Ecology and behavior of the Midget Faded Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus concolor) in Wyoming
J.M. Parker, S.H. Anderson
2007, Journal of Herpetology (41) 41-51
We conducted a three-year study to describe the ecology and behavior of the Midget Faded Rattlesnake, Crotalus organus concolor. We encountered 426 and telemetered 50 C. o. concolor between 2000 and 2002. We found that their primary diet was lizards (associated with rock outcrops), though they will consume small mammals...
Sensitivity of high-frequency Rayleigh-wave data revisited
J. Xia, R. D. Miller, J. Ivanov
2007, Conference Paper, SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts
Rayleigh-wave phase velocity of a layered earth model is a function of frequency and four groups of earth properties: P-wave velocity, S-wave velocity (Vs), density, and thickness of layers. Analysis of the Jacobian matrix (or the difference method) provides a measure of dispersion curve sensitivity to earth properties. Vs is...
Survey trends of North American shorebirds: Population declines or shifting distributions?
Jonathan Bart, Stephen Brown, Brian A. Harrington, R.I. Guy Morrison
2007, Journal of Avian Biology (38) 73-82
We analyzed data from two surveys of fall migrating shorebirds in central and eastern North America to estimate annual trends in means per survey and to determine whether trends indicate a change in population size or might have been caused by other factors. The analysis showed a broad decline in...
Evolutionary history of the ABCB2 genomic region in teleosts
Y. Palti, M.F. Rodriguez, S.A. Gahr, J.D. Hansen
2007, Developmental and Comparative Immunology (31) 483-498
Gene duplication, silencing and translocation have all been implicated in shaping the unique genomic architecture of the teleost MH regions. Previously, we demonstrated that trout possess five unlinked regions encoding MH genes. One of these regions harbors ABCB2 which in all other vertebrate classes is found in the MHC class...
Foraging patterns of Caspian terns and double-crested cormorants in the Columbia River estuary
Donald E. Lyons, D.D. Roby, K. Collis
2007, Northwest Science (81) 91-103
We examined spatial and temporal foraging patterns of Caspian terns and double-crested cormorants nesting in the Columbia River estuary, to potentially identify circumstances where juvenile salmonids listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act might be more vulnerable to predation by these avian piscivores. Data were collected during the 1998 and...
Bora event variability and the role of air-sea feedback
J. Pullen, J.D. Doyle, T. Haack, C. Dorman, R. P. Signell, C.M. Lee
2007, Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans (112)
A two-way interacting high resolution numerical simulation of the Adriatic Sea using the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) and Coupled Ocean/ Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS??) was conducted to improve forecast momentum and heat flux fields, and to evaluate surface flux field differences for two consecutive bora events during February...
Scaling local species-habitat relations to the larger landscape with a hierarchical spatial count model
W.E. Thogmartin, M. G. Knutson
2007, Landscape Ecology (22) 61-75
Much of what is known about avian species-habitat relations has been derived from studies of birds at local scales. It is entirely unclear whether the relations observed at these scales translate to the larger landscape in a predictable linear fashion. We derived habitat models and mapped predicted abundances for three...
Influence of tectonic folding on rockfall susceptibility, American Fork Canyon, Utah, USA
J. A. Coe, E. L. Harp
2007, Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (7) 1-14
We examine rockfall susceptibility of folded strata in the Sevier fold-thrust belt exposed in American Fork Canyon in north-central Utah. Large-scale geologic mapping, talus production data, rock-mass-quality measurements, and historical rockfall data indicate that rockfall susceptibility is correlated with limb dip and curvature of the folded, cliff-forming Mississippian limestones. On...
Soil nutrients influence spatial distributions of tropical trees species
R. John, J.W. Dalling, K.E. Harms, J.B. Yavitt, R.F. Stallard, M. Mirabello, S.P. Hubbell, R. Valencia, H. Navarrete, M. Vallejo, R.B. Foster
2007, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (104) 864-869
The importance of niche vs. neutral assembly mechanisms in structuring tropical tree communities remains an important unsettled question in community ecology [Bell G (2005) Ecology 86:1757-1770]. There is ample evidence that species distributions are determined by soils and habitat factors at landscape (<104 km2) and regional scales. At local scales...
