Seasonal differences and grazing pressure alter the fate of gold nanoparticles in a microcosm experiment
Christina M. Bergemann, Astrid Avellan, Brittany G. Perrotta, Emily S. Bernhardt, Marie Simonin
2023, Environmental Science & Technology (57) 13970-13979
Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are used as models to track and predict NP fates and effects in ecosystems. Previous work found that aquatic macrophytes and their associated biofilm primarily drove the fate of AuNPs within aquatic ecosystems and that seasonality was an important abiotic factor in the fate of AuNPs. Therefore,...
Contrasting mercury contamination scenarios and site susceptibilities confound fish mercury burdens in Suriname, South America
Arioene Vreedzaam, Paul Ouboter, Ashna D. Hindori-Mohangoo, Ryan F. Lepak, Samantha L. Rumschlag, Sarah E. Janssen, Gwen Landburg, Arti Shankar, Wilco Zijlmans, Maureen Y. Lichtveld, Jeffrey K. Wickliffe
2023, Environmental Pollution (336)
In Suriname, mercury (Hg) use has recently increased because of gold mining, which has put fish-reliant communities (e.g., Indigenous and Tribal) at risk of enhanced Hg exposure through the riverine fish these communities consume. To quantify how the magnitude of these risks change according to location and time, we measured...
Updates to CE-QUAL-W2 models for select U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoirs in the Willamette Valley Project and an inter-reservoir reach of the Middle Fork Willamette River, northwestern Oregon
Laurel E. Stratton Garvin, Norman L. Buccola, Stewart A. Rounds
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5085
Mechanistic models capable of simulating hydrodynamics and water temperature in rivers and reservoirs are valuable tools for investigating thermal conditions and their relation to dam operations and streamflow in river basins where upstream water storage and management decisions have an important influence on river reaches with threatened fish populations. In...
A nitrifier-enriched microbial community contributes to the degradation of environmental DNA
Rachelle Elaine Beattie, Caren C. Helbing, Jacob J. Imbery, Katy E. Klymus, Jonathan Lopez Duran, Cathy A. Richter, Anita A. Thambirajah, Nathan Thompson, Thea M. Edwards
2023, Environmental DNA (5) 1473-1483
Environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys are a promising alternative to traditional monitoring of invasive species, rare species, and biodiversity. Detecting organism-specific eDNA reduces the need to collect physical specimens for population estimates, and the high sensitivity of eDNA assays may improve detection of rare or cryptic species. However, correlating estimated concentrations...
Proximate factors affecting mortality and maternal abandonment of young free-roaming feral horse foals
Sarah R. B. King, Mary J. Cole, Christine Barton, Kathryn A. Schoenecker
2023, Journal of Veterinary Behavior (66)
The burgeoning population of feral horses in the American west is due to high population growth, resulting from low adult mortality and high foal survival. In two populations of feral horses in western Utah, USA only 15 foals died (5%; mean age <1 month) over a 4-year period. Seven additional...
Informing management of recovering predators and their prey with ecological diffusion models
Joseph Michael Eisaguirre, Perry J. Williams, Xinyi Lu, Michelle L. Kissling, Paul A Schutte, Benjamin P Weitzman, William S. Beatty, George G. Esslinger, Jamie N. Womble, Mevin B. Hooten
2023, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (21) 479-488
The reintroduction and recovery of predators can be ecologically beneficial as well as socially and economically controversial. However, the growth and expansion of predator populations, and thus their ecological, social, and economic impacts, are not static but rather they vary in space and time. We propose a spatiotemporal statistical modeling...
Prioritizing science efforts to inform decision making on public lands
Sarah K. Carter, Travis Haby, Jennifer K. Meineke, Alison C. Foster, Laine E. McCall, Leigh Espy, Megan A. Gilbert, Jeffrey E. Herrick, Karen Prentice
2023, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (21) 453-460
Public land management agencies in the US are committed to using science-informed decision making, but there has been little research on the types and topics of science that managers need most to inform their decisions. We used the National Environmental Policy Act to identify four types of science information needed...
Baiting and banding: Expert opinion on how bait trapping may influence the occurrence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) among dabbling ducks
Jennifer F. Provencher, Alana A. E. Wilcox, Samantha E. J. Gibbs, Lesley-Anne Howes, Mark L. Mallory, Margo J. Pybus, Andrew M. Ramey, Eric T. Reed, Chris Sharp, Catherine Soos, Iga Stasiak, Jim O. Leafloor
2023, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (59) 590-600
A Eurasian lineage highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) of the clade 2.3.4.4b (Goose/Guangdong lineage) was detected in migratory bird populations in North America in December 2021, and it, along with its reassortants, have since caused wild and domestic bird outbreaks across the continent. Relative to previous outbreaks, HPAIV cases...
