Trophic state in Voyageurs National Park lakes before and after implementation of a revised water-level management plan
Victoria G. Christensen, Ryan P. Maki
2015, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (51) 99-111
We compiled Secchi depth, total phosphorus, and chlorophyll a (Chla) data from Voyageurs National Park lakes and compared datasets before and after a new water-level management plan was implemented in January 2000. Average Secchi depth transparency improved (from 1.9 to 2.1 m, p = 0.020) between 1977-1999 and 2000-2011 in...
The role of citzens in detecting and responding to a rapid marine invasion
Stephen B. Scyphers, Sean P. Powers, J. Lad Akins, J. Marcus Drymon, Charles M. Martin, Zeb H. Schobernd, Pamela J. Schofield, Robert L. Shipp, Theodore S. Switzer
2015, Conservation Letters (8) 242-250
Documenting and responding to species invasions requires innovative strategies that account for ecological and societal complexities. We used the recent expansion of Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) throughout northern Gulf of Mexico coastal waters to evaluate the role of stakeholders in documenting and responding to a rapid marine invasion. We coupled...
Standardization of reflectance measurements in dispersed organic matter: results of an exercise to improve interlaboratory agreement
Paul C. Hackley, Carla Viviane Araujo, Angeles G. Borrego, Antonis Bouzinos, Brian Cardott, Alan C. Cook, Cortland Eble, Deolinda Flores, Thomas Gentzis, Paula Alexandra Goncalves, Joao Graciano Mendonca Filho, Maria Hamor-Vido, Iwona Jelonek, Kees Kommeren, Wayne Knowles, Jolanta Kus, Maria Mastalerz, Taissa Rego Menezes, Jane Newman, Mark Pawlewicz, Walter Pickel, Judith Potter, Paddy Ranasinghe, Harold Read, Julito Reyes, Genaro De La Rosa Rodriguez, Igor Viegas Alves Fernandes de Souza, Isabel Suarez-Ruiz, Ivana Sykorova, Brett J. Valentine
2015, Marine and Petroleum Geology (59) 22-34
Vitrinite reflectance generally is considered the most robust thermal maturity parameter available for application to hydrocarbon exploration and petroleum system evaluation. However, until 2011 there was no standardized methodology available to provide guidelines for vitrinite reflectance measurements in shale. Efforts to correct this deficiency resulted in publication of ASTM D7708:...
Biogeochemical environments of streambed-sediment pore waters with and without arsenic enrichment in a sedimentary rock terrain, New Jersey Piedmont, USA
Adam C. Mumford, Julia L. Barringer, Pamela A. Reilly, Dennis D. Eberl, Alex E. Blum, Lily Y. Young
2015, Science of the Total Environment (505) 1350-1360
Release of arsenic (As) from sedimentary rocks has resulted in contamination of groundwater in aquifers of the New Jersey Piedmont Physiographic Province, USA; the contamination also may affect the quality of the region's streamwater to which groundwater discharges. Biogeochemical mechanisms involved in the release process were investigated in the streambeds...
Pore characteristics of Wilcox Group Coal, U.S. Gulf Coast Region: Implications for the occurrence of coalbed gas
Sharon M. Swanson, Maria D. Mastalerz, Mark Engle, Brett J. Valentine, Peter D. Warwick, Paul C. Hackley, Harvey E. Belkin
2015, International Journal of Coal Geology (139) 80-94
Pore characteristics of 27 subbituminous coal samples (16 mesh splits) from the Paleocene–Eocene Wilcox Group of north Louisiana (Ouachita and Caldwell Parishes) and south Texas (Zavala County) were examined in relation to desorbed gas content. Coal gas of the Wilcox Group is primarily biogenic in origin; thermogenic gas also may be present...
Predicted effects of future climate warming on thermal habitat suitability for Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens, Rafinesque, 1817) in rivers in Wisconsin, USA
John D. Lyons, Jana S. Stewart
2015, Journal of Applied Ichthyology (30) 1508-1513
The Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens, Rafinesque, 1817) may be threatened by future climate warming. The purpose of this study was to identify river reaches in Wisconsin, USA, where they might be vulnerable to warming water temperatures. In Wisconsin, A. fulvescens is known from 2291 km of large-river habitat that has...
Please don't misuse the museum: 'declines' may be statistical
Evan H. Campbell Grant
2015, Global Change Biology (21) 1018-1024
Detecting declines in populations at broad spatial scales takes enormous effort, and long-term data are often more sparse than is desired for estimating trends, identifying drivers for population changes, framing conservation decisions or taking management actions. Museum records and historic data can be available at large scales across multiple decades,...
