Improving estimates of tree mortality probability using potential growth rate
Adrian J. Das, Nathan L. Stephenson
2015, Canadian Journal of Forest Research (45) 920-928
Tree growth rate is frequently used to estimate mortality probability. Yet, growth metrics can vary in form, and the justification for using one over another is rarely clear. We tested whether a growth index (GI) that scales the realized diameter growth rate against the potential diameter growth rate (PDGR) would...
Methane oxidation and molecular characterization of methanotrophs from a former mercury mine impoundment
Shaun Baesman, Laurence G. Miller, Jeremy H. Wei, Yirang Cho, Emily D. Matys, Roger E. Summons, Paula V. Welander, Ronald S. Oremland
2015, Microorganisms (3) 290-309
The Herman Pit, once a mercury mine, is an impoundment located in an active geothermal area. Its acidic waters are permeated by hundreds of gas seeps. One seep was sampled and found to be composed of mostly CO2 with some CH4 present. The δ13CH4 value suggested a complex origin for the methane: i.e., a...
Chance findings about early holocene tidal marshes of Grays Harbor, Washington, in relation to rapidly rising seas and great subduction earthquakes
James B. Phipps, Eileen Hemphill-Haley, Brian F. Atwater
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5063
Tidal marshes commonly build upward apace with gradual rise in the level of the sea. It is expected, however, that few tidal marshes will keep up with accelerated sea-level rise later in this century. Tidal marshes have been drowned, moreover, after subsiding during earthquakes. This report tells of ancient marshes that...
Estimating population size for Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus L.) with spatial capture-recapture models based on genotypes from one field sample
Pierre Mollet, Marc Kery, Beth Gardner, Gilberto Pasinelli, J. Andrew Royle
2015, PLoS ONE (10) 1-16
We conducted a survey of an endangered and cryptic forest grouse, the capercaillie Tetrao urogallus, based on droppings collected on two sampling occasions in eight forest fragments in central Switzerland in early spring 2009. We used genetic analyses to sex and individually identify birds. We estimated sex-dependent detection probabilities and population...
On the reliability of Quake-Catcher Network earthquake detections
Battalgazi Yildirim, Elizabeth S. Cochran, Angela Chung, Carl M. Christensen, Jesse F. Lawrence
2015, Seismological Research Letters (86) 856-869
Over the past two decades, there have been several initiatives to create volunteer‐based seismic networks. The Personal Seismic Network, proposed around 1990, used a short‐period seismograph to record earthquake waveforms using existing phone lines (Cranswick and Banfill, 1990; Cranswicket al., 1993). NetQuakes (Luetgert et al.,...
Increasing seismicity in the U. S. midcontinent: Implications for earthquake hazard
William L. Ellsworth, Andrea L. Llenos, Arthur F. McGarr, Andrew J. Michael, Justin L. Rubinstein, Charles S. Mueller, Mark D. Petersen, Eric Calais
2015, The Leading Edge (34) 618-626
Earthquake activity in parts of the central United States has increased dramatically in recent years. The space-time distribution of the increased seismicity, as well as numerous published case studies, indicates that the increase is of anthropogenic origin, principally driven by injection of wastewater coproduced with oil and gas from tight...
Projection of corn production and stover-harvesting impacts on soil organic carbon dynamics in the U.S. Temperate Prairies
Yiping Wu, Shuguang Liu, Claudia J. Young, Devendra Dahal, Terry L. Sohl, Brian Davis
2015, Scientific Reports (5)
Terrestrial carbon sequestration potential is widely considered as a realistic option for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. However, this potential may be threatened by global changes including climate, land use, and management changes such as increased corn stover harvesting for rising production of cellulosic biofuel. Therefore, it is critical to investigate...
Baseline and premining geochemical characterization of mined sites
D. Kirk Nordstrom
2015, Applied Geochemistry (57) 17-34
A rational goal for environmental restoration of new, active, or inactive mine sites would be ‘natural background’ or the environmental conditions that existed before any mining activities or other related anthropogenic activities. In a strictly technical sense, there is no such thing as natural background (or entirely non-anthropogenic) existing today...
