Anuran site occupancy and species richness as tools for evaluating restoration of a hydrologically-modified landscape
Susan C. Walls, J. Hardin Waddle, William J. Barichivich, Ian A. Bartoszek, Mary E. Brown, J. M. Hefner, Melinda J. Schuman
2014, Wetlands Ecology and Management (22) 625-639
A fundamental goal of wetland restoration is to reinstate pre-disturbance hydrological conditions to degraded landscapes, facilitating recolonization by native species and the production of resilient, functional ecosystems. To evaluate restoration success, baseline conditions need to be determined and a reference target needs to be established that will serve as an...
Verifying success of artificial spawning reefs in the St. Clair-Detroit River System for lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens Rafinesque, 1817)
Emliy K. Bouckaert, Nancy A. Auer, Edward F. Roseman, James Boase
2014, Journal of Applied Ichthyology (30) 1393-1401
Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) were historically abundant in the St. Clair – Detroit River System (SCDRS), a 160 km river/channel network. In the SCDRS, lake sturgeon populations have been negatively affected by the loss/degradation of natural spawning habitat. To address habitat loss for lake sturgeon and other species, efforts are underway...
Geomorphological Fieldwork
Mary J Thornbush, Casey D Allen, Faith A. Fitzpatrick
2014, Book
Geomorphological Fieldwork addresses a topic that always remains popular within the geosciences and environmental science. More specifically, the volume conveys a growing legacy of field-based learning for young geomorphologists that can be used as a student book for field-based university courses and postgraduate research requiring fieldwork or field schools. The...
Dynamics and ecological consequences of the 2013−2014 koa moth outbreak at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge.
Paul C. Banko, Robert W. Peck, Stephanie G. Yelenik, Eben H. Paxton, Frank J. Bonaccorso, Kristina Montoya-Aiona, David Foote
2014, Technical Report HCSU-058
A massive outbreak of the koa moth (Geometridea: Scotorythra paludicola) defoliated more than a third of the koa (Acacia koa) forest on Hawai‘i Island during 2013−2014. This was the largest koa moth outbreak ever recorded and the first on the island since 1953. The outbreak spread to sites distributed widely...
Effects of a dual-pump crude-oil recovery system, Bemidji, Minnesota, USA
Geoffrey N. Delin, William N. Herkelrath
2014, Groundwater Monitoring & Remediation (34) 57-67
A crude-oil spill occurred in 1979 when a pipeline burst near Bemidji, MN. In 1998, the pipeline company installed a dual-pump recovery system designed to remove crude oil remaining in the subsurface at the site. The remediation from 1999 to 2003 resulted in removal of about 115,000 L of crude...
What do we gain from simplicity versus complexity in species distribution models?
Cory Merow, Matthew J. Smith, Thomas C. Edwards Jr., Antoine Guisan, Sean M. McMahon, Signe Normand, Wilfried Thuiller, Rafael O. Wuest, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Jane Elith
2014, Ecography (37) 1267-1281
Species distribution models (SDMs) are widely used to explain and predict species ranges and environmental niches. They are most commonly constructed by inferring species' occurrence–environment relationships using statistical and machine-learning methods. The variety of methods that can be used to construct SDMs (e.g. generalized linear/additive models, tree-based models, maximum entropy,...
The effects of changing land cover on streamflow simulation in Puerto Rico
Ashley E. Van Beusekom, Lauren E. Hay, Roland J. Viger, William A. Gould, Jaime Collazo, Azad Henareh Khalyani
2014, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (50) 1575-1593
This study quantitatively explores whether land cover changes have a substantive impact on simulated streamflow within the tropical island setting of Puerto Rico. The Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) was used to compare streamflow simulations based on five static parameterizations of land cover with those based on dynamically varying parameters...
Does probability of occurrence relate to population dynamics?
Wilfried Thuiller, Tamara Munkemuller, Katja H. Schiffers, Damien Georges, Stefan Dullinger, Vincent M. Eckhart, Thomas C. Edwards Jr., Dominique Gravel, Georges Kunstler, Cory Merow, Kara Moore, Christian Piedallu, Steve Vissault, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Damaris Zurell, Frank M. Schurr
2014, Ecography (37) 1155-1166
Hutchinson defined species' realized niche as the set of environmental conditions in which populations can persist in the presence of competitors. In terms of demography, the realized niche corresponds to the environments where the intrinsic growth rate (r) of populations is positive. Observed species occurrences should reflect the realized niche...
