Designation of a composite-stratotype section for the lower Paleocene (Danian) Brightseat Formation in Prince George’s County, Maryland, U.S.A.
Jean Self-Trail, Mercer Parker, David L. Govoni, Laurel M. Bybell, Kristina Frank Gardner, Gregory S. Gohn
2023, Stratigraphy (20) 237-258
The lower Paleocene (Danian) Brightseat Formation consists of fine-grained, dark-gray, micaceous sand and silty clay, with glauconite and abundant, but generally poorly preserved, fossils. The Brightseat Formation represents deposition of lower, but not lowermost, Paleocene sediments that were deposited on the middle to outer shelf of what is now the...
Observed impacts of large wind farms on grassland carbon cycling
Donghai Wu, Steven Mark Grodsky, Wenfang Xu, Naijing Liu, Rafael M. Almeida, Liming Zhou, Lee M. Miller, Somnath Baidya Roy, Geng Xia, A. Agrawal, Benjamin Z. Houlton, Alexander S. Flecker, Xiangtao Xu
2023, Science Bulletin (68) 2889-2892
No abstract available. ...
Hydrogeology, karst, and groundwater availability of Monroe County, West Virginia
Mark D. Kozar, Daniel H. Doctor, William K. Jones, Nathan Chien, Cheyenne E. Cox, Randall C. Orndorff, David J. Weary, Mitchell R. Weaver, Mitchell A. McAdoo, Mercer Parker
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5121
Monroe County is in southeastern West Virginia, encompassing an area of 474 square miles. The area consists of karst and siliciclastic aquifers of Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, and Mississippian age and is in parts of two physiographic provinces: the Valley and Ridge Province to the east of Peters Mountain, and the...
Inundation tolerance, rather than drought tolerance, predicts riparian plant distributions along a local hydrologic gradient
Bradley J. Butterfield, Emily C. Palmquist
2023, Wetlands (44)
Riparian vegetation varies along hydrologic gradients, along which inundation and drought tend to be inversely correlated. Differentiating effects of inundation and drought on plant distributions is critical for predicting impacts of changes to baseflows and designing flow patterns to achieve vegetation objectives in regulated river systems....
Unprecedented distribution data for Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia and Y. jaegeriana) reveal contemporary climate associations of a Mojave Desert icon
Todd Esque, Daniel F. Shryock, Gabrielle A. Berr, Felicia Chen, Lesley A. DeFalco, Sabrina Mae Lewicki, Brent Lee Cunningham, Eddie J. Gaylord, Caitlin Shannon Poage, Gretchen Elizabeth Gantz, Ross Adrian Van Gaalen, Benjamin O Gottsacker, Amanda Marie Mcdonald, J.B. Yoder, C.I. Smith, K.E. Nussear
2023, Frontiers Ecology and Evolution (11)
Introduction: Forecasting range shifts in response to climate change requires accurate species distribution models (SDMs), particularly at the margins of species' ranges. However, most studies producing SDMs rely on sparse species occurrence datasets from herbarium records and public databases, along with random pseudoabsences. While environmental covariates used to fit SDMS...
Identifying invasive species threats, pathways, and impacts to improve biosecurity
Deah Lieurance, Susan Canavan, Donald C. Behringer, Amy E. Kendig, Carey R. Minteer, Lindsey S. Reisinger, Christina M. Romagosa, S. Luke Flory, Julie L. Lockwood, Patti J. Anderson, Shirley M. Baker, Jamie Bojko, Kristen E. Bowers, Kim Canavan, Kelly Carruthers, Wesley M. Daniel, Doria R. Gordon, Jeffrey E. Hill, Jennifer G. Howeth, Basil V. Iannone, Lucas Jennings, Lyn A. Gettys, Eutychus M. Kariuki, John M. Kunzer, H. Dail Laughinghouse, Nicholas E. Mandrak, Sara McCann, Tolulope Morawo, Cayla R. Morningstar, Matthew Neilson, Tabitha Petri, Ian Pfingsten, Robert Reed, Linda J. Walters, Christian Wanamaker
2023, Ecosphere (14)
Managing invasive species with prevention and early-detection strategies can avert severe ecological and economic impacts. Horizon scanning, an evidence-based process combining risk screening and consensus building to identify threats, has become a valuable tool for prioritizing invasive species management and prevention. We assembled a...
Effect of straying, reproductive strategies, and ocean distribution on the structure of American shad populations
Camille Poulet, Geraldine Lassalle, Adrian Jordaan, Karin E. Limburg, Christopher C. Nack, Janet A. Nye, Andrew O’Malley, Betsy O’Malley-Barber, Dan S. Stich, John R. Waldman, Joseph D. Zydlewski, Patrick Lambert
2023, Ecosphere (14)
The use of species distribution models has proliferated, providing insights for sustainable management of migratory species in a globally changing environment. However, many of these models are based on statistical relationships developed from historical conditions that may not perform well under changing or even...
