Methods used to characterize the chemical composition and biological activity of environmental waters throughout the United States, 2012-14
Kristin M. Romanok, Timothy J. Reilly, Larry B. Barber, J. Scott Boone, Herbert T. Buxton, William T. Foreman, Edward T. Furlong, Michelle Hladik, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Celeste A. Journey, Dana W. Kolpin, Kathryn Kuivila, Keith A. Loftin, Marc A. Mills, Michael T. Meyer, James L. Orlando, Kelly L. Smalling, Daniel L. Villeneuve, Paul M. Bradley
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1011
A vast array of chemical compounds are in wide commercial use in the United States, and the potential ecological and human-health effect of exposure to chemical mixtures has been identified as a high priority in environment health science. Awareness of the potential effects of low-level chemical exposures is rising. The...
Age of the youngest volcanism at Eagle Lake, northeastern California—40Ar/39Ar and paleomagnetic results
Michael A. Clynne, Andrew T. Calvert, Duane E. Champion, L.J.P. Muffler, Michael G. Sawlan, Drew T. Downs
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1027
The age of the youngest volcanism at Eagle Lake, California, was investigated using stratigraphic, paleomagnetic, and 40Ar/39Ar techniques. The three youngest volcanic lava flows at Eagle Lake yielded ages of 130.0±5.1, 127.5±3.2 and 123.6±18.7 ka, and are statistically indistinguishable. Paleomagnetic results demonstrate that two of the lava flows are very...
Geologic map of the Providence Mountains in parts of the Fountain Peak and adjacent 7.5' quadrangles, San Bernardino County, California
Paul Stone, David M. Miller, Calvin H. Stevens, Jose J. Rosario, Jorge A. Vazquez, Elmira Wan, Susan S. Priest, Zenon C. Valin
2017, Scientific Investigations Map 3376
IntroductionThe Providence Mountains are in the eastern Mojave Desert about 60 km southeast of Baker, San Bernardino County, California. This range, which is noted for its prominent cliffs of Paleozoic limestone, is part of a northeast-trending belt of mountainous terrain more than 100 km long that also includes the Granite...
Biological soil crust and disturbance controls on surface hydrology in a semi-arid ecosystem
Akasha M. Faist, Jeffrey E. Herrick, Jayne Belnap, Justin W. Van Zee, Nichole N. Barger
2017, Ecological Applications (8) 1-13
Biological soil crust communities (biocrusts) play an important role in surface hydrologic processes in dryland ecosystems, and these processes may then be dramatically altered with soil surface disturbance. In this study, we examined biocrust hydrologic responses to disturbance at different developmental stages on sandy soils on the Colorado Plateau. Our...
Expert elicitation, uncertainty, and the value of information in controlling invasive species
Fred A. Johnson, Brian J. Smith, Mathieu Bonneau, Julien Martin, Christina Romagosa, Frank J. Mazzotti, J. Hardin Waddle, Robert Reed, Jennifer Kettevrlin Eckles, Laurie J. Vitt
2017, Ecological Economics (137) 83-90
We illustrate the utility of expert elicitation, explicit recognition of uncertainty, and the value of information for directing management and research efforts for invasive species, using tegu lizards (Salvator merianae) in southern Florida as a case study. We posited a post-birth pulse, matrix model in which four age classes of...
The role of salinity tolerance and competition in the distribution of an endangered desert salt marsh endemic
Lesley A. DeFalco, Sara J. Scoles-Sciulla, Emily R. Beamguard
2017, Plant Ecology (218) 475-486
Rare plants are often associated with distinctive soil types, and understanding why endemic species occur in unique environments is fundamental for their management. At Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in southern Nevada, USA, we evaluated whether the limited distribution of endangered Amargosa niterwort (Nitrophila mohavensis) is explained by this species’...
Relationships between salinity and short-term soil carbon accumulation rates form marsh types across a landscape in the Mississippi River Delta
Melissa M. Baustian, Camille L. Stagg, Carey L. Perry, Leland C Moss, Tim J. B. Carruthers, Mead Allison
2017, Wetlands (37) 313-324
Salinity alterations will likely change the plant and environmental characteristics in coastal marshes thereby influencing soil carbon accumulation rates. Coastal Louisiana marshes have been historically classified as fresh, intermediate, brackish, or saline based on resident plant community and position along a salinity gradient. Short-term total carbon accumulation rates were assessed...
Asynchrony in craniomandibular development and growth in Enhydra lutris nereis (Carnivora: Mustelidae): Are southern sea otters born to bite?
Chris J Law, Vikram B. Baliga, M. Tim Tinker, Rita S. Mehta
2017, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society (121) 420-438
Weaning represents a major ontogenetic dietary shift in southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis), as juveniles must transition from depending on mother’s milk to independently processing hard-shelled invertebrates. When the skulls of juveniles have reached sufficient maturity to transition to a durophagous diet remains to be investigated. Here, we conducted...
