Radiocarbon dating of small terrestrial gastropod shells in North America
J.S. Pigati, J.A. Rech, J.C. Nekola
2010, Quaternary Geochronology (5) 519-532
Fossil shells of small terrestrial gastropods are commonly preserved in wetland, alluvial, loess, and glacial deposits, as well as in sediments at many archeological sites. These shells are composed largely of aragonite (CaCO3) and potentially could be used for radiocarbon dating, but they must meet two criteria before their 14C...
Effects of coalbed natural gas development on fish assemblages in tributary streams of the Powder and Tongue rivers
W.N. Davis, R.G. Bramblett, A.V. Zale
2010, Freshwater Biology (55) 2612-2625
1. Extraction of coalbed natural gas (CBNG) often results in disposal of large quantities of CBNG product water, which may affect aquatic ecosystems. We evaluated the effects of CBNG development on fish assemblages in tributary streams of the Powder and Tongue rivers. We used treatment and control, impact versus reference...
Reproductive failure of the red shiner (Cyprinella lutrensis) after exposure to an exogenous estrogen
M.M. McGree, D.L. Winkelman, N.K.M. Vieira, A.M. Vajda
2010, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (67) 1730-1743
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have been detected in surface waters worldwide and can lead to developmental and reproductive disruption in exposed fishes. In the US Great Plains, EDCs are impacting streams and rivers and may be causing adverse reproductive effects. To examine how estrogenic EDCs might affect reproductive success of...
Characterization of small microsatellite loci for use in non invasive sampling studies of Gunnison Sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus)
Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Judy St. John
2010, Conservation Genetics Resources (2) 17-20
Primers for 10 microsatellite loci were developed specifically to amplify low quantity and quality DNA for Gunnison Sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus), a species that has been petitioned for listing under the US Endangered Species Act. In a screen of 20 individuals from the largest population in the Gunnison Basin,...
Accuracy of gap analysis habitat models in predicting physical features for wildlife-habitat associations in the southwest U.S.
K.G. Boykin, B.C. Thompson, S. Propeck-Gray
2010, Ecological Modelling (221) 2769-2775
Despite widespread and long-standing efforts to model wildlife-habitat associations using remotely sensed and other spatially explicit data, there are relatively few evaluations of the performance of variables included in predictive models relative to actual features on the landscape. As part of the National Gap Analysis Program, we specifically examined physical...
Causes for the decline of suspended-sediment discharge in the Mississippi River system, 1940-2007
R.H. Meade, J. A. Moody
2010, Hydrological Processes (24) 35-49
Before 1900, the Missouri-Mississippi River system transported an estimated 400 million metric tons per year of sediment from the interior of the United States to coastal Louisiana. During the last two decades (1987-2006), this transport has averaged 145 million metric tons per year. The cause for this substantial decrease in...
Environmental drivers of fish functional diversity and composition in the Lower Colorado River Basin
T.K. Pool, J. D. Olden, Joanna B. Whittier, C.P. Paukert
2010, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (67) 1791-1807
Freshwater conservation efforts require an understanding of how natural and anthropogenic factors shape the present-day biogeography of native and non-native species. This knowledge need is especially acute for imperiled native fishes in the highly modified Lower Colorado River Basin (LCRB), USA. In the present study we employed both a taxonomic...
Coal lithotypes before and after saturation with CO2; insights from micro- and mesoporosity, fluidity, and functional group distribution
Maria Mastalerz, A. Drobniak, R. Walker, D. Morse
2010, International Journal of Coal Geology (83) 467-474
Four lithotypes, vitrain, bright clarain, clarain, and fusain, were hand-picked from the core of the Pennsylvanian Springfield Coal Member (Petersburg Formation) in Illinois. These lithotypes were analyzed petrographically and for meso- and micropore characteristics, functional group distribution using FTIR techniques, and fluidity. High-pressure CO2 adsorption isotherm analyses of these lithotypes...
