Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)
Petra Wood, Therese M. Donovan
2012, The Birds of North America
With spotted breast and reddish tail, the Hermit Thrush lives up to its name. Although celebrated for its ethereal song, it is mostly a quiet and unobtrusive bird that spends much of its time in the lower branches of the undergrowth or on the forest floor, often seen flicking its...
Assessing freshwater habitat of adult anadromous alewives using multiple approaches
Martha E. Mather, Holly J. Frank, Joseph M. Smith, Roxann D. Cormier, Robert M. Muth, John T. Finn
2012, Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science (4) 188-200
After centuries of disturbance, environmental professionals now recognize the need to restore coastal watersheds for native fish and protect the larger ecosystems on which fish and other aquatic biota depend. Anadromous fish species are an important component of coastal ecosystems that are often adversely affected by human activities. Restoring native...
Time lapse photography as an approach to understanding glide avalanche activity
Jordy Hendrikx, Erich H. Peitzsch, Daniel B. Fagre
2012, Conference Paper, Proceedings, 2012 International Snow Science Workshop
Avalanches resulting from glide cracks are notoriously difficult to forecast, but are a recurring problem for numerous avalanche forecasting programs. In some cases glide cracks are observed to open and then melt away in situ. In other cases, they open and then fail catastrophically as large, full-depth avalanches. Our understanding...
Semiochemical compounds of preen secretion reflect genetic make-up in a seabird species
S. Leclaire, T. Merkling, C. Raynaud, Herve Mulard, J.-M. Bessiere, E.M. Lhuillier, Scott A. Hatch, E. Danchin
2012, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (279) 1185-1193
Several vertebrates choose their mate according to genetic heterozygosity and relatedness, and use odour cues to assess their conspecifics' genetic make-up. In birds, although several species (including the black-legged kittiwake) exhibit non-random mating according to genetic traits, the cues used to assess genetic characteristics remain unknown. The importance of olfaction...
Biomass and diversity of dry alpine plant communities along altitudinal gradients in the Himalayas
Tsewang Namgail, G.S. Rawat, C. Mishra, van Wieren, H.H.T. Prins
2012, Journal of Plant Research (125) 93-101
A non-linear relationship between phytodiversity and altitude has widely been reported, but the relationship between phytomass and altitude remains little understood. We examined the phytomass and diversity of vascular plants along altitudinal gradients on the dry alpine rangelands of Ladakh, western Himalaya. We used generalized linear and generalized additive models...
Stability of selenium sources reviewed
D. Eisenberg, N. Barashkov, T. W. May, Z. Eisenberg
2012, Feedstuffs (84) 16-17
No abstract available....
Groundwater and surface-water exchange and resultingnNitrate dynamics in the Bogue Phalia Basin in northwestern Mississippi
Jeannie R. B. Barlow, Richard H. Coupe
2012, Journal of Environmental Quality (41) 155-169
During April 2007 through September 2008, the USGS collected hydrogeologic and water-quality data from a site on the Bogue Phalia to evaluate the role of groundwater and surface-water interaction on the transport of nitrate to the shallow sand and gravel aquifer underlying the Mississippi Alluvial Plain in northwestern Mississippi. A...
Microsatellite genetic diversity and differentiation of native and introduced grass carp populations in three continents
Duane Chapman, Q. Chen, Chenghui Wang, Jinlian Zhao, Guoqing Lu, Jeney Zsigmond, Si-Fa Li
2012, Genetica (140) 115-123
Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), a freshwater species native to China, has been introduced to about 100 countries/regions and poses both biological and environmental challenges to the receiving ecosystems. In this study, we analyzed genetic variation in grass carp from three introduced river systems (Mississippi River Basin in US,...
Validation of a coupled wave-flow model in a high-energy setting: the mouth of the Columbia River
Edwin P.L. Elias, Guy R. Gelfenbaum, Andre J. van der Westhuysen
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans (117)
A monthlong time series of wave, current, salinity, and suspended-sediment measurements was made at five sites on a transect across the Mouth of Columbia River (MCR). These data were used to calibrate and evaluate the performance of a coupled hydrodynamic and wave model for the MCR based on the Delft3D...