Importance of dense aquatic vegetation in seasonal phosphate and particle transport in an agricultural headwater stream
Hannah R. Field, Audrey H. Sawyer, Susan A. Welch, Ryan K. Benefiel, Devan M. Mathie, James M. Hood, Ethan D. Pawlowski, Diana L. Karwan, Rebecca M. Kreiling, Zackary I. Johnson, Brittany R. Hanrahan, Kevin W. King
2023, Water Resources Research (59)
Agricultural headwater streams and ditches commonly host dense stands of aquatic vegetation that grow and decay over seasons and exert physical and biological controls on the transport of nutrients from cropland to larger rivers. This study examined changes in the transport of phosphorus (P) in an agricultural...
Mussel mass mortality in the Clinch River, USA: Metabolomics detects affected pathways and biomarkers of stress
Joel G. Putnam, J. Nolan Steiner, Jordon Richard, Eric Leis, Tony Goldberg, Christopher D. Dunn, Rose Agbalog, Susan Knowles, Diane L. Waller
2023, Conservation Physiology (11)
Biologists monitoring freshwater mussel (order Unionida) populations rely on behavioral, often subjective, signs to identify moribund (“sick”) or stressed mussels, such as gaping valves and slow response to probing, and they lack clinical indicators to support a diagnosis. As part of a multi-year study to investigate causes of reoccurring...
Wind-modulated groundwater discharge along a microtidal Arctic coastline
Julia Guimond, Casu Demir, Barret L. Kurylyk, Michelle A. Walvoord, James W. McClelland, M. Bayani Cardenas
2023, Environmental Research Letters (18)
Groundwater discharge transports dissolved constituents to the ocean, affecting coastal carbon budgets and water quality. However, the magnitude and mechanisms of groundwater exchange along rapidly transitioning Arctic coastlines are largely unknown due to limited observations. Here, using first-of-its-kind coastal Arctic groundwater timeseries data, we evaluate the magnitude...
Simultaneous stream assessment of antibiotics, bacteria, antibiotic resistant bacteria, and antibiotic resistant genes in an agricultural region of the United States
Carrie E. Givens, Dana W. Kolpin, Laura E. Hubbard, Shannon M. Meppelink, David M. Cwiertny, Darrin A. Thompson, Rachael F. Lane, Michaelah C. Wilson
2023, Science of the Total Environment (904)
Antimicrobial resistance is now recognized as a leading global threat to human health. Nevertheless, there currently is a limited understanding of the environment's role in the spread of AMR and antibiotic resistant genes (ARG). In 2019, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted the first statewide assessment...
Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Project for Protected Species: Sea Turtles
Margaret Lamont, Kristen Hart
2023, Report
The overarching goal of the Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Project for Protected Species: sea turtles (GOMMAPPS) study was to collect broad-scale information on the distribution and abundance of sea turtles in the Gulf to inform seasonally- and spatially-explicit density estimates for priority species. GOMMAPPS represents a multi-agency partnership between...
Sharing FAIR monitoring program data improves discoverability and reuse
Jennifer M. Bayer, Rebecca A Scully, Erin K. Dlabola, Jennifer L Courtwright, Christine L Hirsch, David P Hockman-Wert, Scott W. Miller, Brett B. Roper, W. Carl Saunders, Marcia N Snyder
2023, Enviornmental Monitoring and Assessment (195)
Data resulting from environmental monitoring programs are valuable assets for natural resource managers, decision-makers, and researchers. These data are often collected to inform specific reporting needs or decisions with a specific timeframe. While program-oriented data and related publications are effective for meeting program goals, sharing well-documented...
Supplying ecosystem services on US rangelands
David D. Briske, Steven R. Archer, Emily Burchfield, William Burnidge, Justin D. Derner, Hannah Gosnell, Jerry Hatfield, Clare E. Kazanski, Mona Khalil, Tyler J. Lark, Pamela L. Nagler, Osvaldo E. Sala, Nathan F. Sayre, Kimberly R. Stackhouse-Lawson
2023, Nature Sustainability (6) 1524-1532
Rangelands comprise 40% of the conterminous United States and they supply essential ecosystem services to society. A scenario assessment was conducted to determine how accelerating biophysical and societal drivers may modify their future availability. Four scenarios emerged: two may maintain rural communities by sustaining the prevailing...
Phragmites management in high water: Cutting plants under water limits biomass production, carbohydrate storage, and rhizome viability
Spenser L. Widin, Wesley A. Bickford, Kurt P. Kowalski
2023, Wetlands Ecology and Management (31) 745-746
Invasion of Phragmites australis (common reed) in wetlands throughout North America, and particularly the Laurentian Great Lakes Basin, poses significant ecological problems. The extended period of low Great Lakes water levels from 2000 to 2013 created conditions for large expansions of Phragmites in the Great Lakes coastal zone. The following...
On the origin and current distribution of the Oceania Snake-Eyed Skink (Cryptoblepharus poecilopleurus) in the Hawaiian archipelago
Valentina Alvarez, Samuel R Fisher, Anthony J. Barley, Kevin Donmoyer, Mozes P. K. Blom, Robert C. Thomson, Robert N. Fisher
2023, Pacific Science (77) 87-101
Because of its extreme isolation and lack of historical connection to a mainland, the Hawaiian Archipelago is thought to have no native nonvolant terrestrial reptiles. Several squamate species have been introduced to the archipelago, likely starting with early Polynesian contact, and increasing as human traffic...
