Accuracy of stream habitat interpolations across spatial scales
Kenneth R. Sheehan, Stuart A. Welsh
2013, Journal of Geographic Information System (5) 606-612
Stream habitat data are often collected across spatial scales because relationships among habitat, species occurrence, and management plans are linked at multiple spatial scales. Unfortunately, scale is often a factor limiting insight gained from spatial analysis of stream habitat data. Considerable cost is often expended to collect data at several...
The overlooked terrestrial impacts of mountaintop mining
James Wickham, Petra Bohall Wood, Matthew C. Nicholson, William Jenkins, Daniel Druckenbrod, Glenn W. Suter, Michael P. Strager, Christine Mazzarella, Walter Galloway, John Amos
2013, BioScience (63) 335-348
Ecological research on mountaintop mining has been focused on aquatic impacts because the overburden (i.e., the mountaintop) is disposed of in nearby valleys, which leads to a wide range of water-quality impacts on streams. There are also numerous impacts on the terrestrial environment from mountaintop mining that have been largely...
Oryx callotis (Artiodactyla: Bovidae)
Dana N. Lee, Richard W. Dolman, David M. Leslie Jr.
2013, Mammalian Species (45)
Oryx callotis O. Thomas, 1982 (fringe-eared oryx) is a relatively large, long-bodied bovid, with an appropriate common name because of its distinguishing tufts of hair extending from the ends of the ears. It occupies arid lands in Kenya and Tanzania. O. callotis can go up to a month without drinking water if succulent...
Comparison of point counts and territory mapping for detecting effects of forest management on songbirds
Felicity L. Newell, James Sheehan, Petra Bohall Wood, Amanda D. Rodewald, David A. Buehler, Patrick D. Keyser, Jeffrey L. Larkin, Tiffany A. Beachy, Marja H. Bakermans, Than J. Boves, Andrea Evans, Gregory A. George, Molly E. McDermott, Kelly A. Perkins, Matthew White, T. Bently Wigley
2013, Journal of Field Ornithology (84) 270-286
Point counts are commonly used to assess changes in bird abundance, including analytical approaches such as distance sampling that estimate density. Point-count methods have come under increasing scrutiny because effects of detection probability and field error are difficult to quantify. For seven forest songbirds, we compared fixed-radii counts (50 m...
Emulating natural disturbances for declining late-successional species: A case study of the consequences for Cerulean Warblers (Setophaga cerulea)
Than J. Boves, David A. Buehler, James Sheehan, Petra Bohall Wood, Amanda D. Rodewald, Jeffrey L. Larkin, Patrick D. Keyser, Felicity L. Newell, Gregory A. George, Marja H. Bakermans, Andrea Evans, Tiffany A. Beachy, Molly E. McDermott, Kelly A. Perkins, Matthew White, T. Bently Wigley
2013, PLoS ONE (8) 1-13
Forest cover in the eastern United States has increased over the past century and while some late-successional species have benefited from this process as expected, others have experienced population declines. These declines may be in part related to contemporary reductions in small-scale forest interior disturbances such as fire, windthrow, and...
Habitat, wildlife and one health: Arcanobacterium pyogenes in Maryland and Upper Eastern Shore white-tailed deer populations
Melissa M. Turner, Christopher S. DePerno, Mark C. Conner, T. Brian Eyler, Richard A. Lancia, Robert W. Klaver, Michael K. Stoskopf
2013, Infection Ecology and Epidemiology (3)
Background: Understanding the distribution of disease in wildlife is key to predicting the impact of emerging zoonotic one health concerns, especially for wildlife species with extensive human and livestock interfaces. The widespread distribution and complex interactions of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) with humans suggest deer population health and management may...
Hysteresis of unsaturated hydromechanical properties of a silty soil
Ning Lu, Murat Kaya, Brian D. Collins, Jonathan W. Godt
2013, Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering (139) 507-510
Laboratory tests to examine hysteresis in the hydrologic and mechanical properties of partially saturated soils were conducted on six intact specimens collected from a landslide-prone area of Alameda County, California. The results reveal that the pore-size distribution parameter remains statistically unchanged between the wetting and drying paths; however, the wetting...
Case study: Prioritization strategies for reforestation of minelands to benefit Cerulean Warblers
Molly E. McDermott, Matthew B. Shumar, Petra Bohall Wood
2013, Journal American Society of Mining and Reclamation (2) 80-99
The central Appalachian landscape is being heavily altered by surface coal mining. The practice of Mountaintop Removal/Valley Fill (MTRVF) mining has transformed large areas of mature forest to non-forest and created much forest edge, affecting habitat quality for mature forest wildlife. The Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative is working to restore...
