H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza clade 2.3.4.4b in wild and domestic birds: Introductions into the United States and reassortments, December 2021–April 2022
Sungsu Youk, Mia Kim Torchetti, Kristina Lantz, Julianna B. Lenoch, Mary Lea Killian, Christina Leyson, Sarah N. Bevins, Krista Dilione, Hon S. Ip, David E. Stallknecht, Rebecca L. Poulson, David L. Suarez, David E. Swayne, Mary J. Pantin-Jackwood
2023, Virology (587)
Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) of the A/goose/Guangdong/1/1996 lineage H5 clade 2.3.4.4b continue to have a devastating effect on domestic and wild birds. Full genome sequence analyses using 1369 H5N1 HPAIVs detected in the United States (U.S.) in wild...
Understanding drivers of mercury in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), a top-predator fish in southwest Alaska's parklands
Krista K. Bartz, Michael P. Hannam, Tammy L. Wilson, Ryan F. Lepak, Jacob M. Ogorek, Daniel B. Young, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, David P. Krabbenhoft
2023, Environmental Pollution (330)
Mercury (Hg) is a widespread element and persistent pollutant, harmful to fish, wildlife, and humans in its organic, methylated form. The risk of Hg contamination is driven by factors that regulate Hg loading, methylation, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification. In remote locations, with infrequent access and limited data, understanding the relative importance...
Tree-ring derived avalanche frequency and climate associations in a high-latitude, maritime climate
Erich H. Peitzsch, Eran Hood, John Harley, Daniel Kent Stahle, Nicholas E. Kichas, Gabriel J. Wolken
2023, Journal of Geophysical Research - Earth Surface (128)
Snow avalanches are a natural hazard in mountainous areas worldwide with severe impacts that include fatalities, damage to infrastructure, disruption to commerce, and landscape disturbance. Understanding long-term avalanche frequency patterns, and associated climate and weather influences, improves our understanding of how climate change may affect avalanche activity....
Long-term assessment of relationships between changing environmental conditions and the physiology of southern Beaufort Sea polar bears (Ursus maritimus)
Tricia Fry, Kristen R. Friedrichs, Alison C. Ketz, Colleen G. Duncan, Timothy R. Van Deelen, Tony Goldberg, Todd C. Atwood
2023, Global Change Biology (29) 5524-5539
Climate change is influencing polar bear (Ursus maritimus) habitat, diet, and behavior but the effects of these changes on their physiology is not well understood. Blood-based biomarkers are used to assess the physiologic health of individuals but their usefulness for evaluating population health, especially...
Serum virome of southern Beaufort Sea polar bears (Ursus maritimus) during a period of rapid climate change
Tricia Fry, Leah Owens, Alison C. Ketz, Todd C. Atwood, Emily Dunay, Tony Goldberg
2023, Conservation Physiology (11)
Climate change affects the behavior, physiology and life history of many Arctic wildlife species. It can also influence the distribution and ecology of infectious agents. The southern Beaufort Sea (SB) subpopulation of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) has experienced dramatic behavioral changes due to retreating sea ice and other climate-related factors,...
A one-dimensional volcanic plume model for predicting ash aggregation
Davis W. Hoffman, Larry G. Mastin, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Stephen A. Solovitz, Raul B. Cal, John K. Eaton
2023, JGR Solid Earth (128)
During explosive volcanic eruptions, volcanic ash is ejected into the atmosphere, impacting aircraft safety and downwind communities. These volcanic clouds tend to be dominated by fine ash (<63 μm in diameter), permitting transport over hundreds to thousands of kilometers. However, field observations show that much of this fine ash aggregates into...
Status of spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri) on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, 2022—Testing and updating predictive models
Paul L. Flint
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1052
The nesting biology and demography of spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri) along the lower Kashunuk River on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, were studied from 1993 to 2002. This previous work demonstrated that the breeding population on the study area was declining, and demographic modeling predicted that the population would continue to...
A test of the green wave hypothesis in omnivorous brown bears across North America
Nathaniel R. Bowersock, L. M. Ciarniello, William W. Deacy, D. C. Heard, Kyle Joly, Clayton T. Lamb, William B. Leacock, Bruce Mclellan, Garth Mowat, Mathew S Sorum, Frank T. van Manen, Jerod A. Merkle
2023, Ecography (2023)
Herbivorous animals tend to seek out plants at intermediate phenological states to improve energy intake while minimizing consumption of fibrous material. In some ecosystems, the timing of green-up is heterogeneous and propagates across space in a wave-like pattern, known as the green wave. Tracking the green wave allows individuals to...
