Improved electron probe microanalysis of trace elements in quartz
John J. Donovan, Heather Lowers, Brian G. Rusk
2011, American Mineralogist (96) 274-282
Quartz occurs in a wide range of geologic environments throughout the Earth's crust. The concentration and distribution of trace elements in quartz provide information such as temperature and other physical conditions of formation. Trace element analyses with modern electron-probe microanalysis (EPMA) instruments can achieve 99% confidence detection of ~100 ppm...
Impacts of the herbicide butachlor on the larvae of a paddy field breeding frog (Fejervarya limnocharis) in subtropical Taiwan
Wan-Yi Liu, Ching-Yuh Wang, Tsu-Shing Wang, Gary M. Fellers, Bo-Chi Lai, Yeong-Choy Kam
2011, Ecotoxicology (20) 377-384
Butachlor is the most commonly used herbicide on paddy fields in Taiwan and throughout Southeast Asia. Since paddy fields provide habitat for pond breeding amphibians, we examined growth, development, time to metamorphosis, and survival of alpine cricket frog tadpoles (Fejervarya limnocharis) exposed to environmentally realistic concentrations of butachlor. We documented...
Effects of fluctuating flows and a controlled flood on incubation success and early survival rates and growth of age-0 rainbow trout in a large regulated river
Josh Korman, Matthew Kaplinski, Theodore S. Melis
2011, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (140) 487-505
Hourly fluctuations in flow from Glen Canyon Dam were increased in an attempt to limit the population of nonnative rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss in the Colorado River, Arizona, due to concerns about negative effects of nonnative trout on endangered native fishes. Controlled floods have also been conducted to enhance native fish habitat....
Formation dynamics of subsurface hydrocarbon intrusions following the Deepwater Horizon blowout
Scott A. Socolofsky, E. Eric Adams, Christopher R. Sherwood
2011, Geophysical Research Letters (38)
Hydrocarbons released following the Deepwater Horizon (DH) blowout were found in deep, subsurface horizontal intrusions, yet there has been little discussion about how these intrusions formed. We have combined measured (or estimated) observations from the DH release with empirical relationships developed from previous lab experiments to identify the mechanisms responsible...
Effects of large-scale wildfire on ground foraging ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in southern California
Tritia Matsuda, Greta Turschak, Cheryl Brehme, Carlton Rochester, Milan Mitrovich, Robert Fisher
2011, Environmental Entomology (40) 204-216
We investigated the effect of broad-scale wildfire on ground foraging ants within southern California. In October and November of 2003, two wildfires burned large portions of the wildlands within San Diego County. Between January 2005 and September 2006, we surveyed 63 plots across four sites to measure the effect of...
Effects of fire on spotted owl site occupancy in a late-successional forest
Susan L. Roberts, Jan W. van Wagtendonk, A. Keith Miles, Douglas A. Kelt
2011, Biological Conservation (144) 610-619
The spotted owl (Strix occidentalis) is a late-successional forest dependent species that is sensitive to forest management practices throughout its range. An increase in the frequency and spatial extent of stand-replacing fires in western North America has prompted concern for the persistence of spotted owls and other sensitive late-successional forest...
Ecological influence and pathways of land use in sagebrush
Steven T. Knick, Steven E. Hanser, Richard F. Miller, David A. Pyke, Michael J. Wisdom, Sean P. Finn, E. Thomas Rinkes, Charles J. Henny
Steven T. Knick, John W. Connelly, editor(s)
2011, Book chapter, Greater sage-grouse: Ecology and conservation of a landscape species and its habitats
Land use in sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) landscapes influences all sage-grouse (Centrocer-cus spp.) populations in western North America. Croplands and the network of irrigation canals cover 230,000 km2 and indirectly influence up to 77% of the Sage-Grouse Conservation Area and 73% of sagebrush land cover by subsidizing synanthropic predators on sage-grouse....
Fright reaction and avoidance induced by exposure to conspecific skin extracts in invasive bighead and silver carps
Edward E. Little, Robin D. Calfee, David L. Fabacher, Laura Sanders
D.C. Chapman, M.H. Hoff, editor(s)
2011, Conference Paper, Invasive Asian carps in North America: American Fisheries Society Symposium
No abstract available. ...