Catalogue of Life: 2013 Annual Checklist
David T. Nicolson, Yuri Roskov, Thomas Kunze, Luvie Paglinawan, Thomas Orrell, Alistair Culham, Nicolas Bailly, Paul Kirk, Thierry Bourgoin, Guy Baillargeon, Franciso Hernandez, Aaike De Wever
2013, Report
The most comprehensive and authoritative global index of species currently available, it consists of a single integrated species checklist and taxonomic hierarchy. It is available (1) as a DVD and booklet; and (2) on the Web. The contact for the booklet and DVD is Thomas Orrell at the Smithsonian Institution,...
Ocean climate indicators: A monitoring inventory and plan for tracking climate change in the north-central California coast and ocean region
Benet Duncan, Kelley Higgason, Tom Suchanek, John Largier, Jay Stachowicz, Sarah Allen, Steven Bograd, R. Breen, Holly Gellerman, Tessa Hill, Jaime Jahncke, Rebecca L. Johnson, Steve I. Lonhart, Steven Morgan, Frances Wilkerson, Jan Roletto
2013, Report
The impacts of climate change, defined as increasing atmospheric and oceanic carbon dioxide and associated increases in average global temperature and oceanic acidity, have been observed both globally and on regional scales, such as in the North-central California coast and ocean, a region that extends from Point Arena to Point...
Fifty years after Welles and Welles: Distribution and genetic structure of Desert Bighorn Sheep in Death Valley National Park
Clinton W. Epps, John D. Wehausen, William B. Sloan, Stacy Holt, Tyler G. Creech, Rachel S. Crowhurst, Jef R. Jaeger, Kathleen M. Longshore, Ryan J. Monello
2013, Conference Paper, 1st Death Valley Natural History Conference Proceedings
The status of desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) populations in the mountains around Death Valley was first evaluated in 1938, shortly after designation of Death Valley National Monument. However, the most comprehensive evaluation of bighorn sheep in the region was conducted by Ralph and Florence Welles during 1955-1961. They...
Evaluating spatial overlap and relatedness of white-tailed deer in a chronic wasting disease management zone
Michael D. Samuel, Seth B. Magle, Timothy R. Van Deelen, Stacie J. Robinson, Nancy E. Mathews
2013, PLoS ONE (8)
Wildlife disease transmission, at a local scale, can occur from interactions between infected and susceptible conspecifics or from a contaminated environment. Thus, the degree of spatial overlap and rate of contact among deer is likely to impact both direct and indirect transmission of infectious diseases such chronic wasting disease (CWD)...
A non-marine source of variability in Adélie Penguin demography
William R. Fraser, Donna L. Patterson-Fraser, Christine Ribic, Oscar Schofield, Hugh Ducklow
2013, Oceanography (26) 207-209
A primary research objective of the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program has been to identify and understand the factors that regulate the demography of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae). In this context, our work has been focused on variability in the marine environment on which this species depends for...
Spatial variation in breeding habitat selection by Cerulean Warblers (Setophaga cerulea) throughout the Appalachian Mountains
Than J. Boves, David A. Buehler, James Sheehan, Petra Bohall Wood, Amanda D. Rodewald, Jeffrey L. Larkin, Patrick D. Keyser, Felicity L. Newell, Andrea Evans, Gregory A. George, T.B. Wigley
2013, The Auk (130) 46-59
Studies of habitat selection are often of limited utility because they focus on small geographic areas, fail to examine behavior at multiple scales, or lack an assessment of the fitness consequences of habitat decisions. These limitations can hamper the identification of successful site-specific management strategies, which are urgently needed for...
First report of fasciation in Pitcher's Thistle, Cirsium pitcheri (Asteraceae)
Noel B. Pavlovic, Megan K Korte, Kathryn McEachern, Ralph Grundel
2013, The Michigan Botanist (52) 58-66
We document the first reported occurrence of fasciation in the federally threatened Pitcher’s thistle, Cirsium pitcheri (Asteraceae). In 2013, we discovered two adult plants of Pitcher’s thistle out of a total of 176 plants at West Beach, near Miller, Indiana, USA, that exhibited both normal and fasciated growth. Unlike plants...
A Common Loon incubates rocks as surrogates for eggs
Stephen DeStefano, Kiana K. G. Koenen, Jillian W. Pereira
2013, Northeastern Naturalist (20) 143-147
A nesting Gavia immer (Common Loon) was discovered incubating 2 rocks on a floating nest platform on the Quabbin reservoir in central Massachusetts for 43 days, well beyond the typical period of 28 days, before we moved in to investigate. The rocks were likely unearthed in the soil and vegetation used on...
