Relationships between indicators of acid-base chemistry and fish assemblages in streams of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Barry P. Baldigo, Matt A. Kulp, John S. Schwartz
2018, Ecological Indicators (88) 465-484
The acidity of many streams in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) has increased significantly since pre-industrial (∼1850) times due to the effects of highly acidic atmospheric deposition in poorly buffered watersheds. Extensive stream-monitoring programs since 1993 have shown that fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages have been adversely affected in...
Macroecological patterns of sexual size dimorphism in turtles of the world
Mickey Agha, Joshua R. Ennen, A. Justin Nowakowski, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Sarah C. Sweat, Brian D. Todd
2018, Journal of Evolutionary Biology (31) 336-345
Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is a well-documented phenomenon in both plants and animals; however, the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that drive and maintain SSD patterns across geographic space at regional and global scales are understudied, especially for reptiles. Our goal was to examine geographic variation of turtle SSD and to...
Population genomic analysis suggests strong influence of river network on spatial distribution of genetic variation in invasive saltcedar across the southwestern United States
Soo-Rang Lee, Yeong-Seok Jo, Chan-Ho Park, Jonathan M. Friedman, Matthew S. Olson
2018, Molecular Ecology (27) 636-646
Understanding the complex influences of landscape and anthropogenic elements that shape the population genetic structure of invasive species provides insight into patterns of colonization and spread. The application of landscape genomics techniques to these questions may offer detailed, previously undocumented insights into factors influencing species invasions. We investigated the spatial...
The relative importance of intrinsic and extrinsic drivers to population growth vary among local populations of Greater Sage-Grouse: An integrated population modeling approach
Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Mark A. Ricca, Brian J. Halstead, Michael L. Casazza, Erik J. Blomberg, Brianne E. Brussee, Lief Wiechman, Joel Tebbenkamp, Scott C. Gardner, Kerry P. Reese
2018, The Auk (135) 240-261
Consideration of ecological scale is fundamental to understanding and managing avian population growth and decline. Empirically driven models for population dynamics and demographic processes across multiple spatial scales can be powerful tools to help guide conservation actions. Integrated population models (IPMs) provide a framework for better parameter estimation by unifying...
Wild-harvested venison yields and sharing by Michigan deer hunters
Amber D. Goguen, Shawn J. Riley, John F. Organ, Brent A. Rudolph
2018, Human Dimensions of Wildlife (23) 197-212
An increased societal focus on wildlife as food and recent policy deliberations regarding legal markets for wild-harvested meat are encouraging wildlife managers and researchers to examine the amount, use, and distribution of meat yielded through recreational hunting. We used responses to questions on the Michigan Deer Harvest Study to estimate...
Molecular testing of adult Pacific salmon and trout (Oncorhynchus spp.) for several RNA viruses demonstrates widespread distribution of piscine orthoreovirus in Alaska and Washington
Maureen K. Purcell, Rachel L. Thompson, Joy Evered, John Kerwin, Ted R. Meyers, Bruce Stewart, James Winton
2018, Journal of Fish Diseases (41) 347-355
This research was initiated in conjunction with a systematic, multiagency surveillance effort in the United States (U.S.) in response to reported findings of infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) RNA in British Columbia, Canada. In the systematic surveillance study reported in a companion paper, tissues from various salmonids taken from Washington...
Winter swarming behavior by the exotic cladoceran Daphnia lumholtzi Sars, 1885 in a Kentucky (USA) reservoir
John R. Beaver, Thomas R. Renicker, Claudia E. Tausz, Jade L. Young, Jennifer C. Thomason, Zachary L. Wolf, Amber L. Russell, Mac A. Cherry, Kyle C. Scotese, Dawn T. Koenig
2018, BioInvasions Records (7) 43-50
We describe swarming behavior in the invasive cladoceran Daphnia lumholtzi Sars, 1885 in a Kentucky, USA, reservoir during winter 2017. The taxon is a highly successful tropical invader and has spread throughout the lower latitude systems in the USA since its discovery in 1991. Other than a few isolated reports,...
Regional variability of nitrate fluxes in the unsaturated zone and groundwater, Wisconsin, USA
Christopher T. Green, Lixia Liao, Bernard T. Nolan, Paul F. Juckem, Christopher L. Shope, Anthony J. Tesoriero, Bryant C. Jurgens
2018, Water Resources Research (54) 301-322
Process-based modeling of regional NO3− fluxes to groundwater is critical for understanding and managing water quality, but the complexity of NO3− reactive transport processes make implementation a challenge. This study introduces a regional vertical flux method (VFM) for efficient estimation of reactive transport of NO3− in the vadose zone and...