Field evaluation of the error arising from inadequate time averaging in the standard use of depth-integrating suspended-sediment samplers
David J. Topping, David M. Rubin, Scott Wright, Theodore S. Melis
2011, Professional Paper 1774
Several common methods for measuring suspended-sediment concentration in rivers in the United States use depth-integrating samplers to collect a velocity-weighted suspended-sediment sample in a subsample of a river cross section. Because depth-integrating samplers are always moving through the water column as they collect a sample, and can collect only a...
Imported Asian swamp eels (Synbranchidae: Monopterus) in North American live food markets: Potential vectors of non-native parasites
Leo G. Nico, Paul Sharp, Timothy M. Collins
2011, Aquatic Invasions (6) 69-76
Since the 1990s, possibly earlier, large numbers of Asian swamp eels (Synbranchidae: Monopterus spp.), some wild-caught, have been imported live from various countries in Asia and sold in ethnic food markets in cities throughout the USA and parts of Canada. Such markets are the likely introduction pathway of some, perhaps...
California gull chicks raised near colony edges have elevated stress levels
Garth Herring, Joshua T. Ackerman
2011, General and Comparative Endocrinology (173) 72-77
Coloniality in nesting birds represents an important life history strategy for maximizing reproductive success. Birds nesting near the edge of colonies tend to have lower reproductive success than individuals nesting near colony centers, and offspring of edge-nesting parents may be impaired relative to those of central-nesting parents. We used fecal...
Probability and volume of potential postwildfire debris flows in the 2011 Horseshoe II burn area, southeastern Arizona
Barbara C. Ruddy
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1197
This report presents a preliminary emergency assessment of the debris-flow hazards from drainage basins burned in 2011 by the Horseshoe II wildfire in southeastern Arizona. Empirical models derived from statistical evaluation of data collected from recently burned drainage basins throughout the intermountain western United States were used to estimate the...
Geospatial Multi-Agency Coordination (GeoMAC) wildland fire perimeters, 2008
Sandra P. Walters, Norma J. Schneider, John D. Guthrie
2011, Data Series 612
The Geospatial Multi-Agency Coordination (GeoMAC) has been collecting and storing data on wildland fire perimeters since August 2000. The dataset presented via this U.S. Geological Survey Data Series product contains the GeoMAC wildland fire perimeter data for the calendar year 2008, which are based upon input from incident intelligence sources,...
Archive of digital Chirp subbottom profile data collected during USGS cruise 08CCT01, Mississippi Gulf Islands, July 2008
Arnell S. Forde, Shawn V. Dadisman, James G. Flocks, Charles R. Worley
2011, Data Series 620
In July of 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted geophysical surveys to investigate the geologic controls on island framework from Ship Island to Horn Island, Mississippi, for the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) Ecosystem Change and Hazard Susceptibility project. Funding was provided through the Geologic Framework and Holocene Coastal...
Identifying structural elements needed for development of a predictive life-history model for pallid and shovelnose sturgeons
Mark L. Wildhaber, A. J. DeLonay, D. M. Papoulias, D.L. Galat, R. B. Jacobson, D.G. Simpkins, P.J. Braaten, C. E. Korschgen, M. J. Mac
2011, Journal of Applied Ichthyology (27) 462-469
Intensive management of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers has resulted in dramatic changes to the river systems and their biota. These changes have been implicated in the decline of the pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus), which has been listed as a United States federal endangered species. The sympatric shovelnose sturgeon (S. platorynchus)...
Structured decision making as a proactive approach to dealing with sea level rise in Florida
J. Martin, P.L. Fackler, James D. Nichols, B. C. Lubow, Mitchell J. Eaton, Michael C. Runge, Bradley Stith, Catherine A. Langtimm
2011, Climatic Change (107) 185-202
Sea level rise (SLR) projections along the coast of Florida present an enormous challenge for management and conservation over the long term. Decision makers need to recognize and adopt strategies to adapt to the potentially detrimental effects of SLR. Structured decision making (SDM) provides a rigorous framework for the management...
