Tissue loss (white syndrome) in the coral Montipora capitata is a dynamic disease with multiple host responses and potential causes
Thierry M. Work, Robin Russell, Greta S. Aeby
2012, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (279) 4334-4341
Tissue loss diseases or white syndromes (WS) are some of the most important coral diseases because they result in significant colony mortality and morbidity, threatening dominant Acroporidae in the Caribbean and Pacific. The causes of WS remain elusive in part because few have examined affected corals at the cellular level....
Nitrogen limitation, 15N tracer retention, and growth response in intact and Bromus tectorum-invaded Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis communities
Dana L. Witwicki, Paul S. Doescher, David A. Pyke, Nicole M. DeCrappeo, Steven S. Perakis
2012, Oecologia (171) 1013-1023
Annual grass invasion into shrub-dominated ecosystems is associated with changes in nutrient cycling that may alter nitrogen (N) limitation and retention. Carbon (C) applications that reduce plant-available N have been suggested to give native perennial vegetation a competitive advantage over exotic annual grasses, but plant community and N retention responses...
Efficacy, fate, and potential effects on salmonids of mosquito larvicides in catch basins in Seattle, Washington
Morgan Sternberg, Christian Grue, Loveday Conquest, James Grassley, Kerensa King
2012, Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association (28) 206-218
We investigated the efficacy, fate, and potential for direct effects on salmonids of 4 common mosquito larvicides (Mosquito Dunks® and Bits® (AI: Bacillis thuringiensis var. israelensis, [Bti]), VectoLex® WSP (AI: Bacillus sphaericus [Bs], VectoLex CG [AI: Bs], and Altosid® Briquets [AI: s-methoprene]) in Seattle, WA, during 3 summers. During efficacy...
Black-footed ferrets and recreational shooting influence the attributes of black-tailed prairie dog burrows
Dean E. Biggins, Shantini Ramakrishnan, Amanda R. Goldberg, David A. Eads
2012, Western North American Naturalist (72) 158-171
Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) plug burrows occupied by black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes), and they also plug burrows to entomb dead prairie dogs. We further evaluated these phenomena by sampling connectivity and plugging of burrow openings on prairie dog colonies occupied by ferrets, colonies where recreational shooting was allowed, and...
Distributional records of shrews (Mammalia, Soricomorpha, Soricidae) from Northern Central America with the first record of Sorex from Honduras
Neal Woodman, John O. Matson, Timothy J. McCarthy, Ralph P. Eckerlin, Walter Bulmer, Nicte Ordonez-Garza
2012, Annals of Carnegie Museum (80) 207-237
Short term surveys for small mammals in Guatemala and Honduras during 1992–2009 provided important new records for 12 taxa of shrews from 24 localities. These locality records expand the known geographic distributions for five species and for the genus Sorex Linnaeus, 1758: the geographic range of Cryptotis goodwini Jackson, 1933, now includes the Sierra...
Climatic limits on foliar growth during major droughts in the Southwestern U.S.A.
Jeremy L. Weiss, Julio L. Betancourt, Jonathan T. Overpeck
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research G: Biogeosciences (117)
Pronounced droughts during the 1950s and 2000s in the Southwestern U.S.A. (SW) provide an opportunity to compare mesoscale ecosystem responses to anomalously dry conditions before and during the regional warming that started in the late 1970s. This year-round warming has produced fewer cool season freezes, losses in regional snowpack, an...
Development of a new method for the determination of residues of the neonictinoid insecticide imidacloprid in juvenile Chinook (Oncorhynchus tyshawytscha) using ELISA detection
John A. Frew, Christian E. Grue
2012, Journal of Environmental Monitoring (14) 1024-1034
The neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid (IMI) has been proposed as an alternative to carbaryl for controlling indigenous burrowing shrimp on commercial oyster beds in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor, Washington. A focus of concern over the use of this insecticide in an aquatic environment is the potential for adverse effects from...
