Quantifying fish swimming behavior in response to acute exposure of aqueous copper using computer assisted video and digital image analysis
Robin D. Calfee, Holly J. Puglis, Edward E. Little, William G. Brumbaugh, Christopher A. Mebane
2016, Journal of Visualized Experiments (108)
Behavioral responses of aquatic organisms to environmental contaminants can be precursors of other effects such as survival, growth, or reproduction. However, these responses may be subtle, and measurement can be challenging. Using juvenile white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) with copper exposures, this paper illustrates techniques used for quantifying behavioral responses using...
The “Anthropocene” epoch: Scientific decision or political statement?
Stanley C. Finney, Lucy E. Edwards
2016, GSA Today (26) 3-4
The proposal for the “Anthropocene” epoch as a formal unit of the geologic time scale has received extensive attention in scientific and public media. However, most articles on the Anthropocene misrepresent the nature of the units of the International Chronostratigraphic Chart, which is produced by the International Commission on Stratigraphy...
The geologic history of Margaritifer basin, Mars
M. R. Salvatore, M. D. Kraft, Christopher Edwards, P. R. Christensen
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets (121) 273-295
In this study, we investigate the fluvial, sedimentary, and volcanic history of Margaritifer basin and the Uzboi-Ladon-Morava (ULM) outflow channel system. This network of valleys and basins spans more than 8000 km in length, linking the fluvially dissected southern highlands and Argyre Basin with the northern lowlands via Ares Vallis....
Comparative evaluation of statistical and mechanistic models of Escherichia coli at beaches in southern Lake Michigan
Ammar Safaie, Aaron Wendzel, Zhongfu Ge, Meredith Nevers, Richard L. Whitman, Steven R. Corsi, Mantha S. Phanikumar
2016, Environmental Science & Technology (50) 2442-2449
Statistical and mechanistic models are popular tools for predicting the levels of indicator bacteria at recreational beaches. Researchers tend to use one class of model or the other, and it is difficult to generalize statements about their relative performance due to differences in how the models are developed, tested, and...
The evolution of a thermokarst-lake landscape: Late Quaternary permafrost degradation and stabilization in interior Alaska
Mary E. Edwards, Guido Grosse, Benjamin M. Jones, Patricia F. McDowell
2016, Sedimentary Geology (340) 3-14
Thermokarst processes characterize a variety of ice-rich permafrost terrains and often lead to lake formation. The long-term evolution of thermokarst landscapes and the stability and longevity of lakes depend upon climate, vegetation and ground conditions, including the volume of excess ground ice and its distribution. The current lake status of...
Effect of wastewater treatment facility closure on endocrine disrupting chemicals in a Coastal Plain stream
Paul M. Bradley, Celeste A. Journey, Jimmy M. Clark
2016, Remediation Journal (26) 9-24
Wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) closures are rare environmental remediation events; offering unique insight into contaminant persistence, long-term wastewater impacts, and ecosystem recovery processes. The U.S. Geological Survey assessed the fate of select endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) in surface water and streambed sediment one year before and one year after closure...
Application of hydrogeology and groundwater-age estimates to assess the travel time of groundwater at the site of a landfill to the Mahomet Aquifer, near Clinton, Illinois
Robert T. Kay, Paul M. Buszka
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5159
The U.S. Geological Survey used interpretations of hydrogeologic conditions and tritium-based groundwater age estimates to assess the travel time of groundwater at a landfill site near Clinton, Illinois (the “Clinton site”) where a chemical waste unit (CWU) was proposed to be within the Clinton landfill unit #3 (CLU#3). Glacial deposits...
Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2015 Year In Review
John F. Organ, John Thompson, Don E. Dennerline, Dawn Childs
2016, Circular 1420
Summary The Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (CRU) Program had its 80th anniversary in 2015. We did not have a party, but those of us who work directly for the Unit program on a daily basis celebrate the privilege we feel in being part of one of the greatest conservation...
High-resolution gravity and seismic-refraction surveys of the Smoke Tree Wash area, Joshua Tree National Park, California
Victoria E. Langenheim, Michael J. Rymer, Rufus D. Catchings, Mark R. Goldman, Janet Watt, Robert E. Powell, Jonathan C. Matti
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1027
We describe high-resolution gravity and seismic refraction surveys acquired to determine the thickness of valley-fill deposits and to delineate geologic structures that might influence groundwater flow beneath the Smoke Tree Wash area in Joshua Tree National Park. These surveys identified a sedimentary basin that is fault-controlled. A profile across the...
