Copper pellets simulating oral exposure to copper ammunition: Absence of toxicity in American kestrels (Falco sparverius)
J. Christian Franson, Lesanna L. Lahner, Carol U. Meteyer, Barnett A. Rattner
2012, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (62) 145-153
To evaluate the potential toxicity of copper (Cu) in raptors that may consume Cu bullets, shotgun pellets containing Cu, or Cu fragments as they feed on wildlife carcasses, we studied the effects of metallic Cu exposure in a surrogate, the American kestrel (Falco sparverius). Sixteen kestrels were orally administered 5...
Characterizing mercury concentrations and fluxes in a Coastal Plain watershed: Insights from dynamic modeling and data
H.E. Golden, C.D. Knightes, P.A. Conrads, G. M. Davis, T.D. Feaster, C.A. Journey, S.T. Benedict, M. E. Brigham, P. M. Bradley
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research (117)
Mercury (Hg) is one of the leading water quality concerns in surface waters of the United States. Although watershed-scale Hg cycling research has increased in the past two decades, advances in modeling watershed Hg processes in diverse physiographic regions, spatial scales, and land cover types are needed. The goal of...
Sea-level history during the Last Interglacial complex on San Nicolas Island, California: implications for glacial isostatic adjustment processes, paleozoogeography and tectonics
Daniel R. Muhs, Kathleen R. Simmons, R. Randall Schumann, Lindsey T. Groves, Jerry X. Mitrovica, Deanna Laurel
2012, Quaternary Science Reviews (37) 1-25
San Nicolas Island, California has one of the best records of fossiliferous Quaternary marine terraces in North America, with at least fourteen terraces rising to an elevation of ~270 m above present-day sea level. In our studies of the lowest terraces, we identified platforms at 38-36 m (terrace 2a), 33-28...
Life histories, salinity zones, and sublethal contributions of contaminants to pelagic fish declines illustrated with a case study of San Francisco Estuary, California, USA
Marjorie L. Brooks, Erica Fleishman, Larry R. Brown, Peggy W. Lehman, Inge Werner, Nathaniel Scholz, Carys Michelmore, James R. Loworn, Michael L. Johnson, Daniel Schlenk
2012, Estuaries and Coasts (35) 603-621
Human effects on estuaries are often associated with major decreases in abundance of aquatic species. However, remediation priorities are difficult to identify when declines result from multiple stressors with interacting sublethal effects. The San Francisco Estuary offers a useful case study of the potential role of contaminants in declines of...
Effectiveness of seining after electrofishing to characterize stream fish communities
Michael R. Meador
2012, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (32) 177-185
The richness and composition of species collected uniquely to electrofishing and subsequent seining efforts were examined at 271 stream sites across the USA by using wadeable electrofishing methods (backpack or barge electrofishing) or boat electrofishing followed by seining. Seining after wadeable electrofishing resulted in the collection of new species at...
Cross-borehole flow analysis to characterize fracture connections in the Melechov Granite, Bohemian-Moravian Highland, Czech Republic
Frederick L. Paillet, John H. Williams, Joseph Urik, Joseph Lukes, Miroslav Kobr, Stanislav Mares
2012, Hydrogeology Journal (20) 143-154
Application of the cross-borehole flow method, in which short pumping cycles in one borehole are used to induce time-transient flow in another borehole, demonstrated that a simple hydraulic model can characterize the fracture connections in the bedrock mass between the two boreholes. The analysis determines the properties of fracture connections...
Evaluation of long-term water-level declines in basalt aquifers near Mosier, Oregon
Erick R. Burns, David S. Morgan, Karl K. Lee, Jonathan V. Haynes, Terrence D. Conlon
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5002
The Mosier area lies along the Columbia River in northwestern Wasco County between the cities of Hood River and The Dalles, Oregon. Major water uses in the area are irrigation, municipal supply for the city of Mosier, and domestic supply for rural residents. The primary source of water is groundwater...
Ensemble forecasting of potential habitat for three invasive fishes
Helen M. Poulos, Barry Chernoff, Pam L. Fuller, David Butman
2012, Aquatic Invasions (7) 59-72
Aquatic invasive species pose major ecological and economic threats to aquatic ecosystems worldwide via displacement, predation, or hybridization with native species and the alteration of aquatic habitats and hydrologic cycles. Modeling the habitat suitability of alien aquatic species through spatially explicit mapping is an increasingly important risk assessment tool. Habitat...
