Enhancements to population monitoring of Yellowstone grizzly bears
Frank T. van Manen, Michael Ebinger, Cecily M. Costello, Daniel D. Bjornlie, Justin Clapp, Daniel Thompson, Mark A. Haroldson, Kevin L. Frey, Curtis Hendricks, Jeremy M. Nicholson, Kerry A. Gunther, Katharine R. Wilmot, Hilary Cooley, Jennifer Fortin-Noreus, Pat Hnilicka, Daniel B. Tyers
2023, Ursus (33)
In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, counts of female grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) with cubs-of-the-year (females with cubs) from systematic aerial surveys and opportunistic ground sightings are combined with demographic data to derive annual population estimates. We addressed 2 limitations to the monitoring approach. As part of a rule set, a...
Genetic diversity goals and targets have improved, but remain insufficient for clear implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework
Sean M. Hoban, Michael W. Bruford, Jessica M. da Silva, W. Chris Funk, Richard Frankham, Michael J. Gill, Catherine E. Grueber, Myriam Heuertz, Maggie Hunter, Francine Kershaw, Robert C. Lacy, Caroline Lees, Margarida Lopes-Fernandes, Anna J. MacDonald, Alicia Mastretta-Yanes, Philip J. K. McGowan, Mariah H. Meek, Joachim Mergeay, Katie L. Millette, Cinnamon S. Mittan-Moreau, Laetitia M. Navarro, David O'Brien, Rob Ogden, Gernot Segelbacher, Ivan Paz-Vinas, Cristiano Vernesi, Linda Laikre
2023, Conservation Genetics
Genetic diversity among and within populations of all species is necessary for people and nature to survive and thrive in a changing world. Over the past three years, commitments for conserving genetic diversity have become more ambitious and specific under the Convention on Biological Diversity’s...
Watershed- and reach-scale drivers of phosphorus retention and release by streambed sediment in a western Lake Erie watershed during summer
Rebecca Kreiling, Patrik Mathis Perner, Kenna Jean Breckner, Tanja N. Williamson, Lynn A. Bartsch, James M. Hood, Nathan F. Manning, Laura T. Johnson
2023, Science of the Total Environment (863)
Reducing phosphorus (P) concentrations in aquatic ecosystems, is necessary to improve water quality and reduce the occurrence of harmful cyanobacterial algal blooms. Managing P reduction requires information on the role rivers play in P transport from land to downstream water bodies, but we have...
Influence of fine-scale habitat characteristics on sage-grouse nest site selection and nest survival varies by mesic and xeric site conditions
Brianne E. Brussee, Peter S. Coates, Shawn T. O'Neil, Mark A. Ricca, Jonathan E. Dudko, Shawn P. Espinosa, Scott C. Gardner, Michael L. Casazza, David J. Delehanty
2023, Ornithological Applications (125)
Resource managers and scientists across western U.S. agencies seek methodologies for identifying environmental attributes important to both wildlife conservation and broad-scale land stewardship. The Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) exemplifies a species in need of this broad-scale approach given widespread population declines that have resulted from loss and...
Dissolved carbon export by large river systems is influenced by source area heterogeneity
Edward G. Stets, Robert G. Striegl, Kimberly Wickland, Mark Dornblaser, Sydney Foks
2023, Global Biogeochemical Cycles (37)
Rivers and streams export inorganic and organic carbon derived from contributing landscapes and so downstream carbon fluxes are important quantitative indicators of change in ecosystem function and for the full accounting of terrestrial carbon budgets. Carbon concentration-discharge (C-Q) relationships in rivers provide important information about carbon source...
Changes in habitat suitability for wintering dabbling ducks during dry conditions in the Central Valley of California
Erin E. Conlisk, Kristin B. Byrd, Elliott Matchett, Austen Lorenz, Michael L. Casazza, Gregory H. Golet, Mark D. Reynolds, Kristin A. Sesser, Matthew E. Reiter
2023, Ecosphere (14)
In arid and Mediterranean regions, landscape-scale wetland conservation requires understanding how wildlife responds to dynamic freshwater availability and conservation actions to enhance wetland habitat. Taking advantage of Landsat satellite data and structured and community science bird survey data, we built species distribution models to describe how three duck species, the...
Nest-site selection model for endangered Everglade snail kites to inform ecosystem restoration
Allison Benscoter, Laura D'Acunto, Saira Haider, Robert J. Fletcher Jr., Stephanie Romanach
2023, Ecosphere (14)
dictors of nesting for snail kites in south Florida. The results of our modeling indicate that hydrology, percent canopy cover, and proximity to recently burned areas were the most important factors associated with nest-site selection for snail kites. Water depths between 75 and 100 cm, water recession...
