Nuclear and mitochondrial markers reveal evidence for genetically segregated cryptic speciation in giant Pacific octopuses from Prince William Sound, Alaska
Rebecca K. Toussaint, David Scheel, G. Kevin Sage, Sandra L. Talbot
2012, Conservation Genetics (13) 1483-1497
Multiple species of large octopus are known from the north Pacific waters around Japan, however only one large species is known in the Gulf of Alaska (the giant Pacific octopus, Enteroctopus dofleini). Current taxonomy of E. dofleini is based on geographic and morphological characteristics, although with advances in genetic technology...
Evaluation of listener-based anuran surveys with automated audio recording devices
A. F. Shearin, A.J.K. Calhoun, C.S. Loftin
2012, Wetlands (32) 737-751
Volunteer-based audio surveys are used to document long-term trends in anuran community composition and abundance. Current sampling protocols, however, are not region- or species-specific and may not detect relatively rare or audibly cryptic species. We used automated audio recording devices to record calling anurans during 2006–2009 at wetlands in Maine,...
Strategies to control a common carp population by pulsed commercial harvest
Michael E. Colvin, Clay Pierce, Timothy W. Stewart, Scott E. Grummer
2012, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (32) 1251-1264
Commercial fisheries are commonly used to manage nuisance fishes in freshwater systems, but such efforts are often unsuccessful. Strategies for successfully controlling a nuisance population of common carp Cyprinus carpio by pulsed commercial harvest were evaluated with a combination of (1) field sampling, (2) population estimation and CPUE indexing, and (3) simulation...
A Gibbs sampler for Bayesian analysis of site-occupancy data
Robert M. Dorazio, Daniel Taylor Rodriguez
2012, Methods in Ecology and Evolution (3) 1093-1098
1. A Bayesian analysis of site-occupancy data containing covariates of species occurrence and species detection probabilities is usually completed using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods in conjunction with software programs that can implement those methods for any statistical model, not just site-occupancy models. Although these software programs are quite flexible, considerable...
How many records should be used in ASCE/SEI-7 ground motion scaling procedure?
Juan C. Reyes, Erol Kalkan
2012, Earthquake Spectra (28) 1223-1242
U.S. national building codes refer to the ASCE/SEI-7 provisions for selecting and scaling ground motions for use in nonlinear response history analysis of structures. Because the limiting values for the number of records in the ASCE/SEI-7 are based on engineering experience, this study examines the required number of records statistically,...
Effects of low-density feeding on elk–fetus contact rates on Wyoming feedgrounds
Tyler G. Creech, Paul C. Cross, Brandon M. Scurlock, Eric Maichak, Jared D. Rogerson, John C. Henningsen, Scott Creel
2012, Journal of Wildlife Management (76) 877-886
High seroprevalance for Brucella abortus among elk on Wyoming feedgrounds suggests that supplemental feeding may influence parasite transmission and disease dynamics by altering the rate at which elk contact infectious materials in their environment. We used proximity loggers and video cameras to estimate rates of elk-to-fetus contact (the primary source...
Peat
L.E. Apodaca
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 79-80
In 2011, domestic production of peat, excluding Alaska, was estimated to be 605 kt (667,000 st), compared with 628 kt (629,000 st) in 2010. In 2011, imports increased to 1.1. Mt (1.2 million st) compared with 947 kt (1 million st) in 2010, and exports were estimated to have decreased...
Pumice and pumicite
R.D. Crangle Jr.
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 85-86
Production of pumice in the United States during 2011 was estimated to be 380 kt (420,000 st), a 3-percent decrease compared with 2010. The unit value of pumice varied by end use in 2011. Pumice used as an abrasive was priced at $10.39/t ($9.30/st), while specialty-grade pumice, used in cosmetics,...
Industrial diamond
D.W. Olson
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 62-63
Estimated 2011 world production of natural and synthetic industrial diamond was about 4.45 billion carats. During 2011, natural industrial diamonds were produced in more than 20 countries, and synthetic industrial diamond was produced in at least 13 countries. About 98 percent of the combined natural and synthetic global output was...