Captive propagation, reproductive biology, and early life history of Etheostoma wapiti (Boulder Darter), E. vulneratum (Wounded Darter), and E. maculatum (Spotted Darter)
Crystal L. Ruble, Patrick L. Rakes, John R. Shute, Stuart A. Welsh
2016, Southeastern Naturalist (15) 115-126
Reproductive biology and early life-history data are important for understanding the ecology of fishes. In 2008, we conducted captive propagation studies on 3 species of darters of the subgenus Nothonotus: Etheostoma wapiti (Boulder Darter), E. vulneratum (Wounded Darter), and E. maculatum (Spotted Darter). The length of spawning period...
Development and application of freshwater sediment-toxicity benchmarks for currently used pesticides
Lisa H. Nowell, Julia E. Norman, Christopher G. Ingersoll, Patrick W. Moran
2016, Science of the Total Environment (550) 835-850
Sediment-toxicity benchmarks are needed to interpret the biological significance of currently used pesticides detected in whole sediments. Two types of freshwater sediment benchmarks for pesticides were developed using spiked-sediment bioassay (SSB) data from the literature. These benchmarks can be used to interpret sediment-toxicity data or to assess the potential toxicity...
Factors affecting nest survival of Henslow's Sparrows (Ammodramus henslowii) in southern Indiana
Shawn M. Crimmins, Patrick C. McKann, Joseph R. Robb, Jason P. Lewis, Teresa Vanosdol, Benjamin A. Walker, Perry J. Williams, Wayne E. Thogmartin
2016, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (128) 108-119
Populations of Henslow’s Sparrows have declined dramatically in recent decades, coinciding with widespread loss of native grassland habitat. Prescribed burning is a primary tool for maintaining grassland patches, but its effects on nest survival of Henslow’s Sparrows remains largely unknown, especially in conjunction with other factors. We monitored 135 nests...
1984–2010 trends in fire burn severity and area for the conterminous US
Joshua J. Picotte, Birgit E. Peterson, Gretchen Meier, Stephen M. Howard
2016, International Journal of Wildland Fire (25) 413-420
Burn severity products created by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS) project were used to analyse historical trends in burn severity. Using a severity metric calculated by modelling the cumulative distribution of differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) and Relativized dNBR (RdNBR) data, we examined burn area and burn severity...
It’s what’s inside that counts: Egg contaminant concentrations are influenced by estimates of egg density, egg volume, and fresh egg mass
Mark P. Herzog, Joshua T. Ackerman, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, C. Alex Hartman
2016, Ecotoxicology (25) 770-776
In egg contaminant studies, it is necessary to calculate egg contaminant concentrations on a fresh wet weight basis and this requires accurate estimates of egg density and egg volume. We show that the inclusion or exclusion of the eggshell can influence egg contaminant concentrations, and we provide estimates of egg...
Determining the 95% limit of detection for waterborne pathogen analyses from primary concentration to qPCR
Joel P. Stokdyk, Aaron D. Firnstahl, Susan K. Spencer, Tucker R Burch, Mark A. Borchardt
2016, Water Research (96) 105-113
The limit of detection (LOD) for qPCR-based analyses is not consistently defined or determined in studies on waterborne pathogens. Moreover, the LODs reported often reflect the qPCR assay alone rather than the entire sample process. Our objective was to develop an approach to determine the 95% LOD (lowest concentration at...
Tarangire revisited: Consequences of declining connectivity in a tropical ungulate population
Thomas A. Morrison, William A. Link, William D. Newmark, Charles A.H. Foley, Douglas T. Bolger
2016, Biological Conservation (197) 53-60
The hyper-abundance of migratory wildlife in many ecosystems depends on maintaining access to seasonally available resources. In Eastern and Southern Africa, land-use change and a loss of connectivity have coincided with widespread declines in the abundance and geographic range of ungulate populations. Using photographic capture-mark-recapture, we examine the historical pattern...
