Ecosystem resilience to invasion and drought: Insights after 24 years in a rare never-grazed grassland
Michael C. Duniway, Rebecca A Finger-Higgens, Erika L. Geiger, David L. Hoover, Alix Pfennigwerth, Anna C. Knight, M. Van Scoyoc, Mark E. Miller, Jayne Belnap
2023, Global Change Biology (29) 5866-5880
Understanding the resilience of ecosystems globally is hampered by the complex and interacting drivers of change characteristic of the Anthropocene. This is true for drylands of the western US, where widespread alteration of disturbance regimes and spread of invasive non-native species occurred with westward expansion during the 1800s, including the...
Spatio-temporal variability in the strength, directionality, and relative importance of climate on occupancy and population densities in a philopatric mammal, the American pika (Ochotona princeps)
Peter D. Billman, Erik A. Beever, Marie L. Westover, Dylan K. Ryals
2023, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (11)
Species distribution models (SDMs) have been widely employed to evaluate species–environment relationships. However, when extrapolated over broad spatial scales or through time, these models decline in their predictive ability due to variation in how species respond to their environment. Many models assume species–environment relationships remain constant over space and time,...
Accuracy of finite fault slip estimates in subduction zone regions with topographic Green's functions and seafloor geodesy
Leah Langer, Thea Ragon
2023, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth (128)
Until recently, the lack of seafloor geodetic instrumentation and the use of unrealistically simple, half-space based forward models have resulted in poor resolution of near-trench slip in subduction zone settings. Here, we use a synthetic framework to investigate the impact of topography and geodetic data distribution on...
Fishes of Harney Basin revisited: An assessment of the distribution of native and nonnative fishes over a half century
Matthew Laramie, Jason B. Dunham, Francine H. Mejia, Emily Dawn Heaston, Peter A Bisson
2023, Northwestern Naturalist (104) 83-98
The Harney Basin is Oregon's largest internally draining basin and contains a unique native fish assemblage. The first and only comprehensive study of the origin and distribution of Harney Basin fishes occurred in 1971. Here, we update this study and identify potential threats to the...
Decomposition rates of suppression-produced fish carcasses in a large, deep, high-elevation lake in North America
Hayley Corrine Glassic, Christopher S. Guy, Lusha M. Tronstad, Michelle A. Briggs, Lindsey K. Albertson, Dominique R. Lujan, Todd M. Koel
2023, Fishes (8)
The decomposition of vertebrates in lake ecosystems has been largely understudied despite being a vital part of ecosystem processes. Invasive lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) invaded Yellowstone Lake and caused a decline in the native Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri) population. To restore Yellowstone cutthroat trout, lake...
Past permafrost dynamics can inform future permafrost carbon-climate feedbacks
Miriam C. Jones, Guido Grosse, Claire C. Treat, Merritt Turetsky, Katey Walter Anthony, Laura Brosius
2023, Communications Earth and Environment (4)
Climate warming threatens to destabilize vast northern permafrost areas, potentially releasing large quantities of organic carbon that could further disrupt the climate. Here we synthesize paleorecords of past permafrost-carbon dynamics to contextualize future permafrost stability and carbon feedbacks. We identify key landscape differences between the last...
Keeping the heat on: Weighted surveillance for Chytrid fungus (Batrachochytirum dendrobatidis) in Dixie Valley toads (Anaxyrus [= Bufo] williamsi)
Matthew J. Forrest, Brian J. Halstead, Daniel A. Grear, Patrick M. Kleeman, Brian D. Todd, Oliver J. Miano, Kris D. Urquhart
2023, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (59) 557-568
Introduced fungal pathogens have caused declines and extinctions of naïve wildlife populations across vertebrate classes. Consequences of introduced pathogens to hosts with small ranges might be especially severe because of limited redundancy to rescue populations and lower abundance that may limit the resilience...
Anthropogenic influence on groundwater geochemistry in Horn Creek Watershed near the Orphan Mine in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA
Kimberly R. Beisner, Collin Davidson, Fred D. Tillman
2023, Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis (23)
Breccia pipe deposits of the Grand Canyon region contain ore grade copper and uranium. Horn Creek is located near the Orphan Mine mineralized breccia pipe deposit and groundwater emerging from the bedrock in the headwaters of Horn Creek has the highest uranium concentrations in the region. Uranium decreases an order...
