Potential fitness benefits of the half-pounder life history in Klamath River steelhead
Brian W. Hodge, Peggy Wilzbach, Walter G. Duffy
2014, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (143) 864-875
Steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss from several of the world's rivers display the half-pounder life history, a variant characterized by an amphidromous (and, less often, anadromous) return to freshwater in the year of initial ocean entry. We evaluated factors related to expression of the half-pounder life history in wild steelhead from the lower Klamath...
Molecular signature of organic nitrogen in septic-impacted groundwater
William A. Arnold, Krista Longnecker, Kevin D. Kroeger, Elizabeth B. Kujawinski
2014, Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts (16) 2400-2407
Dissolved inorganic and organic nitrogen levels are elevated in aquatic systems due to anthropogenic activities. Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) arises from various sources, and its impact could be more clearly constrained if specific sources were identified and if the molecular-level composition of DON were better understood. In this work, the...
Statistical assessment on a combined analysis of GRYN-ROMN-UCBN upland vegetation vital signs
Kathryn M. Irvine, Thomas J. Rodhouse
2014, Natural Resource Report NPS/UCBN/NRR—2014/855
As of 2013, Rocky Mountain and Upper Columbia Basin Inventory and Monitoring Networks have multiple years of vegetation data and Greater Yellowstone Network has three years of vegetation data and monitoring is ongoing in all three networks. Our primary objective is to assess whether a combined analysis of these data...
Exchange of nitrogen and phosphorus between a shallow lagoon and coastal waters
Melanie Hayn, Robert W. Howarth, Neil K. Ganju, Peter Berg, Kenneth H. Foreman, Anne E. Giblin, Karen McGlathery
2014, Estuaries and Coasts (37) 63-73
West Falmouth Harbor, a shallow lagoon on Cape Cod, has experienced a threefold increase in nitrogen load since the mid- to late 1990s due to input from a groundwater plume contaminated by a municipal wastewater treatment plant. We measured the exchange of nitrogen and phosphorus between the harbor and the...
Learning rate and temperament in a high predation risk environment
C. DePasquale, Tyler Wagner, G.A. Archard, B. Ferguson, V.A. Braithwaite
2014, Oecologia (176) 661-667
Living in challenging environments can influence the behavior of animals in a number of ways. For instance, populations of prey fish that experience frequent, nonlethal interactions with predators have a high proportion of individuals that express greater reaction to risk and increased activity and exploration—collectively known as temperament traits. Temperament...
The impact of climate and reservoirs on longitudinal riverine carbon fluxes from two major watersheds in the Central and Intermontane West
Sarah M. Stackpoole, Edward G. Stets, Robert G. Striegl
2014, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (119) 848-863
A nested sampling network on the Colorado (CR) and Missouri Rivers (MR) provided data to assess impacts of large-scale reservoir systems and climate on carbon export. The Load Estimator (LOADEST) model was used to estimate both dissolved inorganic and organic carbon (DIC and DOC) fluxes for a total of 22...
Water quality monitoring protocol for wadeable streams and rivers in the Northern Great Plains Network
Marcia H. Wilson, Barbara L. Rowe, Robert A. Gitzen, Stephen K. Wilson, Kara J. Paintner-Green
2014, Natural Resource Report NPS/NGPN/NRR—2014/868
Preserving the national parks unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations is a fundamental purpose of the National Park Service (NPS). To address growing concerns regarding the overall physical, chemical, and biological elements and processes of park ecosystems, the NPS implemented science-based management through “Vital Signs” monitoring in 270 national...
Survivorship and longevity of adult Diamesa mendotae Muttkowski, 1915 (Diptera: Chironomidae) at controlled, sub-freezing temperatures
Jane E. Mazack, Petra Kranzfelder, Alyssa M. Anderson, William Bouchard Jr., James Perry, Bruce C. Vondracek, Leonard C. Ferrington Jr.
2014, Aquatic Insects (36) 35-42
Diamesa mendotae Muttkowski, 1915 is a winter-active species common in groundwater-buffered streams of Minnesota and Wisconsin. This species is capable of surviving under snow cover for at least 28 days. Field collections of adult D. mendotae were used to determine survivorship under long-term exposure to controlled sub-freezing conditions. Specimens were placed into a controlled...