Desert tortoise annotated bibliography, 1991-2015
Kristin H. Berry, Lisa M. Lyren, Jeremy S. Mack, L. Arriana Brand, Dustin A. Wood
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1023
Introduction Agassiz’s desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizii, was considered a single species for 150 years after its discovery by James Cooper (1861), with a geographic range extending from southeastern California, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah southward into northern Sinaloa, Mexico (Murphy and others, 2011). What was once G. agassizii is now...
Establishing a pre-mining geochemical baseline at a uranium mine near Grand Canyon National Park, USA
David L. Naftz, Katherine Walton-Day
2016, Geoderma (7) 76-92
During 2012, approximately 404,000 ha of Federal Land in northern Arizona was withdrawn from consideration of mineral extraction for a 20-year period to protect the Grand Canyon watershed from potentially adverse effects of U mineral exploration and development. The development, operation, and reclamation of the Canyon Mine during the withdrawal...
Optimized methods for total nucleic acid extraction and quantification of the bat white-nose syndrome fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, from swab and environmental samples
Michelle Verant, Elizabeth A. Bohuski, Jeffrey M. Lorch, David S. Blehert
2016, Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation (28) 110-118
The continued spread of white-nose syndrome and its impacts on hibernating bat populations across North America has prompted nationwide surveillance efforts and the need for high-throughput, noninvasive diagnostic tools. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis has been increasingly used for detection of the causative fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, in both bat-...
Available data support protection of the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher under the Endangered Species Act
Tad C. Theimer, Aaron D. Smith, Sean M. Mahoney, Kirsten E. Ironside
2016, The Condor (118) 289-299
Zink (2015) argued there was no evidence for genetic, morphological, or ecological differentiation between the federally endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) and other Willow Flycatcher subspecies. Using the same data, we show there is a step-cline in both the frequency of a mtDNA haplotype and in plumage variation roughly...
Habitat use and foraging patterns of molting male Long-tailed Ducks in lagoons of the central Beaufort Sea, Alaska
Paul L. Flint, John A. Reed, Deborah Lacroix, Richard Lanctot
2016, Arctic (69) 19-28
From mid-July through September, 10 000 to 30 000 Long-tailed Ducks (Clangula hyemalis) use the lagoon systems of the central Beaufort Sea for remigial molt. Little is known about their foraging behavior and patterns of habitat use during this flightless period. We used radio transmitters to track male Long-tailed Ducks...
Amphibian mortality events and ranavirus outbreaks in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Debra A. Patla, Sophia St-Hilaire, Andrew P. Rayburn, Blake R. Hossack, Charles R. Peterson
2016, Herpetological Review (47) 50-54
Mortality events in wild amphibians go largely undocumented, and where events are detected, the numbers of dead amphibians observed are probably a small fraction of actual mortality (Green and Sherman 2001; Skerratt et al. 2007). Incidental observations from field surveys can, despite limitations, provide valuable information on the presence, host...
Flow regime effects on mature Populus fremontii (Fremont cottonwood) productivity on two contrasting dryland river floodplains
Douglas C. Andersen
2016, Southwestern Naturalist (61) 8-17
I compared riparian cottonwood (Populus fremontii) productivity-discharge relationships in a relictual stand along the highly regulated Green River and in a naturally functioning stand along the unregulated Yampa River in semiarid northwest Colorado. I used multiple regression to model flow effects on annual basal area increment (BAI) from 1982 to...
Reevaluating the age of the Walden Creek Group and the kinematic evolution of the western Blue Ridge, southern Appalachians
J. Ryan Thigpen, Robert D. Hatcher Jr., Linda C. Kah, John E. Repetski
2016, American Journal of Science (316) 279-308
An integrated synthesis of existing datasets (detailed geologic mapping, geochronologic, paleontologic, geophysical) with new paleontologic and geochemical investigations of rocks previously interpreted as part of the Neoproterozoic Walden Creek Group in southeastern Tennessee suggest a necessary reevaluation of the kinematics and structural architecture of the Blue Ridge Foothills....
Riparian groundwater and baseflow studies in the Upper Colorado River Basin
Lindsay Reynolds, Patrick B. Shafroth
2016, Report, Ruth Powell Hutchins Water Center Scientific and technical report series
Executive summary As part of an ongoing effort to understand baseflow in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) and implications for stream-dependent ecosystems, we conducted a brief review of literature related to groundwater and baseflow in the UCRB. We included primary literature, federal and state resources, databases and gray literature studies...