The use of U.S. Geological Survey digital geospatial data products for science research
Dalia E. Varanka, Carol Deering, Holly Caro
2012, Book chapter, History of Cartography
The development of geographic information system (GIS) transformed the practice of geographic science research. The availability of low-cost, reliable data by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) supported the advance of GIS in the early stages of the transition to digital technology. To estimate the extent of the scientific use of...
Elevated CO2 did not mitigate the effect of a short-term drought on biological soil crusts
Timothy M. Wertin, Susan L. Phillips, Sasha C. Reed, Jayne Belnap
2012, Biology and Fertility of Soils (48) 797-805
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are critical components of arid and semi-arid ecosystems that contribute significantly to carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) fixation, water retention, soil stability, and seedling recruitment. While dry-land ecosystems face a number of environmental changes, our understanding of how biocrusts may respond to such perturbation remains notably...
A comparison of selected parametric and imputation methods for estimating snag density and snag quality attributes
Bianca Eskelson, Joan Hagar, Hailemariam Temesgen
2012, Forest Ecology and Management 26-34
Snags (standing dead trees) are an essential structural component of forests. Because wildlife use of snags depends on size and decay stage, snag density estimation without any information about snag quality attributes is of little value for wildlife management decision makers. Little work has been done to develop models that...
Physiological ecology of desert biocrust moss following 10 years exposure to elevated CO2: Evidence for enhanced photosynthetic thermotolerance
Kirsten K. Coe, Jayne Belnap, Edmund E. Grote, Jed P. Sparks
2012, Physiologia Plantarum (144) 346-356
In arid regions, biomes particularly responsive to climate change, mosses play an important biogeochemical role as key components of biocrusts. Using the biocrust moss Syntrichia caninervis collected from the Nevada Desert Free Air CO2 Enrichment Facility, we examined the physiological effects of 10 years of exposure to elevated CO2, and...
Tritium plume dynamics in the shallow unsaturated zone adjacent to an arid waste-disposal facility, Amargosa Desert Research Site, Nevada
S.R. Maples
2012, Thesis
No abstract available....
Habitat and landscape effects on abundance of Missouri's grassland birds
Robert B. Jacobson, Frank R. Thompson III, Rolf R. Koford, Frank A. La Sorte, Hope D. Woodward, Jane A. Fitzgerald
2012, Journal of Wildlife Management (76) 372-381
Of 6 million ha of prairie that once covered northern and western Missouri, <36,500 ha remain, with planted, managed, and restored grasslands comprising most contemporary grasslands. Most grasslands are used as pasture or hayfields. Native grasses largely have been replaced by fescue (Festuca spp.) on most private lands (almost 7 million ha)....
Microbial reduction of structural iron in interstratified illite-smectite minerals by a sulfate-reducing bacterium
D. Liu, H. Dong, M.E. Bishop, Jiahua Zhang, Hongfang Wang, S. Xie, Shaoming Wang, L. Huang, D. D. Eberl
2012, Geobiology (10) 150-162
Clay minerals are ubiquitous in soils, sediments, and sedimentary rocks and could coexist with sulfate‐reducing bacteria (SRB) in anoxic environments, however, the interactions of clay minerals and SRB are not well understood. The objective of this study was to understand the reduction rate and capacity of structural Fe(III) in dioctahedral...
Migrating birds’ use of stopover habitat in the southwestern United States
Janet M. Ruth, R.H. Diehl, R.K. Felix Jr.
2012, The Condor (114) 698-710
In the arid Southwest, migratory birds are known to use riparian stopover habitats; we know less about how migrants use other habitat types during migratory stopover. Using radar data and satellite land-cover data, we determined the habitats with which birds are associated during migration stopover. Bird densities differed significantly by...
