the wild. Captive propagation is among actions being considered to prevent their extinction, but no pure-strain Devils Hole Pupfish were available for broodstock. To help provide emergency information, we investigated techniques to propagate their most...
Age and growth of round gobies in Lake Michigan, with preliminary mortality estimation
Bin Huo, Charles P. Madenjian, Cong X. Xie, Yingming Zhao, Timothy P. O’Brien, Sergiusz J. Czesny
2015, Journal of Great Lakes Research (40) 712-720
The round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) is a prevalent invasive species throughout Lake Michigan, as well as other Laurentian Great Lakes, yet little information is available on spatial variation in round goby growth within one body of water. Age and growth of round goby at three areas of Lake Michigan were...
Incorporating climate change and morphological uncertainty into coastal change hazard assessments
Heather M. Baron, Peter Ruggiero, Nathan J. Wood, Erica L. Harris, Jonathan Allan, Paul D. Komar, Patrick Corcoran
2015, Natural Hazards (75) 2081-2102
Documented and forecasted trends in rising sea levels and changes in storminess patterns have the potential to increase the frequency, magnitude, and spatial extent of coastal change hazards. To develop realistic adaptation strategies, coastal planners need information about coastal change hazards that recognizes the dynamic temporal and spatial scales of...
Variations in population vulnerability to tectonic and landslide-related tsunami hazards in Alaska
Nathan J. Wood, Jeff Peters
2015, Natural Hazards (75) 1811-1831
Effective tsunami risk reduction requires an understanding of how at-risk populations are specifically vulnerable to tsunami threats. Vulnerability assessments primarily have been based on single hazard zones, even though a coastal community may be threatened by multiple tsunami sources that vary locally in terms of inundation extents and wave arrival...
A protocol for coordinating post-tsunami field reconnaissance efforts in the USA
Rick I. Wilson, Nathan J. Wood, Laura Kong, Michael V. Shulters, Kevin D. Richards, Paula Dunbar, Tamura, Edward J. Young
2015, Natural Hazards (75) 2153-2165
In the aftermath of a catastrophic tsunami, much is to be learned about tsunami generation and propagation, landscape and ecological changes, and the response and recovery of those affected by the disaster. Knowledge of the impacted area directly helps response and relief personnel in their efforts to reach and care...
Assessing the magnitude and timing of anthropogenic warming of a shallow aquifer: example from Virginia Beach, USA
John R. Eggleston, Kurt J. McCoy
2015, Hydrogeology Journal (23) 105-120
Groundwater temperature measurements in a shallow coastal aquifer in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA, suggest groundwater warming of +4.1 °C relative to deeper geothermal gradients. Observed warming is related to timing and depth of influence of two potential thermal drivers—atmospheric temperature increases and urbanization. Results indicate that up to 30 % of groundwater...
Comparing methods for estimating larval sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) density in the St. Marys River for the purposes of control
Jason M. Robinson, Michael J. Wilberg, Jean V. Adams, Michael L. Jones
2015, Journal of Great Lakes Research (40) 739-747
The St. Marys River is a major producer of parasitic sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) to Lake Huron making it an important area for larval control. Bayluscide treatments are conducted in areas of high larval density requiring density estimation at fine spatial scales to inform treatment...
Modeling long-term trends of chlorinated ethene contamination at a public supply well
Francis H. Chapelle, Leon J. Kauffman, Mark A. Widdowson
2015, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (51) 1-13
A mass-balance solute-transport modeling approach was used to investigate the effects of dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) volume, composition, and generation of daughter products on simulated and measured long-term trends of chlorinated ethene (CE) concentrations at a public supply well. The model was built by telescoping a calibrated regional three-dimensional...
Effects of wildfire on sea otter (Enhydra lutris) gene transcript profiles
Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Crystal A. Kolden, Justin A. Saarinen, James L. Bodkin, Michael J. Murray, M. Tim Tinker
2015, Marine Mammal Science (31) 191-210
Wildfires have been shown to impact terrestrial species over a range of temporal scales. Little is known, however, about the more subtle toxicological effects of wildfires, particularly in downstream marine or downwind locations from the wildfire perimeter. These down-current effects may be just as substantial as those effects within the...
