Relative energy production determines effect of repowering on wildlife mortality at wind energy facilities
Manuela Huso, Tara Conkling, Daniel Dalthorp, Melanie J Davis, Heath Smith, Amy Fesnock-Parker, Todd E. Katzner
2021, Journal of Appllied Ecology (58) 1284-1290
Reduction in wildlife mortality is often cited as a potential advantage to repowering wind facilities, that is, replacing smaller, lower capacity, closely spaced turbines, with larger, higher capacity ones, more widely spaced. Wildlife mortality rates, however, are affected by more than just size and spacing of turbines, varying with...
Regional ensemble modeling reduces uncertainty for digital soil mapping
Colby C. Brungard, Travis W. Nauman, Michael C. Duniway, Kari E. Veblen, Kyle C. Nehring, David S. White, Shawn W. Salley, Julius Anchang
2021, Geoderma (397)
Recent country and continental-scale digital soil mapping efforts have used a single model to predict soil properties across large regions. However, different ecophysiographic regions within large-extent areas are likely to have different soil-landscape relationships so models built specifically for these regions may more accurately capture these relationships relative to...
Biofluorescence in tiger salamanders documented in Rocky Mountain National Park for the first time
Benjamin Lafrance, Andrew M. Ray, Amanda M. Kissel, Erin L. Muths
2021, Park Science (51)
No abstract available....
Biological correlates of sea urchin recruitment in kelp forest and urchin barren habitats
Ben Weitzman, Brenda H. Konar
2021, Marine Ecology Progress Series (663) 115-125
Shifts between the alternate stable states of sea urchin barren grounds and kelp forests correspond to sea urchin density. In the Aleutian Archipelago, green sea urchins Strongylocentrotus polyacanthus are the dominant herbivores that graze kelp forests. Sea urchin recruitment is an important driver that influences sea urchin density, particularly in the absence...
First record and diet of the tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) from Guadalupe National Park and Culberson County, Texas
Mollie K Hanttula, Ernest W. Valdez
2021, Western North American Naturalist (81) 131-134
The tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) occurs throughout the eastern United States, from Canada to south Florida and westward to eastern New Mexico, central Colorado, and western Texas. In this study, we document the first record of P. subflavus for both Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Culberson County, Texas....
Texas and Landsat
U.S. Geological Survey
2021, Fact Sheet 2021-3017
The State of Texas has the largest land area of any in the contiguous United States, and its sprawling landscapes show rich geographic diversity. The Lone Star State has cactus flats in the high plains of its far western panhandle, rolling hills in its western Trans-Pecos region, farms and ranchlands...
Range-wide greater sage-grouse hierarchical monitoring framework—Implications for defining population boundaries, trend estimation, and a targeted annual warning system
Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Michael S. O’Donnell, Cameron L. Aldridge, David R. Edmunds, Adrian P. Monroe, Mark A. Ricca, Gregory T. Wann, Steve E. Hanser, Lief A. Wiechman, Michael P. Chenaille
2021, Open-File Report 2020-1154
Incorporating spatial and temporal scales into greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) population monitoring strategies is challenging and rarely implemented. Sage-grouse populations experience fluctuations in abundance that lead to temporal oscillations, making trend estimation difficult. Accounting for stochasticity is critical to reliably estimate population trends and investigate variation related to deterministic factors...
A rock record of complex aeolian bedforms in a Hesperian desert landscape: The Stimson formation as exposed in the Murray Buttes, Gale Crater, Mars
Steve G. Banham, Sanjeev Gupta, David M. Rubin, Kenneth S. Edgett, Robert Barnes, Jason K. Van Beek, Jessica A. Watkins, Lauren A. Edgar, Christopher M. Fedo, Rebecca M. E. Williams, Kathryn M. Stack, John P. Grotzinger, Kevin Lewis, Ryan C. Ewing, Mackenzie D. Day, Ashwin R. Vasavada
2021, Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets (126)
Lithified aeolian strata encode information about ancient planetary surface processes and the climate during deposition. Decoding these strata provides insight regarding past sediment transport processes, bedform kinematics, depositional landscape, and the prevailing climate. Deciphering these signatures requires a detailed analysis of sedimentary architecture to reconstruct dune morphology, motion, and the...
Renewing the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program as the Nation’s authoritative source for modern geologic knowledge
John Brock, Karen Berry, James Faulds, Richard Berg, Kyle House, Michael Marketti, Darcy McPhee, Kevin M. Schmidt, James Schmitt, David R. Soller, David Spears, Ren A. Thompson, Harvey Thorleifson, Gregory J. Walsh
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1013
This document presents the renewed vision, mission, and goals for the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP). The NCGMP, as authorized by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-285, 106 Stat. 166 and its reauthorizations), is tasked with expediting the production of a geologic database for...
