Obtaining changes in calibration-coil to seismometer output constants using sine waves
Adam T. Ringler, Charles R. Hutt, Lind S. Gee, Leo D. Sandoval, David C. Wilson
2013, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (104) 582-586
The midband sensitivity of a broadband seismometer is one of the most commonly used parameters from station metadata. Thus, it is critical for station operators to robustly estimate this quantity with a high degree of accuracy. We develop an in situ method for estimating changes in sensitivity using sine‐wave calibrations,...
Estimating the extent of impervious surfaces and turf grass across large regions
Peter R. Claggett, Frederick M. Irani, Renee L. Thompson
2013, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (49) 1057-1077
The ability of researchers to accurately assess the extent of impervious and pervious developed surfaces, e.g., turf grass, using land-cover data derived from Landsat satellite imagery in the Chesapeake Bay watershed is limited due to the resolution of the data and systematic discrepancies between developed land-cover classes, surface mines, forests,...
Parasites affect food web structure primarily through increased diversity and complexity
Jennifer A. Dunne, Kevin D. Lafferty, Andrew P. Dobson, Ryan F. Hechinger, Armand M. Kuris, Neo D. Martinez, John P. McLaughlin, Kim N. Mouritsen, Robert Poulin, Karsten Reise, Daniel B. Stouffer, David W. Thieltges, Richard J. Williams, Claus Dieter Zander
2013, PLoS Biology (11)
Comparative research on food web structure has revealed generalities in trophic organization, produced simple models, and allowed assessment of robustness to species loss. These studies have mostly focused on free-living species. Recent research has suggested that inclusion of parasites alters structure. We assess whether such changes in network structure result...
Preliminary groundwater flow model of the basin-fill aquifers in Detrital, Hualapai, and Sacramento Valleys, Mohave County, northwestern Arizona
Fred D. Tillman, Bradley D. Garner, Margot Truini
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5122
Preliminary numerical models were developed to simulate groundwater flow in the basin-fill alluvium in Detrital, Hualapai, and Sacramento Valleys in northwestern Arizona. The purpose of this exercise was to gather and evaluate available information and data, to test natural‑recharge concepts, and to indicate directions for improving future regional groundwater models...
Permeability of roads to movement of scrubland lizards and small mammals
Cheryl S. Brehme, Jeff A. Tracey, Leroy R. McClenaghan, Robert N. Fisher
2013, Conservation Biology (27) 710-720
A primary objective of road ecology is to understand and predict how roads affect connectivity of wildlife populations. Road avoidance behavior can fragment populations, whereas lack of road avoidance can result in high mortality due to wildlife-vehicle collisions. Many small animal species focus their activities to particular microhabitats within their...
Geologic framework, structure, and hydrogeologic characteristics of the Knippa Gap area in eastern Uvalde and western Medina Counties, Texas
Allan K. Clark, Diana E. Pedraza, Robert R. Morris
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5149
The Edwards aquifer is the primary source of potable water for the San Antonio area in south-central Texas. The Knippa Gap was postulated to channel or restrict flow in the Edwards aquifer in eastern Uvalde County, and its existence was based on a series of numerical simulations of groundwater flow...
Host range, host ecology, and distribution of more than 11800 fish parasite species
Giovanni Strona, Maria Lourdes D. Palomares, Nicholas Bailly, Paolo Galli, Kevin D. Lafferty
2013, Ecology (94) 544
Our data set includes 38 008 fish parasite records (for Acanthocephala, Cestoda, Monogenea, Nematoda, Trematoda) compiled from the scientific literature, Internet databases, and museum collections paired to the corresponding host ecological, biogeographical, and phylogenetic traits (maximum length, growth rate, life span, age at maturity, trophic level, habitat preference, geographical range size,...
Parasites in marine food webs
Kevin D. Lafferty
2013, Bulletin of Marine Science (89) 123-134
Most species interactions probably involve parasites. This review considers the extent to which marine ecologists should consider parasites to fully understand marine communities. Parasites are influential parts of food webs in estuaries, temperate reefs, and coral reefs, but their ecological importance is seldom recognized. Though difficult to observe, parasites can...
