Different management strategies are optimal for combating disease in East Texas cave versus culvert hibernating bat populations
Riley Fehr Bernard, Jonah Evans, Nathan W. Fuller, Jonathan D. Reichard, Jeremy T. H. Coleman, Christina J. Kocer, Evan H. Campbell Grant
2020, Conservation Science and Practice (1)
Management decisions for species impacted by emerging infectious diseases are challenging when there are uncertainties in the effectiveness of management actions. Wildlife managers must balance trade‐offs between mitigating the effects of the disease and the associated consequences on other aspects of the managed system. An example of this challenge is...
Global change-driven use of onshore habitat impacts polar bear faecal microbiota
Sophie Watson, Heidi Hauffe, Matthew Bull, Todd C. Atwood, Melissa McKinney, Massimo Pindo, Sarah Perkins
2020, ISME Journal (13) 2916-2926
The gut microbiota plays a critical role in host health, yet remains poorly studied in wild species. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus), key indicators of Arctic ecosystem health and environmental change, are currently affected by rapid shifts in habitat that may alter gut homeostasis. Declining sea ice has led to...
Passive restoration of vegetation and biological soil crusts following 80 years of exclusion from grazing across the Great Basin
Lea A. Condon, Nicole Pietrasiak, Roger Rosentreter, David A. Pyke
2020, Restoration Ecology (28) S75-S85
Restoration targets for biological soil crusts are largely unknown. We surveyed seven 80‐year‐old grazing exclosures across northern Nevada for biocrusts to quantify reference conditions at relatively undisturbed sites. Exclosures were associated with the following plant communities: Wyoming big sagebrush, black sagebrush, and areas co‐dominated by winterfat...
Sampling and analysis frameworks for inference in ecology
Byron K. Williams, Ellie Brown
2020, Methods in Ecology and Evolution (11) 1832-1842
1. Reliable statistical inference is central to ecological research, much of which seeks to estimate population attributes and their interactions. The issue of sampling design and its relationship to inference has become increasingly important due to rapid proliferation of modeling methodology (line transect modeling, capture-recapture, estimation of occurrence, model selection...
Using carbon isotope ratios to verify predictions of a model simulating the interaction between coastal plant communities and their effect on ground water salinity
Suresh C. Subedi, Leonel Sternberg, Donald L. DeAngelis, Michael S. Ross, Danielle Ogarcak
2020, Ecosystems (23) 570-585
As sea level rises in low-lying coastal islands, salt-tolerant (halophytic) coastal vegetation communities may be able to migrate inland, replacing the freshwater vegetation that is unable to tolerate salt stress. The pace of such shifts may be accelerated by a self-reinforcing feedback between the halophytic vegetation and salinity, as well...
Using full and partial unmixing algorithms to estimate the inundation extent of small, isolated stock ponds in an arid landscape
Christopher Jarchow, Brent H. Sigafus, Erin L. Muths, Blake R. Hossack
2020, Wetlands (40) 563-575
Many natural wetlands around the world have disappeared or been replaced, resulting in the dependence of many wildlife species on small, artificial earthen stock ponds. These ponds provide critical wildlife habitat, such that the accurate detection of water and assessment of inundation extent is required. We applied a full (linear...
Harvest–release decisions in recreational fisheries
Mark A Kaemingk, Keith L. Hurley, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope
2020, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (77) 194-201
Most fishery regulations aim to control angler harvest. Yet, we lack a basic understanding of what actually determines the angler’s decision to harvest or release fish caught. We used XGBoost, a machine learning algorithm, to develop a predictive angler harvest–release model by taking advantage of an extensive recreational fishery data...
Light exposure along particle flowpaths in large rivers
John R. Gardner, Scott H. Ensign, Jeffrey N. Houser, Martin W. Doyle
2020, Limnology and Oceanography (65) 128-142
Sunlight is a critical resource in aquatic systems driving photosynthesis, photodegradation of organic matter and contaminants, animal behavior, and the activity of human pathogens. In rivers, solutes, materials, and organisms are turbulently mixed across the water column during downstream transport and exposed to highly variable sunlight. However, there are no...
Fire, climate and changing forests
Jon Keeley, Phillip J. van Mantgem, Donald A. Falk
2020, Nature Plants (5) 774-775
A changing climate implies potential transformations in plant demography, communities, and disturbances such as wildfire and insect outbreaks. How do these dynamics play out in terrestrial ecosystems across scales of space and time? “Vegetation type conversion” (VTC) is a term used to describe abrupt and long-lasting changes in vegetation structure...