Combined global change effects on ecosystem processesin nine U.S. topographically complex areas
Melannie D. Hartman, Jill S. Baron, Holly A. Ewing, Kathleen Weathers
2014, Biogeochemistry (119) 85-108
Concurrent changes in climate, atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition, and increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) affect ecosystems in complex ways. The DayCent-Chem model was used to investigate the combined effects of these human-caused drivers of change over the period 1980–2075 at seven forested montane and two alpine watersheds in...
Winter feeding, growth and condition of brown trout Salmo trutta in a groundwater-dominated stream
William E. French, Bruce C. Vondracek, Leonard C. Ferrington Jr., Jacques C. Finlay, Douglas J. Dieterman
2014, Journal of Freshwater Ecology (29) 187-200
Winter can be a stressful period for stream-dwelling salmonid populations, often resulting in reduced growth and survival. Stream water temperatures have been identified as a primary mechanism driving reductions in fitness during winter. However, groundwater inputs can moderate water temperature and may reduce winter severity. Additionally, seasonal reductions in prey...
Geophysical investigations of the geologic and hydrothermal framework of the Pilgrim Springs Geothermal Area, Alaska
Jonathan M.G. Glen, Darcy McPhee, Paul A. Bedrosian
2014, Conference Paper, Proceedings, Thirty-Ninth Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering
Pilgrim Hot Springs, located on the Seward Peninsula in west-central Alaska, is characterized by hot springs, surrounding thawed regions, and elevated lake temperatures. The area is of interest because of its potential for providing renewable energy for Nome and nearby rural communities. We performed ground and airborne geophysical investigations of...
Changes in vegetation and biological soil crust communities on sand dunes stabilizing after a century of grazing on San Miguel Island, Channel Island National Park, California
Kristine L. Zellman
2014, Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist (7) 225-245
San Miguel Island is the westernmost of the California Channel Islands and one of the windiest areas on the west coast of North America. The majority of the island is covered by coastal sand dunes, which were stripped of vegetation and subsequently mobilized due to droughts and sheep ranching during...
Earth observation based assessment of the water production and water consumption of Nile Basin agro-ecosystems
Wim Bastiaanssen, Poolad Karimi, Lisa-Maria Rebelo, Zheng Duan, Gabriel Senay, Lal Muthuwatte, Vladimir Smakhtin
2014, Remote Sensing (6) 10306-10334
The increasing competition for water resources requires a better understanding of flows, fluxes, stocks, and the services and benefits related to water consumption. This paper explains how public domain Earth Observation data based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Second Generation Meteosat (MSG), Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) and various...
Evaluation of statistically downscaled GCM output as input for hydrological and stream temperature simulation in the Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint River Basin (1961–99)
Lauren E. Hay, Jacob H. LaFontaine, Steven L. Markstrom
2014, Earth Interactions (18) 1-32
The accuracy of statistically downscaled general circulation model (GCM) simulations of daily surface climate for historical conditions (1961–99) and the implications when they are used to drive hydrologic and stream temperature models were assessed for the Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint River basin (ACFB). The ACFB is a 50 000 km2 basin located in the...
Retirement investment theory explains patterns in songbird nest-site choice
Henry M. Streby, Jeanine M. Refsnider, Sean M. Peterson, David E. Andersen
2014, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (281)
When opposing evolutionary selection pressures act on a behavioural trait, the result is often stabilizing selection for an intermediate optimal phenotype, with deviations from the predicted optimum attributed to tracking a moving target, development of behavioural syndromes or shifts in riskiness over an individual's lifetime. We investigated nest-site choice by...
The temperature-productivity squeeze: Constraints on brook trout growth along an Appalachian river continuum
J. Todd Petty, David Thorne, Brock M. Huntsman, Patricia M. Mazik
2014, Hydrobiologia (727) 151-166
We tested the hypothesis that brook trout growth rates are controlled by a complex interaction of food availability, water temperature, and competitor density. We quantified trout diet, growth, and consumption in small headwater tributaries characterized as cold with low food and high trout density, larger tributaries characterized as cold with...
Petrology and chemistry of the Green Acres gabbro complex near Winchester, Riverside County, California
Byron R. Berger
Douglas M. Morton, Fred K. Miller, editor(s)
2014, Book chapter, Peninsular Ranges Batholith, Baja California and Southern California
The Cretaceous Green Acres layered igneous complex, northeast of Winchester, California, is composed of a suite of olivine- and hornblende-bearing gabbros in the Peninsular Ranges batholith within the Perris tectonic block. A consistent mineral assemblage is observed throughout the complex, but there is considerable textural and modal heterogeneity. Both preclude...