Examining the effect of environmental variability on the viability of endangered Steller sea lions using an integrated population model
Amanda J. Warlick, Devin S. Johnson, Katie L. Sweeney, Tom S. Gelatt, Sarah J. Converse
2023, Endangered Species Research (52) 343-361
Understanding spatio-temporal variability in demography and the influence of environmental conditions offers insight into the factors underlying population dynamics. This is particularly true for species with divergent demographic patterns across large geographic areas. The contrasting abundance trends observed across the range of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) have been studied...
Assessment of prerestoration water quality in the Herring River to support adaptive management at the Cape Cod National Seashore
Thomas G. Huntington
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5120
In 2020 and 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey, Cape Cod National Seashore of the National Park Service, and Friends of Herring River cooperated to assess nutrient and suspended sediment concentrations across the ocean-estuary boundary at a dike on the Herring River on Chequessett Neck Road in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, that has...
Characterizing urban heat islands across 50 major cities in the United States
George Z. Xian
2023, Fact Sheet 2023-3048
Urban development and associated land-cover and land-use change alters the environment. The continued increase of developed land changes the Earth’s ecosystems and affects the resources provided to society. During the last 40 years, urban population in the United States has increased by more than 6.3 percent, and more...
Critical review of the phytohemagglutinin assay for assessing amphibian immunity
Lauren Hawley, Kelly L. Smalling, Scott Glaberman
2023, Conservation Physiology (11)
Infectious diseases are a major driver of the global amphibian decline. In addition, many factors, including genetics, stress, pollution, and climate change can influence the response to pathogens. Therefore, it is important to be able to evaluate amphibian immunity in the laboratory and in the field. The phytohemagglutinin (PHA) assay...
Saproxylic beetles' morphological traits and higher trophic guilds indicate boreal forest naturalness
Ross Wetherbee, Tone Birkemoe, Ryan C. Burner, Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson
2023, Ecology and Evolution (13)
Forests contribute to numerous ecosystem functions and services and contain a large proportion of terrestrial biodiversity, but they are being negatively impaced by anthropogenic activities. Forests that have never been clear-cut and have old growth characteristics, termed “near-natural,” often harbor different and richer species...
Assessing the use of long-term lek survey data to evaluate the effect of landscape characteristics and wind facilities on sharp-tailed grouse lek dynamics in North Dakota and South Dakota
Jill A. Shaffer, Deborah A. Buhl, Wesley E. Newton
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1091
The contribution of renewable energy to meet worldwide demand continues to grow. In the United States, wind energy is one of the fastest growing renewable energy sectors. Throughout the Great Plains of the United States, wind facilities often are placed in open landscapes of high-elevation grasslands, and those same habitats...
Delineating spatial units for coregonine conservation, restoration, and stewardship
Amanda Susanne Ackiss, Ralph Grundel, Jory L. Jonas, Naomi Jones, Trevor J. Krabbenhoft, Ryan Lauzon, Nicholas E. Mandrak, Brian O’Malley, Devon Pearse, Thomas C. Pratt, Breanna Redford, Mark Ridgway, Jason Smith, Andrew M. Muir
2023, Report
No abstract available....
Decision analysis to advance environmental sustainability
Kelly Filer Robinson, Erin Baker, Elizabeth Ewing, Victoria Hemming, Melissa A. Kenney, Michael C. Runge
2023, Decision Analysis (20) 243-251
Decision analysis provides a robust framework for complex decisions related to environmental sustainability and conservation, including for energy and water, fisheries and wildlife management, agriculture, and climate change response. The complexities of these problems stem from their large scope and scale, which leads to multiple decision makers, stakeholders, rightsholders, and...
Artisanal mining river dredge detection using SAR: A method comparison
Marissa Ann Alessi, Peter G. Chirico, Marco Millones
2023, Remote Sensing (15)
Challenges exist in monitoring artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) activities, given their dynamic and often informal nature. ASM takes form through various techniques and scales, including riverine dredging, which often targets the abundant alluvial gold deposits in South America. Remote sensing offers a solution to improve data collection, regulation, and...
Feasibility of implementing a long-term plan to monitor the Arctic Basin polar bear subpopulation
Ryan H. Wilson, Jon Aars, Todd C. Atwood, Evan Richardson
2023, Report
The Arctic Basin (AB) polar bear subpopulation is the least studied of the 19 global polar bear subpopulations. The Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG) recognizes the AB subpopulation as a regional grouping intended to include bears that do not belong to any of the remaining subpopulations that have data to support boundary delineations....
