Diet patterns of island foxes on San Nicolas Island relative to feral cat removal
Brian L. Cypher, Erica C. Kelly, Francesca J. Ferrara, Charles A. Drost, Tory L. Westall, Brian Hudgens
2017, Pacific Conservation Biology (23) 180-188
Island foxes (Urocyon littoralis) are a species of conservation concern that occur on six of the Channel Islands off the coast of southern California. We analysed island fox diet on San Nicolas Island during 2006–12 to assess the influence of the removal of feral cats (Felis catus) on the food...
The waterfall paradox: How knickpoints disconnect hillslope and channel processes, isolating salmonid populations in ideal habitats
Christine May, Joshua J. Roering, Kyle Snow, Kitty Griswold, Robert E. Gresswell
2017, Geomorphology (277) 228-236
Waterfalls create barriers to fish migration, yet hundreds of isolated salmonid populations exist above barriers and have persisted for thousands of years in steep mountainous terrain. Ecological theory indicates that small isolated populations in disturbance-prone landscapes are at greatest risk of extirpation because immigration and recolonization are not possible. On...
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are ecological disrupting compounds (EcoDC)
Erinn Richmond, Michael R. Grace, John R. Kelly, Andrew Reisinger, Emma J. Rosi, David M. Walters
2017, Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene (5) 1-8
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are ubiquitous in freshwater ecosystems worldwide and are recognized as contaminants of concern. Currently, contaminants of concern are classified for their persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity (PBT criteria). PPCPs are not classified as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), although some PPCPs share characteristics similar to POPs....
Climate changes and wildfire alter vegetation of Yellowstone National Park, but forest cover persists
Jason A. Clark, Rachel A. Loehman, Robert E. Keane
2017, Ecosphere (8)
We present landscape simulation results contrasting effects of changing climates on forest vegetation and fire regimes in Yellowstone National Park, USA, by mid-21st century. We simulated potential changes to fire dynamics and forest characteristics under three future climate projections representing a range of potential future conditions using the FireBGCv2 model....
A guide to multi-objective optimization for ecological problems with an application to cackling goose management
Perry J. Williams, William L. Kendall
2017, Ecological Modelling (343) 54-67
Choices in ecological research and management are the result of balancing multiple, often competing, objectives. Multi-objective optimization (MOO) is a formal decision-theoretic framework for solving multiple objective problems. MOO is used extensively in other fields including engineering, economics, and operations research. However, its application for solving ecological problems has been sparse,...
Reconstruction of spatio-temporal temperature from sparse historical records using robust probabilistic principal component regression
John Tipton, Mevin Hooten, Simon Goring
2017, Advances in Statistical Climatology, Meteorology and Oceanography (3) 1-16
Scientific records of temperature and precipitation have been kept for several hundred years, but for many areas, only a shorter record exists. To understand climate change, there is a need for rigorous statistical reconstructions of the paleoclimate using proxy data. Paleoclimate proxy data are often sparse, noisy, indirect measurements of...
Drivers of Holocene sea-level change in the Caribbean
Nicole Khan, Erica Ashe, Benjamin P. Horton, Andrea Dutton, Robert E. Kopp, Gilles Brocard, Simon E. Engelhart, David F. Hill, W.R. Peltier, Christopher H. Vane, Fred N. Scatena
2017, Quaternary Science Reviews (155) 13-36
We present a Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) database for the Caribbean region (5°N to 25°N and 55°W to 90°W) that consists of 499 sea-level index points and 238 limiting dates. The database was compiled from multiple sea-level indicators (mangrove peat, microbial mats, beach rock and acroporid and massive corals). We...
Large decadal-scale changes in uranium and bicarbonate in groundwater of the irrigated western U.S
Karen R. Burow, Kenneth Belitz, Neil M. Dubrovsky, Bryant C. Jurgens
2017, Science of the Total Environment (586) 87-95
Samples collected about one decade apart from 1105 wells from across the U.S. were compiled to assess whether uranium concentrations in the arid climate are linked to changing bicarbonate concentrations in the irrigated western U.S. Uranium concentrations in groundwater were high in the arid climate in the western U.S, where...