Spatial complexity reduces interaction strengths in the meta-food web of a river floodplain mosaic
James Ryan Bellmore, Colden Vance Baxter, Patrick J. Connolly
2015, Ecology (96) 274-283
Theory states that both the spatial complexity of landscapes and the strength of interactions between consumers and their resources are important for maintaining biodiversity and the 'balance of nature.' Spatial complexity is hypothesized to promote biodiversity by reducing potential for competitive exclusion; whereas, models show weak trophic interactions can enhance...
Evaluating the predictive performance of empirical estimators of natural mortality rate using information on over 200 fish species
Amy Y. Then, John M Hoenig, Norman G. Hall, David A. Hewitt
2015, ICES Journal of Marine Science (72) 82-92
Many methods have been developed in the last 70 years to predict the natural mortality rate, M, of a stock based on empirical evidence from comparative life history studies. These indirect or empirical methods are used in most stock assessments to (i) obtain estimates of M in the absence of direct information, (ii)...
Nonlesions, misdiagnoses, missed diagnoses, and other interpretive challenges in fish histopathology studies: a guide for investigators, authors, reviewers, and readers
Jeffrey C. Wolf, Wes A. Baumgartner, Vicki Blazer, Alvin C. Camus, Jeffrey A. Engelhardt, John W. Fournie, Salvatore Frasca Jr., David B. Groman, Michael L. Kent, Lester H. Khoo, Jerry M. Law, Eric D. Lombardini, Christine Ruehl-Fehlert, Helmut E. Segner, Stephen A. Smith, Jan M. Spitsbergen, Klaus Weber, Marilyn J. Wolfe
2015, Toxicologic Pathology (43) 297-325
Differentiating salient histopathologic changes from normal anatomic features or tissue artifacts can be decidedly challenging, especially for the novice fish pathologist. As a consequence, findings of questionable accuracy may be reported inadvertently, and the potential negative impacts of publishing inaccurate histopathologic interpretations are not always fully appreciated. The objectives of...
Contrasting long-term survival of two outplanted Mojave Desert perennials for post-fire revegetation
Sara J. Scoles-Sciulla, Lesley A. Defalco, Todd C. Esque
2015, Arid Land Research and Management (29) 110-124
Post-fire recovery of arid shrublands is typically slow, and planting greenhouse-raised seedlings may be a means of jump-starting this process. Recovery can be further accelerated by understanding the factors controlling post-planting survival. In fall 2007 and 2009, we outplanted seedlings of two contrasting native evergreen shrubs—fast-growing Nevada jointfir and slow-growing...
The economic viability of smallholder timber production under expanding açaí palm production in the Amazon Estuary
Lucas B. Fortini, Douglas R. Carter
2015, Journal of Forest Economics (20) 223-235
Relatively little attention has been paid to the economic potentials and limitations of tropical timber production and management at smallholder scales, with the most relevant research focusing on community forestry efforts. As a rare tropical example of long-lasting small-scale timber production, in this study we explore the economics of smallholder...
Non-native fishes in Florida freshwaters: a literature review and synthesis
Pamela J. Schofield, William F. Loftus
2015, Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries (25) 117-145
Non-native fishes have been known from freshwater ecosystems of Florida since the 1950s, and dozens of species have established self-sustaining populations. Nonetheless, no synthesis of data collected on those species in Florida has been published until now. We searched the literature for peer-reviewed publications reporting original data for 42 species...
Introduced northern pike consumption of salmonids in Southcentral Alaska
Adam Sepulveda, David S. Rutz, Aaron W Dupuis, Patrick A Shields, Kristine J. Dunker
2015, Ecology of Freshwater Fish (24) 519-531
The impacts of introduced northern pike (Esox lucius) on salmonid populations have attracted much attention because salmonids are popular subsistence, sport and commercial fish. Concern over the predatory effects of introduced pike on salmonids is especially high in Southcentral Alaska, where pike were illegally introduced to the Susitna River basin...
Mantle peridotite in newly discovered far-inland subduction complex, southwest Arizona: Initial report
Gordon B. Haxel, Carl E. Jacobson, James H. Wittke
2015, International Geology Review (57) 871-892
The latest Cretaceous to early Palaeogene Orocopia Schist and related units are generally considered a low-angle subduction complex that underlies much of southern California and Arizona. A recently discovered exposure of Orocopia Schist at Cemetery Ridge west of Phoenix, Arizona, lies exceptionally far inland from the continental margin. Unexpectedly, this...
Event sedimentation in low-latitude deep-water carbonate basins, Anegada passage, northeast Caribbean
Jason D. Chaytor, Uri S. ten Brink
2015, Basin Research (27) 310-335
The Virgin Islands and Whiting basins in the Northeast Caribbean are deep, structurally controlled depocentres partially bound by shallow-water carbonate platforms. Closed basins such as these are thought to document earthquake and hurricane events through the accumulation of event layers such as debris flow and turbidity current deposits and the...
