User’s guide for the Delaware River Basin Streamflow Estimator Tool (DRB-SET)
Marla H. Stuckey, James E. Ulrich
2016, Open-File Report 2015-1192
IntroductionThe Delaware River Basin Streamflow Estimator Tool (DRB-SET) is a tool for the simulation of streamflow at a daily time step for an ungaged stream location in the Delaware River Basin. DRB-SET was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and funded through WaterSMART as part of the National Water...
Conservation of native Pacific trout diversity in western North America
Brooke E. Penaluna, Alicia Abadia-Cardoso, Jason B. Dunham, Francisco J Garcia de Leon, Robert E. Gresswell, Arturo Ruiz Luna, Eric B. Taylor, Bradley B. Shepard, Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Kevin R. Bestgen, Kevin H. Rogers, Marco A Escalante, Ernest R. Keeley, Gabriel Temple, Jack E. Williams, Kathleen Matthews, Ron Pierce, Richard L. Mayden, Ryan Kovach, John Carlos Garza, Kurt D. Fausch
2016, Fisheries (41) 286-300
Pacific trout Oncorhynchus spp. in western North America are strongly valued in ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural views, and have been the subject of substantial research and conservation efforts. Despite this, the understanding of their evolutionary histories, overall diversity, and challenges to their conservation is incomplete. We review the state of...
Analysis of environmental factors influencing salinity patterns, oyster growth, and mortality in lower Breton Sound Estuary, Louisiana using 20 years of data
Megan K. LaPeyre, James Geaghan, Gary A. Decossas, Jerome F. La Peyre
2016, Journal of Coastal Research (32) 519-530
Freshwater inflow characteristics define estuarine functioning by delivering nutrients, sediments, and freshwater, which affect biological resources and ultimately system production. Using 20 years of water quality, weather, and oyster growth and mortality data from Breton Sound Estuary (BSE), Louisiana, we examined the relationship of riverine, weather, and tidal influence on...
A management-oriented framework for selecting metrics used to assess habitat- and path-specific quality in spatially structured populations
Sam Nicol, Ruscena Wiederholt, James E. Diffendorfer, Brady J. Mattsson, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Darius J. Semmens, Laura Lopez-Hoffman, Ryan Norris
2016, Ecological Indicators (69) 792-802
Mobile species with complex spatial dynamics can be difficult to manage because their population distributions vary across space and time, and because the consequences of managing particular habitats are uncertain when evaluated at the level of the entire population. Metrics to assess the importance of habitats and pathways connecting habitats...
Native prey distribution and migration mediates wolf (Canis lupus) predation on domestic livestock in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Abigail A. Nelson, Matthew Kauffman, A.D. Middleton, M.D. Jimenez, D. E. McWhirter, K. Gerow
2016, Canadian Journal of Zoology (94) 291-299
Little research has evaluated how the migration and distribution of native prey influence patterns of livestock depredation by large carnivores. Previous research suggests that the presence of native prey can increase depredation rates by attracting predators (prey tracking hypothesis). Alternatively, the absence of native prey may facilitate predation on livestock...
Assessment of continuous (unconventional) oil and gas resources in the Late Cretaceous Mancos Shale of the Piceance Basin, Uinta-Piceance Province, Colorado and Utah, 2016
Sarah J. Hawkins, Ronald R. Charpentier, Christopher J. Schenk, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Timothy R. Klett, Michael E. Brownfield, Tom M. Finn, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Kristen R. Marra, Phoung A. Le, Tracey J. Mercier, Janet K. Pitman, Marilyn E. Tennyson
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3030
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a geology-based assessment of the continuous (unconventional) oil and gas resources in the Late Cretaceous Mancos Shale within the Piceance Basin of the Uinta-Piceance Province (fig. 1). The previous USGS assessment of the Mancos Shale in the Piceance Basin was completed in 2003 as...
Model selection and assessment for multi-species occupancy models
Kristin M. Broms, Mevin Hooten, Ryan M. Fitzpatrick
2016, Ecology (97) 1759-1770
While multi-species occupancy models (MSOMs) are emerging as a popular method for analyzing biodiversity data, formal checking and validation approaches for this class of models have lagged behind. Concurrent with the rise in application of MSOMs among ecologists, a quiet regime shift is occurring in Bayesian statistics where predictive model...
Combining statistical inference and decisions in ecology
Perry J. Williams, Mevin Hooten
2016, Ecological Applications (26) 1930-1942
Statistical decision theory (SDT) is a sub-field of decision theory that formally incorporates statistical investigation into a decision-theoretic framework to account for uncertainties in a decision problem. SDT provides a unifying analysis of three types of information: statistical results from a data set, knowledge of the consequences of potential choices...