Possible refugia in the Alexander Archipelago of southeastern Alaska during the late Wisconsin glaciation
P. E. Carrara, T. A. Ager, J.F. Baichtal
2007, Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences (44) 229-244
The interpretation of the extent of late Wisconsin glaciation in southeastern Alaska has varied between geologists and biologists. Maps and reports of the region prepared by geologists commonly indicated that late Wisconsin ice extended as a large uniform front west to the edge of the continental shelf. However, the distribution...
Ground-penetrating radar: A tool for monitoring bridge scour
N.L. Anderson, A.M. Ismael, T. Thitimakorn
2007, Environmental & Engineering Geoscience (13) 1-10
Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data were acquired across shallow streams and/or drainage ditches at 10 bridge sites in Missouri by maneuvering the antennae across the surface of the water and riverbank from the bridge deck, manually or by boat. The acquired two-dimensional and three-dimensional data sets accurately image the channel bottom,...
Modelingevapotranspirationina sub-tropical climate
M.R. Savabi, T.A. Cochrane, E. German, C. Ikiz, N. Cockshutt
2007, Journal of Environmental Hydrology (15) 1-15
Evapotranspiration (ET) loss is estimated at about 80-85% of annual precipitation in South Florida. Accurate prediction of ET is important during and beyond the implementation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). In the USDA's Everglades Agro-Hydrology Model (EAHM) the soil water intake is linked with the soil water redistribution,...
Surface drifter derived circulation in the northern and middle Adriatic Sea: Response to wind regime and season
L. Ursella, P.-M. Poulain, R. P. Signell
2007, Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans (112)
More than 120 satellite-tracked drifters were deployed in the northern and middle Adriatic (NMA) Sea between September 2002 and November 2003, with the purpose of studying the surface circulation at mesoscale to seasonal scale in relation to wind forcing, river runoff, and bottom topography. Pseudo-Eulerian and Lagrangian statistics were calculated...
Incorporating availability for detection in estimates of bird abundance
Duane R. Diefenbach, M.R. Marshall, J.A. Mattice, D.W. Brauning
2007, The Auk (124) 96-106
Several bird-survey methods have been proposed that provide an estimated detection probability so that bird-count statistics can be used to estimate bird abundance. However, some of these estimators adjust counts of birds observed by the probability that a bird is detected and assume that all birds are available to be...
Prioritizing bottomland hardwood forest sites for protection and augmentation
J. Carter, J. Biagas
2007, Natural Areas Journal (27) 72-82
Bottomland hardwood forest has been greatly diminished by conversion to agriculture. Less than 25% of the pre-Columbian bottomland hardwood forests remain in the southeastern United States. Because of the valuable ecological and hydrological functions performed by these forests, their conservation and restoration has been a high priority. Part of these...
Factors influencing movement probabilities of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) in buildings
L.E. Ellison, T. J. O'Shea, D.J. Neubaum, R. A. Bowen
2007, Ecological Applications (17) 620-627
We investigated movements of female big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) roosting in maternity colonies in buildings in Fort Collins, Colorado (USA), during the summers of 2002, 2003, and 2005. This behavior can be of public health concern where bats that may carry diseases (e.g., rabies) move among buildings occupied by...
Seasonal nutrient and plankton dynamics in a physical-biological model of Crater Lake
K. Fennel, R. Collier, G. Larson, G. Crawford, E. Boss
2007, Hydrobiologia (574) 265-280
A coupled 1D physical-biological model of Crater Lake is presented. The model simulates the seasonal evolution of two functional phytoplankton groups, total chlorophyll, and zooplankton in good quantitative agreement with observations from a 10-year monitoring study. During the stratified period in summer and early fall the model displays a marked...