The challenges of remote monitoring of wetlands
Alisa L. Gallant
2015, Remote Sensing (7) 10938-10950
Wetlands are highly productive and support a wide variety of ecosystem goods and services. Various forms of global change impose compelling needs for timely and reliable information on the status of wetlands worldwide, but several characteristics of wetlands make them challenging to monitor remotely: they lack a single, unifying land-cover...
A reply to Iversen et al.'s comment “Monitoring of animal abundance by environmental DNA - An increasingly obscure perspective”
Katy E. Klymus, Cathy A. Richter, Duane Chapman, Craig P. Paukert
2015, Biological Conservation (192) 481-482
We appreciate the conversation put forward by Iversen et al. (2015) in their response to our article “Quantification of eDNA shedding rates from invasive bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix” in the 2015 environmental DNA special issue of Biological Conservation.We agree with Iversen et al.'s concern about...
Surface monitoring of microseismicity at the Decatur, Illinois, CO2 sequestration demonstration site
J. Ole Kaven, Stephen H. Hickman, Arthur F. McGarr, William L. Ellsworth
2015, Seismological Research Letters (86) 1096-1101
Sequestration of CO2 into subsurface reservoirs can play an important role in limiting future emission of CO2 into the atmosphere (e.g., Benson and Cole, 2008). For geologic sequestration to become a viable option to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, large-volume injection of supercritical CO2 into deep sedimentary formations is required. These...
Dynamic rupture models of earthquakes on the Bartlett Springs Fault, Northern California
Julian C. Lozos, Ruth A. Harris, Jessica R. Murray, James J. Lienkaemper
2015, Geophysical Research Letters (42) 4343-4349
The Bartlett Springs Fault (BSF), the easternmost branch of the northern San Andreas Fault system, creeps along much of its length. Geodetic data for the BSF are sparse, and surface creep rates are generally poorly constrained. The two existing geodetic slip rate inversions resolve at least one locked patch within...
Effects of ungulate disturbance and weather variation on Pediocactus winkleri: Insights from long-term monitoring
Deborah J. Clark, Thomas O. Clark, Michael C. Duniway, Cody B. Flagg
2015, Western North American Naturalist (75) 88-101
Population dynamics and effects of large ungulate disturbances on Winkler cactus (Pediocactus winkleri K.D. Heil) were documented annually over a 20-year time span at one plot within Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. This cactus species was federally listed as threatened in 1998. The study began in 1995 to gain a better...
Modeling and management of pit lake water chemistry 2: Case studies
D.N. Castendyk, Laurie S. Balistrieri, C.H. Gammons, N. Tucci
2015, Applied Geochemistry (57) 289-307
Pit lakes, a common product of open pit mining techniques, may become long-term, post-mining environmental risks or long-term, post-mining water resources depending upon management decisions. This study reviews two published pit lake modeling studies and one pit lake monitoring program in...
High frequency of extra-pair paternity in an urban population of Cooper's Hawks
Robert N. Rosenfield, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, William C. Stout, Sandra L. Talbot
2015, Journal of Field Ornithology (86) 144-152
Raptors exhibit some of the highest rates of intra-pair copulations among birds, perhaps in an attempt by males to reduce the risk of being cuckolded. Indeed, the frequency of extra-pair fertilizations reported in studies of raptors to date is relatively low (0-11.2%). Socially monogamous Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) exhibit one...
Unintended consequences of management actions in salt pond restoration: cascading effects in trophic interactions
John Y. Takekawa, Joshua T. Ackerman, Arriana Brand, Tanya R. Graham, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Mark P. Herzog, Brent R. Topping, Gregory Shellenbarger, James S. Kuwabara, Eric Mruz, Sara L. Piotter, Nicole D. Athearn
2015, PLoS ONE (10) 1-15
Salt evaporation ponds have played an important role as habitat for migratory waterbirds across the world, however, efforts to restore and manage these habitats to maximize their conservation value has proven to be challenging. For example, salinity reduction has been a goal for restoring and managing former salt evaporation ponds...
The changing strength and nature of fire-climate relationships in the northern Rocky Mountains, U.S.A., 1902-2008
Jeremy S. Littell
2015, PLoS ONE (10)
Time-varying fire-climate relationships may represent an important component of fire-regime variability, relevant for understanding the controls of fire and projecting fire activity under global-change scenarios. We used time-varying statistical models to evaluate if and how fire-climate relationships varied from 1902-2008, in one of the most flammable forested regions of the...
