A point mutation in the polymerase protein PB2 allows a reassortant H9N2 influenza isolate of wild-bird origin to replicate in human cells.
Islam T.M. Hussein, Eric J. Ma, Brandt W. Meixell, Nichola J. Hill, Mark S. Lindberg, Randy A. Albrecht, Justin Bahl, Jonathan A. Runstadler
2016, Infection, Genetics and Evolution (41) 279-288
H9N2 influenza A viruses are on the list of potentially pandemic subtypes. Therefore, it is important to understand how genomic reassortment and genetic polymorphisms affect phenotypes of H9N2 viruses circulating in the wild bird reservoir. A comparative genetic analysis of North American H9N2 isolates of wild bird origin identified a...
Use of multiple sequencing technologies to produce a high-quality genome of the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of bat White-Nose syndrome
Kevin P. Drees, Jonathan M. Palmer, Robert Sebra, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Cynthia Chen, ChengCang Wu, Jin Woo Bok, Nancy F. Keller, David S. Blehert, Christina A. Cuomo, Daniel L. Linder, Jeffrey T. Foster
2016, Genome Announcements (4)
White-Nose syndrome has recently emerged as one of the most devastating wildlife diseases recorded, causing widespread mortality in numerous bat species throughout eastern North America. Here, we present an improvised reference genome of the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans for use in comparative genomic studies....
Age- and season-specific variation in local and long-distance movement behavior of golden eagles
Sharon A. Poessel, Peter H. Bloom, Melissa A. Braham, Todd E. Katzner
2016, European Journal of Wildlife Research (62) 377-393
Animal movements can determine the population dynamics of wildlife. We used telemetry data to provide insight into the causes and consequences of local and long-distance movements of multiple age classes of conservation-reliant golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in the foothills and mountains near Tehachapi, California. We estimated size and habitat-related correlates of...
Selection and quality assessment of Landsat data for the North American forest dynamics forest history maps of the US
Karen Schleeweis, Samuel N. Goward, Chengquan Huang, John L. Dwyer, Jennifer L. Dungan, Mary A. Lindsey, Andrew Michaelis, Khaldoun Rishmawi, Jeffery G. Masek
2016, International Journal of Digital Earth (9) 963-980
Using the NASA Earth Exchange platform, the North American Forest Dynamics (NAFD) project mapped forest history wall-to-wall, annually for the contiguous US (1986–2010) using the Vegetation Change Tracker algorithm. As with any effort to identify real changes in remotely sensed time-series, data gaps, shifts in seasonality, misregistration, inconsistent radiometry and...
Prospective earthquake forecasts at the Himalayan Front after the 25 April 2015 M 7.8 Gorkha Mainshock
Margaret Segou, Thomas E. Parsons
2016, Seismological Research Letters (87) 816-825
When a major earthquake strikes, the resulting devastation can be compounded or even exceeded by the subsequent cascade of triggered seismicity. As the Nepalese recover from the 25 April 2015 shock, knowledge of what comes next is essential. We calculate the redistribution of crustal stresses and implied earthquake probabilities for...
Year-round monitoring of contaminants in Neal and Rogers Creeks, Hood River Basin, Oregon, 2011-12, and assessment of risks to salmonids
Whitney B. Temple, Jennifer L. Morace, Elena B. Nilsen, David Alvarez, Kevin Masterson
2016, PLoS ONE (11)
Pesticide presence in streams is a potential threat to Endangered Species Act listed salmonids in the Hood River basin, Oregon, a primarily forested and agricultural basin. Two types of passive samplers, polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) and semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs), were simultaneously deployed at four sites in the...
Effects of pulse and press drying disturbance on benthic stream communities
Dustin T. Lynch, Daniel D. Magoulick
2016, Freshwater Science (35) 998-1009
Natural disturbance is an integral component of most ecosystems and occurs in 3 different forms: pulse, press, and ramp. In lotic ecosystems, seasonal drought is a major form of disturbance, particularly in intermittent headwater streams, which often are reduced to pools that serve as refuges for biota. We used simulated...
Genetic reconstruction of a bullfrog invasion to elucidate vectors of introduction and secondary spread
Pauline L. Kamath, Adam J. Sepulveda, Megan J. Layhee
2016, Ecology and Evolution (6) 5221-5233
Reconstructing historical colonization pathways of an invasive species is critical for uncovering factors that determine invasion success and for designing management strategies. The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) is endemic to eastern North America, but now has a global distribution and is considered to be one of the worst invaders in...