Evaluation of reproductive status in Atlantic Tripletail by traditional and nonlethal approaches
R. T. Parr, Cecil A. Jennings, N. D. Denslow, K.J. Kroll, R.B. Bringolf
2016, Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science (8) 16-22
Reproductive biology information is an important tool for fishery management actions such as the identification of spawning areas and the development of protective size limits, bag limits, and seasons. Such information for the management of Atlantic TripletailLobotes surinamensis is currently limited, particularly in the western Atlantic Ocean, as information regarding the...
Raw and processed ground-penetrating radar and postprocessed differential global positioning system data collected from Assateague Island, Maryland, October 2014
Nicholas J. Zaremba, Julie Bernier, Arnell S. Forde, Christopher G. Smith
2016, Data Series 989
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center acquired sediment cores, sediment surface grab samples, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) data from Assateague Island, Maryland, in October 2014. The objectives were to identify washover deposits in the stratigraphic record to aid in understanding...
Sedimentologic characteristics of recent washover deposits from Assateague Island, Maryland
Julie Bernier, Nicholas J. Zaremba, Cathryn J. Wheaton, Alisha M. Ellis, Marci E. Marot, Christopher G. Smith
2016, Data Series 999
The U.S. Geological Survey has a long history of responding to and documenting the impacts of storms along the Nation’s coasts and incorporating these data into storm impact and coastal change vulnerability assessments. Although physical changes caused by tropical and extratropical storms to the sandy beaches and dunes fronting barrier...
Post-release survival and movement of Western Grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis) implanted with intracoelomic satellite transmitters
Kyra L. Mills, Joseph K. Gaydos, Christine V. Fiorello, Emily Whitmer, Susan De La Cruz, Daniel M. Mulcahy, L. Ignacio Vilchis, Michael H. Ziccardi
2016, Waterbirds (39) 175-186
The main goal of this study was to gain knowledge on post-release survival and movement of Western Grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis) using a modified technique for implanting satellite transmitters. This technique had improved post-surgical survival in an earlier study. Nine Western Grebes, implanted with intracoelomic (within the body cavity) satellite transmitters...
Total Petroleum Systems of the Michigan Basin—Petroleum geology and geochemistry and assessment of undiscovered resources
Christopher S. Swezey
2016, Data Series 1011
[None available]...
Landscapes of West Africa: A window on a changing world
G. Gray Tappan, W. Matthew Cushing, Suzanne E. Cotillon, John A. Hutchinson, Bruce Pengra, Issifou Alfari, Edwige Botoni, Amadou Soule, Stefanie M. Herrmann
2016, Book
Our global ecosystem is and has always been complex, dynamic, and in constant flux. Science tells us how natural forces of enormous power have shaped and reshaped Earth’s surface, atmosphere, climate, and biota again and again since the planet’s beginnings about 4.5 billion years ago. For most of the planet’s...
Vulnerabilities of national parks in the American Midwest to climate and land use changes
Esther D. Stroh, Matthew A. Struckhoff, David Shaver, Krista A. Karstensen
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5057
Many national parks in the American Midwest are surrounded by agricultural or urban areas or are in highly fragmented or rapidly changing landscapes. An environmental stressor is a physical, chemical, or biological condition that affects the functioning or productivity of species or ecosystems. Climate change is just one of many...
Effects of hydrology, watershed size, and agricultural practices on sediment yields in two river basins in Iowa and Mississippi
Gustavo Henrique Merten, Heather L. Welch, M.D. Tomer
2016, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (71) 267-278
The specific sediment yield (SSY) from watersheds is the result of the balance between natural, scale-dependent erosion and deposition processes, but can be greatly altered by human activities. In general, the SSY decreases along the course of a river as sediments are trapped in alluvial plains and other sinks. However,...
INVASIVESNET towards an International Association for Open Knowledge on Invasive Alien Species
Frances Lucy, Helen Roy, Annie Simpson, James T. Carlton, John Mark Hanson, Kit Magellan, Marnie L. Campbell, Mark John Costello, Shyama Pagad, Chad L Hewitt, Justin McDonald, Phillip Cassey, Sidinei M Thomaz, Stelios Katsanevakis, Argyro Zenetos, Elena Tricarico, Angela Boggero, Quentin J. Groom, Tim Adriaens, Sonia Vanderhoeven, Mark E. Torchin, Ruth A. Hufbauer, Pam Fuller, Mary R Carman, David Bruce Conn, Jean R. S. Vitule, Joao Canning-Clode, Bella S Galil, Henn Ojaveer, Sarah A Bailey, Thomas W Therriault, Renata Claudi, Anna Gazda, Jaimie T A Dick, Joe Caffrey, Arne Witt, Marc Kenis, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Harry Helmisaari, Vadim E Panov
2016, Management of Biological Invasions (7) 131-139
In a world where invasive alien species (IAS) are recognised as one of the major threats to biodiversity, leading scientists from five continents have come together to propose the concept of developing an international association for open knowledge and open data on IAS—termed “INVASIVESNET”. This new association will facilitate greater...