Episodic formation of the world-class Waihi epithermal Au-Ag vein system, Hauraki Goldfield, New Zealand
Erin Gasston, Jeffrey L. Mauk, Michael A. Cosca, Leah E. Morgan, Chris M. Hall
2017, Conference Paper, Mineral Resources to Discover - Volume 1, Proceeding of the 14th Biennial SGA Meeting
The world-class Waihi vein system in New Zealand has produced more than 248,400 kg Au and 1.43 million kg Ag. New high-precision 40Ar/39Ar dates of adularia from different veins show that some veins formed at different times (6.15 Ma Martha vs. 5.83 and 5.85 Ma Empire and Welcome, respectively), even...
Thumbnail‐based questionnaires for the rapid and efficient collection of macroseismic data from global earthquakes
Remy Bossu, Matthieu Landes, Frederic Roussel, Robert Steed, Gilles Mazet-Roux, Stacey S. Martin, Susan E. Hough
2017, Seismological Research Letters (88) 72-81
The collection of earthquake testimonies (i.e., qualitative descriptions of felt shaking) is essential for macroseismic studies (i.e., studies gathering information on how strongly an earthquake was felt in different places), and when done rapidly and systematically, improves situational awareness and in turn can contribute to efficient emergency response. In this...
Reexamination of the magnitudes for the 1906 and 1922 Chilean earthquakes using Japanese tsunami amplitudes: Implications for source depth constraints
M. Carvajal, M. Cisternas, A. Gubler, P. A. Catalan, P. Winckler, Robert L. Wesson
2017, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (122) 4-17
Far-field tsunami records from the Japanese tide gauge network allow the reexamination of the moment magnitudes (Mw) for the 1906 and 1922 Chilean earthquakes, which to date rely on limited information mainly from seismological observations alone. Tide gauges along the Japanese coast provide extensive records of tsunamis triggered by six...
Extreme geomagnetic storms: Probabilistic forecasts and their uncertainties
Pete Riley, Jeffrey J. Love
2017, Space Weather (15) 53-64
Extreme space weather events are low-frequency, high-risk phenomena. Estimating their rates of occurrence, as well as their associated uncertainties, is difficult. In this study, we derive statistical estimates and uncertainties for the occurrence rate of an extreme geomagnetic storm on the scale of the Carrington event (or worse) occurring within...
Understanding the past to interpret the future: Comparison of simulated groundwater recharge in the upper Colorado River basin (USA) using observed and general-circulation-model historical climate data
Fred D. Tillman, Subhrendu Gangopadhyay, Tom Pruitt
2017, Hydrogeology Journal (25) 347-358
In evaluating potential impacts of climate change on water resources, water managers seek to understand how future conditions may differ from the recent past. Studies of climate impacts on groundwater recharge often compare simulated recharge from future and historical time periods on an average monthly or overall average annual basis,...
Geology of the Petersburg batholith, eastern Piedmont, Virginia
Brent E. Owens, Mark W. Carter, Christopher M. Bailey
2017, Book chapter, From the Blue Ridge to the beach Geological field excursions across Virginia
The 295-300 Ma Petersburg batholith in east-central Virginia forms one of the largest and northernmost of the Alleghanian plutonic complexes in the southern Appalachian Piedmont. The batholith is primarily composed of granite including massive and foliated (both magmatic and solid-state fabrics) varieties. The plutonic complex intruded medium-grade metamorphosed volcanic/plutonic rocks...
Replication and shedding kinetics of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in juvenile rainbow trout
Andrew R. Wargo, Robert J. Scott, Benjamin Kerr, Gael Kurath
2017, Virus Research (227) 200-211
Viral replication and shedding are key components of transmission and fitness, the kinetics of which are heavily dependent on virus, host, and environmental factors. To date, no studies have quantified the shedding kinetics of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), or how they are associated with...
Mudflat morphodynamics and the impact of sea level rise in South San Francisco Bay
Mick Van der Wegen, Bruce E. Jaffe, Amy C. Foxgrover, Dano Roelvink
2017, Estuaries and Coasts (40) 37-49
Estuarine tidal mudflats form unique habitats and maintain valuable ecosystems. Historic measurements of a mudflat in San Fancsico Bay over the past 150 years suggest the development of a rather stable mudflat profile. This raises questions on its origin and governing processes as well as on the mudflats’ fate under scenarios...