Rayleigh wave amplitude uncertainty across the Global Seismographic Network and potential implications for global tomography
Adam T. Ringler, Robert Anthony, C. A. Dalton, David C. Wilson
2021, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (111) 1273-1292
The Global Seismographic Network (GSN) is a multiuse, globally distributed seismic network used by seismologists, to both characterize earthquakes and study the Earth’s interior. Most stations in the network have two collocated broadband seismometers, which enable network operators to identify potential metadata and sensor issues. In this study, we investigate...
Quantifying energetic costs and defining energy landscapes experienced by grizzly bears
Anthony M. Carnahan, Frank T. van Manen, Mark A. Haroldson, Gordon Stenhouse, Charles T. Robbins
2021, Journal of Experimental Biology (224)
Animal movements are major determinants of energy expenditure and ultimately the cost–benefit of landscape use. Thus, we sought to understand those costs and how grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) move in mountainous landscapes. We trained captive grizzly bears to walk on a horizontal treadmill and up and...
Considerations of variability and power for long-term monitoring of stream fish assemblages
Scott D. George, Daniel Stich, Barry P. Baldigo
2021, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (78) 301-311
Little attention has been given to optimizing statistical power for monitoring stream fish assemblages. We explored the relationship between temporal variability and statistical power using 34 metrics from fish community data collected annually at six sites over 10 years via electrofishing. Metric variability differed by the life stage and group...
Preliminary assessment of carbon and nitrogen sequestration potential of wildfire-derived sediments stored by erosion control structures in forest ecosystems, southwest USA
James B. Callegary, Laura M. Norman, Christopher J. Eastoe, Joel B. Sankey, Ann Youberg
2021, Air, Soil and Water Research (14)
The role of pyrogenic carbon (PyC) in the global carbon cycle is still incompletely characterized. Much work has been done to characterize PyC on landforms and in soils where it originates or in “terminal” reservoirs such as marine sediments. Less is known about intermediate reservoirs such as...
Assessing the effectiveness of nourishment in decadal barrier island morphological resilience
Davina Passeri, Matthew V. Bilskie, Scott C. Hagen, Rangley C. Mickey, P Soupy Dalyander, Victor Gonzalez
2021, Water (13)
Nourishment has shown to be an effective method for short-term storm protection along barrier islands and sandy beaches by reducing flooding, wave attack and erosion. However, the ability of nourishment to mitigate the effects of storms and sea level rise (SLR) and improve coastal resilience over decadal...
Risks posed by SARS‐CoV‐2 to North American bats during winter fieldwork
Jonathan D Cook, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Jeremy T. H. Coleman, Jonathan M. Sleeman, Michael C. Runge
2021, Conservation Science and Practice (3)
The virus that causes COVID‐19 likely evolved in a mammalian host, possibly Old‐World bats, before adapting to humans, raising the question of whether reverse zoonotic transmission to bats is possible. Wildlife management agencies in North America are concerned that the activities they authorize could lead to transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 to...
Groundwater-quality and select quality-control data from the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, January 2017 through December 2019
James A. Kingsbury, Laura M. Bexfield, Terri Arnold, MaryLynn Musgrove, Melinda L. Erickson, James R. Degnan, Anthony J. Tesoriero, Bruce D. Lindsey, Kenneth Belitz
2021, Data Series 1136
Groundwater-quality environmental data were collected from 983 wells as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Project of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Program and are included in this report. The data were collected from six types of well networks: principal aquifer study networks, which are used to assess...
Landscape evolution in eastern Chuckwalla Valley, Riverside County, California
Amy E. East, Harrison J. Gray, Margaret Hiza Redsteer, Matthew Ballmer
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5017
This study investigates sedimentary and geomorphic processes in eastern Chuckwalla Valley, Riverside County, California, a region of arid, basin-and-range terrain where extensive solar-energy development is planned. The objectives of this study were to (1) measure local weather parameters and use them to model aeolian sediment-transport potential; (2) identify surface sedimentary...
Exploiting common senses: Sensory ecology meets wildlife conservation and management
Laura K Elmer, Christine L Madliger, Daniel T. Blumstein, Chris K Elvidge, Esteban Fernandex-Juricic, Andrij Z Horodysky, Nicholas S. Johnson, Liam P McGuire, Ronald R. Swaisgood, Steven J. Cooke
2021, Conservation Physiology (9)
Multidisciplinary approaches to conservation and wildlife management are often effective in addressing complex, multi-factor problems. Emerging fields such as conservation physiology and conservation behaviour can provide innovative solutions and management strategies for target species and systems. Sensory ecology combines the study of ‘how animals acquire’ and process sensory stimuli...