Effects of brood parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds may persist in the post fledging period
Sean M. Peterson, Henry M. Streby, David E. Andersen
2012, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (124) 179-183
Brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) typically decreases the number of host juveniles that fledge: however, little information exists regarding the effect of cowbird parasitism during the post-fledging period. We monitored 115 Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) nests in 2006–2008 in northcentral Minnesota, six of which were parasitized. We used radiotelemetry...
Assessing accumulation and sublethal effects of lead in a unionid mussel
Shad Mosher, W. Gregory Cope, Frank X. Weber, Thomas J. Kwak, Damian Shea
2012, WALKERANA (15) 60-68
Lead (Pb) contamination of the environment remains a global problem. Previous studies have demonstrated that Pb deposited onto roadside sediments from the past use of leaded gasoline in vehicles may be mobilized into rivers and streams, thereby resulting in exposure to aquatic biota. The aims of this study were to...
Zoonotic viruses associated with illegally imported wildlife products
Kristine M. Smith, Simon J. Anthony, William M. Switzer, Jonathan H. Epstein, Tracie Seimon, Hongwei Jia, Maria D. Sanchez, Thanh Thao Huynh, G. Gale Galland, Sheryl E. Shapiro, Jonathan M. Sleeman, Denise McAloose, Margot Stuchin, George Amato, Sergios-Orestis Kolokotronis, W. Ian Lipkin, William B. Karesh, Peter Daszak, Nina Marano
2012, PLoS ONE (7)
The global trade in wildlife has historically contributed to the emergence and spread of infectious diseases. The United States is the world's largest importer of wildlife and wildlife products, yet minimal pathogen surveillance has precluded assessment of the health risks posed by this practice. This report details the findings of...
Eco-virological approach for assessing the role of wild birds in the spread of avian influenza H5N1 along the central Asian flyway
Scott H. Newman, Nichola J. Hill, Kyle A. Spragens, Daniel Janies, Igor O. Voronkin, Diann J. Prosser, Baoping Yan, Fumin Lei, Nyambayar Batbayar, Tseveenmyadag Natsagdorj, Charles M. Bishop, Patrick J. Butler, Martin Wikelski, Sivananinthaperumal Balachandran, Taej Mundkur, David C. Douglas, John Y. Takekawa
2012, PLoS ONE (7)
A unique pattern of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 outbreaks has emerged along the Central Asia Flyway, where infection of wild birds has been reported with steady frequency since 2005. We assessed the potential for two hosts of HPAI H5N1, the bar-headed goose (Anser indicus) and ruddy shelduck (Tadorna...
Selection of nest-site habitat by interior least terns in relation to sandbar construction
Mark H. Sherfy, Jennifer H. Stucker, Deborah 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...
Selection indicates preference in diverse habitats: A ground-nesting bird (Charadrius melodus) using reservoir shoreline
Michael J. Anteau, Mark H. Sherfy, Mark T. Wiltermuth
2012, PLoS ONE (7) e30347
Animals use proximate cues to select resources that maximize individual fitness. When animals have a diverse array of available habitats, those selected could give insights into true habitat preferences. Since the construction of the Garrison Dam on the Missouri River in North Dakota, Lake Sakakawea (SAK) has become an important...
Factors affecting fish biodiversity in floodplain lakes of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
Leandro E. Miranda, Daniel J. Dembkowski
2012, Environmental Biology of Fishes (93) 357-368
River-floodplain ecosystems offer some of the most diverse and dynamic environments in the world. Accordingly, floodplain habitats harbor diverse fish assemblages. Fish biodiversity in floodplain lakes may be influenced by multiple variables operating on disparate scales, and these variables may exhibit a hierarchical organization depending on whether one variable governs...
Spatial distribution of landslides triggered from the 2007 Niigata Chuetsu–Oki Japan Earthquake
Brian D. Collins, Robert E. Kayen, Yasuo Tanaka
2012, Engineering Geology (127) 14-26
Understanding the spatial distribution of earthquake-induced landslides from specific earthquakes provides an opportunity to recognize what to expect from future events. The July 16, 2007 Mw 6.6 (MJMA 6.8) Niigata Chuetsu–Oki Japan earthquake triggered hundreds of landslides in the area surrounding the coastal city of Kashiwazaki and provides one such opportunity to...
Ocean-atmosphere dynamics during Hurricane Ida and Nor'Ida: An application of the coupled ocean-;atmosphere–wave–sediment transport (COAWST) modeling system
Maitane Olabarrieta, John C. Warner, Brandy N. Armstrong, Joseph B. Zambon, Ruoying He
2012, Ocean Modelling (43-44) 112-137
The coupled ocean–atmosphere–wave–sediment transport (COAWST) modeling system was used to investigate atmosphere–ocean–wave interactions in November 2009 during Hurricane Ida and its subsequent evolution to Nor'Ida, which was one of the most costly storm systems of the past two decades. One interesting aspect of this event is that it included two...