High concentrations of manganese and sulfur in deposits on Murray Ridge, Endeavour Crater, Mars
Raymond E. Arvidson, Steven W. Squyres, Richard V. Morris, Andrew H. Knoll, Ralf Gellert, Benton C. Clark, Jeffrey G. Catalano, Bradley L. Jolliff, Scott M. McLennan, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, Scott VanBommel, David W. Mittelfehldt, John P. Grotzinger, Edward A. Guinness, Jeffrey R. Johnson, James F. Bell III, William H. Farrand, Nathan Stein, Valerie K. Fox, Matthew P. Golombek, Margaret A. G. Hinkle, Wendy M. Calvin, Paulo A. de Souza Jr.
2016, American Mineralogist (101) 1389-1405
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE images and Opportunity rover observations of the ~22 km wide Noachian age Endeavour Crater on Mars show that the rim and surrounding terrains were densely fractured during the impact crater-forming event. Fractures have also propagated upward into the overlying Burns formation sandstones. Opportunity’s observations show that...
Impact of formation water geochemistry and crude oil biodegradation on microbial methanogenesis
Jenna L. Shelton, Jennifer C. McIntosh, Peter D. Warwick, John E. McCray
2016, Organic Geochemistry (98) 105-117
Converting non-producible crude oil to CH4 via methanogenic crude oil biodegradation in oil reservoirs could serve as one way to increase our energy profile. Yet, field data supporting the direct relationship between methanogenesis and crude oil biodegradation are sparse. Indicators of methanogenesis, based on the formation water and gas geochemistry...
Regional differences in upland forest to developed (urban) land cover conversions in the conterminous U.S., 1973–2011
Roger F. Auch, Mark A. Drummond, George Z. Xian, Kristi L. Sayler, William Acevedo, Janis Taylor
2016, Forests (7)
In this U.S. Geological Survey study of forest land cover across the conterminous U.S. (CONUS), specific proportions and rates of forest conversion to developed (urban) land were assessed on an ecoregional basis. The study period was divided into six time intervals between 1973 and 2011. Forest land cover was the...
Loss of genetic diversity and increased subdivision in an endemic Alpine Stonefly threatened by climate change
Steve Jordan, J. Joseph Giersch, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Scott Hotalling, Liz Fanning, Tyler H. Tappenbeck, Gordon Luikart
2016, PLoS ONE (11)
Much remains unknown about the genetic status and population connectivity of high-elevation and high-latitude freshwater invertebrates, which often persist near snow and ice masses that are disappearing due to climate change. Here we report on the conservation genetics of the meltwater stonefly Lednia tumana (Ricker) of Montana, USA, a cold-water...
Estimating heterotrophic respiration at large scales: Challenges, approaches, and next steps
Ben Bond-Lamberty, Daniel Epron, Jennifer W. Harden, Mark E. Harmon, Forrest Hoffman, Jitendra Kumar, Anthony D. McGuire, Rodrigo Vargas
2016, Ecosphere (7)
Heterotrophic respiration (HR), the aerobic and anaerobic processes mineralizing organic matter, is a key carbon flux but one impossible to measure at scales significantly larger than small experimental plots. This impedes our ability to understand carbon and nutrient cycles, benchmark models, or reliably upscale point measurements. Given that a new...
Spatial modeling of wild bird risk factors to investigate highly pathogenic A(H5N1) avian influenza virus transmission
Diann J. Prosser, Laura L. Hungerford, R. Michael Erwin, Mary Ann Ottinger, John Y. Takekawa, Scott H. Newman, Xianming Xiao, Erie C. Ellis
2016, Avian Diseases (60) 329-336
One of the longest-persisting avian influenza viruses in history, highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) A(H5N1), continues to evolve after 18 years, advancing the threat of a global pandemic. Wild waterfowl (family Anatidae), are reported as secondary transmitters of HPAIV, and primary reservoirs for low-pathogenic avian influenza viruses, yet spatial...
Comparing three approaches of evapotranspiration estimation in mixed urban vegetation; field-based, remote sensing-based and observational-based methods
Hamideh Nouri, Edward P. Glenn, Simon Beecham, Sattar Chavoshi Boroujeni, Paul Sutton, Sina Alaghmand, Pamela L. Nagler, Behnaz Noori
2016, Remote Sensing (8)
Despite being the driest inhabited continent, Australia has one of the highest per capita water consumptions in the world. In addition, instead of having fit-for-purpose water supplies (using different qualities of water for different applications), highly treated drinking water is used for nearly all of Australia’s urban water supply needs,...