Predicting what helminth parasites a fish species should have using Parasite Co-occurrence Modeler (PaCo)
Giovanni Strona, Kevin D. Lafferty
2013, Journal of Parasitology (99) 6-10
Fish pathologists are often interested in which parasites would likely be present in a particular host. Parasite Co-occurrence Modeler (PaCo) is a tool for identifying a list of parasites known from fish species that are similar ecologically, phylogenetically, and geographically to the host of interest. PaCo uses data from FishBase...
Biodiversity and disease: a synthesis of ecological perspectives on Lyme disease transmission.
Chelsea L. Wood, Kevin D. Lafferty
2013, Trends in Ecology and Evolution (28) 239-247
Recent reviews have argued that disease control is among the ecosystem services yielded by biodiversity. Lyme disease (LD) is commonly cited as the best example of the ‘diluting’ effect of biodiversity on disease transmission, but many studies document the opposite relationship, showing that human LD risk can increase with forestation....
The relationship of blue crab abundance to winter mortality of Whooping Cranes
Bruce H. Pugesek, Michael J. Baldwin, Thomas Stehn
2013, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (125) 658-661
We sampled blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) numbers in marshes on the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas from 1998-2006, while simultaneously censusing the wintering population of Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) on the refuge and surrounding habitats. This was done to determine whether mortality of wintering Whooping Cranes was related to the...
Semiautomated tremor detection using a combined cross-correlation and neural network approach
Tobias Horstmann, Rebecca M. Harrington, Elizabeth S. Cochran
2013, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (118) 4827-4846
Despite observations of tectonic tremor in many locations around the globe, the emergent phase arrivals, low‒amplitude waveforms, and variable event durations make automatic detection a nontrivial task. In this study, we employ a new method to identify tremor in large data sets using a semiautomated technique. The method first reduces...
Recovery of a top predator mediates negative eutrophic effects on seagrass
Brent B. Hughes, Ron Eby, Eric Van Dyke, M. Tim Tinker, Corina I. Marks, Kenneth S. Johnson, Kerstin Wasson
2013, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (110) 15313-15318
A fundamental goal of the study of ecology is to determine the drivers of habitat-forming vegetation, with much emphasis given to the relative importance to vegetation of “bottom-up” forces such as the role of nutrients and “top-down” forces such as the influence of herbivores and their predators. For coastal vegetation...
Two new species of Isospora (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from skinks Emoia spp. (Sauria: Scincidae), from Fiji and Papua New Guinea
Chris T. McAllister, Donald W. Duszynski, Robert N. Fisher
2013, Journal of Parasitology (99) 677-679
Between September and October 1991 and again during September 1992, skinks (Emoia spp.) were collected from various localities on Fiji and Papua New Guinea (PNG) and examined for coccidians. One of 4 (25%) De Vis' emo skinks (Emoia pallidiceps) from PNG harbored an undescribed species of Isospora in its feces....
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for Alaska
William J. Carswell Jr.
2013, Fact Sheet 2013-3083
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 Alaska, elevation data are critical for aviation navigation and safety, natural resources conservation, oil and gas resources, flood risk management, geologic resource...
High prevalence of cestodes in Artemia spp. throughout the annual cycle: relationship with abundance of avian final hosts
Marta I. Sanchez, Pavel N. Nikolov, Darina D. GEorgieva, Boyko B. Georgiev, Gergana P. Vasileva, Plamen Pankov, Mariano Paracuellos, Kevin D. Lafferty, Andy J. Green
2013, Parasitology Research (112) 1913-1923
Brine shrimp, Artemia spp., act as intermediate hosts for a range of cestode species that use waterbirds as their final hosts. These parasites can have marked influences on shrimp behavior and fecundity, generating the potential for cascading effects in hypersaline food webs. We present the first comprehensive study of the...
Evolutionary dynamics of a rapidly receding southern range boundary in the threatened California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii)
Jonathan Q. Richmond, Kelly R. Barr, Adam R. Backlin, Amy G. Vandergast, Robert N. Fisher
2013, Evolutionary Applications (6) 808-822
Populations forming the edge of a species range are often imperiled by isolation and low genetic diversity, with proximity to human population centers being a major determinant of edge stability in modern landscapes. Since the 1960s, the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) has undergone extensive declines in heavily urbanized southern...