Ocean current patterns drive the worldwide colonization of eelgrass (Zostera marina)
Lei Yu, Marina Khachaturyan, Michael Matschiner, Adam Healey, Diane Bauer, Brenda Cameron, Mathieu Cusson, J. Emmett Duffy, F. Joel Fodrie, Diana Gill, Jane Grimwood, Masakazu Hori, Kevin Hovel, A. Randall Hughes, Marlene Jahnke, J. Jenkins, K. Keymanesh, C. Kruschel, S. Mamidi, Damian M. Menning, P. Moksnes, M. Nakaoka, C. Pennacchio, K. Reiss, F. Rossi, J. Ruesink, S. Schultz, S. Talbott, R. Unsworth, David H. Ward, T. Dagan, J. Schmutz, J. A. Eisen, J. Stachowicz, Y. Van de Peer, J. L. Olsen, T. B. H. Reusch
2023, Nature Plants (9) 1207-1220
Currents are unique drivers of oceanic phylogeography and thus determine the distribution of marine coastal species, along with past glaciations and sea-level changes. Here we reconstruct the worldwide colonization history of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.), the most widely distributed marine flowering plant or seagrass from its origin in the Northwest Pacific,...
Comparing sediment microbial communities of Arctic beaver ponds to tundra lakes and streams
Kelly Shannon, Natasha R. Christman, Byron C. Crump, Michael P. Carey, Joshua C. Koch, Laura L. Lapham, Jonathan A. O’Donnell, Brett A. Poulin, Ken D. Tape, Jason A. Clark, Frederick S. Colwell
2023, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (128)
In recent decades the habitat of North American beaver (Castor canadensis) has expanded from boreal forests into Arctic tundra ecosystems. Beaver ponds in Arctic watersheds are known to alter stream biogeochemistry, which is likely coupled with changes in the activity and composition of microbial communities inhabiting beaver...
Sexual dimorphism in endangered Jemez Mountains Salamanders (Plethodon neomexicanus)
Nancy E. Karraker, Rachel A. Loehman, Samantha Cordova
2023, Journal of Herpetology (57) 204-210
Sex ratio is a key demographic characteristic indicative of the condition of populations. Despite over 70 yr of study, researchers have not fully evaluated morphological characteristics that differentiate sex in Jemez Mountains Salamanders (Plethodon neomexicanus; federally endangered). Populations of this endemic salamander, which are...
Forecasts of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) land use in the southern Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, 2040–65
Karyn D. Rode, David C. Douglas, Todd C. Atwood, Ryan R. Wilson
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1048
This report provides analysis to extend the 2040 forecasts of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) land use for the southern Beaufort and Chukchi Sea populations presented in a recent publication (Rode and others, 2022) through the year 2065. To inform long-term polar bear management considerations, we provide point-estimate forecasts and 95-percent...
Apparent discrepancies in the review “Avian host range of Chlamydophila spp. based on isolation, antigen detection and serology” by Kaleta, E.F. & Taday, E.M.A. (2003), Avian Pathology, 32, 435–462
J. Christian Franson
2023, Avian Pathology (52) 283-284
Citing published reports and their own diagnostic data, Kaleta and Taday (Citation2003) (https://doi.org/10.1080/03079450310001593613) reported that 469 domestic and free-living bird species were determined to be chlamydia-positive, based on isolation of the organism and antigen detection or on serological detection of circulating antibodies. However, I was unable to...
Changes in abiotic drivers of green sea urchin demographics following the loss of a keystone predator
Ben P. Weitzman, B. Konar, M. S. Edwards, D. B. Rasher, Michael C. Kenner, M. T. Tinker, J. A. Estes
2023, Journal of Marine Sciences (2023)
Sea urchin population demographics can respond to changes in keystone species abundances, with the magnitude of these responses varying depending on environmental influences. In this study, sea urchin populations were surveyed across 15 Aleutian archipelago islands over a 30-year period to understand how patterns of sea urchin demography (density, biomass,...
Structure of breeding calls in three closely related bird species (Calidris Merrem, 1804; Scolopacidae)
Edward H. Miller, Pavel S. Tomkovich, Vladimir Yu. Arkhipov, Colleen M. Handel
2023, Canadian Journal of Zoology (101) 869-885
We studied calls of three sandpiper species to document species’ similarities and differences. We hypothesized that functionally different calls would differ in degree of divergence. We studied two nuptial calls (complex “Song” and rhythmically repeated aerial call, RRC) of males, and a general-purpose call (“alarm” trill, AT)...
Nearshore ecosystems in the Gulf of Alaska
Heather A. Coletti, Daniel Esler, Brenda Ballachey, Jim Bodkin, George G. Esslinger, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Daniel Monson, Brian H. Robinson, Sarah Beth Traiger, Katrin Iken, Brenda Konar, Tom Dean, Mandy Lindeberg, Ben Weitzman
2023, Report
Nearshore ecosystem monitoring in western Prince William Sound, Kenai Fjords National Park, Kachemak Bay, and Katmai National Park and Preserve has been conducted as a single Nearshore Component of the Gulf Watch Alaska program over the past five years (2017-2021). This program builds on the previous five years and continues,...
A 1300-year microfaunal record from the Beaufort Sea shelf indicates exceptional climate-related environmental changes over the last two centuries
Jade Falardeau, Anne de Vernal, Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz, Michael Fritz, Thomas M. Cronin, Laura Gemery, Andre Rochon, Vladislav Carnero-Bravo, Claude Hillaire-Marcel, Christof Pearce, Philippe Archambault
2023, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (625)
The environments of Arctic Ocean nearshore areas experience high intra- and inter-annual variability, making it difficult to evaluate the impact of anthropogenic warming. However, a sediment record from the southern Canadian Beaufort Sea allowed us to reconstruct the impacts of climate and environmental changes over the last 1300 years along the northern Yukon...