Catalog of type specimens of recent mammals: Orders Carnivora, Perissodactyla, Artiodactyla, and Cetacea in the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Robert D. Fisher, Craig A. Ludwig
2016, Book
The type collection of Recent mammals in the Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, contains 612 specimens bearing names of 604 species-group taxa of Carnivora, Perissodactyla, Artiodactyla, and Cetacea as of May 2016. This catalog presents an annotated list of these holdings comprising 582 holotypes; 16...
State-dependent resource harvesting with lagged information about system states
Fred A. Johnson, Paul L. Fackler, G Scott Boomer, Guthrie S. Zimmerman, Byron K. Williams, James D. Nichols, Robert Dorazio
2016, PLoS ONE (11) 1-21
Markov decision processes (MDPs), which involve a temporal sequence of actions conditioned on the state of the managed system, are increasingly being applied in natural resource management. This study focuses on the modification of a traditional MDP to account for those cases in which an action must be chosen after...
A primer on potential impacts, management priorities, and future directions for Elodea spp. in high latitude systems: learning from the Alaskan experience
Michael P. Carey, Suresh A Sethi, Sabrina J Larsen, Cecil F Rich
2016, Hydrobiologia (777) 1-19
Invasive species introductions in Arctic and Subarctic ecosystems are growing as climate change manifests and human activity increases in high latitudes. The aquatic plants of the genus Elodea are potential invaders to Arctic and Subarctic ecosystems circumpolar and at least one species is already established in Alaska, USA. To illustrate...
A new genus and species of blind sleeper (Teleostei: Eleotridae) from Oaxaca, Mexico: First obligate cave gobiiform in the Western Hemisphere
Stephen J. Walsh, Prosanta Chakrabarty
2016, Copeia (104) 506-517
Caecieleotris morrisi, new genus and species of sleeper (family Eleotridae), is described from a submerged freshwater cave in a karst region of the northern portion of the State of Oaxaca, Mexico, Río Papaloapan drainage, Gulf of Mexico basin. The new species represents the first cave-adapted sleeper known from the Western...
And the first one now will later be last: Time-reversal in cormack-jolly-seber models
James D. Nichols
2016, Statistical Science (31) 175-190
The models of Cormack, Jolly and Seber (CJS) are remarkable in providing a rich set of inferences about population survival, recruitment, abundance and even sampling probabilities from a seemingly limited data source: a matrix of 1's and 0's reflecting animal captures and recaptures at multiple sampling occasions. Survival and sampling...
Biological low pH Mn(II) oxidation in a manganese deposit influenced by metal-rich groundwater
Tsing Bohu, Denise M. Akob, Michael Abratis, Cassandre S. Lazar, Kirsten Küsel
2016, Applied and Environmental Microbiology (82) 3009-3021
The mechanisms, key organisms, and geochemical significance of biological low-pH Mn(II) oxidation are largely unexplored. Here, we investigated the structure of indigenous Mn(II)-oxidizing microbial communities in a secondary subsurface Mn oxide deposit influenced by acidic (pH 4.8) metal-rich groundwater in a former uranium mining area. Microbial diversity was highest in...
Wastewater disposal from unconventional oil and gas development degrades stream quality at a West Virginia injection facility
Denise M. Akob, Adam C. Mumford, William H. Orem, Mark A. Engle, Julia Klinges, Douglas B. Kent, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli
2016, Environmental Science & Technology (50) 5517-5525
The development of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) resources has rapidly increased in recent years; however, the environmental impacts and risks are poorly understood. A single well can generate millions of liters of wastewater, representing a mixture of formation brine and injected hydraulic fracturing fluids. One of the most common...
Ashy Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma homochroa mist-netting and capture rates in the California Channel Islands, 2004–2007
Josh Adams
2016, Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation (44) 71-82
The California Channel Islands (CCI) provide essential nesting habitat for a significant portion of the world’s Ashy Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma homochroa (ASSP) breeding population, but true abundance at this locality is not well known. Land-based nocturnal mistnetting has been conducted sporadically in the CCI since 1976, with variation in techniques and...
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...
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...