Accelerating slip rates on the puente hills blind thrust fault system beneath metropolitan Los Angeles, California, USA
Kristian J. Bergen, John H. Shaw, Lorraine A. Leon, James F. Dolan, Thomas L. Pratt, Daniel J. Ponti, Eric Morrow, Wendy Barrera, Edward J. Rhodes, Madhav K. Murari, Lewis A. Owen
2017, Geology (45) 227-230
Slip rates represent the average displacement across a fault over time and are essential to estimating earthquake recurrence for proba-bilistic seismic hazard assessments. We demonstrate that the slip rate on the western segment of the Puente Hills blind thrust fault system, which is beneath downtown Los Angeles, California (USA), has...
Distribution, nesting activities, and age-class of territorial pairs of golden eagles at the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area, California, 2014–16
Patrick S. Kolar, J. David Wiens
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1035
The substantial numbers of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) killed by collisions with oldgeneration wind turbines each year at the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area (APWRA) in California has been well documented from previous studies. Few eagle nests have been documented in the APWRA, however, and adults and subadults 3+ years...
Changes in community-level riparian plant traits over inundation gradients, Colorado River, Grand Canyon
Miles McCoy-Sulentic, Thomas Kolb, David Merritt, Emily C. Palmquist, Barbara E. Ralston, Daniel Sarr, Patrick B. Shafroth
2017, Wetlands (37) 635-646
Comparisons of community-level functional traits across environmental gradients have potential for identifying links among plant characteristics, adaptations to stress and disturbance, and community assembly. We investigated community-level variation in specific leaf area (SLA), plant mature height, seed mass, stem specific gravity (SSG), relative cover of C4 species, and total plant...
Spatial and temporal consumption dynamics of trout in catch-and-release areas in Arkansas tailwaters
John M. Flinders, Daniel D. Magoulick
2017, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (146) 432-449
Restrictive angling regulations in tailwater trout fisheries may be unsuccessful if food availability limits energy for fish to grow. We examined spatial and temporal variation in energy intake and growth in populations of Brown Trout Salmo trutta and Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss within three catch-and-release (C-R) areas in Arkansas tailwaters to evaluate food availability...
Harmonization of forest disturbance datasets of the conterminous USA from 1986 to 2011
Christopher E. Soulard, William Acevedo, Warren B. Cohen, Zhiqiang Yang, Stephen V. Stehman, Janis L. Taylor
2017, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (189)
Several spatial forest disturbance datasets exist for the conterminous USA. The major problem with forest disturbance mapping is that variability between map products leads to uncertainty regarding the actual rate of disturbance. In this article, harmonized maps were produced from multiple data sources (i.e., Global Forest Change, LANDFIRE Vegetation Disturbance,...
Acoustic telemetry and fisheries management
Glenn T. Crossin, Michelle R. Heupel, Christopher M. Holbrook, Nigel E. Hussey, Susan K. Lowerre-Barbieri, Vivian M. Nguyen, Graham D. Raby, Steven J. Cooke
2017, Ecological Applications (27) 1031-1049
This paper reviews the use of acoustic telemetry as a tool for addressing issues in fisheries management, and serves as the lead to the special Feature Issue of Ecological Applications titled “Acoustic Telemetry and Fisheries Management”. Specifically, we provide an overview of the ways in which acoustic telemetry can be...
A model to inform management actions as a response to chytridiomycosis-associated decline
Sarah J. Converse, Larissa L. Bailey, Brittany A. Mosher, W. Chris Funk, Brian D. Gerber, Erin L. Muths
2017, EcoHealth (14) 144-155
Decision-analytic models provide forecasts of how systems of interest will respond to management. These models can be parameterized using empirical data, but sometimes require information elicited from experts. When evaluating the effects of disease in species translocation programs, expert judgment is likely to play a role because complete empirical information...
Early postcaldera rhyolite and structural resurgence at Long Valley Caldera, California
Wes Hildreth, Judith E. Fierstein, Andrew T. Calvert
2017, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (335) 1-34
After the 767-ka caldera-forming eruption of 650 km3 of rhyolite magma as the Bishop Tuff, 90–100 km3 of similar rhyolite erupted in the west-central part of Long Valley caldera in as many as 40 batches spread over the 110,000-year interval from ~ 750 ka to ~ 640 ka. Centrally, this Early Rhyolite (ER) is as thick as 622 m, but it spread...
Eruptive history of the Ubehebe Crater Cluster, Death Valley, California
Judith E. Fierstein, Wes Hildreth
2017, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (335) 128-146
A sequence of late Holocene eruptions from the Ubehebe Crater cluster in Death Valley was short-lived, emplacing several phreatomagmatic and magmatic deposits. Seven craters form the main group, which erupted along a north-south alignment 1.5 km long. At least five more make a 500-m east-west alignment west of the main crater group. One...
