Alternative states of a semiarid grassland ecosystem: implications for ecosystem services
Mark E. Miller, R. Travis Belote, Matthew A. Bowker, Steven L. Garman
2011, Ecosphere (2)
Ecosystems can shift between alternative states characterized by persistent differences in structure, function, and capacity to provide ecosystem services valued by society. We examined empirical evidence for alternative states in a semiarid grassland ecosystem where topographic complexity and contrasting management regimes have led to spatial variations in levels of livestock...
A multi-year comparison of IPCI scores for prairie pothole wetlands: implications of temporal and spatial variation
Ned H. Euliss Jr., David M. Mushet
2011, Wetlands (31) 713-723
In the prairie pothole region of North America, development of Indices of Biotic Integrity (IBIs) to detect anthropogenic impacts on wetlands has been hampered by naturally dynamic inter-annual climate fluctuations. Of multiple efforts to develop IBIs for prairie pothole wetlands, only one, the Index of Plant Community Integrity (IPCI), has...
Vagrant western red-shouldered hawks: origins, natal dispersal patterns, and survival
Peter H. Bloom, J. Michael Scott, Joseph M. Papp, Scott E. Thomas, Jeff W. Kidd
2011, The Condor (113) 538-546
We report the results of a 40-year study of the western Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus elegans) involving the banding of 2742 nestlings in southern California from 1970 to 2009 (this study) plus 127 nestlings banded in other California studies (1956–2008) and the analyses of 119 records of subsequent recovery from...
Predicting breeding habitat for amphibians: a spatiotemporal analysis across Yellowstone National Park
Paul E. Bartelt, Alisa L. Gallant, Robert W. Klaver, Christopher K. Wright, Debra A. Patla, Charles R. Peterson
2011, Ecological Applications (21) 2530-2547
The ability to predict amphibian breeding across landscapes is important for informing land management decisions and helping biologists better understand and remediate factors contributing to declines in amphibian populations. We built geospatial models of likely breeding habitats for each of four amphibian species that breed in Yellowstone National Park (YNP)....
Quantifying the influence of sea ice on ocean microseism using observations from the Bering Sea, Alaska
Victor C. Tsai, Daniel E. McNamara
2011, Geophysical Research Letters (38)
Microseism is potentially affected by all processes that alter ocean wave heights. Because strong sea ice prevents large ocean waves from forming, sea ice can therefore significantly affect microseism amplitudes. Here we show that this link between sea ice and microseism is not only a robust one but can be...
The Nene: Hawaii's iconic goose: a mixed bag of successes, setbacks, and uncertainty
S.C. Hess
2011, The Wildlife Professional (5) 56-59
New research with satellite telemetry shows that the endangered Hawaiian goose, or nene (Branta sandvicensis), appears to be making a comeback&mdsah;and a puzzling one at that....
The dazed and confused identity of Agassiz's land tortoise, Gopherus agassizii (Testudines, Testudinidae) with the description of a new species, and its consequences for conservation
Robert K. Murphy, Kristin Berry, Taylor Edwards, Alan E. Leviton, Amy Lathrop, J. Daren Riedle
2011, ZooKeys (113) 39-71
We investigate a cornucopia of problems associated with the identity of the desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizii Cooper. The date of publication is found to be 1861, rather than 1863. Only one of the three original cotypes exists, and it is designated as the lectotype of the species. Another cotype is...
Rhinoceros sondaicus (Perissodactyla: Rhinocerotidae)
David M. Leslie Jr., Colin P. Groves
2011, Mammalian Species (43) 190-208
Rhinoceros sondaicus Desmarest, 1822, commonly called the Javan rhinoceros or lesser one-horned rhinoceros, is the most critically endangered large mammal on Earth with only 40-50 extant individuals in 2 disjunct and distant populations: most in Ujung Kulon, West Java, and only 2-6 (optimistically) in Cat Loc, Vietnam. R. sondaicus is...
