Novel single-nucleotide polymorphism markers confirm successful spawning of endangered pallid sturgeon in the upper Missouri River Basin
Jennifer S. Eichelberger, P. J. Braaten, D. B. Fuller, Matthew S. Krampe, Edward J. Heist
2014, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (143) 1373-1385
Spawning of the federally endangered Pallid Sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus is known to occur in the upper Missouri River basin, but progeny from natural reproductive events have not been observed and recruitment to juvenile or adult life stages has not been documented in recent decades. Identification of Pallid Sturgeon progeny is...
Using science to strengthen our Nation's resilience to tomorrow's challenges: understanding and preparing for coastal impacts
Dale L. Simmons, Matthew E. Andersen, Teresa A. Dean, Michael J. Focazio, John W. Fulton, John W. Haines, Mason Jr., Ann B. Tihansky, John A. Young
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3062
Hurricane Sandy caused unprecedented damage across some of the most densely populated coastal areas of the northeastern United States. The costly, landscape-altering destruction left in the wake of this storm is a stark reminder of our Nation’s need to become more resilient as we inevitably face future coastal hazards. As our...
Seismic structure of the central US crust and upper mantle: Uniqueness of the Reelfoot Rift
Frederick Pollitz, Walter D. Mooney
2014, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (402) 157-166
Using seismic surface waves recorded with Earthscope's Transportable Array, we apply surface wave imaging to determine 3D seismic velocity in the crust and uppermost mantle. Our images span several Proterozoic and early Cambrian rift zones (Mid-Continent Rift, Rough Creek Graben—Rome trough, Birmingham trough, Southern Oklahoma Aulacogen, and Reelfoot Rift). While...
Estimates of annual survival, growth, and recruitment of a white-tailed ptarmigan population in Colorado over 43 years
Gregory T. Wann, Cameron L. Aldridge, Clait E. Braun
2014, Population Ecology (56) 555-567
Long-term datasets for high-elevation species are rare, and considerable uncertainty exists in understanding how high-elevation populations have responded to recent climate warming. We present estimates of demographic vital rates from a 43-year population study of white-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura), a species endemic to alpine habitats in western North America. We...
Sediment data collected in 2012 from the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
Julie Bernier, Kyle W. Kelso, Noreen A. Buster, James G. Flocks, Jennifer L. Miselis, Nancy T. DeWitt
2014, Data Series 850
As part of the Barrier Island Evolution Research project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center collected sediment samples from the northern Chandeleur Islands in March and September 2012. The overall objective of this project, which integrates geophysical (bathymetric, seismic,...
Coastal bathymetry data collected in 2011 from the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
Nancy T. DeWitt, William R. Pfeiffer, Julie Bernier, Noreen A. Buster, Jennifer L. Miselis, James G. Flocks, Billy J. Reynolds, Dana S. Wiese, Kyle W. Kelso
2014, Data Series 848
As part of the Barrier Island Evolution Research project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted nearshore geophysical surveys off the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, in June of 2011. The overall objectives of the study are to better understand barrier-island geomorphic evolution, particularly...
An analysis of the potential for Glen Canyon Dam releases to inundate archaeological sites in the Grand Canyon, Arizona
Hoda A. Sondossi, Helen C. Fairley
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1193
The development of a one-dimensional flow-routing model for the Colorado River between Lees Ferry and Diamond Creek, Arizona in 2008 provided a potentially useful tool for assessing the degree to which varying discharges from Glen Canyon Dam may inundate terrestrial environments and potentially affect resources located within the zone of...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for Illinois
William J. Carswell Jr.
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3086
Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of Illinois, elevation data are critical for flood risk management, water supply and quality, infrastructure and construction management, agriculture and precision farming, and...
Pesticides in U.S. streams and rivers: occurrence and trends during 1992-2011
Wesley W. Stone, Robert J. Gilliom, Karen R. Ryberg
2014, Environmental Science & Technology (48) 11025-11030
During the 20 years from 1992 to 2011, pesticides were found at concentrations that exceeded aquatic-life benchmarks in many rivers and streams that drain agricultural, urban, and mixed-land use watersheds. Overall, the proportions of assessed streams with one or more pesticides that exceeded an aquatic-life benchmark were very similar between...
