Pelagic forage versus abiotic factors as drivers of walleye growth in northern Wisconsin lakes
Austin M. Noring, Greg G. Sass, Stephen R. Midway, Justin A. VanDeHey, Joshua K. Raabe, Daniel A. Isermann, Jeffrey M. Kampa, Timothy P. Parks, John Lyons, Martin J. Jennings
2021, Advances in Limnology (66) 207-223
Understanding ecological relationships among fishes and their environments are important for informing management policies. We conducted a statewide assessment of cisco (Coregonus artedi) in inland lakes of Wisconsin to better understand the status of this pelagic, coldwater forage fish. We then used long-term (2005–2014), standardized walleye (Sander vitreus) survey data...
Historic coregonine habitat use and assessment of larval nursery locations in Lake Erie
Hannah M Schaefer, Edward F. Roseman, Robin L. DeBruyne, Christopher Vandergoot, James S. Diana
2021, Advances in Limnology (66) 245-259
Coregonine fishes (Coregonus spp.) are important components of Great Lake food webs and support lucrative commercial and recreational fisheries. Due to a combination of several factors including habitat loss, over-exploitation, and introduction of exotic species, the distribution and abundance of coregonines have been reduced. Examples of these declines are...
Effects of low pH on the coral reef cryptic invertebrate communities near CO2 vents in Papua New Guinea
Laetitia Plaisance, Kenan O. Matterson, Katharina Fabricius, Sergei V. Drovetski, Christoph F. J. Meyer, Nancy Knowlton
2021, PLoS ONE (16)
Small cryptic invertebrates (the cryptofauna) are extremely abundant, ecologically important, and species rich on coral reefs. Ongoing ocean acidification is likely to have both direct effects on the biology of these organisms, as well as indirect effects through cascading impacts on their habitats and trophic relationships. Naturally acidified habitats have...
How well do we know Europa’s topography? An evaluation of the variability in digital terrain models of Europa.
Michael T. Bland, Randolph L. Kirk, Donna M. Galuszka, David Mayer, R. A. Beyer, Robin L. Fergason
2021, Remote Sensing (13)
Jupiter’s moon Europa harbors one of the most likely environments for extant extraterrestrial life. Determining whether Europa is truly habitable requires understanding the structure and thickness of its ice shell, including the existence of perched water or brines. Stereo-derived topography from images acquired by NASA Galileo’s Solid...
Multi-proxy record of Holocene paleoenvironmental conditions from Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming, USA
Sabrina R. Brown, Rosine Cartier, Christopher Schiller, Petra Zahajski, Sherilyn Fritz, Lisa Ann Morgan Morzel, Cathy Whitlock, Daniel J. Conley, Jack H. Lacy, Melanie J. Leng, Wayne (Pat) Shanks
2021, Quaternary Science Reviews (274)
A composite 11.82 m-long (9876–-67 cal yr BP) sediment record from Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming was analyzed using a robust set of biological and geochemical proxies to investigate the paleoenvironmental evolution of the lake and its catchment in response to long-term climate forcing. Oxygen isotopes from diatom frustules were analyzed to...
Miniature temperature data loggers increase precision and reduce bias when estimating the daily survival rate for bird nests
Matthew D. Stephenson, Robert W. Klaver, Lisa A. Schulte, Jarad Niemi
2021, Journal of Field Ornithology (92) 492-505
Demographic studies of many bird species are challenging because their nests are cryptic, resulting in few nests being found. To maximize statistical power, methods are needed that minimize disturbance while yielding as much information per nest as possible. One way to meet these objectives is to use miniature thermal data...
Geochronologic, isotopic, and geochemical data from pre-Cretaceous plutonic rocks in the Lane Mountain area, San Bernardino County, California
Paul Stone, Howard J. Brown, M. Robinson Cecil, Robert J. Fleck, Jorge A. Vazquez, John A. Fitzpatrick
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1094
Pre-Cretaceous, predominantly dioritic plutonic rocks in the Lane Mountain area, California, intrude metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks considered part of the El Paso terrane. New geochronologic (uranium-lead zircon), geochemical, and isotopic data provide a reliable basis for dividing these pre-Cretaceous plutonic rocks into two mappable suites of Permian–Triassic and Late Jurassic...
Crater growth and lava-lake dynamics revealed through multitemporal terrestrial lidar scanning at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi
Adam L. LeWinter, Steve W. Anderson, David C. Finnegan, Matthew R. Patrick, Tim R. Orr
2021, Professional Paper 1867-C
Lava lake surfaces display the tops of active magma columns and respond to eruption variables such as magmatic pressure, convection, degassing, and cooling, as well as interactions with the craters that contain them. However, they are challenging to study owing to the numerous hazards that accompany these eruptions, and they...
