Detection and quantification of Renibacterium salmoninarum DNA in salmonid tissues by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis
D.M. Chase, D.G. Elliott, R.J. Pascho
2006, Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation (18) 375-380
Renibacterium salmoninarum is an important salmonid pathogen that is difficult to culture. We developed and assessed a real-time, quantitative, polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay for the detection and enumeration of R. salmoninarum. The qPCR is based on TaqMan technology and amplifies a 69-base pair (bp) region of the gene encoding...
Fuel loads, fire regimes, and post-fire fuel dynamics in Florida Keys pine forests
J.P. Sah, M.S. Ross, J.R. Snyder, S. Koptur, H.C. Cooley
2006, International Journal of Wildland Fire (15) 463-478
In forests, the effects of different life forms on fire behavior may vary depending on their contributions to total fuel loads. We examined the distribution of fuel components before fire, their effects on fire behavior, and the effects of fire on subsequent fuel recovery in pine forests within the National...
Current subsidence rates due to compaction of Holocene sediments in southern Louisiana
T.A. Meckel, Uri S. ten Brink, S.J. Williams
2006, Geophysical Research Letters (33)
Relative contributions of geologic and anthropogenic processes to subsidence of southern Louisiana are vigorously debated. Of these, shallow sediment compaction is often considered dominant, although this has never been directly observed or effectively demonstrated. Quantitative understanding of subsidence is important for predicting relative sea level rise, storm surge flooding due...
Striping artifact reduction in lunar orbiter mosaic images
P.A. Mlsna, T. Becker
2006, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the IEEE Southwest Symposium on Image Analysis and Interpretation
Photographic images of the moon from the 1960s Lunar Orbiter missions are being processed into maps for visual use. The analog nature of the images has produced numerous artifacts, the chief of which causes a vertical striping pattern in mosaic images formed from a series of filmstrips. Previous methods of...
Satellite-derived, melt-season surface temperature of the Greenland Ice Sheet (2000-2005) and its relationship to mass balance
D.K. Hall, R.S. Williams Jr., K.A. Casey, N.E. DiGirolamo, Z. Wan
2006, Geophysical Research Letters (33)
Mean, clear-sky surface temperature of the Greenland Ice Sheet was measured for each melt season from 2000 to 2005 using Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)–derived land-surface temperature (LST) data-product maps. During the period of most-active melt, the mean, clear-sky surface temperature of the ice sheet was highest in 2002 (−8.29 ±...
Body-wave traveltime and amplitude shifts from asymptotic travelling wave coupling
F. Pollitz
2006, Geophysical Journal International (167) 705-736
We explore the sensitivity of finite-frequency body-wave traveltimes and amplitudes to perturbations in 3-D seismic velocity structure relative to a spherically symmetric model. Using the approach of coupled travelling wave theory, we consider the effect of a structural perturbation on an isolated portion of the seismogram. By convolving the spectrum...
Vital effects in coral skeletal composition display strict three-dimensional control
A. Meibom, H. Yurimoto, J.-P. Cuif, I. Domart-Coulon, F. Houlbreque, B. Constantz, Y. Dauphin, E. Tambutte, S. Tambutte, D. Allemand, J. Wooden, R. Dunbar
2006, Geophysical Research Letters (33)
Biological control over coral skeletal composition is poorly understood but critically important to paleoenvironmental reconstructions. We present microanalytical measurements of trace-element abundances as well as oxygen and carbon isotopic compositions of individual skeletal components in the zooxanthellate coral Colpophyllia sp. Our data show that centers of calcification (COC) have higher...
Inhibition of coral recruitment by macroalgae and cyanobacteria
I. B. Kuffner, L.J. Walters, M.A. Becerro, V.J. Paul, R. Ritson-Williams, K.S. Beach
2006, Marine Ecology Progress Series (323) 107-117
Coral recruitment is a key process in the maintenance and recovery of coral reef ecosystems. While intense competition between coral and algae is often assumed on reefs that have undergone phase shifts from coral to algal dominance, data examining the competitive interactions involved, particularly during the larval and immediate post-settlement...
Pelagic seabird surveys in the Tuamotu and Gambier Archipelagos, French Polynesia
Eric A. Vanderwerf, Ray J. Pierce, Verena A. Gill, Graham Wragg, Philippe Raust, T. Lee Tibbitts
2006, Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation (34) 65-70
We conducted pelagic seabird surveys in the Gambier and Tuamotu Archipelagos in the southeastern Pacific Ocean totaling 40 hours during 7-27 March 2003 and 22.5 hours during 22-27 July 2001. We used a 300-m-wide strip transect to estimate seabird density, and we estimated relative abundance of birds at all distances....