Cogenetic late Pleistocene rhyolite and cumulate diorites from Augustine Volcano revealed by SIMS 238U-230Th dating of zircon, and implications for silicic magma generation by extraction from mush
Michelle L. Coombs, Jorge A. Vazquez
2014, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (15) 4846-4865
Augustine Volcano, a frequently active andesitic island stratocone, erupted a late Pleistocene rhyolite pumice fall that is temporally linked through zircon geochronology to cumulate dioritic blocks brought to the surface in Augustine's 2006 eruption. Zircon from the rhyolite yield a 238U-230Th age of ∼25 ka for their unpolished rims, and their...
Assessing and managing freshwater ecosystems vulnerable to global change
David G. Angeler, Craig R. Allen, Hannah E. Birge, Stina Drakare, Brendan G. McKie, Richard K. Johnson
2014, Ambio (43) 113-125
Freshwater ecosystems are important for global biodiversity and provide essential ecosystem services. There is consensus in the scientific literature that freshwater ecosystems are vulnerable to the impacts of environmental change, which may trigger irreversible regime shifts upon which biodiversity and ecosystem services may be lost. There are profound uncertainties regarding...
Contaminants of emerging concern in fresh leachate from landfills in the conterminous United States
Jason R. Masoner, Dana W. Kolpin, Edward T. Furlong, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, James L. Gray, Eric A. Schwab
2014, Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts (16) 2335-2354
To better understand the composition of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in landfill leachate, fresh leachate from 19 landfills was sampled across the United States during 2011. The sampled network included 12 municipal and 7 private landfills with varying landfill waste compositions, geographic and climatic settings, ages of waste, waste...
Relationships between land cover and dissolved organic matter change along the river to lake transition
James H. Larson, Paul C. Frost, Marguerite A. Xenopoulos, Clayton J. Williams, Ana M. Morales-Williams, Jonathan M. Vallazza, J. C. Nelson, William B. Richardson
2014, Ecosystems (17) 1413-1425
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) influences the physical, chemical, and biological properties of aquatic ecosystems. We hypothesized that controls over spatial variation in DOM quantity and composition (measured with DOM optical properties) differ based on the source of DOM to aquatic ecosystems. DOM quantity and composition should be better predicted by...
Carryover effects and climatic conditions influence the postfledging survival of greater sage-grouse
Erik J. Blomberg, James S. Sedinger, Daniel Gibson, Peter S. Coates, Michael L. Casazza
2014, Ecology and Evolution (4) 4488-4499
Prebreeding survival is an important life history component that affects both parental fitness and population persistence. In birds, prebreeding can be separated into pre- and postfledging periods; carryover effects from the prefledging period may influence postfledging survival. We investigated effects of body condition at fledging, and climatic variation, on postfledging...
Coastal fog, climate change, and the environment
Alicia A. Torregrosa, Travis A. O’Brien, Ian C. Faloona
2014, Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union (95) 473-474
Coastal marine fog, a characteristic feature of climates generated at the eastern boundaries of ocean basins worldwide, evokes different feelings in those who experience it (see Figure 1). Authors and poets use fog to represent mystery, bleakness, and confusion. Film directors seek out fog to shroud scenes in eerie gloominess. Tourists...
Arthropods of Rose Atoll with special reference to ants and Pulvinaria Urbicola Scales (Hempitera Coccidae) on Pisonia Grandis trees
Paul C. Banko, Robert W. Peck, Frank Pendleton, Mark Schmaedick, Kelsie Ernsberger
2014, Technical Report HCSU-057
Rose Atoll, at the eastern end of the Samoan Archipelago, is a small but important refuge for seabirds, shorebirds, and sea turtles. While the vertebrate community is relatively well-studied, the terrestrial arthropod fauna, and its role in ecosystem function, are poorly known. Arthropods may be influencing the decline of Pisonia...
Temporal and spatial changes in golden eagle reproduction in relation to increased off highway vehicle activity
Karen Steenhof, Jessi L. Brown, Michael N. Kochert
2014, Wildlife Society Bulletin (38) 682-688
We used >40 years of data on golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) nesting in southwestern Idaho, USA, to assess whether the proportion of territories and pairs producing young has changed over time, and whether territories in areas where off highway vehicle (OHV) use has increased significantly were less likely to be...