Relations between total phosphorus and orthophosphorus concentrations and rainfall, surface-water discharge, and groundwater levels in Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, Florida, 2014–16
W. Scott McBride, Dorothy F. Sifuentes
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1014
The Seminole Tribe of Florida (the Tribe) is partnering with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop a numeric phosphorus criterion for the 52,000-acre Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation (BCSIR), which is located downgradient of the Everglades Agricultural Area, and of other public and private lands, in southeastern Hendry County...
Hydroclimatology of the Missouri River basin
Erika K. Wise, Connie A. Woodhouse, Gregory J. McCabe, Gregory T. Pederson, Jeannine-Marie St. Jacques
2018, Journal of Hydrometeorology (19) 161-182
Despite the importance of the Missouri River for navigation, recreation, habitat, hydroelectric power, and agriculture, relatively little is known about the basic hydroclimatology of the Missouri River basin (MRB). This is of particular concern given the droughts and floods that have occurred over the past several decades and the potential...
Occupancy modeling of autonomously recorded vocalizations to predict distribution of rallids in tidal wetlands
Lydia L. Stiffler, James T. Anderson, Todd E. Katzner
2018, Wetlands (38) 605-612
Conservation and management for a species requires reliable information on its status, distribution, and habitat use. We identified occupancy and distributions of king (Rallus elegans) and clapper (R. crepitans) rail populations in marsh complexes along the Pamunkey and Mattaponi Rivers in Virginia, USA by modeling data...
Investigating runoff efficiency in upper Colorado River streamflow over past centuries
Connie A. Woodhouse, Gregory T. Pederson
2018, Water Resources Research (54) 286-300
With increasing concerns about the impact of warming temperatures on water resources, more attention is being paid to the relationship between runoff and precipitation, or runoff efficiency. Temperature is a key influence on Colorado River runoff efficiency, and warming temperatures are projected to reduce runoff efficiency. Here, we investigate the...
Aeolian stratigraphy describes ice-age paleoenvironments in unglaciated Arctic Alaska
Benjamin V. Gaglioti, Daniel H. Mann, Pamela Groves, Michael L. Kunz, Louise M. Farquharson, Richard E. Reanier, Benjamin M. Jones, Matthew J. Wooller
2018, Quaternary Science Reviews (182) 175-190
Terrestrial paleoenvironmental records with high dating resolution extending into the last ice age are rare from the western Arctic. Such records can test the synchronicity and extent of ice-age climatic events and define how Arctic landscapes respond to rapid climate changes. Here we describe the stratigraphy and sedimentology of...
Permafrost stores a globally significant amount of mercury
Paul F. Schuster, Kevin Schaefer, George R. Aiken, Ronald C. Antweiler, John F. DeWild, Joshua D. Gryziec, Alessio Gusmeroli, Gustaf Hugelius, Elchin E. Jafarov, David P. Krabbenhoft, Lin Liu, Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Cuicui Mu, David A. Roth, Tim Schaefer, Robert G. Striegl, Kimberly P. Wickland, Tingjun Zhang
2018, Geophysical Research Letters (45) 1463-1471
Changing climate in northern regions is causing permafrost to thaw with major implications for the global mercury (Hg) cycle. We estimated Hg in permafrost regions based on in situ measurements of sediment total mercury (STHg), soil organic carbon (SOC), and the Hg to carbon ratio (RHgC) combined with maps of...
Semi-arid grassland bird responses to patch-burn grazing and drought
Susan K. Skagen, David J. Augustine, Justin D. Derner
2018, Journal of Wildlife Management (82) 445-456
As grassland birds of central North America experience steep population declines with changes in land use, management of remaining tracts becomes increasingly important for population viability. The integrated use of fire and grazing may enhance vegetation heterogeneity and diversity in breeding birds, but the subsequent effects on reproduction are unknown....
Can data from disparate long-term fish monitoring programs be used to increase our understanding of regional and continental trends in large river assemblages?
Timothy D. Counihan, Ian R. Waite, Andrew F. Casper, David L. Ward, Jennifer S. Sauer, Elise R. Irwin, Colin G. Chapman, Brian Ickes, Craig P. Paukert, John J. Kosovich, Jennifer M. Bayer
2018, PLoS ONE (13)
Understanding trends in the diverse resources provided by large rivers will help balance tradeoffs among stakeholders and inform strategies to mitigate the effects of landscape scale stressors such as climate change and invasive species. Absent a cohesive coordinated effort to assess trends in important large river resources, a logical starting...
