Tracking domestic ducks: A novel approach for documenting poultry market chains in the context of avian influenza transmission
Chang-Yong Choi, John Y. Takekawa, Yue Xiong, Martin Wikelski, George Heine, Diann J. Prosser, Scott H. Newman, John Edwards, Fusheng Guo, Xiangming Xiao
2016, Journal of Integrative Agriculture (15) 1584-1594
Agro-ecological conditions associated with the spread and persistence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) are not well understood, but the trade of live poultry is suspected to be a major pathway. Although market chains of live bird trade have been studied through indirect means including interviews and questionnaires,...
Concentrations and spatial patterns of organic contaminants in tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) eggs at United States and binational Great Lakes Areas of Concern, 2010–2015
Christine M. Custer, Thomas W. Custer, Paul M. Dummer, Diana R. Goldberg, J. Christian Franson
2016, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (35) 3071-3092
Tree swallows, Tachycineta bicolor, were sampled across the Great Lakes basin in 2010 through 2015 to provide a system-wide assessment of current exposure to organic contaminants. The results provide information identified as critical by regulators to assess the “bird or animal deformity or reproductive problems” beneficial use impairment....
Evaluation of National Atmospheric Deposition Program measurements for colocated sites CO89 and CO98 at Rocky Mountain National Park, water years 2010–14
Gregory A. Wetherbee
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5051
Atmospheric wet-deposition monitoring in Rocky Mountain National Park included precipitation depth and aqueous chemical measurements at colocated National Atmospheric Deposition Program/National Trends Network (NADP/NTN) sites CO89 and CO98 (Loch Vale) during water years 2010–14 (study period). The colocated sites were separated by approximately 6.5 meters horizontally and 0.5 meter in...
Subsidence rates at the southern Salton Sea consistent with reservoir depletion
Andrew J. Barbour, Eileen Evans, Stephen H. Hickman, Mariana Eneva
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (121) 5308-5327
Space geodetic measurements from the Envisat satellite between 2003 and 2010 show that subsidence rates near the southeastern shoreline of the Salton Sea in Southern California are up to 52mmyr−1 greater than the far-field background rate. By comparing these measurements with model predictions, we find that this subsidence appears to...
Cheatgrass percent cover change: Comparing recent estimates to climate change − Driven predictions in the Northern Great Basin
Stephen P. Boyte, Bruce K. Wylie, Donald J. Major
2016, Rangeland Ecology and Management (69) 265-279
Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) is a highly invasive species in the Northern Great Basin that helps decrease fire return intervals. Fire fragments the shrub steppe and reduces its capacity to provide forage for livestock and wildlife and habitat critical to sagebrush obligates. Of particular interest is the greater sage grouse (Centrocercus...
Fluvial system response to late Pleistocene-Holocene sea-level change on Santa Rosa Island, Channel Islands National Park, California
R. Randall Schumann, Jeffery S. Pigati, John P. McGeehin
2016, Geomorphology (268) 322-340
Santa Rosa Island (SRI) is one of four east-west aligned islands forming the northern Channel Islands chain, and one of the five islands in Channel Islands National Park, California, USA. The island setting provides an unparalleled environment in which to record the response of fluvial systems to major changes of...
Variability of bed drag on cohesive beds under wave action
Ilgar Safak
2016, Water (8)
Drag force at the bed acting on water flow is a major control on water circulation and sediment transport. Bed drag has been thoroughly studied in sandy waters, but less so in muddy coastal waters. The variation of bed drag on a muddy shelf is investigated here using field observations...
Identification of the major capsid protein of erythrocytic necrosis virus (ENV) and development of quantitative real-time PCR assays for quantification of ENV DNA
Maureen K. Purcell, Schuyler Pearman-Gillman, Rachel L. Thompson, Jacob L. Gregg, Lucas M. Hart, James R. Winton, Eveline J. Emmenegger, Paul K. Hershberger
2016, Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation (28) 382-391
Viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN) is a disease of marine and anadromous fish that is caused by the erythrocytic necrosis virus (ENV), which was recently identified as a novel member of family Iridoviridae by next-generation sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis of the ENV DNA polymerase grouped ENV with other erythrocytic iridoviruses from snakes and lizards....