Positioning aquatic animals with acoustic transmitters
Robert J. Lennox, Kim Aarestrup, Josep Alos, Robert Arlinghaus, Eneko Aspillaga, Michael G. Bertram, Kim Birnie-Gauvin, Tomas Brodin, Steven J. Cooke, Lotte S. Dahlmo, Felicie Dhellemmes, Karl O. Gjelland, Gustav Hellstrom, Henry Hershey, Christopher Holbrook, Thomas Klefoth, Susan K. Lowerre-Barbieri, Christopher T. Monk, Cecilie Iden Nilsen, Ina Pauwels, Renanel Pickholtz, Marie Prchalova, Jan Reubens, Milan Říha, David Villegas-Rios, Knut Wiik Vollset, Samuel Westrelin, Henrik Baktoft
2023, Methods in Ecology and Evolution (14) 2514-2530
Geolocating aquatic animals with acoustic tags has been ongoing for decades, relying on the detection of acoustic signals at multiple receivers with known positions to calculate a 2D or 3D position, and ultimately recreate the path of an aquatic animal from detections at fixed stations.This method of underwater geolocation is...
Food web changes reflected in age-0 piscivore diets and growth
T. Yang, Christine M Mayer, Robin L. DeBruyne, Edward F. Roseman, Mark Richard Dufour, Eric J. Weimer
2023, Ecology of Freshwater Fish (32) 765-782
Lake Erie walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) recruitment fluctuates annually and depends partially on their diet and growth during their first year of life. In recent decades, age-0 walleye diet and growth may be responding to food web changes in western Lake Erie. To determine how age-0 walleye have responded to changes...
Mesocarnivores of western rangelands
Julie K. Young, Andrew R. Butler, Joseph D. Holbrook, Hila Shamon, Clint W. Boal
Lance B. McNew, David K. Dahlgren, Jeffrey L. Beck, editor(s)
2023, Book chapter, Rangeland wildlife ecology and conservation
There are 22 species of mesocarnivores (carnivores weighing < 15 kg) belonging to five families that live in rangelands of the western United States. Mesocarnivores are understudied relative to large carnivores but can have significant impacts on ecosystems and human dimensions. In this chapter, we review the current state of...
Waterfowl and wetland birds
Josh L. Vest, David A. Haukos, Neal D. Niemuth, Casey M. Setash, James H. Gammonley, James H. Devries, David K. Dahlgren
Lance B. McNew, David K. Dahlgren, Jeffrey L. Beck, editor(s)
2023, Book chapter, Rangeland wildlife ecology and conservation
The future of wetland bird habitat and populations is intrinsically connected with the conservation of rangelands in North America. Many rangeland watersheds are source drainage for some of the highest functioning extant wetlands. The Central and Pacific Flyways have significant overlap with available rangelands in western North America. Within these...
Sage-grouse
Jeffrey L. Beck, Thomas J Christiansen, Kirk W. Davies, Jonathan B. Dinkins, Adrian P. Monroe, David E. Naugle, Michael A Schroeder
2023, Book chapter, Rangeland wildlife ecology and conservation
In this chapter, we summarize the ecology and conservation issues affecting greater (Centrocercus urophasianus) and Gunnison (C. minimus) sage-grouse, iconic and obligate species of rangelands in the sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) biome in western North America. Greater sage-grouse are noted for their ability to migrate, whereas Gunnison sage-grouse localize near leks year-round. Seasonal...
Manipulation of rangeland wildlife habitat
David A. Pyke, Chad S. Boyd
2023, Book chapter, Rangeland wildlife ecology and conservation.
Rangeland manipulations have occurred for centuries. Those manipulations may have positive or negative effects on multiple wildlife species and their habitats. Some of these manipulations may result in landscape changes that fragment wildlife habitat and isolate populations. Habitat degradation and subsequent restoration may range from simple problems that are easy...
Amphibians and reptiles
David S. Pilliod, Todd Esque
2023, Book chapter, Rangeland wildlife ecology and conservation
Amphibians and reptiles are a diverse group of ectothermic vertebrates that occupy a variety of habitats in rangelands of North America, from wetlands to the driest deserts. These two classes of vertebrates are often referred to as herpetofauna and are studied under the field of herpetology. In U.S. rangelands, there...
North American wintering mallards infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza show few signs of altered local or migratory movements
Claire S. Teitelbaum, Nicholas Masto, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Allison Keever, Rebecca L. Poulson, Deborah Carter, Abigail Blake-Bradshaw, Corey Highway, Jamie Feddersen, Heath M. Hagy, Richard W. Gerhold, Bradley S. Cohen, Diann Prosser
2023, Scientific Reports (13)
Avian influenza viruses pose a threat to wildlife and livestock health. The emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in wild birds and poultry in North America in late 2021 was the first such outbreak since 2015 and the largest outbreak in North America to date. Despite its prominence and...