A systematic surveillance programme for infectious salmon anaemia virus supports its absence in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
Lori L. Gustafson, Lynn H. Creekmore, Kevin R. Snekvik, Jayde A. Ferguson, Janet V. Warg, Marilyn Blair, Theodore R. Meyers, Bruce Stewart, Kenneth I. Warheit, John Kerwin, Andrew E. Goodwin, Linda D. Rhodes, Janet E. Whaley, Maureen K. Purcell, Collette Bentz, Desiree Shasa, Joel Bader, James R. Winton
2018, Journal of Fish Diseases (41) 337-346
In response to reported findings of infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) in British Columbia (BC), Canada, in 2011, U.S. national, state and tribal fisheries managers and fish health specialists developed and implemented a collaborative ISAV surveillance plan for the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Accordingly, over a 3-1/2-year...
Snow sublimation in mountain environments and its sensitivity to forest disturbance and climate warming
Graham A. Sexstone, David W. Clow, Steven R. Fassnacht, Glen E. Liston, Christopher A. Hiemstra, John F. Knowles, Colin A. Penn
2018, Water Resources Research (54) 1191-1211
Snow sublimation is an important component of the snow mass balance, but the spatial and temporal variability of this process is not well understood in mountain environments. This study combines a process‐based snow model (SnowModel) with eddy covariance (EC) measurements to investigate (1) the spatio‐temporal variability of simulated snow sublimation...
Flood of August 24–25, 2016, Upper Iowa River and Turkey River, northeastern Iowa
S. Mike Linhart, Padraic S. O’Shea
2018, Open-File Report 2017-1128
Major flooding occurred August 24–25, 2016, in the Upper Iowa River Basin and Turkey River Basin in northeastern Iowa following severe thunderstorm activity over the region. About 8 inches of rain were recorded for the 24-hour period ending at 4 p.m., August 24, at Decorah, Iowa, and about 6 inches...
Maturity of nearby faults influences seismic hazard from hydraulic fracturing
Maria Kozlowska, Michael R. Brudzinski, Paul A. Friberg, Robert J. Skoumal, Nicholas Baxter, Brian S. Currie
2018, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (115) E1720-E1729
Understanding the causes of human-induced earthquakes is paramount to reducing societal risk. We investigated five cases of seismicity associated with hydraulic fracturing (HF) in Ohio since 2013 that, because of their isolation from other injection activities, provide an ideal setting for studying the relations between high-pressure...
The Colorado River and its deposits downstream from Grand Canyon in Arizona, California, and Nevada
Ryan S. Crow, Debra L. Block, Tracey J. Felger, Kyle House, Philip A. Pearthree, Brian F. Gootee, Ann M. Youberg, Keith A. Howard, L. Sue Beard
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1005
Understanding the evolution of the Colorado River system has direct implications for (1) the processes and timing of continental-scale river system integration, (2) the formation of iconic landscapes like those in and around Grand Canyon, and (3) the availability of groundwater resources. Spatial patterns in the position and type of...
Development and validation of quantitative PCR assays to measure cytokine transcript levels in the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris)
Jason A. Ferrante, Margaret Hunter, James F.X. Wellehan
2018, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (54) 283-294
Cytokines have important roles in the mammalian response to viral and bacterial infections, trauma, and wound healing. Because of early cytokine production after physiologic stresses, the regulation of messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts can be used to assess immunologic responses before changes in protein production. To detect and assess early immune...
Hydrogeophysics at societally relevant scales: Airborne electromagnetic applications and model structural uncertainty quantification
Burke J. Minsley, Nathan Leon Foks, Wade Kress, James R. Rigby
2018, Conference Paper, SEG technical program expanded abstracts 2018
There is a critical and growing need for information about subsurface geological properties and processes over sufficiently large areas that can inform key scientific and societal studies. Airborne geophysical methods fill a unique role in Earth observation because of their ability to detect deep subsurface properties at regional scales and...
Geomorphic identification of physical habitat features in a large, altered river system
L. Guertault, G. Fox, Shannon K. Brewer
2018, Conference Paper, River flow 2018 - Ninth international conference on fluvial hydraulics
Altered flow regimes in streams can significantly affect ecosystems and disturb ecological processes, leading to species loss and extinction. Many river management projects use stream classification and habitat assessment approaches to design practical solutions to reverse or mitigate adverse effects of flow regime alteration on stream systems. The objective of...
Development of a species status assessment process for decisions under the U.S. Endangered Species Act
David R. Smith, Nathan L. Allan, Conor P. McGowan, Jennifer A. Szymankski, Susan R. Oetker, Heather M. Bell
2018, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (9) 302-320
Decisions under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) require scientific input on the risk that the species will become extinct. A series of critiques on the role of science in ESA decisions have called for improved consistency and transparency in species risk assessments and clear distinctions between science input and...