Discharge and nutrient transport between lakes in a hydrologically complex area of Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, 2010-2012
Victoria G. Christensen, Eric Wakeman, Ryan P. Maki
2016, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (52) 578-591
An acoustic Doppler velocity meter (ADVM) was deployed in the narrows between Namakan and Kabetogama Lakes in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, from November 3, 2010, through October 3, 2012. The ADVM can account for wind, seiche, and changing flow direction in hydrologically complex areas. The objectives were to (1) estimate...
Long-term lesser prairie-chicken nest ecology in response to grassland management
Sarah R. Fritts, Blake A. Grisham, David A. Haukos, Clint W. Boal, Michael Patten, Don H. Wolfe, Charles Dixon, Robert D. Cox, Willard R. Heck
2016, Journal of Wildlife Management (80) 527-539
Long-term population and range declines from habitat loss and fragmentation caused the lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) to be a species of concern throughout its range. Current lesser prairie-chicken range in New Mexico and Texas is partially restricted to sand shinnery oak (Quercus havardii; hereafter shinnery oak) prairies, on which cattle...
Thyroid endocrine disruption and external body morphology of Zebrafish
Prakash Sharma, Timothy B. Grabowski, Reynaldo Patino
2016, General and Comparative Endocrinology (226) 42-49
This study examined the effects thyroid-active compounds during early development on body morphology of Zebrafish (Danio rerio). Three-day postfertilization (dpf) larvae were exposed to goitrogen [methimazole (MZ, 0.15 mM)], combination of MZ (0.15 mM) and thyroxine (T4, 2 nM), T4 (2 nM), or control (reconstituted water) treatments until 33 dpf...
Clarifying beliefs underlying hunter intentions to support a ban on lead shot
Susan A. Schroeder, David C. Fulton, Kathy Doncarlos
2016, Society & Natural Resources: An International Journal (29) 852-867
Shot from hunting adds toxic lead to environments worldwide. Existing lead shot regulations have been instituted with little understanding of hunter beliefs and attitudes. This study applied the Theory of Reasoned Action, using a multilevel, multivariate approach, to clarify how positive and negative beliefs relate to attitudes about a ban...
Motivations of female Black Hills deer hunters
Larry M. Gigliotti, Elizabeth Covelli Metcalf
2016, Human Dimensions of Wildlife: An International Journal (21) 371-378
State fish and wildlife agencies are particularly interested in attracting female participation because of the potential to offset declining participation in hunting. Understanding female hunters’ motivations will be critical for designing effective recruitment and retention programs for women hunters. Although female participation in hunting is increasing, males still outnumber females...
Management decision making for fisher populations informed by occupancy modeling
Angela K. Fuller, Daniel W. Linden, J. Andrew Royle
2016, Journal of Wildlife Management (80) 794-802
Harvest data are often used by wildlife managers when setting harvest regulations for species because the data are regularly collected and do not require implementation of logistically and financially challenging studies to obtain the data. However, when harvest data are not available because an area had not previously supported a...
Understanding landowner intentions to create early successional forest habitat in the northeastern United States
Ashley A. Dayer, Richard C. Stedman, Shorna B. Allred, Kenneth V. Rosenberg, Angela K. Fuller
2016, Wildlife Society Bulletin (40) 59-68
Early successional forest habitat (ESH) and associated wildlife species in the northeastern United States are in decline. One way to help create early successional forest conditions is engaging private forest landowners in even-aged forest management because their limited participation may have contributed to declines in ESH for wildlife species of...
Estimating population density and connectivity of American mink using spatial capture-recapture
Angela K. Fuller, Christopher S. Sutherland, Andy Royle, Matthew P. Hare
2016, Ecological Applications (26) 1125-1135
Estimating the abundance or density of populations is fundamental to the conservation and management of species, and as landscapes become more fragmented, maintaining landscape connectivity has become one of the most important challenges for biodiversity conservation. Yet these two issues have never been formally integrated together in a model that...