Patterns, drivers, and a predictive model of dam removal cost in the United States
Jeffrey J. Duda, Suman Jumani, Daniel J. Wieferich, Desiree D. Tullos, S. Kyle McKay, Timothy J. Randle, Alvin Jansen, Susan Bailey, Benjamin Lorenz Jensen, Rachelle Carina Johnson, Ella J. Wagner, Kyla Breanne Richards, Seth J. Wenger, Eric J. Walther, Jennifer A. Bountry
2023, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (11)
Given the burgeoning dam removal movement and the large number of dams approaching obsolescence in the United States, cost estimating data and tools are needed for dam removal prioritization, planning, and execution. We used the list of removed dams compiled by American Rivers to search for publicly available reported costs...
Evaluating baits with lufenuron and nitenpyram for flea control on prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) to mitigate plague
David A. Eads, Kevin T. Castle, Margaret A. Wild, Jeff Borchert, Travis Livieri, Marc R. Matchett, Phillip Dobesh, John Hughes-Clarke, Eddie Childers
2023, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (59) 662-672
Plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, is a widespread threat to endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) and their primary prey, prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.). Wildlife biologists most commonly manage plague using insecticides to control fleas, the primary vectors of Y. pestis. We tested edible baits containing the...
Alerting the globe of consequential earthquakes
David J. Wald
2023, Perspectives of Earth and Space Scientists (4)
The primary ingredients on the hazard side of the equation include the rapid characterization of the earthquake source and quantifying the spatial distribution of the shaking, plus any secondary hazards an earthquake may have triggered. On the earthquake impact side, loss calculations require the aforementioned hazard assessments—and...
Waterbody size predicts bank- and boat-angler efforts
D.S. Kanee, Kevin L. Pope, Keith D. Koupal, M.A. Pegg, C.J. Chizinski, M.A. Kaemingk
2023, Fisheries Research (267,)
Bank- and boat-angler efforts are logistically difficult and costly to estimate, preventing landscape-scale estimates that are required to address current and future challenges (e.g., climate change, invasive species) for inland recreational fisheries. Using a large Nebraska, USA, recreational fishery dataset (N = 67 waterbodies), we demonstrate that waterbody size can be used to...
Conserving habitat for migratory ungulates: How wide is a migration corridor?
Jerod Merkle, Blake Lowrey, Cody F. Wallace, L. Embere Hall, Luke Wilde, Matthew Kauffman, Hall Sawyer
2023, Journal of Applied Ecology (60) 1763-1770
Conserving migratory ungulates relies on the analysis of GPS collar data and associated maps of migration corridors to inform management and policy actions. Current methods for identifying migratory corridors use complex statistical models designed to account for movement uncertainty rather than estimating the amount of space required by animals...
Panarctic lakes exerted a small positive feedback on early Holocene warming due to deglacial release of methane
Laura S. Brosius, Katey M. Walter Anthony, Claire C. Treat, Miriam C. Jones, Michael Dyonisius, Guido Grosse
2023, Communications Earth and Environment (4)
Climate-driven permafrost thaw can release ancient carbon to the atmosphere, begetting further warming in a positive feedback loop. Polar ice core data and young radiocarbon ages of dissolved methane in thermokarst lakes have challenged the importance of this feedback, but field studies did not adequately account...
Predicted connectivity pathways between grizzly bear ecosystems in western Montana
Sarah Nelson Sells, C.M. Costello, P.M. Lukacs, L.L. Roberts, M.A. Vinks
2023, Biological Conservation (284)
Habitat and corridor mapping are key components of many conservation programs. Grizzly bear populations in the continental US are fragmented and connectivity among federal recovery areas is a conservation goal. Building on recent work, we modeled movements to predict areas of connectivity, using integrated step selection functions (iSSFs) developed from...
Amino acid variation at the mitochondrial binding site of Antimycin A is proposed to reflect sensitivity and toxicity differences among fish species
Brooke A. Baudoin, Bonnie L. Brown, Robin D. Calfee, Jill Jenkins
2023, Fishes (8)
To better understand differential sensitivities among fish species to the piscicidal compound Antimycin-A (ANT-A), we hypothesized that variations in amino acids at the ANT-A binding site may reflect toxicity differences. Protein sequences for six motifs comprising the ANT-A binding site were obtained and compared for invasive carp species (N =...