Common Raven (Corvus corax) kleptoparasitism at a Golden Eagle (Aquila chyrsaetos) nest in southern Nevada
Matthew Simes, Diego R. Johnson, Justin Streit, Kathleen M. Longshore, Kenneth E. Nussear, Todd C. Esque
2017, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (129) 195-198
The Common Raven (Corvus corax) is a ubiquitous species in the Mojave Desert of southern Nevada and California. From 5 to 24 May 2014, using remote trail cameras, we observed ravens repeatedly kleptoparasitizing food resources from the nest of a pair of Golden Eagles (Aquila chyrsaetos) in the Spring Mountains...
Pufferfish mortality associated with novel polar marine toxins in Hawaii
Thierry M. Work, Perer D. R. Moeller, Kevin R. Beauchesne, Julie Dagenais, Renee Breeden, Robert Rameyer, Willliam A. Walsh, Melanie Abecassis, Donald R. Kobayashi, Carla M. Conway, James Winton
2017, Diseases of Aquatic Organisms (123) 87-99
Fish die-offs are important signals in tropical marine ecosystems. In 2010, a mass mortality of pufferfish in Hawaii (USA) was dominated by Arothron hispidus showing aberrant neurological behaviors. Using pathology, toxinology, and field surveys, we implicated a series of novel, polar, marine toxins as a likely cause of this mass...
Body mass, wing length, and condition of wintering ducks relative to hematozoa infection
Joseph P. Fleskes, Andrew M. Ramey, Andrew B. Reeves, Julie L. Yee
2017, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (8) 89-100
Waterfowl managers lack information regarding factors that may be reducing the positive response of waterfowl body condition to habitat improvements. Protozoan blood parasites (i.e., hematozoa) are commonly found in birds and have been related to reduced body mass, wing length, and body condition. We studied relationships between 12 measures of...
Effects of internal phosphorus loadings and food-web structure on the recovery of a deep lake from eutrophication
Fabio Lepori, James Roberts
2017, Journal of Great Lakes Research (43) 255-264
We used monitoring data from Lake Lugano (Switzerland and Italy) to assess key ecosystem responses to three decades of nutrient management (1983–2014). We investigated whether reductions in external phosphorus loadings (Lext) caused declines in lake phosphorus concentrations (P) and phytoplankton biomass (Chl a), as assumed by the predictive models that...
Wind River Subbasin Restoration, annual report of U.S. Geological Survey activities: Parr monitoring and instream passive integrated transponder detection, January 1, 2015 – December 31, 2015
Ian Jezorek, Patrick Connolly
2017, Report
We used Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT)-tagging and a series of instream PIT-tag interrogation systems (PTIS) to investigate life-histories, populations, and efficacy of habitat restoration actions for steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss in the Wind River subbasin, WA. Our tagging focused on parr in headwater areas of the subbasin and our PTISs provide information on movement...
The vanishing cryovolcanoes of Ceres
Michael M. Sori, Shane Byrne, Michael T. Bland, Ali Bramson, Anton Ermakov, Christoper Hamilton, Katharina Otto, Ottaviano Ruesch, Christopher Russell
2017, Geophysical Research Letters (44) 1243-1250
Ahuna Mons is a 4 km tall mountain on Ceres interpreted as a geologically young cryovolcanic dome. Other possible cryovolcanic features are more ambiguous, implying that cryovolcanism is only a recent phenomenon or that other cryovolcanic structures have been modified beyond easy identification. We test the hypothesis that Cerean cryovolcanic domes...
Predicting the impacts of Mississippi River diversions and sea-level rise on spatial patterns of eastern oyster growth rate and production
Hongqing Wang, Q. Chen, Megan La Peyre, Kelin Hu, Jerome F. La Peyre
2017, Ecological Modelling (352) 40-53
There remains much debate regarding the perceived tradeoffs of using freshwater and sediment diversions for coastal restoration in terms of balancing the need for wetland restoration versus preserving eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) production. Further complicating the issue, climate change-induced sea-level rise (SLR) and land subsidence are also expected to affect...
Stable isotope analysis as an early monitoring tool for community-scale effects of rat eradication
Katherine M. Nigro, Stacie A. Hathaway, Alex Wegmann, Ana Miller-ter Kuile, Robert N. Fisher, Hillary S. Young
2017, Restoration Ecology (25) 1015-1025
Invasive rats have colonized most of the islands of the world, resulting in strong negative impacts on native biodiversity and on ecosystem functions. As prolific omnivores, invasive rats can cause local extirpation of a wide range of native species, with cascading consequences that can reshape communities and ecosystems. Eradication of...