Candidate cave entrances on Mars
Glen E. Cushing
2012, Journal of Cave and Karst Studies (74) 33-47
This paper presents newly discovered candidate cave entrances into Martian near-surface lava tubes, volcano-tectonic fracture systems, and pit craters and describes their characteristics and exploration possibilities. These candidates are all collapse features that occur either intermittently along laterally continuous trench-like depressions or in the floors of sheer-walled atypical pit craters....
Geodatabase of sites, basin boundaries, and topology rules used to store drainage basin boundaries for the U.S. Geological Survey, Colorado Water Science Center
Jean A. Dupree, Richard M. Crowfoot
2012, Data Series 650
This geodatabase and its component datasets are part of U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series 650 and were generated to store basin boundaries for U.S. Geological Survey streamgages and other sites in Colorado. The geodatabase and its components were created by the U.S. Geological Survey, Colorado Water Science Center, and...
Digital database architecture and delineation methodology for deriving drainage basins, and a comparison of digitally and non-digitally derived numeric drainage areas
Jean A. Dupree, Richard M. Crowfoot
2012, Techniques and Methods 11-C6
The drainage basin is a fundamental hydrologic entity used for studies of surface-water resources and during planning of water-related projects. Numeric drainage areas published by the U.S. Geological Survey water science centers in Annual Water Data Reports and on the National Water Information Systems (NWIS) Web site are still primarily...
Arthropod prey for riparian associated birds in headwater forests of the Oregon Coast Range
Joan C. Hagar, Judith Li, Janel Sobota, Stephanie Jenkins
2012, Forest Ecology and Management (285) 213-226
Headwater riparian areas occupy a large proportion of the land base in Pacific Northwest forests, and thus are ecologically and economically important. Although a primary goal of management along small headwater streams is the protection of aquatic resources, streamside habitat also is important for many terrestrial wildlife species. However, mechanisms...
Tracking climate impacts on the migratory monarch butterfly
Elise F. Zipkin, Leslie Ries, Rick Reeves, James Regetz, Karen S. Oberhauser
2012, Global Change Biology (18) 3039-3049
Understanding the impacts of climate on migratory species is complicated by the fact that these species travel through several climates that may be changing in diverse ways throughout their complete migratory cycle. Most studies are not designed to tease out the direct and indirect effects of climate at various stages...
Evolution of 3-D geologic framework modeling and its application to groundwater flow studies
Charles D. Blome, David V. Smith
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3106
In this Fact Sheet, the authors discuss the evolution of project 3-D subsurface framework modeling, research in hydrostratigraphy and airborne geophysics, and methodologies used to link geologic and groundwater flow models....
Biotic, water-quality, and hydrologic metrics calculated for the analysis of temporal trends in National Water Quality Assessment Program Data in the Western United States
Stephen M. Wiele, Anne M.D. Brasher, Matthew P. Miller, Jason T. May, Kurt D. Carpenter
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1203
The U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program was established by Congress in 1991 to collect long-term, nationally consistent information on the quality of the Nation's streams and groundwater. The NAWQA Program utilizes interdisciplinary and dynamic studies that link the chemical and physical conditions of streams (such as flow...
Shifting foundations and metrics for golden-cheeked warbler recovery
Jeff S. Hatfield, Floyd W. Weckerly, Adam Duarte
2012, Wildlife Society Bulletin (36) 415-422
Using the golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) as a case study, this paper discusses what lessons can be learned from the process of the emergency listing and subsequent development of the recovery plan. Are the metrics for recovery in the current warbler plan appropriate, including population size and distribution (recovery units),...
Parking lot runoff quality and treatment efficiencies of a hydrodynamic-settling device in Madison, Wisconsin, 2005-6
Judy A. Horwatich, Roger T. Bannerman
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5145
A hydrodynamic-settling device was installed in 2004 to treat stormwater runoff from a roof and parking lot located at the Water Utility Administration Building in Madison, Wis. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the City of Madison, cities in the Waukesha Permit Group,...
Analysis of the herbicide diuron, three diuron degradates, and six neonicotinoid insecticides in water-Method details and application to two Georgia streams
Michelle Hladik, Daniel L. Calhoun
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5206
A method for the determination of the widely used herbicide diuron, three degradates of diuron, and six neonicotinoid insecticides in environmental water samples is described. Filtered water samples were extracted by using solid-phase extraction (SPE) with no additional cleanup steps. Quantification of the pesticides from the extracted water samples was...