Hyperspectral cathodoluminescence and quantitative EPMA mapping of angrite northwest Africa 15507
Heather A. Lowers, Jay Michael Thompson, Paul K. Carpenter, Zoe Wilbur, Anthony Irving
2023, Conference Paper, 2023 Proceedings microscopy and microanalysis
Angrite meteorites represent alkali depleted planetary crust of basaltic composition, and have both plutonic and volcanic lithologies. NWA 15507 is a microgabbroic specimen (mean grainsize ~1.4 mm) composed predominantly of zoned Al-Ti-augite, Ca-bearing olivine and anorthite together with accessory kirschsteinite, rhönite, hercynite, low-Ni kamacite, merrillite, magnetite and troilite....
Occupancy and activity patterns of nine-banded Armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) in a suburban environment
Brett Alexander DeGregorio, Matthew R. McElroy, Emily P. Johansson
2023, Diversity (15) 907-915
The geographic range of the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) has rapidly been expanding within the United States for the last 150 years. One of the factors contributing to this astounding range expansion is the species’ ability to survive in and colonize human-dominated areas. Despite the fact that armadillos live alongside...
Prolonged drought in a northern California coastal region suppresses wildfire impacts on hydrology
Michelle E. Newcomer, Jennifer C. Underwood, Sheila F. Murphy, Craig Ulrich, Todd Schram, Stephen R. Maples, Jasquelin Pena, Erica R. Siirila-Woodburn, Marcus Trotta, Jay Jasperse, Donald Seymour, Susan S. Hubbard
2023, Water Resources Research (59)
Wildfires naturally occur in many landscapes, however they are undergoing rapid regime shifts. Despite the emphasis in the literature on the most severe hydrological responses to wildfire, there remains a knowledge gap on the thresholds of wildfire (i.e. burned area/drainage area ratio, BAR) required to initiate hydrological responses. We investigated...
Climatic drivers of estuarine sediment dynamics
Neil K. Ganju
Michael J. Kennish, Hans W. Paerl, Joseph Crosswell, editor(s)
2023, Book chapter, Climate Change and Estuaries
Estuarine sediment dynamics are controlled by myriad physical processes that operate across broad spatiotemporal scales. On the smallest scales, interactions between turbulence and individual particles control mobilization and settling, while interactions across larger scales between freshwater and marine inflow can control decadal timescale geomorphic change. Climate change, through the combined...
Seed banks of rare Physostegia correllii (Lamiaceae) in Lady Bird Lake, Austin, Texas, U.S.A.
Beth Middleton, Casey R. Williams
2023, Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (17) 363-368
Rare species threatened by climate and land-use change may harbor seeds in soil seed banks for periods of time even if adults have disappeared from the site. Soil samples were collected from sites with current Phyostegia correllii populations and from sites with former populations in Lady Bird Lake (a reservoir of the...
Streamflow—Water year 2022
Xiaodong Jian, David M. Wolock, Harry F. Lins, Ronald J. Henderson, Steven J. Brady
2023, Fact Sheet 2023-3030
The maps and graphs describe national streamflow conditions for water year 2022 (October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022) in the context of streamflow ranks relative to the 93-year period of water years 1930–2022. Annual runoff in the Nation’s rivers and streams during water year 2022 (8.97 inches) was a...
Selenium hazards in the Salton Sea environment—Summary of current knowledge to inform future wetland management
Michael R. Rosen, Susan E.W. De La Cruz, Krishangi D. Groover, Isa Woo, Sarah A. Roberts, Melanie J. Davis, Cristiana Y. Antonino
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5042
Quaternary marine and continental shales in the western United States are sources of selenium that can be loaded into the aquatic environment through mining, agricultural, and energy production processes. The mobilization of selenium from shales through agricultural irrigation has been recognized since the 1930s; however, discovery of deformities in birds...
PCB source assessment in the lower Clinton River, Clinton River Area of Concern, Mount Clemens, Michigan
Barbara C. Scudder Eikenberry, Hayley Olds, Owen M. Stefaniak, David A. Alvarez
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5030
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), some of the earliest “forever chemicals,” were used for decades in the United States before 1979 when PCB manufacturing was banned. High PCB concentrations were found recently in the lower Clinton River in the Great Lakes drainage. To determine the possible existence, location, and significance of a...
Shallow and local or deep and regional? Inferring source groundwater characteristics across mainstem riverbank discharge faces
Adam Haynes, Martin A. Briggs, Eric Moore, Kevin Jackson, James Knighton, David M. Rey, Ashley Helton
2023, Hydrological Processes (37)
Riverbank groundwater discharge faces are spatially extensive areas of preferential seepage that are exposed to air at low river flow. Some conceptual hydrologic models indicate discharge faces represent the spatial convergence of highly variable age and length groundwater flowpaths, while others indicate greater consistency in source groundwater characteristics. Our detailed...
