Laser ablation ICP-MS profiling and semiquantitative determination of trace element concentrations in desert tortoise shells: Documenting the uptake of elemental toxicants
M. D. Seltzer, K.H. Berry
2005, Science of the Total Environment (339) 253-265
The outer keratin layer (scute) of desert tortoise shells consists of incrementally grown laminae in which various bioaccumulated trace elements are sequestered during scute deposition. Laser ablation ICP-MS examination of laminae in scutes of dead tortoises revealed patterns of trace elemental distribution from which the chronology of elemental uptake can...
Arsenate adsorption mechanisms at the allophane: Water interface
Y. Arai, D.L. Sparks, J.A. Davis
2005, Environmental Science & Technology (39) 2537-2544
We investigated arsenate (As(V)) reactivity and surface speciation on amorphous aluminosilicate mineral (synthetic allophane) surfaces using batch adsorption experiments, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The adsorption isotherm experiments indicated that As(V) uptake increased with increasing [As(V)]o from 50 to 1000 μM (i.e., Langmuir type...
Estimating soil hydraulic parameters from transient flow experiments in a centrifuge using parameter optimization technique
Jirka Simunek, John R. Nimmo
2005, Water Resources Research (41)
A modified version of the Hydrus software package that can directly or inversely simulate water flow in a transient centrifugal field is presented. The inverse solver for parameter estimation of the soil hydraulic parameters is then applied to multirotation transient flow experiments in a centrifuge. Using time‐variable water contents measured...
Prenatal development in fishers (Martes pennanti)
H.C. Frost, W.B. Krohn, E.A. Bezembluk, R. Lott, C.R. Wallace
2005, Theriogenology (63) 1440-1453
We evaluated and quantified prenatal growth of fishers (Martes pennanti) using ultrasonography. Seven females gave birth to 21 kits. The first identifiable embryonic structures were seen 42 d prepartum; these appeared to be unimplanted blastocysts or gestational sacs, which subsequently implanted in the uterine horns. Maternal and fetal heart rates...
A signal for independent coastal and continental histories among North American wolves
Byron V. Weckworth, Sandra L. Talbot, George K. Sage, David K. Person, Joseph Cook
2005, Molecular Ecology (14) 917-931
Relatively little genetic variation has been uncovered in surveys across North American wolf populations. Pacific Northwest coastal wolves, in particular, have never been analysed. With an emphasis on coastal Alaska wolf populations, variation at 11 microsatellite loci was assessed. Coastal wolf populations were distinctive from continental wolves and high levels...
Dissolution of cinnabar (HgS) in the presence of natural organic matter
J.S. Waples, K. L. Nagy, G. R. Aiken, J. N. Ryan
2005, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (69) 1575-1588
Cinnabar (HgS) dissolution rates were measured in the presence of 12 different natural dissolved organic matter (DOM) isolates including humic, fulvic, and hydrophobic acid fractions. Initial dissolution rates varied by 1.3 orders of magnitude, from 2.31 × 10−13 to 7.16 × 10−12 mol Hg (mg C)−1 m−2s−1. Rates correlate positively with three DOM...
Cultural change in the songs of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) from Tonga
N. Eriksen, L.A. Miller, J. Tougaard, D.A. Helweg
2005, Behaviour (142) 305-328
Some humpback whales migrate annually from Antarctic feeding grounds to the seas around the Tongan Islands to give birth and mate. The Tongan humpbacks are considered part of Southern Hemisphere Group V that splits during migration, some swimming to Eastern Australia and others to various Polynesian Islands. During this time...
Topography and vegetation as predictors of snow water equivalent across the alpine treeline ecotone at Lee Ridge, Glacier National Park, Montana, U.S.A.
C. A. Geddes, Daniel G. Brown, Daniel B. Fagre
2005, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (37) 197-205
We derived and implemented two spatial models of May snow water equivalent (SWE) at Lee Ridge in Glacier National Park, Montana. We used the models to test the hypothesis that vegetation structure is a control on snow redistribution at the alpine treeline ecotone (ATE). The statistical models were derived using...
Aroclor 1254 exposure reduces disease resistance and innate immune responses in fasted arctic charr
A.G. Maule, E.H. Jorgensen, M.M. Vijayan, J.-E.A. Killie
2005, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (24) 117-124
To examine the immunological impacts of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in an environmentally relevant way, we orally contaminated Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) with Aroclor 1254. After contamination, fish were either fed (0 and 100 mg Aroclor 1254 kg-1 fish wt) or fasted (0, 1, 10, and 100 mg kg-1) to mimic...
Forest turnover rates follow global and regional patterns of productivity
N.L. Stephenson, P. J. van Mantgem
2005, Ecology Letters (8) 524-531
Using a global database, we found that forest turnover rates (the average of tree mortality and recruitment rates) parallel broad-scale patterns of net primary productivity. First, forest turnover was higher in tropical than in temperate forests. Second, as recently demonstrated by others, Amazonian forest turnover was higher on fertile than...
Toxicity to amphibians of environmental extracts from natural waters in National Parks and Fish and Wildlife Refuges
C.M. Bridges, E. E. Little
2005, Conference Paper, Alytes
Amphibian population declines are not limited to overtly degraded habitats, but often occur in relatively pristine environments such as national parks or wildlife refuges, thus forcing biologists to examine less obvious causes for declines such as the presence of contaminants. The objective of our study was to extract naturally-occurring compounds...
Geographical variation of St. Lucia Parrot flight vocalizations
Patrick M. Kleeman, James D. Gilardi
2005, Condor (107) 62-68
Parrots are vocal learners and many species of parrots are capable of learning new calls, even as adults. This capability gives parrots the potential to develop communication systems that can vary dramatically over space. St. Lucia Parrot (Amazona versicolor) flight vocalizations were examined for geographic variation between four different sites...