Impact of valley fills on streamside salamanders in southern West Virginia
Petra Bohall Wood, Jennifer M. Williams
2013, Journal of Herpetology (47) 119-125
Valley fills associated with mountaintop-removal mining bury stream headwaters and affect water quality and ecological function of reaches below fills. We quantified relative abundance of streamside salamanders in southern West Virginia during 2002 in three streams below valley fills (VFS) and in three reference streams (RS). We surveyed 36 10-...
Research strategies for addressing uncertainties
David E. Busch, Levi D. Brekke, Kristen Averyt, Angela Jardine, Leigh Welling
2013, Book chapter, Assessment of climate change in the Southwest U.S.
There is an immense volume of information pertaining to research needs for addressing climate change uncertainties and resolving key information gaps. Fortunately, multiple independent efforts to establish research priorities have yielded similar results. Input on research needs is being used to craft national scientific priorities and strategies that are being...
Biological effects-based tools for monitoring impacted surface waters in the Great Lakes: a multiagency program in support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
Drew R. Ekman, Gerald T. Ankley, Vicki Blazer, Timothy W. Collette, Natàlia Garcia-Reyero, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Zachary G. Jorgensen, Kathy Lee, Pat M. Mazik, David H. Miller, Edward J. Perkins, Edwin T. Smith, Joseph E. Tietge, Daniel L. Villeneuve
2013, Environmental Practice (15) 409-426
There is increasing demand for the implementation of effects-based monitoring and surveillance (EBMS) approaches in the Great Lakes Basin to complement traditional chemical monitoring. Herein, we describe an ongoing multiagency effort to develop and implement EBMS tools, particularly with regard to monitoring potentially toxic chemicals and assessing Areas of Concern...
Effects of prescribed fire on Coluber constrictor Mormon in coastal San Mateo County, California
Michelle E. Thompson, Brian J. Halstead, Glenn D. Wylie, Melissa Amarello, Jeffrey J. Smith, Michael L. Casazza, Eric J. Routman
2013, Herpetological Conservation and Biology (8) 602-615
Although prescribed burns are used in many locations where reptiles are present, the effects of fire on reptiles are poorly understood. our objective was to determine the effects of prescribed fire on the Western yellow-bellied racer, Coluber constrictor mormon, at a study site in coastal san Mateo county, california. We sampled an...
4D petroleum system model of the Mississippian System in the Anadarko Basin Province, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, and Colorado, U.S.A.
Debra K. Higley
2013, Mountain Geologist (50) 81-98
The Upper Devonian and Lower Mississippian Woodford Shale is an important petroleum source rock for Mississippian reservoirs in the Anadarko Basin Province of Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, and Colorado, based on results from a 4D petroleum system model of the basin. The Woodford Shale underlies Mississippian strata over most of the...
Vascular flora of saline lakes in the southern high plains of Texas and eastern New Mexico
David J. Rosen, Warren C. Conway, David A. Haukos, Amber D. Caskey
2013, Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (7) 595-602
Saline lakes and freshwater playas form the principal surface hydrological feature of the High Plains of the Southern Great Plains. Saline lakes number less than 50 and historically functioned as discharge wetlands with relatively consistent water availability due to the presence of one or more springs. Currently, less than ten...
The changing southwest
David M. Theobald, William Travis, Mark A. Drummond, Eric Gordon, Michelle Betsill
2013, Book chapter, Assessment of climate change in the southwest United States
This chapter describes important geographical and socio-economic characteristics and trends in the Southwest—such as population and economic growth and changes in land ownership, land use, and land cover—that provide the context for how climate change will likely affect the Southwest. The chapter also describes key laws and institutions relevant to...
Magmatism, ash-flow tuffs, and calderas of the ignimbrite flareup in the western Nevada volcanic field, Great Basin, USA
Christopher D. Henry, David A. John
2013, Geosphere (9) 951-1008
The western Nevada volcanic field is the western third of a belt of calderas through Nevada and western Utah. Twenty-three calderas and their caldera-forming tuffs are reasonably well identified in the western Nevada volcanic field, and the presence of at least another 14 areally extensive, apparently voluminous ash-flow tuffs...
Thermal tolerance of meltwater stonefly Lednia tumana nymphs from an alpine stream in Waterton–Glacier International Peace Park, Montana, USA
Hilary G. Billman, J. Joseph Giersch, K.M. Kappenman, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Molly A. H. Webb
2013, Freshwater Science (32) 597-605
Global climate change threatens to affect negatively the structure, function, and diversity of aquatic ecosystems worldwide. In alpine systems, the thermal tolerances of stream invertebrates can be assessed to understand better the potential effects of rising ambient temperatures and continued loss of glaciers and snowpack on alpine stream ecosystems. We...