Geological evolution of the Antongil Craton, NE Madagascar
D. I. Schofield, Ronald J. Thomas, K. M. Goodenough, B. De Waele, P. E. J. Pitfield, R. M. Key, W. Bauer, G. J. Walsh, D. J. Lidke, A.V. Ralison, M. Rabarimanana, J. M. Rafahatelo, T. Randriamananjara
2010, Precambrian Research (182) 187-203
The Antongil Craton, along with the Masora and Antananarivo cratons, make up the fundamental Archaean building blocks of the island of Madagascar. They were juxtaposed during the late-Neoproterozoic to early Palaeozoic assembly of Gondwana. In this paper we give a synthesis of the geology of the Antongil Craton and present...
An experimental assessment of vehicle disturbance effects on migratory shorebirds
Nathan M. Tarr, T.R. Simons, K. H. Pollock
2010, Journal of Wildlife Management (74) 1776-1783
Off-road vehicle (ORV) traffic is one of several forms of disturbance thought to affect shorebirds at migration stopover sites. Attempts to measure disturbance effects on shorebird habitat use and behavior at stopover sites are difficult because ORV disturbance is frequently confounded with habitat and environmental factors. We used a before-after-control-impact...
Effects of nourishment on the form and function of an estuarine beach
N.L. Jackson, K.F. Nordstrom, S. Saini, D. R. Smith
2010, Ecological Engineering (36) 1709-1718
Beach nourishment programs in estuaries can enhance shore protection, but they decrease habitat suitability by creating higher berms and wider backshores than would occur under natural conditions. Use of sediment sources from outside the area can result in sedimentary characteristics that differ from native sediments on the surface and at...
Zinc isotopic composition of particulate matter generated during the combustion of coal and coal + tire-derived fuels
D.M. Borrok, R. Giere, M. Ren, E. R. Landa
2010, Environmental Science & Technology (44) 9219-9224
Atmospheric Zn emissions from the burning of coal and tire-derived fuel (TDF) for power generation can be considerable. In an effort to lay the foundation for tracking these contributions, we evaluated the Zn isotopes of coal, a mixture of 95 wt % coal + 5 wt % TDF, and the...
Occurrence of West Nile virus infection in raptors at the Salton Sea, California
Robert J. Dusek, William M. Iko, Erik K. Hofmeister
2010, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (46) 889-895
We investigated the prevalence of West Nile virus (WNV)-neutralizing antibodies and infectious virus, and the occurrence of overwinter transmission in two raptor species during January and March 2006 at the Salton Sea, Imperial County, California. We captured 208 American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) (January, n=100; March, n=108) and 116 Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia)...
Nighttime aboveground movements by prairie dogs on colonies inhabited by black-footed ferrets
David A. Eads, Jennifer G. Chipault, Dean E. Biggins, Travis M. Livieri, Joshua J. Millspaugh
2010, Western North American Naturalist (70) 261-265
We describe observations of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) emerging aboveground at night, apparently in response to wild-born and captive-born black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) in South Dakota and New Mexico, respectively. We also discuss other similar observations accumulated on black-tailed prairie dog colonies as well as observations of white-tailed prairie...
The three scales of submarine groundwater flow and discharge across passive continental margins
John F. Bratton
2010, Journal of Geology (118) 565-575
Increased study of submarine groundwater systems in recent years has provided a wealth of new data and techniques, but some ambiguity has been introduced by insufficient distinguishing of the relevant spatial scales of the phenomena studied. Submarine groundwater flow and discharge on passive continental margins can be most productively studied...
Satellite observations of a surtseyan eruption: Hunga Ha'apai, Tonga
R. Greg Vaughan, Peter W. Webley
2010, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (198) 177-186
On March 17, 2009, a surtseyan eruption occurred around Hunga Ha'apai Island, Tonga. A series of observations from the high-spatial resolution Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), and the high-temporal resolution Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), was used to estimate the magnitude, location, start time, and duration of...
The annual cycles of phytoplankton biomass
Monika Winder, James E. Cloern
2010, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (365) 3215-3226
Terrestrial plants are powerful climate sentinels because their annual cycles of growth, reproduction and senescence are finely tuned to the annual climate cycle having a period of one year. Consistency in the seasonal phasing of terrestrial plant activity provides a relatively low-noise background from which phenological shifts can be detected...