Optimal allocation of law enforcement patrol effort to mitigate poaching activities
Jennifer F. Moore, Bradley Udell, Julien Martin, Ezechiel Turikunkiko, Michel K. Masozera
2021, Ecological Applications (31)
Poaching is a global problem causing the decline of species worldwide. Optimizing the efficiency of ranger patrols to deter poaching activity at the lowest possible cost is crucial for protecting species with limited resources. We applied decision analysis and spatial optimization algorithms to allocate efforts of...
Contrasting geographic patterns of ignition probability and burn severity in the Mojave Desert
Robert C. Klinger, Emma C Underwood, Randy McKinley, Matthew L. Brooks
2021, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (9)
The extent and frequency of fire has increased in many arid systems over the last century, with a large proportion of area in some regions undergoing transitions to novel conditions. Portions of the Mojave Desert in southwestern North America have undergone such transitions, most often from woody to...
Brittle fragmentation by rapid gas separation in a Hawaiian fountain
Atsuko Namiki, Matthew R. Patrick, Michael Manga, Bruce F. Houghton
2021, Nature Geoscience (14) 242-247
Brittle fragmentation, generating small pyroclasts from magma, is a key process determining eruptive style. How low-viscosity magma fragments within a rising fountain in a brittle manner, however, is not well understood. Here we describe a fragmentation process in Hawaiian fountains on the basis of observations from...
Identifying dominant environmental predictors of freshwater wetland methane fluxes across diurnal to seasonal time scales
Sarah Knox, Sheel Bansal, Gavin McNicol, Karina Schafer, Cove Sturtevant, Masahito Ueyama, Alex Valach, Dennis Baldocchi, Kyle B. Delwiche, Ankur R. Desai, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Jinxun Liu, Annalea Lohila, Avni Malhotra, Lulie Melling, William Riley, Benjamin R. K. Runkle, Jessica Turner, Rodrigo Vargas, Qing Zhu, Tuula Alto, Etienne Fluet-Chouinard, Mathias Goeckede, Joe Melton, Oliver Sonnentag, Timo Vesala, Eric Ward, Zhen Zhang, Sarah Feron, Zutao Ouyang, Angela C I Tang, Pavel Alekseychik, Mika Aurela, Gil Bohrer, David I. Campbell, Jiquan Chen, Housen Chu, Higo Dalmagro, Jordan P. Goodrich, Pia Gottschalk, Takashi Hirano, Hiroki Iwata, Gerald Jurasinski, Minseok Kang, Franziska Koebsch, Ivan Mammarella, Mats B. Nilsson, Keisuke Ono, Matthias Peichl, Olli Peltola, Youngryel Ryu, Torsten Sachs, Ayaka Sakabe, Jed Sparks, Eeva-Stiina Tuittila, George Vourlitis, Guan X Wong, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Benjamin Poulter, Robert B. Jackson
2021, Global Change Biology (27) 3582-3604
While wetlands are the largest natural source of methane (CH4) to the atmosphere, they represent a large source of uncertainty in the global CH4 budget due to the complex biogeochemical controls on CH4 dynamics. Here we present, to our knowledge, the first multi-site synthesis of how predictors of CH4 fluxes (FCH4) in freshwater...
Effects of long-term cortisol treatment on growth and osmoregulation of Atlantic salmon and brook trout
Luis Vargas-Chacoff, Amy M. Regish, A. Weinstock, B Th Bjornsson, Stephen D. McCormick
2021, General and Comparative Endocrinology (308)
Cortisol is the final product of the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis and acts as a gluco- and mineralo-corticoid in fish. Long-term elevations of cortisol have been linked to reduced growth in fishes, but the mechanism(s) and relative sensitivities of species are still...
Aquatic ecosystem metabolism as a tool in environmental management
Kathi Jo Jankowski, Francine H. Mejia, Joanna Blaszczak, Gordon W. Holtgrieve
2021, WIREs Water (8)
Recent advances in high-frequency environmental sensing and statistical approaches have greatly expanded the breadth of knowledge regarding aquatic ecosystem metabolism - the measurement and interpretation of gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER). Aquatic scientists are poised to take advantage of widely available datasets and freely-available modeling tools to...
Extreme precipitation across adjacent burned and unburned watersheds reveals impacts of low severity wildfire on debris-flow processes
Luke A. McGuire, Ann M. Youberg, Francis K. Rengers, Nathan S. Abramson, Indujaa Ganesh, Alex N. Gorr, Olivia Hoch, Justin C. Johnson, Patt Lamom, Alexander B. Prescott, Jessica Zanetell, Brendan Fenerty
2021, Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface (126)
In steep landscapes, wildfire-induced changes to soil and vegetation can lead to extreme and hazardous geomorphic responses, including debris flows. The wildfire-induced mechanisms that lead to heightened geomorphic responses, however, depend on many site-specific factors including regional climate, vegetation, soil texture, and soil burn severity. As...