MTAB 106, November 2023
Kyra Harvey, Jennifer L. McKay
2023, Newsletter
This Memo to All Banders (MTAB 106) was released in December 2023. Subjects in this memo are 1. The Chief’s Chirp 2. Alerts – Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, including guidance from other countries, reminder that banders cannot submit data through Bandit, only manage data; 3. Staff updates – Meeting Reports;...
Limited role of absolute humidity in intraurban heat variability
Darryn W. Waugh, Benjamin Zaitchik, Anna A. Scott, Peter Christian Ibsen, G. Darrel Jenerette, Jason Schartz, Christopher J. Kucharik
2023, Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology (62) 1845-1854
Monitoring and understanding the variability of heat within cities is important for urban planning and public health, and the number of studies measuring intraurban temperature variability is growing. Recognizing that the physiological effects of heat depend on humidity as well as temperature, measurement campaigns have included measurements of relative humidity...
Rapid Source Characterization of the 2023 Mw 6.8 Al Haouz, Morocco, Earthquake
William L. Yeck, Alexandra Elise Hatem, Dara Elyse Goldberg, William D. Barnhart, Jessica Ann Thompson Jobe, David R. Shelly, Antonio Villasenor, Harley Benz, Paul S. Earle
2023, The Seismological Record (3) 357-366
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) estimates source characteristics of significant damaging earthquakes, aiming to place events within their seismotectonic framework. Contextualizing the 8 September 2023, Mw 6.8 Al Haouz, Morocco, earthquake is challenging, because it occurred in an enigmatic region of active surface faulting,...
Do seeding and seedling planting result in similar restored plant communities?
Bradley J. Butterfield, Seth M. Munson
2023, Applied Vegetation Science (26)
AimsRestoration practitioners often face a tradeoff between low cost but risky seeding vs expensive but more reliable seedling planting to meet revegetation goals. Knowing under what environmental and management conditions direct seeding vs seedling planting benefit different species could improve restoration practice.MethodsWe compared seed...
Panel review of Ground Motion Characterization Model in 2023 NSHM
Jonathan P. Stewart, Norman A. Abrahamson, Gail M. Atkinson, John G. Anderson, Kenneth W. Campbell, Chris H. Cramer, Michael Kolaj, Grace Alexandra Parker
2023, Report
The 2023 National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM; Petersen et al., 2023) has two major components – a seismic source characterization (SSC) model and a ground motion characterization (GMC) model. The US Geological Survey (USGS) established separate panels to review and provide input on these two models. Both panels are...
Carbonate chemistry and carbon sequestration driven by inorganic carbon outwelling from mangroves and saltmarshes
Gloria Reithmaier, Alex Cabral, Anirban Akhand, Matthew Bogard, Alberto V. Borges, Steven Bouillon, David J. Burdige, Mitchel Call, Nengwang Chen, Xiaogang Chen, Cotovicz, Meagan J. Eagle, Erik Kristensen, Kevin D. Kroeger, Zeyang Lu, Damien Maher, Lucas Perez-Llorens, Raghab Ray, Pierre Taillardat, Joseph Tamborski, Robert C. Upstill-Goddard, Faming Wang, Zhaohui Aleck Wang, Kai Xiao, Yvonne Yau, Isaac Santos
2023, Nature (14)
Mangroves and saltmarshes are biogeochemical hotspots storing carbon in sediments and in the ocean following lateral carbon export (outwelling). Coastal seawater pH is modified by both uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide and natural biogeochemical processes, e.g., wetland inputs. Here, we investigate how mangroves and saltmarshes influence...
Potential impacts of land-management schedules on grassland bird nests and fledglings
Daniel M. Wolcott, James R. Herkert, Christine Ribic, Rosalind B. Renfrew, David W. Sample
2023, Wildlife Society Bulletin (47)
Trade-offs exist between timing of grassland habitat management activities (e.g., weed and brush control) while also ensuring other conservation objectives (e.g., grassland bird reproductive success) are met. On land set aside for grassland conservation (e.g., lands enrolled in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Conservation Reserve Program and some state and...
Bee species richness through time in an urbanizing landscape of the southeastern United State
Selina A. Ruzi, Elsa Youngsteadt, April Hamblin Cherveny, Jessica Kettenbach, Hannah K. Levenson, Danesha Seth Carley, Jaime A. Collazo, Rebecca E. Irwin
2023, Global Change Biology (30)
Compared to non-urban environments, cities host ecological communities with altered taxonomic diversity and functional trait composition. However, we know little about how these urban changes take shape over time. Using historical bee (Apoidea: Anthophila) museum specimens supplemented with online repositories and researcher collections, we investigated whether bee species richness tracked...