Assessing California groundwater susceptibility using trace concentrations of halogenated volatile organic compounds
Daniel A. Deeds, Justin T. Kulongoski, Kenneth Belitz
2012, Environmental Science & Technology (46) 13128-13135
Twenty-four halogenated volatile organic compounds (hVOCs) and SF6 were measured in groundwater samples collected from 312 wells across California at concentrations as low as 10–12 grams per kilogram groundwater. The hVOCs detected are predominately anthropogenic (i.e., “ahVOCs”) and as such their distribution delineates where groundwaters are impacted and susceptible to...
Industrial sand and gravel
T.P. Dolley
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 65-65
Domestic production of industrial sand and gravel in 2011 was about 30 Mt (33 million st), increasing slightly compared with 2010. Some important end uses for industrial sand and gravel include abrasives, filtration, foundry, glassmaking, hydraulic fracturing sand (frac sand) and silicon metal applications....
Discovering shared segments on the migration route of the bar-headed goose by time-based plane-sweeping trajectory clustering
Ze Luo, Yan Baoping, John Y. Takekawa, Diann J. Prosser
2012, Journal of Information and Computational Science (9) 5093-5100
We propose a new method to help ornithologists and ecologists discover shared segments on the migratory pathway of the bar-headed geese by time-based plane-sweeping trajectory clustering. We present a density-based time parameterized line segment clustering algorithm, which extends traditional comparable clustering algorithms from temporal and spatial dimensions. We present a...
Exploration review
D.R. Wilburn, T.D. Rapstine, E.C. Lee
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 40-60
This summary of international mineral exploration activities for the year 2011 draws upon available information from industry sources, published literature and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) specialists. This summary provides data on exploration budgets by region and mineral commodity, identifies significant mineral discoveries and areas of mineral exploration, discusses government programs...
Fire clay
R.L. Virta
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 50-51
Five companies mined fire clay in four states in 2011. Production, based on a preliminary survey of the fire clay industry, was estimated to be 240 kt (265,000 st), valued at $7.68 million, an increase from 216 kt (238,000 st), valued at $6.12 million in 2010. Missouri was the leading...
Ecological effects of climate change on salt marsh wildlife: a case study from a highly urbanized estuary
Karen M. Thorne, John Y. Takekawa, Deborah L. Elliott-Fisk
2012, Journal of Coastal Research (28) 1477-1487
Coastal areas are high-risk zones subject to the impacts of global climate change, with significant increases in the frequencies of extreme weather and storm events, and sea-level rise forecast by 2100. These physical processes are expected to alter estuaries, resulting in loss of intertidal wetlands and their component wildlife species....
Directional connectivity in hydrology and ecology
Laurel G. Larsen, Jungyill Choi, Martha K. Nungesser, Judson W. Harvey
2012, Ecological Applications (22) 2204-2220
Quantifying hydrologic and ecological connectivity has contributed to understanding transport and dispersal processes and assessing ecosystem degradation or restoration potential. However, there has been little synthesis across disciplines. The growing field of ecohydrology and recent recognition that loss of hydrologic connectivity is leading to a global decline in biodiversity underscore...
Arsenic speciation in food chains from mid-Atlantic hydrothermal vents
Vivien F. Taylor, Brian P. Jackson, Matthew R. Siegfried, Jana Navratilova, Kevin A. Francesconi, Julie Kirshtein, Mary Voytek
2012, Environmental Chemistry (9) 130-138
Arsenic concentration and speciation were determined in benthic fauna collected from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge hydrothermal vents. The shrimp species, Rimicaris exoculata, the vent chimney-dwelling mussel, Bathymodiolus azoricus, Branchipolynoe seepensis, a commensal worm of B. azoricus and the gastropod Peltospira smaragdina showed variations in As concentration and in stable isotope (δ13C...