Elevation-based probabilistic mapping of irregularly flooded wetlands along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast
Nicholas Enwright, Wyatt C. Cheney, Kristine O. Evans, Hana R. Thurman, Mark S. Woodrey, Auriel M.V. Fournier, Dean B. Gesch, Jonathan L. Pitchford, Jason M. Stoker, Stephen C. Medeiros
2023, Remote Sensing of Environment (287)
Irregularly flooded wetlands are found above the mean high water tidal datum and are exposed to tides and saltwater less frequently than daily. These wetlands provide important ecosystem services, such as providing habitat for fish and wildlife, enhancing water quality, ameliorating...
Hydrogeology, land-surface subsidence, and documentation of the Gulf Coast Land Subsidence and Groundwater-Flow (GULF) model, southeast Texas, 1897–2018
J.H. Ellis, Jacob E. Knight, Jeremy T. White, Michelle Sneed, Joseph D. Hughes, Jason K. Ramage, Christopher L. Braun, Andrew Teeple, Linzy K. Foster, Samuel H. Rendon, Justin T. Brandt
2023, Professional Paper 1877
Executive SummaryAs a part of the Texas Water Development Board groundwater availability modeling program, the U.S. Geological Survey developed the Gulf Coast Land Subsidence and Groundwater-Flow model (hereinafter, the “GULF model”) and ensemble to simulate groundwater flow and land-surface subsidence in the northern part of the Gulf Coast aquifer...
Quality of groundwater used for domestic drinking-water supply in the Coachella Valley, 2020
Andrew L. Soldavini, Jennifer S. Harkness, Zeno F. Levy, Miranda S. Fram
2023, Open-File Report 2022-1122
Groundwater is the primary source of drinking water in the Coachella Valley in the desert region of southern California. Although most people in Coachella Valley are served by public drinking-water systems, about 20,000 people rely on private domestic or small-system wells (referred to herein as domestic wells). Recently, the U.S....
Juvenile life history diversity is associated with lifetime individual heterogeneity in a migratory fish
Mark H. Sorel, Andrew R. Murdoch, Richard W. Zabel, Jeffrey C. Jorgensen, Cory M. Kamphaus, Sarah J. Converse
2023, Ecosphere (14)
Differences in the life history pathways (LHPs) of juvenile animals are often associated with differences in demographic rates in later life stages. For migratory animals, different LHPs often result in animals from the same population occupying distinct habitats subjected to different environmental drivers. Understanding how demographic rates differ among animals...
Genetic basis of thiaminase I activity in a vertebrate, zebrafish Danio rerio
Cathy A. Richter, Allison N. Evans, Scott A. Heppell, James L. Zajicek, Donald E. Tillitt
2023, Scientific Reports (13)
Thiamine (vitamin B1) metabolism is an important driver of human and animal health and ecological functioning. Some organisms, including species of ferns, mollusks, and fish, contain thiamine-degrading enzymes known as thiaminases, and consumption of these organisms can lead to thiamine deficiency in the consumer. Consumption...
The influence of short-term temporal variability on the efficacy of dragonfly larvae as mercury biosentinels
James Willacker, Collin Eagles-Smith, Sarah J. Nelson, Colleen M. Flanagan-Pritz, David P. Krabbenhoft
2023, Science of the Total Environment (867)
Mercury (Hg) exposure to fish, wildlife, and humans is widespread and of global concern, thus stimulating efforts to reduce emissions. Because the relationships between rates of inorganic Hg loading, methylmercury (MeHg) production, and bioaccumulation are extremely complex and challenging to predict, there is a...
Potential effects of climate change on Appalachian stoneflies (Remenus kirchneri, Acroneuria kosztarabi, and Tallaperla lobata)
Marta P. Lyons, Catherine A. Nikiel, Olivia E. LeDee, Ryan Boyles
2023, Open-File Report 2021-1104-B
Plecoptera (stoneflies) are an order of insects where most species rely on clean, fast-moving freshwater for an aquatic larval stage followed by a short terrestrial adult stage. Most species of Plecoptera seem to be restricted to specific stream types and thermal regimes. Climate-driven changes are likely to alter stream temperatures...
Recent history of glacial lake outburst floods, analysis of channel changes, and development of a two-dimensional flow and sediment transport model of the Snow River near Seward, Alaska
Robin A. Beebee
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2022-5099
Snow Lake, a glacially dammed lake on the Snow Glacier near Seward, Alaska, drains rapidly every 14 months–3 years, causing flooding along the Snow River. Highway, railroad, and utility infrastructure on the lower Snow River floodplain is vulnerable to flood damage. Historical hydrology, geomorphology, and two-dimensional hydraulic and sediment transport...