Effectiveness of spinning-wing decoys varies among dabbling duck species and locations
Joshua T. Ackerman, J.M. Eadie, M.L. Szymanski, J.H. Caswell, Mark P. Vrtiska, Andrew H. Raedeke, J.M. Checkett, A. D. Afton, T.G. Moore, F. Dale Caswell, R. A. Walters, D.D. Humburg, J.L. Yee
2006, Journal of Wildlife Management (70) 799-804
Spinning-wing decoys are strong attractants to ducks and inc rease kill rates over traditional decoying methods. However, it is unknown whether all duck species are attracted similarly to spinning-wing decoys and whether the effectiveness of these decoys changes with latitude. We examined the effectiveness of spinning-wing decoys for 9 species...
Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) seeds are dispersed by seed-caching rodents
S.B. Vander Wall, T. Esque, D. Haines, M. Garnett, B.A. Waitman
2006, Écoscience (13) 539-543
Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) is a distinctive and charismatic plant of the Mojave Desert. Although floral biology and seed production of Joshua tree and other yuccas are well understood, the fate of Joshua tree seeds has never been studied. We tested the hypothesis that Joshua tree seeds are dispersed by...
An analysis of urban thermal characteristics and associated land cover in Tampa Bay and Las Vegas using Landsat satellite data
George Xian, Mike Crane
2006, Remote Sensing of Environment (104) 147-156
Remote sensing data from both Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 systems were utilized to assess urban area thermal characteristics in Tampa Bay watershed of west-central Florida, and the Las Vegas valley of southern Nevada. To quantitatively determine urban land use extents and development densities, sub-pixel impervious surface areas were mapped...
Headward growth of chasmata by volatile outbursts, collapse, and drainage: Evidence from ganges chaos, Mars
J.A.P. Rodriguez, J. Kargel, D.A. Crown, L. F. Bleamaster III, K. L. Tanaka, V. Baker, H. Miyamoto, J. M. Dohm, S. Sasaki, G. Komatsu
2006, Geophysical Research Letters (33)
The nature and significance of collapse processes in Capri, Eos, and Ganges Chasmata remain poorly understood. Using Ganges Chasma as a type locality, these chasmata are interpreted to be the result of clustering and assimilation of multiple chaotic terrains, which primarily formed by localized depressurization-induced or thermally-triggered dissociation of buried...
Ground deformation associated with the precursory unrest and early phases of the January 2006 eruption of Augustine volcano, Alaska
P.F. Cervelli, T. Fournier, Jeffrey T. Freymueller, J.A. Power
2006, Geophysical Research Letters (33)
On January 11, 2006 Augustine Volcano erupted after nearly 20 years of quiescence. Global Positioning System (GPS) instrumentation at Augustine, consisting of six continuously recording, telemetered receivers, measured clear precursory deformation consistent with a source of inflation or pressurization beneath the volcano's summit at a depth of around sea level....
Two years at Meridiani Planum: Results from the Opportunity Rover
S. W. Squyres, A.H. Knoll, R. E. Arvidson, B.C. Clark, J.P. Grotzinger, B.L. Jolliff, S. M. McLennan, N. Tosca, J.F. Bell III, W. M. Calvin, W. H. Farrand, T.D. Glotch, M.P. Golombek, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, J. R. Johnson, G. Klingelhofer, H.Y. McSween, A. S. Yen
2006, Science (313) 1403-1407
The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has spent more than 2 years exploring Meridiani Planum, traveling ∼8 kilometers and detecting features that reveal ancient environmental conditions. These include well-developed festoon (trough) cross-lamination formed in flowing liquid water, strata with smaller and more abundant hematite-rich concretions than those seen previously, possible relict...
Understanding barriers to implementation of an adaptive land management program
S.K. Jacobson, J.K. Morris, J.S. Sanders, E.N. Wiley, M. Brooks, R.E. Bennetts, H.F. Percival, S. Marynowski
2006, Conservation Biology (20) 1516-1527
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission manages over 650,000 ha, including 26 wildlife management and environmental areas. To improve management, they developed an objective-based vegetation management (OBVM) process that focuses on desired conditions of plant communities through an adaptive management framework. Our goals were to understand potential barriers to...