Direct U-Pb dating of Cretaceous and Paleocene dinosaur bones, San Juan Basin, New Mexico: COMMENT
Alan E. Koenig, Spencer G. Lucas, Leonid A. Neymark, Andrew B. Heckert, Robert M. Sullivan, Steven E. Jasinski, Denver W. Fowler
2012, Geology (40) e262-e262
Based on U-Pb dating of two dinosaur bones from the San Juan Basin of New Mexico (United States), Fassett et al. (2011) claim to provide the first successful direct dating of fossil bones and to establish the presence of Paleocene dinosaurs. Fassett et al. ignore previously published work that directly...
Demographics, diet, movements, and survival of an isolated, unmanaged raccoon Procyon lotor (Procyonidae, Carnivora) population on the Outer Banks of North Carolina
Arielle Waldstein Parsons, Theodore R. Simons, Allan F. O’Connell, Michael K. Stoskopf
2012, Mammalia (77) 21-30
Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are highly adaptable meso-carnivores that inhabit many environments, including the Atlantic barrier islands, where their role as predators of declining, beach-nesting bird and turtle species is of particular interest. Population models that improve our understanding of predator-prey dynamics are receiving increasing attention in the literature; however, their...
Development of a quantitative assay to measure expression of transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß) in Lost River sucker (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose sucker (Chasmistes brevirostris) and evaluation of potential pitfalls in use with field-collected samples
Laura S. Robertson, Christopher A. Ottinger, Summer M. Burdick, Scott P. VanderKooi
2012, Fish and Shellfish Immunology (32) 890-898
The Nature Conservancy is in the process of restoring the Williamson River Delta in an attempt to recreate important juvenile habitat for the endangered shortnose sucker Chasmistes brevirostris and the endangered Lost River sucker Deltistes luxatus. Measurement of TGF-β mRNA expression level was one of the indicators chosen to evaluate...
Bathythermal habitat use by strains of Great Lakes- and Finger Lakes-origin lake trout in Lake Huron after a change in prey fish abundance and composition
Roger A. Bergstedt, Ray L. Argyle, Charles C. Krueger, William W. Taylor
2012, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (141) 263-274
A study conducted in Lake Huron during October 1998–June 2001 found that strains of Great Lakes-origin (GLO) lake trout Salvelinus namaycush occupied significantly higher temperatures than did Finger Lakes-origin (FLO; New York) lake trout based on data from archival (or data storage) telemetry tags that recorded only temperature. During 2002...
Mineral resource of the month: tungsten
Kim B. Shedd
2012, Earth (57) 57-57
The article offers information on tungsten. It says that tungsten is a metal found in chemical compounds such as in the scheelite and ore minerals wolframite. It states that tungsten has the highest melting point and it forms a compound as hard as diamond when combined with carbon. It states...
Developing spatially explicit footprints of plausible land-use scenarios in the Santa Cruz Watershed, Arizona and Sonora
Laura M. Norman, Mark Feller, Miguel L. Villarreal
2012, Landscape and Urban Planning (107) 225-235
The SLEUTH urban growth model is applied to a binational dryland watershed to envision and evaluate plausible future scenarios of land use change into the year 2050. Our objective was to create a suite of geospatial footprints portraying potential land use change that can be used to aid binational decision-makers...
Mineral resource of the month: dimension stone
Thomas P. Dolley
2012, Earth (57) 65-65
The article offers information on dimension stone (DS) that are quarried as natural rock for a specific size and dimension chosen for its color, strength, durability. Varieties of metamorphic, igneous or sedimentary rocks are used but DS rocks are mainly marble, granite and slate that can be found from Maine...
Mineral resource of the month: mercury
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2012, Earth (57) 61-61
The article offers information on mercury, a mineral commodity used in industrial and small-scale gold mining applications. Mercury has been reported to be used for amalgamation with gold since the Roman times. Mercury from cinnabar from Almadén, Spain has been used by Romans and has been continued to be used...