Ecosystem extent and fragmentation
Roger Sayre, Matt Hansen
2017, Report, A sourcebook of methods and procedures for monitoring essential biodiversity variables in tropical forests with remote sensing
One of the candidate essential biodiversity variable (EBV) groups described in the seminal paper by Pereira et al. (2014) concerns Ecosystem Structure. This EBV group is distinguished from another EBV group which encompasses aspects of Ecosystem Function. While the Ecosystem Function EBV treats ecosystem processes like nutrient cycling, primary production,...
Human footprint affects US carbon balance more than climate change
Dominique Bachelet, Ken Ferschweiler, Tim Sheehan, Barry Baker, Benjamin M. Sleeter, Zhiliang Zhu
2017, Book chapter, Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences
The MC2 model projects an overall increase in carbon capture in conterminous United States during the 21st century while also simulating a rise in fire causing much carbon loss. Carbon sequestration in soils is critical to prevent carbon losses from future disturbances, and we show that natural ecosystems store more...
Sub-indicator: Prey fish
Brian Weidel, Erin Dunlop
2017, Report, Sate of the Great Lakes 2017 Technical Report
Prey fish communities across the Great Lakes continue to change, although the direction and magnitude of those changes are not consistent across the lakes. The metrics used to categorize prey fish status in this and previous periods are based on elements that are common among each of the lake’s Fish...
Influence of repeated prescribed fire on tree growth and mortality in Pinus resinosa forests, northern Minnesota
Alessandra Bottero, Anthony W. D’Amato, Brian J. Palik, Christel C. Kern, John B. Bradford, Sawyer S. Scherer
2017, Forest Science (63) 94-100
Prescribed fire is widely used for ecological restoration and fuel reduction in fire-dependent ecosystems, most of which are also prone to drought. Despite the importance of drought in fire-adapted forests, little is known about cumulative effects of repeated prescribed burning on tree growth and related response to drought. Using dendrochronological...
Crop modeling applications in agricultural water management
Isaya Kisekka, Kendall C. DeJonge, Liwang Ma, Joel Paz, Kyle R. Douglas-Mankin
2017, Transactions of the ASABE (60) 1959-1964
This article introduces the fourteen articles that comprise the “Crop Modeling and Decision Support for Optimizing Use of Limited Water” collection. This collection was developed from a special session on crop modeling applications in agricultural water management held at the 2016 ASABE Annual International Meeting (AIM) in Orlando, Florida. In...
Geology and biostratigraphy of the Potomac River cliffs at Stratford Hall, Westmoreland County, Virginia
Robert E. Weems, Lucy E. Edwards, Bryan D. Landacre
2017, Book chapter, Blue Ridge to the Beach: Geological Field Excursions across Virginia
The cliffs along the Potomac River at Stratford Hall display extensive exposures of Miocene marine strata that belong successively to the Calvert, Choptank, St. Marys, and Eastover Formations. Within the lower part of this sequence, in the Calvert and Choptank Formations, there is well-developed cyclic stratigraphy. Above the Miocene units...
Otoliths
James M. Long, Timothy B. Grabowski
Michael C. Quist, Daniel A. Isermann, editor(s)
2017, Book chapter, Age and growth of fishes: Principles and techniques
No abstract available....
Investigating impacts of oil and gas development on greater sage-grouse
Adam Green, Cameron L. Aldridge, Michael S. O’Donnell
2017, Journal of Wildlife Management (81) 46-57
The sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem is one of the largest ecosystems in western North America providing habitat for species found nowhere else. Sagebrush habitats have experienced dramatic declines since the 1950s, mostly due to anthropogenic disturbances. The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a sagebrush-obligate species that has experienced population declines over...
Accurate aging of juvenile salmonids using fork lengths
Suresh Sethi, Jonathon Gerken, Joshua Ashline
2017, Fisheries Research (185) 161-168
Juvenile salmon life history strategies, survival, and habitat interactions may vary by age cohort. However, aging individual juvenile fish using scale reading is time consuming and can be error prone. Fork length data are routinely measured while sampling juvenile salmonids. We explore the performance of aging juvenile fish based solely...