Five-year evaluation of habitat remediation in Thunder Bay, Lake Huron: Comparison of constructed reef characteristics that attract spawning lake trout
J. Ellen Marsden, Thomas R. Binder, James Johnson, Ji He, Natalie Dingledine, Janice Adams, Nicholas S. Johnson, Tyler J. Buchinger, Charles C. Krueger
2016, Fisheries Research (183) 275-286
Degradation of aquatic habitats has motivated construction and research on the use of artificial reefs to enhance production of fish populations. However, reefs are often poorly planned, reef design characteristics are not evaluated, and reef assessments are short-term. We constructed 29 reefs in Thunder Bay, Lake Huron, in 2010 and...
The logic of comparative life history studies for estimating key parameters, with a focus on natural mortality rate
John M Hoenig, Amy Y.-H. Then, Elizabeth A. Babcock, Norman G. Hall, David A. Hewitt, Sybrand A. Hesp
2016, ICES Journal of Marine Science (73) 2453-2467
There are a number of key parameters in population dynamics that are difficult to estimate, such as natural mortality rate, intrinsic rate of population growth, and stock-recruitment relationships. Often, these parameters of a stock are, or can be, estimated indirectly on the basis of comparative life history studies. That is,...
Hurricane Sandy washover deposits on southern Long Beach Island, New Jersey
James M. Bishop, Bruce M. Richmond, Nicholas J. Zaremba, Brent D. Lunghino, Haunani H. Kane
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1090
Sedimentologic and topographic data from Hurricane Sandy washover deposits were collected from southern Long Beach Island, New Jersey, in order to document changes to the barrier-island beaches, dunes, and coastal wetlands caused by Hurricane Sandy and subsequent storm events. These data will provide a baseline dataset for use in future...
Lake transparency: a window into decadal variations in dissolved organic carbon concentrations in Lakes of Acadia National Park, Maine
Collin S. Roesler, Charles W. Culbertson
2016, Book chapter, Aquatic nutrient biogeochemistry and microbial ecology: A dual perspective
A forty year time series of Secchi depth observations from approximately 25 lakes in Acadia National Park, Maine, USA, evidences large variations in transparency between lakes but relatively little seasonal cycle within lakes. However, there are coherent patterns over the time series, suggesting large scale processes are responsible. It has...
Near-field receiving water monitoring of trace metals and a benthic community near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in south San Francisco Bay, California; 2015
Daniel J. Cain, Janet K. Thompson, Jeffrey Crauder, Francis Parchaso, A. Robin Stewart, Matthew A. Turner, Michelle I. Hornberger, Samuel N. Luoma
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1118
Trace-metal concentrations in sediment and in the clam Macoma petalum (formerly reported as Macoma balthica), clam reproductive activity, and benthic macroinvertebrate community structure were investigated in a mudflat 1 kilometer south of the discharge of the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant (PARWQCP) in South San Francisco Bay,...
The structure and composition of Holocene coral reefs in the Middle Florida Keys
Lauren T. Toth, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Ilsa B. Kuffner
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1074
The Florida Keys reef tract (FKRT) is the largest coral-reef ecosystem in the continental United States. The modern FKRT extends for 362 kilometers along the coast of South Florida from Dry Tortugas National Park in the southwest, through the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), to Fowey Rocks reef in...
Evaluation of a floating fish guidance structure at a hydrodynamically complex river junction in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, California, USA
Jason G. Romine, Russell W. Perry, Adam C. Pope, Paul Stumpner, Theresa L. Liedtke, Kevin K. Kumagai, Ryan L. Reeves
2016, Marine and Freshwater Research (68) 878-888
Survival of out-migrating juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River delta, California, USA, varies by migration route. Survival of salmonids that enter the interior and southern Delta can be as low as half that of salmonids that remain in the main-stem Sacramento River. Reducing entrainment into the...
Characterization of mean transit time at large springs in the Upper Colorado River Basin, USA: A tool for assessing groundwater discharge vulnerability
John E. Solder, Bernard J. Stolp, Victor M. Heilweil, David D. Susong
2016, Hydrogeology Journal (24) 2017-2033
Environmental tracers (noble gases, tritium, industrial gases, stable isotopes, and radio-carbon) and hydrogeology were interpreted to determine groundwater transit-time distribution and calculate mean transit time (MTT) with lumped parameter modeling at 19 large springs distributed throughout the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB), USA. The predictive value of the MTT to...
Setting priorities for private land conservation in fire-prone landscapes: Are fire risk reduction and biodiversity conservation competing or compatible objectives?
Alexandra D. Syphard, Van Butsic, Avi Bar-Massada, Jon E. Keeley, Jeff A. Tracey, Robert N. Fisher
2016, Ecology and Society (21)
Although wildfire plays an important role in maintaining biodiversity in many ecosystems, fire management to protect human assets is often carried out by different agencies than those tasked for conserving biodiversity. In fact, fire risk reduction and biodiversity conservation are often viewed as competing objectives. Here we explored the role...