Response in the trophic state of stratified lakes to changes in hydrology and water level: potential effects of climate change
Dale M. Robertson, William J. Rose
2011, Journal of Water and Climate Change (2) 1-18
To determine how climate-induced changes in hydrology and water level may affect the trophic state (productivity) of stratified lakes, two relatively pristine dimictic temperate lakes in Wisconsin, USA, were examined. Both are closed-basin lakes that experience changes in water level and degradation in water quality during periods of high water....
Understanding the amplitudes of noise correlation measurements
Victor C. Tsai
2011, Journal of Geophysical Research (116)
Cross correlation of ambient seismic noise is known to result in time series from which station-station travel-time measurements can be made. Part of the reason that these cross-correlation travel-time measurements are reliable is that there exists a theoretical framework that quantifies how these travel times depend on the features of...
Estimating groundwater recharge
David A. Stonestrom
2011, Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union (92) 269-269
Groundwater recharge is the entry of fresh water into the saturated portion of the subsurface part of the hydrologic cycle, the modifier “saturated” indicating that the pressure of the pore water is greater than atmospheric. Briefly stated, recharge is downward flux across the water table. The term “groundwater recharge” can...
Persistence of the longnose darter (P. nasuta) in Lee Creek, Oklahoma
Michael R. Gatlin, James M. Long
2011, Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science (91) 11-14
The longnose darter Percina nasuta (Bailey) is one of Oklahoma’s rarest fish species (1) and is listed by the state as endangered. Throughout the rest of its range, which includes Missouri, Arkansas and the far eastern portion of Oklahoma, the longnose darter is classified as “rare” or “threatened” (2, 3,...
The efficacy of mass-marking channel catfish fingerlings by immersion in oxytetracycline
David R. Stewart
2011, Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science (91) 31-36
Oxytetracycline (OTC) has been extensively used for marking a variety of fish species, but has never been successfully used to mark channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. Channel catfish fingerlings (~ 25 mm TL) obtained from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation at Byron Fish Hatchery were kept in Living Streams (791...
Seasonal productivity in a population of migratory songbirds: why nest data are not enough
Henry M. Streby, David E. Andersen
2011, Ecosphere (2) 1-15
Population models for many animals are limited by a lack of information regarding juvenile survival. In particular, studies of songbird reproductive output typically terminate with the success or failure of nests, despite the fact that adults spend the rest of the reproductive season rearing dependent fledglings. Unless fledgling survival does...
The influence of current speed and vegetation density on flow structure in two macrotidal eelgrass canopies
Jessica R. Lacy, Sandy Wyllie-Echeverria
2011, Limnology and Oceanography: Fluids and Environments (1) 38-55
The influence of eelgrass (Zostera marina) on near-bed currents, turbulence, and drag was investigated at three sites in two eelgrass canopies of differing density and at one unvegetated site in the San Juan archipelago of Puget Sound, Washington, USA. Eelgrass blade length exceeded 1 m. Velocity profiles up to 1.5...
Detection of coastal and submarine discharge on the Florida Gulf Coast with an airborne thermal-infrared mapping system
Ellen Raabe, David Stonehouse, Kristin Ebersol, Kathryn Holland, Lisa Robbins
2011, Professional Geologist (48) 42-49
Along the Gulf Coast of Florida north of Tampa Bay lies a region characterized by an open marsh coast, low topographic gradient, water-bearing limestone, and scattered springs. The Floridan aquifer system is at or near land surface in this region, discharging water at a consistent 70-72°F. The thermal contrast between...
Evaluation of offshore stocking of Lake Trout in Lake Ontario
B.F. Lantry, R. O'Gorman, T.G. Strang, J.R. Lantry, M.J. Connerton, T. Schanger
2011, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (31) 671-682
Restoration stocking of hatchery-reared lake trout Salvelinus namaycush has occurred in Lake Ontario since 1973. In U.S. waters, fish stocked through 1990 survived well and built a large adult population. Survival of yearlings stocked from shore declined during 1990–1995, and adult numbers fell during 1998–2005. Offshore stocking of lake trout...