Ecological hierarchies and self-organisation - Pattern analysis, modelling and process integration across scales
H. Reuter, F. Jopp, J. M. Blanco-Moreno, C. Damgaard, Y. Matsinos, D.L. DeAngelis
2010, Basic and Applied Ecology (11) 572-581
A continuing discussion in applied and theoretical ecology focuses on the relationship of different organisational levels and on how ecological systems interact across scales. We address principal approaches to cope with complex across-level issues in ecology by applying elements of hierarchy theory and the theory of complex adaptive systems. A...
Inherent Limitations of Hydraulic Tomography
Geoffrey C. Bohling, J.J. Butler
2010, Ground Water (48) 809-824
We offer a cautionary note in response to an increasing level of enthusiasm regarding high-resolution aquifer characterization with hydraulic tomography. We use synthetic examples based on two recent field experiments to demonstrate that a high degree of nonuniqueness remains in estimates of hydraulic parameter fields even when those estimates are...
Selection, trans-species polymorphism, and locus identification of major histocompatibility complex class IIβ alleles of New World ranid frogs
Karen M. Kiemnec-Tyburczy, Jonathan Q. Richmond, Anna E. Savage, Kelly R. Zamudio
2010, Immunogenetics (62) 741-751
Genes encoded by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) play key roles in the vertebrate immune system. However, our understanding of the evolutionary processes and underlying genetic mechanisms shaping these genes is limited in many taxa, including amphibians, a group currently impacted by emerging infectious diseases. To further elucidate the evolution...
Laboratory chalcopyrite oxidation by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans: Oxygen and sulfur isotope fractionation
R.S. Thurston, K.W. Mandernack, Wayne C. Shanks III
2010, Chemical Geology (269) 252-261
Laboratory experiments were conducted to simulate chalcopyrite oxidation under anaerobic and aerobic conditions in the absence or presence of the bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. Experiments were carried out with 3 different oxygen isotope values of water (??18OH2O) so that approach to equilibrium or steady-state isotope fractionation for different starting conditions could...
Active remote sensing of snow using NMM3D/DMRT and comparison with CLPX II airborne data
X. Xu, D. Liang, L. Tsang, K.M. Andreadis, E.G. Josberger, D.P. Lettenmaier, D.W. Cline, S.H. Yueh
2010, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing (3) 689-697
We applied the Numerical Maxwell Model of three-dimensional simulations (NMM3D) in the Dense Media Radiative Theory (DMRT) to calculate backscattering coefficients. The particles' positions are computer-generated and the subsequent Foldy-Lax equations solved numerically. The phase matrix in NMM3D has significant cross-polarization, particularly when the particles are densely packed. The NMM3D...
Estimating length of avian incubation and nestling stages in afrotropical forest birds from interval-censored nest records
T.R. Stanley, W.D. Newmark
2010, The Auk (127) 79-85
In the East Usambara Mountains in northeast Tanzania, research on the effects of forest fragmentation and disturbance on nest survival in understory birds resulted in the accumulation of 1,002 nest records between 2003 and 2008 for 8 poorly studied species. Because information on the length of the incubation and nestling...
Parental investment decisions in response to ambient nest-predation risk versus actual predation on the prior nest
A.D. Chalfoun, T. E. Martin
2010, Condor (112) 701-710
Theory predicts that parents should invest less in dependent offspring with lower reproductive value, such as those with a high risk of predation. Moreover, high predation risk can favor reduced parental activity when such activity attracts nest predators. Yet, the ability of parents to assess ambient nest-predation risk and respond...
Rapid evolution in lekking grouse: Implications for taxonomic definitions
Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Judy St. John, Thomas W. Quinn
2010, Ornithological Monographs (67) 114-122
Species and subspecies delineations were traditionally defined by morphological and behavioral traits, as well as by plumage characteristics. Molecular genetic data have more recently been used to assess these classifications and, in many cases, to redefine them. The recent practice of utilizing molecular genetic data to examine taxonomic questions has...