Slimy sculpin depth shifts and habitat squeeze following the round goby invasion in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Shea L. Volkel, Kelly F. Robinson, David Bunnell, Michael J. Connerton, Jeremy P. Holden, Darryl W. Hondorp, Brian Weidel
2021, Journal of Great Lakes Research (47) 1793-1803
The collapse of Diporeia spp. and invasions of dreissenid mussels (zebra, Dreissena polymorpha; quagga, D. bugensis) and round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) have been associated with declines in abundance of native benthic fishes in the Great Lakes, including historically abundant slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus). We hypothesized...
Birds not in flight: Using camera traps to observe ground use of birds at a wind-energy facility
Shellie R. Puffer, Laura A. Tennant, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Mickey Agha, Amanda L. Smith, David Delaney, Terence R. Arundel, Leo J. Fleckenstein, Jessica Briggs, Andrew Walde, Joshua Ennen
2021, Wildlife Research (49) 283-294
Context: Camera trapping is increasingly used to collect information on wildlife occurrence and behaviour remotely. Not only does the technique provide insights into habitat use by species of interest, it also gathers information on non-target species.Aims: We implemented ground-based camera trapping to investigate the behaviours of ground-dwelling birds, a technique that has...
Influence of antecedent geology on the Holocene formation and evolution of Horn Island, Mississippi, USA
Nina S Gal, Davin J Wallace, Michael Miner, Robert S Hollis, Clayton H Dike, James Flocks
2021, Marine Geology (431)
Horn Island, one of the two most stable barriers along the Mississippi-Alabama chain (Cat, East and West Ship, Horn, West Petit Bois, Petit Bois, and Dauphin), provides critical habitat, helps regulate estuarine conditions in the Mississippi Sound, and reduces wave energy...
Juvenile African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) express growth, metamorphosis, mortality, gene expression, and metabolic changes when exposed to thiamethoxam and clothianidin
Jill Jenkins, Katherine R. Hartop, Ghadeer Bukhari, Debra E. Howton, Kelly L. Smalling, Scott Mize, Michelle L. Hladik, Darren Johnson, Rassa Dale, Bonnie L. Brown
2021, International Journal of Molecular Sciences (22)
Neonicotinoids (NEO) represent the main class of insecticides currently in use, with thiamethoxam (THX) and clothianidin (CLO) primarily applied agriculturally. With few comprehensive studies having been performed with non-target amphibians, the aim was to investigate potential biomarker responses along an adverse outcome pathway of NEO exposure, whereby...
Surveillance for diseases, pathogens, and toxicants of muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) in Pennsylvania and surrounding regions
Laken S. Ganoe, Justin D. Brown, Matthew J. Lovallo, Michael J. Yabsley, Kayla B. Garrett, Alec T. Thompson, Robert H. Poppenga, Mark G. Ruder, W. David Walter
2021, PLoS ONE (16)
Using diagnostic data and contemporary sampling efforts, we conducted surveillance for a diversity of pathogens, toxicants, and diseases of muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus). Between 1977 and 2019, 26 diagnostic cases were examined from Kansas and throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, USA. We identified multiple causes of mortality in muskrats, but trauma...
Variable effects of wind-energy development on seasonal habitat selection of pronghorn
Megan C. Milligan, Aaron N. Johnston, Jeff L Beck, Kurt T. Smith, Kaitlyn L. Taylor, Embere Hall, Lee Knox, Teal Cufaude, Cody F. Wallace, Geneva W. Chong, Matthew J. Kauffman
2021, Ecosphere (12)
In the face of climate change, wind energy represents an important alternative to oil and gas extraction to meet increasing energy demands, but it has the potential to disrupt wildlife populations. Because behavioral adjustments, such as altered habitat selection, are a primary way that long-lived species...
Occurrence and distribution of PFAS in sampled source water of public drinking-water supplies in the surficial aquifer in Delaware, 2018; PFAS and groundwater age-dating results
Betzaida Reyes
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1109
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the Delaware Geological Survey, conducted a groundwater-quality investigation to (1) describe the occurrence and distribution of PFAS, and (2) document any changes in groundwater quality in the Columbia aquifer public water-supply wells in...
Ecological potential fractional component cover based on Long-Term satellite observations across the western United States
Matthew B. Rigge, Deb Meyer, Brett Bunde
2021, Ecological Indicators (133)
Rangelands have immense inherent spatial and temporal variability, yet land condition and trends are often assessed at a limited number of spatially “representative” points. Spatially comprehensive, and quantitative, Ecological Potential (EP) data provide a baseline for comparison to current rangeland vegetation conditions and trends. Here, we define EP as potential fractional...