Long-term post-fire effects on spatial ecology and reproductive output of female Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) at a wind energy facility near Palm Springs, California, USA
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen, Sheila V. Madrak, Caleb L. Loughran, Katherin P. Meyer, Terence R. Arundel, Curtis D. Bjurlin
2011, Fire Ecology (7) 75-87
We studied the long-term response of a cohort of eight female Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) during the first 15 years following a large fire at a wind energy generation facility near Palm Springs, California, USA. The fire burned a significant portion of the study site in 1995. Tortoise activity...
Revelations from ambient shaking data of a recently instrumented unique building at MIT campus
Mehmet Celebi, N. Toksoz, O. Buyukozturk
2011, Conference Paper, IOMAC 2011. Proceedings
A state-of-the-art seismic monitoring system comprising 36 accelerometers and a data-logger with real-time capability was recently installed at Building 54 on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology [MIT], Cambridge, Massachusetts. The system is designed to record translational, torsional and rocking motions, and to facilitate computation of drift between select pairs...
Hotspot: The Snake River geothermal drilling project - An overview
John W. Shervais, James P. Evans, Eric J. Christiansen, Douglas R. Schmitt, Lee M. Liberty, David D. Blackwell, Jonathan M. Glen, James E. Kessler, Katherine E. Potter, Marlon M. Jean, Christopher J. Sant, Thomas Freeman
2011, GRC Transactions (35) 995-1003
The Snake River volcanic province (SRP) overlies a thermal anomaly that extends deep into the mantle; it represents one of the highest heat flow provinces in North America, and an area with the highest calculated geothermal gradients. This makes the SRP one of the potentially highest producing geothermal districts in...
Simulations of historical and future trends in snowfall and groundwater recharge for basins draining to Long Island Sound
David M. Bjerklie, Roland J. Viger, Thomas J. Trombley
2011, Earth Interactions (15) 1-35
A regional watershed model was developed for watersheds contributing to Long Island Sound, including the Connecticut River basin. The study region covers approximately 40 900 km2, extending from a moderate coastal climate zone in the south to a mountainous northern New England climate zone dominated by snowmelt in the north....
Summary of November 2010 meeting to evaluate turbidite data for constraining the recurrence parameters of great Cascadia earthquakes for the update of national seismic hazard maps
Arthur D. Frankel
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1310
This report summarizes a meeting of geologists, marine sedimentologists, geophysicists, and seismologists that was held on November 18–19, 2010 at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. The overall goal of the meeting was to evaluate observations of turbidite deposits to provide constraints on the recurrence time and rupture extent of...
Tag loss and short-term mortality associated with passive integrated transponder tagging of juvenile Lost River suckers
Summer M. Burdick
2011, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (31)
Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags are commonly used to mark small catostomids, but tag loss and the effect of tagging on mortality have not been assessed for juveniles of the endangered Lost River sucker Deltistes luxatus. I evaluated tag loss and short-term (34-d) mortality associated with the PIT tagging of...
Teratogenic efects of injected methylmercury on avian embryos
Gary Heinz, David J. Hoffman, Jon D. Klimstra, Katherine R. Stebbins, Shannon L. Kondrad, Carol A. Erwin
2011, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (30) 1593-1598
Controlled laboratory studies with game farm mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and chickens (Gallus gallus) have demonstrated that methylmercury can cause teratogenic effects in birds, but studies with wild species of birds are lacking. To address this need, doses of methylmercury chloride were injected into the eggs of 25 species of birds,...
Geographic distribution of the mid-continent population of sandhill cranes and related management applications
Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt, Kenneth L. Jones, Douglas H. Johnson
2011, Wildlife Monographs (175) 1-38
The Mid-continent Population (MCP) of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) is widely hunted in North America and is separated into the Gulf Coast Subpopulation and Western Subpopulation for management purposes. Effective harvest management of the MCP requires detailed knowledge of breeding distribution of subspecies and subpopulations, chronology of their use of...