Invasive species: Ocean ecosystem case studies for earth systems and environmental sciences
Pamela J. Schofield, Mary E. Brown
2016, Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences
Marine species are increasingly transferred from areas where they are native to areas where they are not. Some nonnative species become invasive, causing undesirable impacts to environment, economy and/or human health. Nonnative marine species can be introduced through a variety of vectors, including shipping, trade, inland corridors (such as canals),...
Water-quality trends and constituent-transport analysis for selected sampling sites in the Milltown Reservoir/Clark Fork River Superfund Site in the upper Clark Fork Basin, Montana, water years 1996–2015
Steven K. Sando, Aldo V. Vecchia
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5100
During the extended history of mining in the upper Clark Fork Basin in Montana, large amounts of waste materials enriched with metallic contaminants (cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc) and the metalloid trace element arsenic were generated from mining operations near Butte and milling and smelting operations near Anaconda. Extensive deposition...
An international borderland of concern: Conservation of biodiversity in the Lower Rio Grande Valley
David M. Leslie Jr.
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5078
The Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of southern Texas is located on the United States-Mexico borderland and represents a 240-kilometer (150-mile) linear stretch that ends at the Gulf of Mexico. The LRGV represents a unique transition between temperate and tropical conditions and, as such, sustains an exceptionally high diversity of...
Study of thermochemical sulfate reduction mechanism using compound specific sulfur isotope analysis
Alexander Meshoulam, Geoffrey S. Ellis, Ward Said Ahmad, Andrei Deev, Alex L. Sessions, Yongchun Tang, Jess F. Adkins, Jinzhong Liu, William P. Gilhooly III, Zeev Aizenshtat, Alon Amrani
2016, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (188) 73-92
The sulfur isotopic fractionation associated with the formation of organic sulfur compounds (OSCs) during thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR) was studied using gold-tube pyrolysis experiments to simulate TSR. The reactants used included n-hexadecane (n-C16) as a model organic compound with sulfate, sulfite, or elemental sulfur as the sulfur source. At the...
Spatial and temporal variability in estuary habitat use by American alligators
Ikuko Fujisaki, Kristen M. Hart, Michael S. Cherkiss, Frank J. Mazzotti, Jeffrey S. Beauchamp, Brian M. Jeffery, Laura A. Brandt
2016, Estuaries and Coasts (39) 1561-1569
Estuarine habitat occupied by Alligator mississippiensis, a primarily freshwater species, is spatially and temporally heterogeneous largely due to a salinity gradient that fluctuates. Using long-term night light survey data, we examined seasonal patterns in alligators’ habitat use by size classes in midstream and downstream estuary zones of Shark River,...
Internal loading of phosphorus in western Lake Erie
Gerald Matisoff, Eliza M. Kaltenberg, Rebecca L. Steely, Stephanie K. Hummel, Jinyu Seo, Kenneth J. Gibbons, Thomas B. Bridgeman, Youngwoo Seo, Mohsen Behbahani, William F. James, Laura Johnson, Phuong Doan, Maria Dittrich, Mary Anne Evans, Justin D. Chaffin
2016, Journal of Great Lakes Research (42) 775-788
This study applied eight techniques to obtain estimates of the diffusive flux of phosphorus (P) from bottom sediments throughout the western basin of Lake Erie. The flux was quantified from both aerobic and anaerobic incubations of whole cores; by monitoring the water encapsulated in bottom chambers; from pore water concentration...
First direct confirmation of grass carp spawning in a Great Lakes tributary
Holly S. Embke, Patrick M. Kocovsky, Cathy A. Richter, Jeremy J. Pritt, Christine M. Mayer, Song Qian
2016, Journal of Great Lakes Research (42) 899-903
Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), an invasive species of Asian carp, has been stocked for many decades in the United States for vegetation control. Adult individuals have been found in all of the Great Lakes except Lake Superior, but no self-sustaining populations have yet been identified in Great Lakes tributaries. In...
Hierarchical animal movement models for population-level inference
Mevin Hooten, Frances E. Buderman, Brian M. Brost, Ephraim M. Hanks, Jacob S. Ivans
2016, Environmetrics (27) 322-333
New methods for modeling animal movement based on telemetry data are developed regularly. With advances in telemetry capabilities, animal movement models are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Despite a need for population-level inference, animal movement models are still predominantly developed for individual-level inference. Most efforts to upscale the inference to...