Mapping invasive Phragmites australis in the coastal Great Lakes with ALOS PALSAR satellite imagery for decision support
Laura L. Bourgeau-Chavez, Kurt P. Kowalski, Martha L. Carlson Mazur, Kirk A. Scarbrough, Richard B. Powell, Colin N. Brooks, Brian Huberty, Liza K. Jenkins, Elizabeth C. Banda, David M. Galbraith, Zachary M. Laubach, Kevin Riordan
2013, Journal of Great Lakes Research (39) 65-77
The invasive variety of Phragmites australis (common reed) forms dense stands that can cause negative impacts on coastal Great Lakes wetlands including habitat degradation and reduced biological diversity. Early treatment is key to controlling Phragmites, therefore a map of the current distribution is needed. ALOS PALSAR imagery was used to...
Decomposition and nitrogen dynamics of 15N-labeled leaf, root, and twig litter in temperate coniferous forests
Tiff L. van Huysen, Mark E. Harmon, Steven S. Perakis, Hua Chen
2013, Oecologia (173) 1563-1573
Litter nutrient dynamics contribute significantly to biogeochemical cycling in forest ecosystems. We examined how site environment and initial substrate quality influence decomposition and nitrogen (N) dynamics of multiple litter types. A 2.5-year decomposition study was installed in the Oregon Coast Range and West Cascades using 15N-labeled litter from Acer macrophyllum,...
Effects of thinning on drought vulnerability and climate response in north temperate forest ecosystems
Anthony W. D’Amato, John B. Bradford, Shawn Fraver, Brian J. Palik
2013, Ecological Applications (23) 1735-1742
Reducing tree densities through silvicultural thinning has been widely advocated as a strategy for enhancing resistance and resilience to drought, yet few empirical evaluations of this approach exist. We examined detailed dendrochronological data from a long-term (>50 yrs) replicated thinning experiment to determine if density reductions conferred greater resistance and/or...
Tectonic map of the Circum-Pacific region, Pacific basin sheet
E. Scheibner, G. W. Moore, K. J. Drummond, Corvalan Q.J. Dalziel, T. Moritani, Y. Teraoka, T. Sato, C. Craddock
2013, Circum-Pacific Map 52
Circum-Pacific Map Project: The Circum-Pacific Map Project was a cooperative international effort designed to show the relationship of known energy and mineral resources to the major geologic features of the Pacific basin and surrounding continental areas. Available geologic, mineral, and energy-resource data are being complemented by new, project-developed data...
Potential depletion of surface water in the Colorado River and agricultural drains by groundwater pumping in the Parker-Palo Verde-Cibola area, Arizona and California
Stanley A. Leake, Sandra J. Owen-Joyce, Julian A. Heilman
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5134
Water use along the lower Colorado River is allocated as “consumptive use,” which is defined to be the amount of water diverted from the river minus the amount that returns to the river. Diversions of water from the river include surface water in canals and water removed from the river...
Potential increases in natural disturbance rates could offset forest management impacts on ecosystem carbon stocks
John B. Bradford, Nicholas R. Jensen, Grant M. Domke, Anthony W. D’Amato
2013, Forest Ecology and Management (308) 178-187
Forested ecosystems contain the majority of the world’s terrestrial carbon, and forest management has implications for regional and global carbon cycling. Carbon stored in forests changes with stand age and is affected by natural disturbance and timber harvesting. We examined how harvesting and disturbance interact to influence forest carbon stocks...
Pacific Island landbird monitoring annual report, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, tract group 1 and 2, 2010
S. W. Judge, J. M. Gaudioso, B. H. Hsu, Richard J. Camp, P. J. Hart
2013, Report
In concordance with the stated role of the I&M Program, the objectives of this survey were to provide information for monitoring long-term trends in forest bird distribution, density, and abundance in HAVO. Ultimately, this information will help to inform and implement management actions to stabilize and/or increase bird populations....
Geodatabase compilation of hydrogeologic, remote sensing, and water-budget-component data for the High Plains aquifer, 2011
Natalie A. Houston, Sophia L. Gonzales-Bradford, Amanda T. Flynn, Sharon L. Qi, Steven M. Peterson, Jennifer S. Stanton, Derek W. Ryter, Terry L. Sohl, Gabriel B. Senay
2013, Data Series 777
The High Plains aquifer underlies almost 112 million acres in the central United States. It is one of the largest aquifers in the Nation in terms of annual groundwater withdrawals and provides drinking water for 2.3 million people. The High Plains aquifer has gained national and international attention as a...