Considerations for maximizing the adaptive potential of restored coral populations in the western Atlantic
Iliana B. Baums, Andrew C Baker, Sarah W Davies, Andrea G Grottoli, Carly D Kenkel, Sheila A Kitchen, Ilsa B. Kuffner, Todd C LaJeunesse, Mikhail V Matz, Margaret W Miller, John E Parkinson, Andrew A Shantz
2020, Ecological Applications (29)
Active coral restoration typically involves two interventions: crossing gametes to facilitate sexual larval propagation; and fragmenting, growing, and outplanting adult colonies to enhance asexual propagation. From an evolutionary perspective, the goal of these efforts is to establish self‐sustaining, sexually reproducing coral populations that have sufficient genetic and phenotypic variation to...
In situ measurements of compressional wave speed during gravity coring operations in the New England mud patch
Megan S. Ballard, Kevin M. Lee, Andrew R. McNeese, Preston S. Wilson, Jason Chaytor, John A. Goff, Allen H. Reed
2020, IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering (45) 26-38
This paper presents measurements of sediment sound-speed profiles measured in situ using the acoustic coring system (ACS). The reported measurements were obtained from seven gravity cores collected in the New England Mud Patch. The ACS uses two sets of transducers mounted below the penetrating tip of a sediment corer to...
Connectivity in the Crown: Highway 2 wildlife crossings
John S. Waller, Tabitha A. Graves, Brad Anderson, Brandon Kittson, Sarah Mccrimmon Gaulke
2020, Report
This report summarizes data collected to inform decisions on how to best mitigate the effects on wildlife migration from increasing traffic, development, and recreation along US highway 2. The highway, railway, and river split the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. This data addresses SO 3362 by providing information...
Shear velocity structure from ambient noise and teleseismic surface wave tomography in the Cascades around Mount St. Helens
Kayla Crosbie, Geoff A. Abers, Michael Everett Mann, Helen A. Janiszewski, Kenneth C Creager, Carl W Ulberg, Seth C. Moran
2020, Journal of Geophysical Research (124) 8358-8375
Mount St. Helens (MSH) lies in the forearc of the Cascades where conditions should be too cold for volcanism. To better understand thermal conditions and magma pathways beneath MSH, data from a dense broadband array are used to produce high‐resolution tomographic images of the crust and upper mantle. Rayleigh‐wave phase‐velocity...
In situ benthic nutrient flux and sediment oxygen demand in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey
Timothy P. Wilson, Vincent T. DePaul
2020, Journal of Coastal Research (78) 46-59
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, measured sediment oxygen demand (SOD) and benthic nutrient fluxes throughout Barnegat Bay, New Jersey. SOD was determined in situ using chambers equipped with optical dissolved oxygen sensors. The benthic nutrient fluxes of ammonia (NH3), nitrite +...
Estimating visitor use and economic contributions of National Park visitor spending
Lynne Koontz, Catherine Cullinane Thomas
2020, Book chapter, Valuing U.S. National Parks and Programs
This chapter provides an overview of the National Park Service (NPS) methods for estimating visitor spending and calculating economic contributions of visitor spending in terms of jobs supported, wage and labor income, and total economic activity. The Visitor Spending Effects model combines visitor spending patterns and trip characteristic data with...
A comprehensive approach uncovers hidden diversity in freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) with the description of a novel species
Kentaro Inoue, John L. Harris, Clint Robertson, Nathan Johnson, Charles R. Randklev
2020, Cladistics (36) 88-113
Major geological processes have shaped biogeographical patterns of riverine biota. The Edwards Plateau of central Texas, USA, exhibits unique aquatic communities and endemism, including several species of freshwater mussels. Lampsilis bracteata (Gould, 1855) is endemic to the Edwards Plateau region; however, its phylogenetic relationship with other species in the Gulf coastal rivers...
Infection at an ecotone: Cross‐system foraging increases satellite parasites but decreases core parasites in raccoons
Sara B. Weinstein, Jacey C. Van Wert, Mike Kinsella, Vasyl V. Tkach, Kevin D. Lafferty
2020, Ecology
Ecotones can increase free-living species richness, but little is known about how parasites respond to ecotones. Here we use parasite communities in raccoons (Procyon lotor) to test the hypothesis that parasite communities can be divided into core and satellite species, each with fundamentally different responses to ecotones. We used published...