Normative standards for land use in Vermont: Implications for biodiversity
Charles A. Bettigole, Therese M. Donovan, Robert Manning, John Austin
2014, Biological Conservation (169) 392-400
The conversion of natural lands to developed uses poses a great threat to global terrestrial biodiversity. Natural resource managers, tasked with managing wildlife as a public trust, require techniques for predicting how much and where wildlife habitat is likely to be converted in the future. Here, we develop a methodology to estimate the “social carrying...
Evapotranspiration variability and its association with vegetation dynamics in the Nile Basin, 2002–2011
Henok Alemu, Gabriel B. Senay, Armel T. Kaptue, Valeriy Kovalskyy
2014, Remote Sensing (6) 5885-5908
Evapotranspiration (ET) is a vital component in land-atmosphere interactions. In drylands, over 90% of annual rainfall evaporates. The Nile Basin in Africa is about 42% dryland in a region experiencing rapid population growth and development. The relationship of ET with climate, vegetation and land cover in the basin during 2002–2011...
Development of a portable active long-path differential optical absorption spectroscopy system for volcanic gas measurements
Fabio Vita, Christoph Kern, Salvatore Inguaggiato
2014, Journal of Sensors and Sensor Systems 355-367
Active long-path differential optical absorption spectroscopy (LP-DOAS) has been an effective tool for measuring atmospheric trace gases for several decades. However, instruments were large, heavy and power-inefficient, making their application to remote environments extremely challenging. Recent developments in fibre-coupling telescope technology and the availability of ultraviolet light emitting...
Well log and 2D seismic data character of the Wilcox Group in south-central Louisiana
Catherine B. Enomoto
2014, Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies Transactions (64) 105-118
Well logs and 2D seismic data were used to interpret the depth and morphology of potential Paleocene and lower Eocene Wilcox Group slope and basin-floor reservoirs in south-central Louisiana. These may occur in a poorly explored area previously estimated by the U.S. Geological Survey to contain a mean undiscovered conventional...
Population demographics and life history of the round hickorynut (Obovaria subrotunda) in the Duck River, Tennessee
Chase Ehlo, James B. Layzer
2014, American Midland Naturalist (171) 1-15
Population characteristics and life history aspects of healthy mussel populations are poorly understood. The reproductive cycle, age and growth, and population structure of Obovaria subrotunda were examined at four sites in the middle Duck River, Tennessee. Obovaria subrotunda was confirmed to be a bradytictic species, spawning in the late summer and holding glochidia in...
Post-breeding migration of Dutch-breeding black-tailed godwits: timing, routes, use of stopovers, and nonbreeding destinations
Jos C. E. W. Hooijmeijer, Nathan R. Senner, T. Lee Tibbitts, Robert E. Gill Jr., David C. Douglas, Leo W. Bruinzeel, Eddy Wymenga, Theunis Piersma
2014, Ardea (101) 141-152
Conservation of long-distance migratory shorebirds is complex because these species use habitats spread across continents and hemispheres, making identification of critical habitats and potential bottlenecks in the annual cycle especially difficult. The population of Black-tailed Godwits that breeds in Western Europe, Limosa limosa limosa, has declined precipitously over the past...
Predicting Impacts of tropical cyclones and sea-Level rise on beach mouse habitat
Q. Chen, Hongqing Wang, Lixia Wang, Robert Tawes, Drew Rollman
2014, Journal of Coastal Research (68) 12-19
Alabama beach mouse (ABM) (Peromyscus polionotus ammobates) is an important component of the coastal dune ecosystem along the Gulf of Mexico. Due to habitat loss and degradation, ABM is federally listed as an endangered species. In this study, we examined the impacts of storm surge and wind waves, which are...
Using spatial resampling to assess redd count survey length requirements for Pacific Lamprey
M.P. Mayfield, L. D. Schultz, Lance A. Wyss, M.E. Colvin, Carl B. Schreck
2014, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (34) 923-931
Pacific Lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus has declined across its range along the West Coast of North America, and an understanding of all life history phases is needed to address population recovery. Spawning surveys (redd counts) are common tools currently used to monitor returning adult salmonids, but such methodologies are in their infancy for...