Effects of mining-derived metals on riffle-dwelling crayfish in southwestern Missouri and southeastern Kansas, USA
Ann L. Allert, Robert J. DiStefano, Christopher J. Schmitt, James F. Fairchild, William G. Brumbaugh
2012, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (63) 563-573
Riffle-dwelling crayfish populations were sampled at 16 sites in 4 tributaries of the Spring River located within the Tri-State Mining District in southwest Missouri. Crayfish density, physical habitat quality, and water quality were examined at each site to assess the ecological effects of mining-derived metals on crayfish. Metals (lead, zinc,...
Black-footed ferret digging activity in summer
David A. Eads, Dean E. Biggins, Dustin Marsh, Joshua J. Millspaugh, Travis M. Livieri
2012, Western North American Naturalist (72) 140-147
Black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) excavate soil from prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) burrows, thereby creating characteristic soil deposits at burrow openings. These soil deposits have been observed only rarely in summer. We monitored adult ferrets during June–October of the years 2007 and 2008 on a 452-ha colony of black-tailed prairie dogs...
An experimental evaluation of potential scavenger effects on snake road mortality detections
Kaylan A. Hubbard, Anna D. Chalfoun
2012, Herpetological Conservation and Biology (7) 150-156
As road networks expand and collisions between vehicles and wildlife become more common, accurately quantifying mortality rates for the taxa that are most impacted will be critical. Snakes are especially vulnerable to collisions with vehicles because of their physiology and behavior. Reptile road mortality is typically quantified using driving or...
Temperature-dependent growth of Geomyces destructans, the fungus that causes bat white-nose syndrome
Michelle L. Verant, Justin G. Boyles, William Waldrep Jr., Gudrun Wibbelt, David S. Blehert
2012, PLoS ONE (7)
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emergent disease estimated to have killed over five million North American bats. Caused by the psychrophilic fungus Geomyces destructans, WNS specifically affects bats during hibernation. We describe temperature-dependent growth performance and morphology for six independent isolates of G. destructans from North America and Europe. Thermal performance curves for...
Simulation of groundwater and surface-water resources and evaluation of water-management alternatives for the Chamokane Creek basin, Stevens County, Washington
D. Matthew Ely, Sue C. Kahle
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5224
A three-dimensional, transient numerical model of groundwater and surface-water flow was constructed for Chamokane Creek basin to better understand the groundwater-flow system and its relation to surface-water resources. The model described in this report can be used as a tool by water-management agencies and other stakeholders to quantitatively evaluate the...
Suspended-sediment characteristics for the Johnson Creek basin, Oregon, water years 2007-10
Adam J. Stonewall, Heather M. Bragg
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5200
Significant Findings An analysis of suspended-sediment transport in the Johnson Creek basin, Oregon, during water years 2007–10 indicated that: Streamflow characteristics for the 4 years of study were not extremely dry or wet, and represented near-average conditions. Computed average annual suspended-sediment loads were 1,890 and 4,640 tons at the Gresham...
Aquifer test at well SMW-1 near Moenkopi, Arizona
Rob Carruth, Donald J. Bills
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5201
The Hopi villages of Lower Moencopi and Upper Moenkopi are on the Hopi Indian Reservation south of Tuba City in northern Arizona. These adjacent Hopi villages, located west and north of the confluence of Pasture Canyon Wash and Moenkopi Wash, are dependent on groundwater withdrawals from three wells that penetrate...
Development and application of downscaled hydroclimatic predictor variables for use in climate vulnerability and assessment studies
James Thorne, Ryan Boynton, Lorraine Flint, Alan Flint, Thuy N’goc Le
2012, Report
This paper outlines the production of 270-meter grid-scale maps for 14 climate and derivative hydrologic variables for a region that encompasses the State of California and all the streams that flow into it. The paper describes the Basin Characterization Model (BCM), a map-based, mechanistic model used to process the hydrological...