Water-level data for the Albuquerque Basin and adjacent areas, central New Mexico, period of record through September 30, 2010
Joseph E. Beman
2011, Data Series 623
The Albuquerque Basin, located in central New Mexico, is about 100 miles long and 25-40 miles wide. The basin is defined as the extent of consolidated and unconsolidated deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age that encompasses the structural Rio Grande Rift within the basin. Drinking-water supplies throughout the basin were...
Analysis of the North American Breeding Bird Survey using hierarchical models
John R. Sauer, William Link
2011, The Auk (128) 87-98
We analyzed population change for 420 bird species from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) using a hierarchical log-linear model and compared the results with those obtained through route-regression analysis. Survey-wide trend estimates based on the hierarchical model were generally more precise than estimates from the earlier analysis. No...
Multispecies modeling for adaptive management of horseshoe crabs and red knots in the Delaware Bay
Conor P. McGowan, David R. Smith, J. A. Sweka, Julien Martin, James D. Nichols, R. Wong, J. E. Lyons, L. J. Niles, K. Kalasz, J. Brust, M. Klopfer, B. Spear
2011, Natural Resource Modeling (24) 117-156
Adaptive management requires that predictive models be explicit and transparent to improve decisions by comparing management actions, directing further research and monitoring, and facilitating learning. The rufa subspecies of red knots (Calidris canutus rufa), which has recently exhibited steep population declines, relies on horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) eggs as their...
An experiment to control nonnative fish in the Colorado River, Grand Canyon, Arizona
Coggins Jr., Michael D. Yard
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3093
The humpback chub (Gila cypha) is an endangered native fish found only in the Colorado River Basin. In Grand Canyon, most humpback chub are found in the Little Colorado River and its confluence with the Colorado River. For decades, however, nonnative rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and brown trout (Salmo trutta),...
Updated one-dimensional hydraulic model of the Kootenai River, Idaho: A supplement to Scientific Investigations Report 2005-5110
Christiana R. Czuba, Gary J. Barton
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5128
The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, in cooperation with local, State, Federal, and Canadian agency co-managers and scientists, is assessing the feasibility of a Kootenai River habitat restoration project in Boundary County, Idaho. The restoration project is focused on recovery of the endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) population, and...
Estimating age from recapture data: Integrating incremental growth measures with ancillary data to infer age-at-length
Mitchell J. Eaton, William A. Link
2011, Ecological Applications (21) 2487-2497
Estimating the age of individuals in wild populations can be of fundamental importance for answering ecological questions, modeling population demographics, and managing exploited or threatened species. Significant effort has been devoted to determining age through the use of growth annuli, secondary physical characteristics related to age, and growth models. Many...
IUPAC Periodic Table of the Isotopes
N.E. Holden, T.B. Coplen, J.K. Böhlke, M.E. Wieser, G. Singleton, T. Walczyk, S. Yoneda, P.G. Mahaffy, L.V. Tarbox
2011, Chemistry International (33)
For almost 150 years, the Periodic Table of the Elements has served as a guide to the world of elements by highlighting similarities and differences in atomic structure and chemical properties. To introduce students, teachers, and society to the existence and importance of isotopes of the chemical elements, an IUPAC...
Topographic and hydrographic GIS dataset for the Afghanistan Geological Survey and U.S. Geological Survey 2010 Minerals Project
P. G. Chirico, T.W. Moran
2011, Data Series 624
This dataset contains a collection of 24 folders, each representing a specific U.S. Geological Survey area of interest (AOI; fig. 1), as well as datasets for AOI subsets. Each folder includes the extent, contours, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), and hydrography of the corresponding AOI, which are organized into feature vector...
Fish and chips? Implanted transmitters help map the endangered pallid sturgeon
Kimberly Chojnacki, Aaron DeLonay
2011, GeoWorld 14-17
With a flattened snout, long slender tail and rows of bony plates lining its body, the pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) has a unique, almost pre-historic, appearance. This endangered fish is native to the muddy, free-flowing waters of the Missouri River....