Bird migration and avian influenza: a comparison of hydrogen stable isotopes and satellite tracking methods
Eli S. Bridge, Jeffrey F. Kelly, Xiangming Xiao, John Y. Takekawa, Nichola J. Hill, Mat Yamage, Enam Ul Haque, Mohammad Anwarul Islam, Taej Mundkur, Kiraz Erciyas Yavuz, Paul Leader, Connie Y.H. Leung, Bena Smith, Kyle A. Spragens, Kurt J. Vandegrift, Parviez R. Hosseini, Samia Saif, Samiul Mohsanin, Andrea Mikolon, Ausrafal Islam, Acty George, Balachandran Sivananinthaperumal, Peter Daszak, Scott H. Newman
2014, Ecological Indicators (45) 266-273
Satellite-based tracking of migratory waterfowl is an important tool for understanding the potential role of wild birds in the long-distance transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza. However, employing this technique on a continental scale is prohibitively expensive. This study explores the utility of stable isotope ratios in feathers in examining...
Archive of single-beam bathymetry data collected from select areas in Weeks Bay and Weeks Bayou, southwest Louisiana, January 2013
Nancy T. DeWitt, Christopher D. Reich, Christopher G. Smith, Billy J. Reynolds
2014, Data Series 835
A team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, collected 92 line-kilometers of dual-frequency single-beam bathymetry data in the tidal creeks, bayous, and coastal areas near Weeks Bay, southwest Louisiana. Limited bathymetry data exist for these tidally and meteorologically influenced shallow-water estuarine environments....
Annual variation of spawning Cutthroat Trout in a small Western USA stream: A case study with implications for the conservation of potamodromous trout life history diversity
Stephen Bennett, Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Brett B. Roper, Phaedra E. Budy
2014, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (34) 1033-1046
Little is known about the variability in the spatial and temporal distribution of spawning potamodromous trout despite decades of research directed at salmonid spawning ecology and the increased awareness that conserving life history diversity should be a focus of management. We monitored a population of fluvial–resident Bonneville Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii...
Evolutionary ecology of resprouting and seeding in fire-prone ecosystems
Juli G. Pausas, Jon E. Keeley
2014, New Phytologist (204) 55-65
There are two broad mechanisms by which plant populations persist under recurrent disturbances: resprouting from surviving tissues, and seedling recruitment. Species can have one of these mechanisms or both. However, a coherent framework explaining the differential evolutionary pressures driving these regeneration mechanisms is lacking. We propose a bottom-up approach in...
Dynamics of an introduced and unexploited Lake Whitefish population in Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho
Michael A. Hosack, Michael J. Hansen, Ned J. Horner
2014, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (34) 1014-1027
To evaluate biological potential of a commercial fishery for an unexploited Lake Whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis population in Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho, we estimated population parameters related to production and yield. The length frequency based on trap-netting in autumn 2005 was normal with a mean of 448 mm TL, whereas the...
Bedrock geologic map of the Uxbridge quadrangle, Worcester County, Massachusetts, and Providence County, Rhode Island
Gregory J. Walsh
2014, Scientific Investigations Map 3295
The bedrock geology of the 7.5-minute Uxbridge quadrangle consists of Neoproterozoic metamorphic and igneous rocks of the Avalon zone. In this area, rocks of the Avalon zone lie within the core of the Milford antiform, south and east of the terrane-bounding Bloody Bluff fault zone. Permian pegmatite dikes and quartz...
Ecological requirements for pallid sturgeon reproduction and recruitment in the Missouri River: annual report 2011
Aaron J. DeLonay, Robert B. Jacobson, Kimberly A. Chojnacki, Mandy L. Annis, P. J. Braaten, Caroline M. Elliott, D. B. Fuller, Justin D. Haas, Tyler M. Haddix, Hallie L.A. Ladd, Brandon J. McElroy, Gerald E. Mestl, Diana M. Papoulias, Jason C. Rhoten, Mark L. Wildhaber
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1106
The Comprehensive Sturgeon Research Project is a multiyear, multiagency collaborative research framework developed to provide information to support pallid sturgeon recovery and Missouri River management decisions. The project strategy integrates field and laboratory studies of sturgeon reproductive ecology, early life history, habitat requirements, and physiology. The project scope of work...