Indirect effects of biocontrol of an invasive riparian plant (Tamarix) alters habitat and reduces herpetofauna abundance
H.L. Bateman, D.M. Merritt, E. P. Glenn, P.L. Nagler
2015, Biological Invasions (17) 87-97
The biological control agent (tamarisk leaf beetle, Diorhabda spp.) is actively being used to defoliate exotic saltcedar or tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) in riparian ecosystems in western USA. The Virgin River in Arizona and Nevada is a system where tamarisk leaf beetle populations are spreading. Saltcedar biocontrol, like other control methods,...
Rapid removal of nitrobenzene in a three-phase ozone loaded system with gas-liquid-liquid
Shiyin Li, Jiangpeng Zhu, Guoxiang Wang, Lixiao Ni, Yong Zhang, Christopher T. Green
2015, Chemical Engineering Communications (202) 799-805
This study explores the removal rate of nitrobenzene (NB) using a new gas-liquid-liquid (G-L-L) three-phase ozone loaded system consisting of a gaseous ozone, an aqueous solvent phase, and a fluorinated solvent phase (perfluorodecalin, or FDC). The removal rate of NB was quantified in relation to six factors including 1) initial...
Winter diets of immature green turtles (Chelonia mydas) on a northern feeding ground: integrating stomach contents and stable isotope analyses
Natalie C. Williams, Karen A. Bjorndal, Margaret M. Lamont, Raymond R. Carthy
2015, Estuaries and Coasts (37) 986-994
The foraging ecology and diet of the green turtle, Chelonia mydas, remain understudied, particularly in peripheral areas of its distribution. We assessed the diet of an aggregation of juvenile green turtles at the northern edge of its range during winter months using two approaches. Stomach content analyses provide a...
Models of invasion and establishment of African Mustard (Brassica tournefortii)
Kristin H. Berry, Timothy A. Gowan, David M. Miller, Matthew L. Brooks
2015, Invasive Plant Science and Management (7) 599-616
Introduced exotic plants can drive ecosystem change. We studied invasion and establishment ofBrassica tournefortii (African mustard), a noxious weed, in the Chemehuevi Valley, western Sonoran Desert, California. We used long-term data sets of photographs, transects for biomass of annual plants, and densities of African mustard collected at irregular intervals between 1979...
Predicted avian responses to bioenergy development scenarios in an intensive agricultural landscape
Daniel R. Uden, Craig R. Allen, Rob B. Mitchell, Tim D. McCoy, Qingfeng Guan
2015, GCB Bioenergy (7) 717-726
Conversion of native prairie to agriculture has increased food and bioenergy production but decreased wildlife habitat. However, enrollment of highly erodible cropland in conservation programs has compensated for some grassland loss. In the future, climate change and production of second-generation perennial biofuel crops could further transform agricultural landscapes and increase...
Physiological indices of seawater readiness in postspawning steelhead kelts
Jessica Buelow, Christine M. Moffitt
2015, Ecology of Freshwater Fish (24) 112-122
Management goals to improve the recovery of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) stocks at risk of extinction include increasing the proportion of postspawning fish that survive and spawn again. To be successful, postspawning steelhead (kelts) migrating downstream to the ocean must prepare physiologically and physically for a seawater transition. We sampled blood,...
Hydrologic response to valley-scale structure in alpine headwaters
Anne A. Weekes, Christian E. Torgersen, David R. Montgomery, Andrea Woodward, Susan M. Bolton
2015, Hydrological Processes (29) 356-372
Few systematic studies of valley-scale geomorphic drivers of streamflow regimes in complex alpine headwaters have compared response between catchments. As a result, little guidance is available for regional-scale hydrological research and monitoring efforts that include assessments of ecosystem function. Physical parameters such as slope, elevation range, drainage area and bedrock...
New insight into the spawning behavior of lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, from a recovering population in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Thomas R. Binder, Henry T. Thompson, Andrew M. Muir, Stephen C. Riley, J. Ellen Marsden, Charles R. Bronte, Charles C. Krueger
2015, Environmental Biology of Fishes (98) 173-181
Spawning behavior of lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, is poorly understood, relative to stream-dwelling salmonines. Underwater video records of spawning in a recovering population from the Drummond Island Refuge (Lake Huron) represent the first reported direct observations of lake trout spawning in the Laurentian Great Lakes. These observations provide...
High-resolution paleoclimatology of the Santa Barbara Basin during the Medieval Climate Anomaly and early Little Ice Age based on diatom and silicoflagellate assemblages in Kasten core SPR0901-02KC
John A. Barron, David B. Bukry, Ingrid L. Hendy
2015, Quaternary International (387) 13-22
Diatom and silicoflagellate assemblages documented in a high-resolution time series spanning 800 to 1600 AD in varved sediment recovered in Kasten core SPR0901-02KC (34°16.845’ N, 120°02.332’ W, water depth 588 m) from the Santa Barbara Basin (SBB) reveal that SBB surface water conditions during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) and...