Characterizing riverbed sediment using high-frequency acoustics 2: scattering signatures of Colorado River bed sediment in Marble and Grand Canyons
Daniel D. Buscombe, Paul E. Grams, Matthew A. Kaplinski
2014, Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface (119) 2692-2710
In this, the second of a pair of papers on the statistical signatures of riverbed sediment in high-frequency acoustic backscatter, spatially explicit maps of the stochastic geometries (length- and amplitude-scales) of backscatter are related to patches of riverbed surfaces composed of known sediment types, as determined by geo-referenced underwater video...
Using the USGS Seismic Risk Web Application to estimate aftershock damage
Sean M. McGowan, Nicolas Luco
2014, Conference Paper
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Engineering Risk Assessment Project has developed the Seismic Risk Web Application to combine earthquake hazard and structural fragility information in order to calculate the risk of earthquake damage to structures. Enabling users to incorporate their own hazard and fragility information into the calculations will make...
Population dynamics modeling of introduced smallmouth bass in the upper Colorado River basin
André R. Breton, Dana L. Winkelman, Kevin R. Bestgen, John A. Hawkins
2014, Report
The purpose of these analyses was to identify an effective control strategy to further reduce smallmouth bass in the upper Colorado River basin from the current level. Our simulation results showed that “the surge”, an early to mid-summer increase in electrofishing effort targeting nest-guarding male smallmouth bass, should be...
Potential reduction in terrestrial salamander ranges associated with Marcellus shale development
Adrianne B. Brand, Amber N. M. Wiewel, Evan H. Campbell Grant
2014, Biological Conservation (180) 233-240
Natural gas production from the Marcellus shale is rapidly increasing in the northeastern United States. Most of the endemic terrestrial salamander species in the region are classified as ‘globally secure’ by the IUCN, primarily because much of their ranges include state- and federally protected lands, which have been presumed to...
Fitness in animals correlates with proximity to discontinuities in body mass distributions.
David G. Angeler, Craig R. Allen, Anna Vila-Gispert, David Almeida
2014, Ecological Complexity (20) 213-218
Discontinuous structure in landscapes may cause discontinuous, aggregated species body-mass patterns, reflecting the scales of structure available to animal communities within a landscape. Empirical analyses have shown that the location of species within body mass aggregations, which reflect this scale-specific organization, is non-random with regard to several ecological phenomena, including...
Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) activities at the Department of the Interior
Bruce K. Quirk, Michael E. Hutt
2014, Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing (80) 1089-1095
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) is responsible for protecting and managing the natural resources and heritage on almost 20% of the land in the United States. The DOI’s mission requires access to remotely sensed data over vast lands, including areas that are remote and potentially dangerous to access....
Eruptions at Lone Star geyser, Yellowstone National Park, USA: 2. Constraints on subsurface dynamics
Jean Vandemeulebrouck, Robert A. Sohn, Maxwell L. Rudolph, Shaul Hurwitz, Michael Manga, Malcolm J.S. Johnston, S. Adam Soule, Darcy McPhee, Jonathan M. G. Glen, Leif Karlstrom, Fred Murphy
2014, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (119) 8688-8707
We use seismic, tilt, lidar, thermal, and gravity data from 32 consecutive eruption cycles of Lone Star geyser in Yellowstone National Park to identify key subsurface processes throughout the geyser's eruption cycle. Previously, we described measurements and analyses associated with the geyser's erupting jet dynamics. Here we show that seismicity...
Late Holocene slip rate and ages of prehistoric earthquakes along the Maacama Fault near Willits, Mendocino County, northern California
Carol S. Prentice, Martin C. Larsen, Harvey M. Kelsey, Judith Zachariasen
2014, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (104) 2966-2984
The Maacama fault is the northward continuation of the Hayward–Rodgers Creek fault system and creeps at a rate of 5.7±0.1 mm/yr (averaged over the last 20 years) in Willits, California. Our paleoseismic studies at Haehl Creek suggest that the Maacama fault has produced infrequent large earthquakes in addition to creep. Fault...
Hidden Markov model for dependent mark loss and survival estimation
Jeffrey L. Laake, Devin S. Johnson, Duane R. Diefenbach, Mark A. Ternent
2014, Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics (19) 522-538
Mark-recapture estimators assume no loss of marks to provide unbiased estimates of population parameters. We describe a hidden Markov model (HMM) framework that integrates a mark loss model with a Cormack–Jolly–Seber model for survival estimation. Mark loss can be estimated with single-marked animals as long as a sub-sample of animals...