Editorial: Advanced physico-chemical technologies for water detoxification and disinfection
Yaneth A. Bustos-Terrones, Laura M. Norman, Leonidas Perez-Estrada, Ahmed El Nemr, Erick R. Bandala
2023, Frontiers in Environmental Science (11)
One of the most critical challenges we face today is access to clean water. Climate change, industrialization, high rates of urbanization, and population growth have resulted in many countries suffering from water crises, especially in the arid and semi-arid areas. Countries in different regions of the world have also been...
Broadening benefits and anticipating tradeoffs with a proposed ecosystem service analysis framework for the US Army Corps of Engineers
Lisa A. Wainger, Elizabeth O. Murray, Charles H. Theiling, Anna McMurray, Janet Alice Cushing, Shawn Komlos, Alfred Cofrancesco
2023, Environmental Management (71) 901-920
Would-be adopters of ecosystem service analysis frameworks might ask, ‘Do such frameworks improve ecosystem service provision or social benefits sufficiently to compensate for any extra effort?’ Here we explore that question by retrospectively applying an ecosystem goods and services (EGS) analysis framework to a large river...
Sea level rise may pose conservation challenges for the endangered Cape Sable seaside sparrow
Stephanie Romanach, Saira Haider, Allison Benscoter
2023, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (10)
Biodiversity conservation under a changing climate is a challenging endeavor. Landscapes are shifting as a result of climate change and sea level rise but plant communities in particular may not keep up with the pace of change. Predictive ecological models can help decision makers understand how species are likely...
Taxonomic identity, biodiversity, and antecedent disturbances shape the dimensional stability of stream invertebrates
Daniel C Allen, Brian A Gill, Anya Metcalfe, Sophia M Bonjour, Scott Starr, Junna Wang, Diana Valentin, Nancy B. Grimm
2023, Limnology and Oceanography Letters (8) 464-472
The “dimensional stability” approach measures different components of ecological stability to investigate how they are related. Yet, most empirical work has used small-scale and short-term experimental manipulations. Here, we apply this framework to a long-term observational dataset of stream macroinvertebrates sampled between the winter flooding and...
On the scale-dependence of fault surface roughness
Nicholas M. Beeler
2023, JGR Solid Earth (128)
Defining roughness as the ratio of height to length, the standard approach to characterize amplitudes of single fault, joint and fracture surfaces is to measure average height as a function of profile length. Empirically, this roughness depends strongly on scale. The ratio is approximately 0.01 at a few mm but...
Research needs identified for potential effects of energy development activities on environmental resources of the Williston Basin, United States
Gregory C. Delzer, Max Post van der Burg
2023, Fact Sheet 2022-3088
Unconventional oil and gas development that uses horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing is rapidly changing the landscape and exponentially increasing oil production within the Williston Basin, especially in North Dakota and eastern Montana. The activities associated with unconventional oil and gas development are complex and wide reaching and include, in...
An aridity threshold model of fire sizes and annual area burned in extensively forested ecoregions of the western USA
Paul D. Henne, Todd Hawbaker
2023, Ecological Modelling (477)
Wildfire occurrence varies among regions and through time due to the long-term impacts of climate on fuel structure and short-term impacts on fuel flammability. Identifying the climatic conditions that trigger extensive fire years at regional scales can enable development of area burned...
Understanding uncertainties in contemporary and future extreme wave events for broad-scale impact and adaptation planning
Joao Morim, Thomas Wahl, Sean Vitousek, Sara Santamaria, Ian Young, Mark Hemer
2023, Science Advances (9)
Understanding uncertainties in extreme wind-wave events is essential for offshore/coastal risk and adaptation estimates. Despite this, uncertainties in contemporary extreme wave events have not been assessed, and projections are still limited. Here, we quantify, at global scale, the uncertainties in contemporary extreme wave estimates across an ensemble of widely used...
“Aftershock Faults” and what they could mean for seismic hazard assessment
Thomas E. Parsons, Eric L. Geist, Sophie E. Parsons
2023, The Seismic Record (3) 1-11
We study stress‐loading mechanisms for the California faults used in rupture forecasts. Stress accumulation drives earthquakes, and that accumulation mechanism governs recurrence. Most moment release in California occurs because of relative motion between the Pacific plate and the Sierra Nevada block; we calculate...
Density effects on native and non-native trout survival in streams
Brock M. Huntsman, Lauren Flynn, Colleen A. Caldwell, Abigail Lynch, Fitsum Abadi
2023, Ecology of Freshwater Fish (32) 464-476
Environmental stressors associated with a changing climate and non-native fish, individually, represent significant threats to native fish conservation. These threats can exacerbate risks to native fishes when conditions interact at the trailing edge of a population's distribution. We collected capture–mark–recapture data for Rio Grande cutthroat...