Survey design for detecting rare freshwater mussels
D. R. Smith
2006, Journal of the North American Benthological Society (25) 701-711
A common objective when surveying freshwater mussels is to detect the presence of rare populations. In certain situations, such as when endangered or threatened species are potentially in the area of a proposed impact, the survey should be designed to ensure a high probability of detecting species presence. Linking survey...
Diel and seasonal variation in food habits of Atlantic salmon parr in a small stream
M. Grader, B.H. Letcher
2006, Journal of Freshwater Ecology (21) 503-517
The diel and seasonal food habits of young-of-year (YOY) and post-young-of-year (PYOY) Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) parr were assayed over the course of 11 months in the West Brook, Massachusetts USA. Gut fullness of YOY salmon did not vary significantly among months. PYOY salmon exhibited significant seasonal differences in gut...
Occurrence and fate of organic contaminants during onsite wastewater treatment
K.E. Conn, L. B. Barber, G.K. Brown, R.L. Siegrist
2006, Environmental Science & Technology (40) 7358-7366
Onsite wastewater treatment systems serve approximately 25% of the U.S. population. However, little is known regarding the occurrence and fate of organic wastewater contaminants (OWCs), including endocrine disrupting compounds, during onsite treatment. A range of OWCs including surfactant metabolites, steroids, stimulants, metal-chelating agents, disinfectants, antimicrobial agents, and...
Persistence of 10-year old Exxon Valdez oil on Gulf of Alaska beaches: The importance of boulder-armoring
Gail V. Irvine, Daniel H. Mann, Jeffrey W. Short
2006, Marine Pollution Bulletin (52) 1011-1022
Oil stranded as a result of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill has persisted for >10 years at study sites on Gulf of Alaska shores distant from the spill's origin. These sites were contaminated by "oil mousse", which persists in these settings due to armoring of underlying sediments and their included...
Time series and recurrence interval models to predict the vulnerability of streams to episodic acidification in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Frank A. Deviney, Karen C. Rice, George M. Hornberger
2006, Water Resources Research (42)
Acid rain affects headwater streams by temporarily reducing the acid‐neutralizing capacity (ANC) of the water, a process termed episodic acidification. The increase in acidic components in stream water can have deleterious effects on the aquatic biota. Although acidic deposition is uniform across Shenandoah National Park (SNP) in north central Virginia,...
Temperature and kairomone induced life history plasticity in coexisting Daphnia
R. J. Bernot, W. K. Dodds, M.C. Quist, C.S. Guy
2006, Aquatic Ecology (40) 361-372
We investigated the life history alterations of coexisting Daphnia species responding to environmental temperature and predator cues. In a laboratory experiment, we measured Daphnia life history plasticity under different predation risk and temperature treatments that simulate changing environmental conditions. Daphnia pulicaria abundance and size at first reproduction (SFR) declined, while...
The effect of the "Great Flood of 1993" on subsequent suspended sediment concentrations and fluxes in the Mississippi River Basin, USA
A. J. Horowitz
2006, Conference Paper, IAHS-AISH Publication
During the spring/summer of 1993, the upper Midwestern USA experienced unusually heavy precipitation (200-350% above normal). More than 500 gauging stations in the region were simultaneously above flood stage, and nearly 150 major rivers and tributaries over-topped their banks. This was one of the costliest floods in the history of...
Importance of spatial autocorrelation in modeling bird distributions at a continental scale
V. Bahn, R.J. O’Connor, W.B. Krohn
2006, Ecography (29) 835-844
Spatial autocorrelation in species' distributions has been recognized as inflating the probability of a type I error in hypotheses tests, causing biases in variable selection, and violating the assumption of independence of error terms in models such as correlation or regression. However, it remains unclear whether these problems occur at...
Landscape response to deglaciation in a high relief, monsoon-influenced alpine environment, Langtang Himal, Nepal
P.L. Barnard, L.A. Owen, R.C. Finkel, K. Asahi
2006, Quaternary Science Reviews (25) 2162-2176
Significant glacial fluctuations and rapid paraglacial reworking of glacigenic sediments characterize the Middle and Late Holocene of the Langtang Khola Valley, Central Nepal Himalaya. Geomorphic mapping and beryllium-10 cosmogenic radionuclide (CRN) dating of moraines and paraglacial fans were undertaken to test the existing paraglacial fan, terrace and moraine chronologies. The...