Climate change projections for lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) recruitment in the 1836 Treaty Waters of the Upper Great Lakes
Abigail J. Lynch, William W. Taylor, T. Douglas Beard Jr., Brent M. Lofgren
2015, Journal of Great Lakes Research (41) 415-422
Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) is an ecologically, culturally, and economically important species in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Lake whitefish have been a staple food source for thousands of years and, since 1980, have supported the most economically valuable (annual catch value ≈ US$16.6 million) and productive (annual harvest ≈ 7 million kg) commercial fishery...
Spatial requirements of different life-stages of the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) from a distinct population segment in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Margaret M. Lamont, Nathan Freeman Putman, Ikuko Fujisaki, Kristen M. Hart
2015, Herpetological Conservation and Biology (10) 26-43
Many marine species have complex life histories that involve disparate developmental, foraging and reproductive habitats and a holistic assessment of the spatial requirements for different life stages is a challenge that greatly complicates their management. Here, we combined data from oceanographic modeling, nesting surveys, and satellite tracking to examine the...
Demographic and spatiotemporal patterns of avian influenza infection at the continental scale, and in relation to annual life cycle of a migratory host
Rodolfo Nallar, Zsuzsanna Papp, Tasha Epp, Frederick A. Leighton, Seth R. Swafford, Thomas J. DeLiberto, Robert J. Dusek, S. Ip, Jeffrey S. Hall, Yohannes Berhane, Samantha E.J. Gibbs, Catherine Soos
2015, PLoS ONE (10)
Since the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in the eastern hemisphere, numerous surveillance programs and studies have been undertaken to detect the occurrence, distribution, or spread of avian influenza viruses (AIV) in wild bird populations worldwide. To identify demographic determinants and spatiotemporal patterns of AIV infection in...
Testing hypotheses on distribution shifts and changes in phenology of imperfectly detectable species
Thierry A. Chambert, William L. Kendall, James E. Hines, James D. Nichols, Paolo Pedrini, J. Hardin Waddle, Giacomo Tavecchia, Susan C. Walls, Simone Tenan
2015, Methods in Ecology and Evolution (6) 638-647
With ongoing climate change, many species are expected to shift their spatial and temporal distributions. To document changes in species distribution and phenology, detection/non-detection data have proven very useful. Occupancy models provide a robust way to analyse such data, but inference is usually focused on species spatial...
Preserving geomorphic data records of flood disturbances
John A. Moody, Deborah A. Martin, Robert H. Meade
2015, GeoResJ (6) 164-174
No central database or repository is currently available in the USA to preserve long-term, spatially extensive records of fluvial geomorphic data or to provide future accessibility. Yet, because of their length and continuity these data are valuable for future research. Therefore, we built a public accessible website to preserve...
Literature review of the potential effects of hydrogen peroxide on nitrogen oxidation efficiency of the biofilters of recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) for freshwater finfish
Kim T. Fredricks
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1096
A comprehensive literature review was done for the effects of hydrogen peroxide (HP) on biofilter function in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) using these databases: ISI/Web of Knowledge, Scopus, and Pubmed. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed as the literature review was conducted. The initial search produced 5,748 potential citations. Once...
Literature review of the potential effects of formalin on nitrogen oxidation efficiency of the biofilters of recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) for freshwater finfish
Kim T. Fredricks
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1097
A comprehensive literature review was done for the effects of formalin on biofilter function in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) using these databases: ISI/Web of Knowledge, Scopus, and Pubmed. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed as the literature review was conducted. The initial search produced 5,682 potential citations. Once the literature...
Depositional conditions for the Kuna Formation, Red Dog Zn-PB-Ag-Barite District, Alaska, inferred from isotopic and chemical proxies
Craig A. Johnson, Julie A. Dumoulin, Robert A. Burruss, John F. Slack
2015, Economic Geology (110) 1143-1156
Water column redox conditions, degree of restriction of the depositional basin, and other paleoenvironmental parameters have been determined for the Mississippian Kuna Formation of northwestern Alaska from stratigraphic profiles of Mo, Fe/Al, and S isotopes in pyrite, C isotopes in organic matter, and N isotopes in bulk rock. This unit...