Investigating bedload transport under asymmetrical waves using a coupled ocean-wave model
Tarandeep S. Kalra, Christopher R. Sherwood, John C. Warner, Yashar Rafati, Tian Jian Hsu
2020, Conference Paper
Transport by asymmetrical wave motions plays a key role in cross-shore movement of sand, which is important for bar migration, exchange through tidal inlets, and beach recovery after storms. We have implemented a modified version of the SANTOSS formulation in the three-dimensional open-source Coupled-Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport (COAWST) modeling framework. The calculation...
Modeling the morphological response of a barrier island to Hurricane Matthew
Ellen Quataert, Marlies van der Lugt, Christopher R. Sherwood, Maarten van Oormondt, Ap van Dongeran
2020, Conference Paper, Coastal sediments 2019: Proceedings of the 9th international conference
Surge and wave forcing from Hurricane Matthew caused a breach south of Matanzas Inlet (FL, USA) on a complex barrier island, including sandy dunes, hard structures (residential buildings and a highway), wetlands, and the US Intracoastal Waterway. In this paper, the skill of the XBeach model to predict hurricane-induced barrier...
Assessing the chemistry and bioavailability of dissolved organic matter from glaciers and rock glaciers
Timothy S. Fegel, Claudia M. Boot, Corey D. Broeckling, Jill Baron, Edward K Hall
2020, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (124) 1988-2004
As glaciers thaw in response to warming, they release dissolved organic matter (DOM) to alpine lakes and streams. The United States contains an abundance of both alpine glaciers and rock glaciers. Differences in DOM composition and bioavailability between glacier types, like rock and ice glaciers, remain undefined. To assess differences...
Establishing genome sizes of focal fishery and aquaculture species along Baja California, Mexico
Constanza del Mar Ochoa-Saloma, Jill A. Jenkins, Manuel A. Segovia, Miguel A. Del Rio-Portilla, Carmen G. Paniagua-Chavez
2020, Conservation Genetics Resources (12) 301-309
Genome size—the total haploid content of nuclear DNA— is constant in all cells in individuals within a species, but differs among species. Consequently, the genome size is a quantifiable genetic signature that not only characterizes a species, but it can reflect chromatin modifications, which play fundamental roles in most biological...
Hydroseeding tackifiers and dryland moss restoration potential
W. Dillon Blankenship, Lea A. Condon, David A. Pyke
2020, Restoration Ecology (28) S127-S138
Tackifiers are long‐chain carbon compounds used for soil stabilization and hydroseeding and could provide a vehicle for biological soil crust restoration. We examined the sensitivity of two dryland mosses, Bryum argenteum and Syntrichia ruralis, to three common tackifiers ‐ guar, psyllium, and polyacrylamide (PAM) ‐ at 0.5x, 1.0x, and 2.0x of recommended (x) concentrations...
Upwelling buffers climate change impacts on coral reefs of the eastern tropical Pacific
Carly J. Randall, Lauren T. Toth, James J Leichter, Juan L Mate, Richard B. Aronson
2020, Ecology (2)
Corals of the eastern tropical Pacific live in a marginal and oceanographically dynamic environment. Along the Pacific coast of Panamá, stronger seasonal upwelling in the Gulf of Panamá in the east transitions to weaker upwelling in the Gulf of Chiriquí in the west, resulting in complex...
Comparing grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acrididae) communities on tallgrass prairie reconstructions and remnants in Missouri
J. P. LaRose, Elisabeth B. Webb, D. L. Finke
2020, Insect Conservation and Diversity (13) 23-35
Tallgrass prairies, which once occupied a large swath of central North America, face the combined challenges of habitat loss and fragmentation. In Missouri, where less than 1% the historical prairie remains, prairies are being reconstructed from agricultural or wooded land.Invertebrates are often assumed to colonise reconstructions if native vegetation...
Hydraulic tomography: 3D hydraulic conductivity, fracture network, and connectivity in mudstone
Claire R. Tiedeman, Warren Barrash
2020, Groundwater (58) 238-257
We present the first demonstration of hydraulic tomography (HT) to estimate the three-dimensional (3D) hydraulic conductivity (K) distribution of a fractured aquifer at high-resolution field scale (HRFS), including the fracture network and connectivity through it. We invert drawdown data collected from packer-isolated borehole intervals during 42...