Historical and paleoflood analyses for probabilistic flood-hazard assessments—Approaches and review guidelines
Tessa M. Harden, Karen R. Ryberg, Jim E. O'Connor, Jonathan M. Friedman, Julie E. Kiang
2021, Techniques and Methods 4-B6
Paleoflood studies are an effective means of providing specific information on the recurrence and magnitude of rare and large floods. Such information can be combined with systematic flood measurements to better assess the frequency of large floods. Paleoflood data also provide valuable information about the linkages among climate, land...
Thermal conditions predict intraspecific variation in senescence rate in frogs and toads
Hugo Cayuela, Jean-Francois Lemaitre, Erin L. Muths, Rebecca M. McCaffery, Thierry Fretey, Bernard Le Garff, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Kurt Grossenbacher, Omar Lenzi, Blake R. Hossack, Lisa A Eby, Brad A. Lambert, Johan Elmberg, Juha Merila, Jerome MW Gippet, Jean-Michel Gaillard, David S. Pilliod
2021, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (118)
Variation in temperature is known to influence mortality patterns in ectotherms. Even though a few experimental studies on model organisms have reported a positive relationship between temperature and actuarial senescence (i.e., the increase in mortality risk with age), how variation in climate influences the senescence rate...
Mean annual runoff and annual runoff variability map for Oklahoma, 1940–2007
S. Jerrod Smith, Elise M. Sherrod
2021, Scientific Investigations Map 3482
Hydrologic records used to create previously published maps depicting mean annual runoff are biased to a relatively dry period in Oklahoma history that was dominated by droughts. Therefore, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, developed an updated mean annual runoff and annual runoff...
Historical changes in bed elevation and water depth within the Nehalem Bay, Oregon, 1891–2019
Mackenzie K. Keith, Krista L. Jones, Gabriel W. Gordon
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5108
Estuaries, at the nexus of rivers and the ocean, are depositional areas that respond to changes in streamflow, tides, sea level, and inputs of sediment from marine and watershed sources. Understanding changes in bed elevations, deposited and eroded sediment, and water depth throughout estuaries is relevant for understanding their...
Load estimation and trend analysis for nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediment in the Eucha-Spavinaw drainage area, northeastern Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas, 2011–18
Nicole Paizis, Carol Becker, Kayla A. Lockmiller
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5105
Lake Eucha is a source of water for public supply and recreation for the residents of Tulsa and other municipalities in northeastern Oklahoma. Beaty Creek and Spavinaw Creek flow into Lake Eucha and drain about 388 square miles of agricultural and forested land in northeastern Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas. Beginning...
Earthquake risk of gas pipelines in the conterminous United States and its sources of uncertainty
N. Simon Kwong, Kishor S. Jaiswal, Jack W. Baker, Nico Luco, K. A. Ludwig, Vasey J. Stephens
2021, ASCE-ASME Journal of Risk and Uncertainty in Engineering Systems, Part A: Civil Engineering (8)
Relatively little research has been conducted to systematically quantify the nationwide earthquake risk of gas pipelines in the US; simultaneously, national guidance is limited for operators across the country to consistently evaluate the earthquake risk of their assets. Furthermore, many challenges and uncertainties exist in a comprehensive...
A statistical framework to track temporal dependence of chlorophyll–nutrient relationships with implications for lake eutrophication management
Qianlinglin Qiu, Zhongyao Liang, Yaoyang Xu, Shin-ichiro S. Matsuzaki, Kazuhiro Komatsu, Tyler Wagner
2021, Journal of Hydrology (603)
A reliable chlorophyll–nutrient relationship (CNR) is essential for lake eutrophication management. Although the spatial variability of CNRs has been extensively explored, temporal variations of CNRs at the individual lake scale has rarely been discussed. The paucity of information about temporal dependence...
A characterization of deep-sea coral and sponge communities along the California and Oregon coast using a remotely operated vehicle on the EXPRESS 2018 expedition
Tom Laidig, Diana Watters, Nancy G. Prouty, Meredith Everett, Lizzie Duncan, Liz Clarke, Chris Caldow, Amanda Demopoulos
2021, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC 657
Deep-sea coral and sponge (DSCS) communities serve as essential fish habitats (EFH) by providing shelter and nursery habitat, increasing diversity, and increasing prey availability (Freese and Wing, 2003; Bright, 2007; Baillon et al., 2012; Henderson et al., 2020). Threats to these long-lived, fragile organisms from bottom contact fishing gear, potential...
Continuous turbidity data used to compute constituent concentrations in the South Loup River, Nebraska, 2017–18
David L. Rus, Brenda K. Densmore
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5120
The South Loup River in central Nebraska has been impaired by bacteria since at least 2004, which has resulted in the river not meeting its intended use as a recreational waterway. As part of a strategy for reducing the bacterial load in the river, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation...