Model documentation for relations between continuous real-time and discrete water-quality constituents in Indian Creek, Johnson County, Kansas, June 2004 through May 2013
Mandy L. Stone, Jennifer L. Graham
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1170
Johnson County is the fastest growing county in Kansas, with a population of about 560,000 people in 2012. Urban growth and development can have substantial effects on water quality, and streams in Johnson County are affected by nonpoint-source pollutants from stormwater runoff and point-source discharges such as municipal wastewater effluent....
Abrupt climate-independent fire regime changes
Juli G. Pausas, Jon E. Keeley
2014, Ecosystems (17) 1109-1120
Wildfires have played a determining role in distribution, composition and structure of many ecosystems worldwide and climatic changes are widely considered to be a major driver of future fire regime changes. However, forecasting future climatic change induced impacts on fire regimes will require a clearer understanding of other drivers of...
The 2013 eruption of Pavlof Volcano, Alaska: a spatter eruption at an ice- and snow-clad volcano
Christopher F. Waythomas, Matthew M. Haney, David Fee, David J. Schneider, Aaron G. Wech
2014, Bulletin of Volcanology (76) 1-12
The 2013 eruption of Pavlof Volcano, Alaska began on 13 May and ended 49 days later on 1 July. The eruption was characterized by persistent lava fountaining from a vent just north of the summit, intermittent strombolian explosions, and ash, gas, and aerosol plumes that reached as high as 8...
Genetic evidence of local exploitation of Atlantic salmon in a coastal subsistence fishery in the Northwest Atlantic
Ian R. Bradbury, Lorraine C. Hamilton, Sara Rafferty, David Meerburg, Rebecca Poole, J. Brian Dempson, Martha J. Robertson, David G. Reddin, Vincent Bourret, Melanie Dionne, Gerald J. Chaput, Timothy F. Sheehan, Tim L. King, John R. Candy, Louis Bernatchez
2014, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
Fisheries targeting mixtures of populations risk the over utilization of minor stock constituents unless harvests are monitored and managed. We evaluated stock composition and exploitation of Atlantic salmon in a subsistence fishery in coastal Labrador, Canada using genetic mixture analysis and individual assignment with a microsatellite baseline (15 loci, 11...
Changing Arctic ecosystems: ecology of loons in a changing Arctic
Brian D. Uher-Koch, Joel A. Schmutz, Mary E. Whalen, John M. Pearce
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3093
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Changing Arctic Ecosystems (CAE) initiative informs key resource management decisions for Arctic Alaska by providing scientific information on current and future ecosystem response to a changing climate. From 2010 to 2014, a key study area for the USGS CAE initiative has been the Arctic Coastal...
Changing Arctic ecosystems: sea ice decline, permafrost thaw, and benefits for geese
Paul L. Flint, Mary E. Whalen, John M. Pearce
2014, Fact Sheet 2014-3088
Through the Changing Arctic Ecosystems (CAE) initiative, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) strives to inform resource management decisions for Arctic Alaska by providing scientific information on current and future ecosystem response to a warming climate. A key area for the USGS CAE initiative has been the Arctic Coastal Plain of...
Three-dimensional model of the hydrostratigraphy and structure of the area in and around the U.S. Army-Camp Stanley Storage Activity Area, northern Bexar County, Texas
Michael P. Pantea, Charles D. Blome, Allan K. Clark
2014, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5074
A three-dimensional model of the Camp Stanley Storage Activity area defines and illustrates the surface and subsurface hydrostratigraphic architecture of the military base and adjacent areas to the south and west using EarthVision software. The Camp Stanley model contains 11 hydrostratigraphic units in descending order: 1 model layer representing the...
Estimating the spatial distribution of wintering little brown bat populations in the eastern United States
Robin E. Russell, Karl Tinsley, Richard A. Erickson, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Jennifer A. Szymanski
2014, Ecology and Evolution (4) 3746-3754
Depicting the spatial distribution of wildlife species is an important first step in developing management and conservation programs for particular species. Accurate representation of a species distribution is important for predicting the effects of climate change, land-use change, management activities, disease, and other landscape-level processes on wildlife populations. We developed...
Life-history traits predict perennial species response to fire in a desert ecosystem
Daniel F. Shryock, Lesley A. DeFalco, Todd C. Esque
2014, Ecology and Evolution (4) 3046-3059
The Mojave Desert of North America has become fire-prone in recent decades due to invasive annual grasses that fuel wildfires following years of high rainfall. Perennial species are poorly adapted to fire in this system, and post-fire shifts in species composition have been substantial but variable across community types. To...