Remote camera-trap methods and analyses reveal impacts of rangeland management on Namibian carnivore communities
M. J. Kauffman, M. Sanjayan, J. Lowenstein, A. Nelson, R.M. Jeo, K.R. Crooks
2007, Oryx (41) 70-78
Assessing the abundance and distribution of mammalian carnivores is vital for understanding their ecology and providing for their long-term conservation. Because of the difficulty of trapping and handling carnivores many studies have relied on abundance indices that may not accurately reflect real abundance and distribution patterns. We developed statistical analyses...
The role of ground water in generating streamflow in headwater areas and in maintaining base flow
T. C. Winter
2007, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (43) 15-25
The volume and sustainability of streamflow from headwaters to downstream reaches commonly depend on contributions from ground water. Streams that begin in extensive aquifers generally have a stable point of origin and substantial discharge in their headwaters. In contrast, streams that begin as discharge from rocks or sediments having low...
Pumping-induced drawdown and stream depletion in a leaky aquifer system
J.J. Butler Jr., X. Zhan, V.A. Zlotnik
2007, Ground Water (45) 178-186
The impact of ground water pumping on nearby streams is often estimated using analytic models of the interconnected stream-aquifer system. A common assumption of these models is that the pumped aquifer is underlain by an impermeable formation. A new semianalytic solution for drawdown and stream depletion has been developed that...
Characterization of methane hydrate host sediments using synchrotron-computed microtomography (CMT)
K.W. Jones, H. Feng, S. Tomov, W.J. Winters, M. Prodanovic, D. Mahajan
2007, Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering (56) 136-145
The hydrate-sediment interaction is an important aspect of gas hydrate studies that needs further examination. We describe here the applicability of the computed microtomography (CMT) technique that utilizes an intense X-ray synchrotron source to characterize sediment samples, two at various depths from the Blake Ridge area (a well-known hydrate-prone region)...
Evidence for exploitative competition: Comparative foraging behavior and roosting ecology of short-tailed fruit bats (Phyllostomidae)
F.J. Bonaccorso, J.R. Winkelmann, D. Shin, C.I. Agrawal, N. Aslami, C. Bonney, A. Hsu, P.E. Jekielek, A.K. Knox, S.J. Kopach, T.D. Jennings, J.R. Lasky, S.A. Menesale, J.H. Richards, J.A. Rutland, A.K. Sessa, L. Zhaurova, T.H. Kunz
2007, Biotropica (39) 249-256
Chestnut short-tailed bats, Carollia castanea, and Seba's short-tailed bats, C. perspicillata (Phyllostomidae), were radio-tracked (N = 1593 positions) in lowland rain forest at Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Orellana Province, Ecuador. For 11 C. castanea, mean home range was 6.8 ?? 2.2 ha, mean core-use area was 1.7 ?? 0.8 ha, and...
Why the sacramento delta area differs from other parts of the great valley: numerical modeling of thermal structure and thermal subsidence of forearc basins
V.O. Mikhailov, T. Parsons, R.W. Simpson, E.P. Timoshkina, C. Williams
2007, Izvestiya, Physics of the Solid Earth (43) 75-90
Data on present-day heat flow, subsidence history, and paleotemperature for the Sacramento Delta region, California, have been employed to constrain a numerical model of tectonic subsidence and thermal evolution of forearc basins. The model assumes an oceanic basement with an initial thermal profile dependent on its age subjected to refrigeration...
On the influence of substrate morphology and surface area on phytofauna
S. Becerra-Munoz, H.L. Schramm Jr.
2007, Hydrobiologia (575) 117-128
The independent effects and interactions between substrate morphology and substrate surface area on invertebrate density or biomass colonizing artificial plant beds were assessed in a clear-water and a turbid playa lake in Castro County, Texas, USA. Total invertebrate density and biomass were consistently greater on filiform substrates than on laminar...
Individual dietary specialization and dive behaviour in the California sea otter: Using archival time-depth data to detect alternative foraging strategies
M. T. Tinker, D.P. Costa, J. A. Estes, N. Wieringa
2007, Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography (54) 330-342
The existence of individual prey specializations has been reported for an ever-growing number of taxa, and has important ramifications for our understanding of predator-prey dynamics. We use the California sea otter population as a case study to validate the use of archival time-depth data to detect and measure differences in...