Age-0 sablefish size and growth indices from seabird diets at Middleton Island, Gulf of Alaska
Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Scott A. Hatch
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1049
Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) is a commercially valuable groundfish species in Alaska, with the population assessed annually by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Alaska Fisheries Science Center. Sablefish recruit into the commercially fished population at 2 years old and are poorly sampled by most surveys before that age. However, information...
A body composition model with multiple storage compartments for polar bears (Ursus maritimus)
Stephanie R. Penk, Pranav Sadana, Louise C. Archer, Anthony M. Pagano, Marc R. L. Cattet, Nicholas J. Lunn, Gregory W. Thiemann, Peter K. Molnar
2023, Article
Climate warming is rapidly altering Arctic ecosystems. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) need sea ice as a platform from which to hunt seals, but increased sea-ice loss is lengthening periods when bears are without access to primary hunting habitat. During periods of food scarcity, survival depends on the energy that a...
A hierarchical modelling framework for estimating individual- and population-level reproductive success from movement data
Joseph Michael Eisaguirre, Perry J. Williams, Julia C. Brockman, Stephen B. Lewis, Christopher P. Barger, Greg A. Breed, Travis L. Booms
2023, Methods in Ecology and Evolution (14) 2110-2122
Rapidly advancing animal telemetry technologies paired with new statistical models can provide insight into the behaviour of otherwise unobservable free-living animals. Changes in behaviour apparent from pairing telemetry with statistical models often occur as animals undertake key life-history activities, such as reproduction. For many species that are secretive or...
Geographic isolation reduces genetic diversity of a wide-ranging terrestrial vertebrate, Canis lupus
S.A. Frevol, D. R. MacNulty, M. C. Anderson, H. D. Cluff, L. David Mech, M. Musiani
2023, Ecosphere (14)
Genetic diversity is theorized to decrease in populations closer to a species' range edge, where habitat may be suboptimal. Generalist species capable of long-range dispersal may maintain sufficient gene flow to counteract this, though the presence of significant barriers to dispersal (e.g., large water...
Volcanic and tectonic sources of seismicity near the Tanaga Volcanic Cluster, Alaska
Kevin Lally, Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, John Power
2023, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (24)
Tanaga Island in the Central Aleutian Islands includes four stratovolcanoes: Sajaka, Tanaga, and East Tanaga in the northwest, and Takawangha in the central part of the island. Of these volcanoes, only Tanaga has a confirmed record of historical eruptive activity. We use double-difference methods to relocate Tanaga...
Quantification of wetland vegetation communities features with airborne AVIRIS-NG, UAVSAR, and UAV LiDAR data in Peace-Athabasca Delta
Chao Wang, Tamlin M. Pavelsky, Ethan D. Kyzivat, Fenix Garcia-Tigreros, Erika Podest, Fangfang Yao, Xiao Yang, Shuai Zhang, Conghe Song, Theodore Langhorst, Wayana Dolan, Martin R. Kurek, Merritt E. Harlan, Laurence C. Smith, David Butman, Robert G.M. Spencer, Colin J. Gleason, Kimberly Wickland, Robert G. Striegl, Daniel L. Peters
2023, Remote Sensing of Environment (294)
Arctic-boreal wetlands, important ecosystems for biodiversity and ecological services, are experiencing hydrological changes including permafrost thaw, earlier snowmelt, and increased wildfire susceptibility. These changes are affecting wetland productivity, species diversity, and biogeochemical cycles. However, given the diverse forms and structures of wetland vegetation...
Modeling, mapping, and measuring the risk of freshwater invasive species across Alaska
Marcus Geist, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Anjanette Steer, Jeanne Osnas, Michael P. Carey, Aaron C. Martin, Tammy Davis, Rachel Kelty
2023, Report
Freshwater ecosystems of the Alaskan Arctic and Subarctic provide resources that are culturally, ecologically, and economically invaluable. Presently, these regions are relatively free of the impacts from invasive species compared to southern latitudes. To date, there have been relatively few verified introductions of aquatic invasive species (AIS) to freshwater ecosystems...
Geochronology and mapping constraints on the time-space evolution of the igneous and hydrothermal systems in the Taurus Cu-Mo district, eastern Alaska
Douglas C. Kreiner, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma, Laura Pianowski, Zachary Flood, David J. Stevenson, Garth E. Graham, Jorge A. Vazquez, Robert A Creaser
2023, Economic Geology (118) 745-778
The Taurus porphyry Cu-Mo district contains four mineralized porphyry centers in the eastern interior of Alaska. All four centers were emplaced during a magmatic episode that spanned from ca. 72 to 67 Ma, with seven distinct igneous suites. Each igneous suite resulted in hydrothermal alteration and mineralization, with younger pulses...