Response of New zealand mudsnails Potamopyrgus antipodarum to freezing and near freezing fluctuating water temperatures
Christine M. Moffitt, Christopher A. James
2012, Freshwater Science (31) 1035-1041
We explored the resilience of the invasive New Zealand mudsnail Potamopyrgus antipodarum to fluctuating winter freezing and near-freezing temperature cycles in laboratory tests. Our goal was to provide data to confirm field observations of mortality and presumed mortality in stream habitats with fluctuating freezing to near-freezing temperatures. We tested individuals...
Effects of smectite to illite transformation on the frictional strength and sliding stability of intact marine mudstones
Demian M. Saffer, David A. Lockner, Alex McKiernan
2012, Geophysical Research Letters (39)
At subduction zones, earthquake nucleation and coseismic slip occur only within a limited depth range, known as the “seismogenic zone”. One leading hypothesis for the upper aseismic-seismic transition is that transformation of smectite to illite at ∼100–150°C triggers a change from rate-strengthening frictional behavior that allows only stable sliding, to...
Trajectory of early tidal marsh restoration: elevation, sedimentation and colonization of breached salt ponds in the northern San Francisco Bay
L. Arriana Brand, Lacy M. Smith, John Y. Takekawa, Nicole D. Athearn, Karen Taylor, Gregory Shellenbarger, David H. Schoellhamer, Renee Spenst
2012, Ecological Engineering (42) 19-29
Tidal marsh restoration projects that cover large areas are critical for maintaining target species, yet few large sites have been studied and their restoration trajectories remain uncertain. A tidal marsh restoration project in the northern San Francisco Bay consisting of three breached salt ponds (≥300 ha each; 1175 ha total)...
Population dynamics of Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774) in mesohaline and oligohaline habitats: Invasion success in a Southern Europe estuary
J.N. Franco, F.R. Ceia, J. Patricio, Janet K. Thompson, J.C. Marques, J.M. Neto
2012, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (112) 31-39
Due to its range expansion and potential ecological effects, Corbicula fluminea is considered one of the most important non-indigenous species (NIS) in aquatic ecosystems. Its presence since 2003 in the upstream area of Mondego estuary (oligohaline and mesohaline sectors) was studied during thirteen months, from December 2007 to December 2008....
Peninsular terrane basement ages recorded by Paleozoic and Paleoproterozoic zircon in gabbro xenoliths and andesite from Redoubt volcano, Alaska
Charles R. Bacon, Jorge A. Vazquez, Joseph L. Wooden
2012, Geological Society of America Bulletin (124) 24-34
Historically Sactive Redoubt volcano is an Aleutian arc basalt-to-dacite cone constructed upon the Jurassic–Early Tertiary Alaska–Aleutian Range batholith. The batholith intrudes the Peninsular tectonostratigraphic terrane, which is considered to have developed on oceanic basement and to have accreted to North America, possibly in Late Jurassic time. Xenoliths in Redoubt magmas...
Spatio-temporal variations in age structures of a partially re-established population of northern river otters (Lontra canadensis)
Dominic A. Barrett, David M. Leslie Jr.
2012, American Midland Naturalist (168) 302-314
Examination of age structures and sex ratios is useful in the management of northern river otters (Lontra canadensis) and other furbearers. Reintroductions and subsequent recolonizations of river otters have been well documented, but changes in demographics between expanding and established populations have not been observed. As a result of reintroduction...
Molecular dynamics simulation of nitric oxide in myoglobin
Myung Won Lee, Markus Meuwly
2012, Journal of Physical Chemistry (116) 4154-4162
The infrared (IR) spectroscopy and ligand migration of photodissociated nitric oxide (NO) in and around the active sites in myoglobin (Mb) are investigated. A distributed multipolar model for open-shell systems is developed and used, which allows one to realistically describe the charge distribution around the diatomic probe molecule. The IR...
Fire-driven alien invasion in a fire-adapted ecosystem
Jon E. Keeley, Teresa J. Brennan
2012, Oecologia (169) 1043-1052
Disturbance plays a key role in many alien plant invasions. However, often the main driver of invasion is not disturbance per se but alterations in the disturbance regime. In some fire-adapted shrublands, the community is highly resilient to infrequent, high-intensity fires, but changes in the fire regime that result in...