The influence of wave energy and sediment transport on seagrass distribution
Andrew W. Stevens, Jessica R. Lacy
2012, Estuaries and Coasts (35) 92-108
A coupled hydrodynamic and sediment transport model (Delft3D) was used to simulate the water levels, waves, and currents associated with a seagrass (Zostera marina) landscape along a 4-km stretch of coast in Puget Sound, WA, USA. A hydroacoustic survey of seagrass percent cover and nearshore bathymetry was conducted, and...
Effects of roads on survival of San Clemente Island foxes
N.P. Snow, William F. Andelt, Thomas R. Stanley, J.R. Resnik, L. Munson
2012, Journal of Wildlife Management (76) 243-252
Roads generate a variety of influences on wildlife populations; however, little is known about the effects of roads on endemic wildlife on islands. Specifically, road‐kills of island foxes (Urocyon littoralis) on San Clemente Island (SCI), Channel Islands, California, USA are a concern for resource managers. To determine the effects of...
Histopathology confirms white-nose syndrome in bats in Europe
J. Pikula, H. Bandouchova, L. Novotny, Carol U. Meteyer, J. Zukal, N.R. Irwin, J. Zima, N. Martinkova
2012, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (48) 207-211
White-nose syndrome, associated with the fungal skin infection geomycosis, caused regional population collapse in bats in North America. Our results, based on histopathology, show the presence of white-nose syndrome in Europe. Dermatohistopathology on two bats (Myotis myotis) found dead in March 2010 with geomycosis in the Czech Republic had characteristics...
Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement Off-Project Water Program Evapotranspiration Map for October 2006
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2012, Report
Interlaboratory comparison of real-time pcr protocols for quantification of general fecal indicator bacteria
O.C. Shanks, M. Sivaganesan, L. Peed, C.A. Kelty, A.D. Blackwood, M.R. Greene, R.T. Noble, Rebecca N. Bushon, Erin A. Stelzer, J. Kinzelman, T. Anan'Eva, C. Sinigalliano, D. Wanless, J. Griffith, Y. Cao, S. Weisberg, V.J. Harwood, C. Staley, K.H. Oshima, M. Varma, R.A. Haugland
2012, Environmental Science & Technology (46) 945-953
The application of quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) technologies for the rapid identification of fecal bacteria in environmental waters is being considered for use as a national water quality metric in the United States. The transition from research tool to a standardized protocol requires information on the reproducibility and sources of...
Selection of nest-site habitat by interior least terns in relation to sandbar construction
M. H. Sherfy, J. H. Stucker, D. A. Buhl
2012, Journal of Wildlife Management (76) 363-371
Federally endangered interior least terns (Sternula antillarum) nest on bare or sparsely vegetated sandbars on midcontinent river systems. Loss of nesting habitat has been implicated as a cause of population declines, and managing these habitats is a major initiative in population recovery. One such initiative involves construction of mid-channel sandbars...
Results of the first North American comparison of absolute gravimeters, NACAG-2010
David Schmerge, Olvier Francis, J. Henton, D. Ingles, D. Jones, Jeffrey R. Kennedy, K. Krauterbluth, J. Liard, D. Newell, R. Sands, J. Schiel, J. Silliker, D. van Westrum
2012, Journal of Geodesy (86) 591-596
The first North American Comparison of absolute gravimeters (NACAG-2010) was hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at its newly renovated Table Mountain Geophysical Observatory (TMGO) north of Boulder, Colorado, in October 2010. NACAG-2010 and the renovation of TMGO are part of NGS’s GRAV-D project (Gravity for the Redefinition...
New "Risk-Targeted" Seismic Maps Introduced into Building Codes
Nicholas Luco, B. Garrett, J. Hayes
2012, Report, Seismic Waves
Throughout most municipalities of the United States, structural engineers design new buildings using the U.S.-focused International Building Code (IBC). Updated editions of the IBC are published every 3 years. The latest edition (2012) contains new "risk-targeted maximum considered earthquake" (MCER) ground motion maps, which are enabling engineers to incorporate a...