Relationships between recapture rates from different gears for estimating walleye abundance in northern Wisconsin lakes
M.W. Rogers, M.J. Hansen, T.D. Beard Jr.
2005, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (25) 195-202
Maximizing sampling efficiency and reducing sampling costs are desirable goals for fisheries management agencies. Expensive and labor-intensive methods (such as mark-recapture) are commonly used to estimate the population abundance of walleye Sander vitreus, but more efficient methods may be available. We compared recapture rates from surveys and harvests to evaluate...
Host population persistence in the face of introduced vector-borne diseases: Hawaii amakihi and avian malaria
B.L. Woodworth, C. T. Atkinson, D.A. Lapointe, P.J. Hart, C.S. Spiegel, E.J. Tweed, C. Henneman, J. LeBrun, T. Denette, R. DeMots, K.L. Kozar, D. Triglia, Dan Lease, A. Gregor, T. Smith, D. Duffy
2005, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (102) 1531-1536
The past quarter century has seen an unprecedented increase in the number of new and emerging infectious diseases throughout the world, with serious implications for human and wildlife populations. We examined host persistence in the face of introduced vector-borne diseases in Hawaii, where introduced avian malaria and introduced vectors have...
Primary production in an impounded baldcypress swamp (Taxodium distichum) at the northern limit of the range
B.A. Middleton, K.L. McKee
2005, Conference Paper, Wetlands Ecology and Management
The ability of baldcypress (Taxodium distichum)swamps to maintain themselves near the northern limit of their range depends on their levels of production, which is not only are response to climate but also to local environmental factors(e.g., impoundment). We asked if primary production was reduced under impounded conditions and if species'...
The severity of Whirling disease among wild trout corresponds to the differences in genetic composition of tubifex tubifex populations in Central Colorado
K.A. Beauchamp, G.O. Kelley, R.B. Nehring, R.P. Hedrick
2005, Journal of Parasitology (91) 53-60
We analyzed the geographic distribution of Tubifex tubifex from various river drainages in central Colorado by genetic screening with specific mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA (mt 16S rDNA) markers. Four distinct mt 16S rDNA lineages are evident. The sites varied with respect to land- and water-use practices. All sites represented habitats...
Petrology, mineralogy and geochemistry of mined coals, western Venezuela
Paul C. Hackley, Peter D. Warwick, Eligio Gonzalez
2005, International Journal of Coal Geology (63) 68-97
Upper Paleocene to middle Miocene coal samples collected from active mines in the western Venezuelan States of Táchira, Mérida and Zulia have been characterized through an integrated geochemical, mineralogical and petrographic investigation. Proximate, ultimate, calorific and forms of sulfur values, major and trace element, vitrinite reflectance, maceral concentrations and mineral...
Screening of polar components of petroleum products by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry
Colleen E. Rostad
2005, Energy and Fuels (19) 992-997
The polar components of fuels may enable differentiation between fuel types or commercial fuel sources. Screening for these components in the hydrocarbon product is difficult due to their very low concentrations in such a complex matrix. Various commercial fuels from several sources were analyzed by flow injection analysis/electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry...
Using soil redistribution to understand soil organic carbon redistribution and budgets
J.C. Ritchie, G.W. McCarty, E.R. Venteris, T.C. Kaspar
2005, Conference Paper, IAHS-AISH Publication
Patterns of soil organic carbon (SOC) vary across the landscape leading to uncertainties in SOC budgets, especially for agricultural areas where water, wind, and tillage erosion redistribute soil and SOC. This study determined SOC patterns related to soil redistribution in small agricultural fields. Soil redistribution patterns were determined using the...
Peatlands and green frogs: A relationship regulated by acidity?
M. J. Mazerolle
2005, Écoscience (12) 60-67
The effects of site acidification on amphibian populations have been thoroughly addressed in the last decades. However, amphibians in naturally acidic environments, such as peatlands facing pressure from the peat mining industry, have received little attention. Through two field studies and an experiment, I assessed the use of bog habitats...
Sex structure and potential female fecundity in a Epinephelus guttatus spawning aggregation: Applying ultrasonic imaging
E.A. Whiteman, Cecil A. Jennings, R.S. Nemeth
2005, Journal of Fish Biology (66) 983-995
Ultrasonic imaging was used to determine the spawning population structure and develop a fecundity estimation model for a red hind Epinephelus guttatus spawning aggregation within the Red Hind Bank Marine Conservation District, St Thomas, U.S.V.I. The spawning population showed considerable within‐month and between‐month variation in population size‐ and sex‐structure. In the spawning...
Multiple sources for late-Holocene tsunamis at Discovery Bay, Washington State, USA
H.F.L. Williams, I. Hutchinson, A.R. Nelson
2005, Holocene (15) 60-73
Nine muddy sand beds interrupt a 2500-yr-old sequence of peat deposits beneath a tidal marsh at the head of Discovery Bay on the south shore of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington. An inferred tsunami origin for the sand beds is assessed by means of six criteria. Although all...
The adrenocortical response of tufted puffin chicks to nutritional deficits
A.S. Kitaysky, Marc D. Romano, John F. Piatt, J.C. Wingfield, M. Kikuchi
2005, Hormones and Behavior (47) 606-619
In several seabirds, nutritional state of a nest-bound chick is negatively correlated with the activity of its hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Increased corticosterone (cort) secretion has been shown to facilitate changes in behavior that allow hungry chicks to obtain more food from parents. However, if parents are not willing/able to buffer...
Planning for the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS)
E. Christian
2005, Space Policy (21) 105-109
The Group on Earth Observations was established to promote comprehensive, coordinated, and sustained Earth observations. Its mandate is to implement the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) in accord with the GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan and Reference Document. During the months over which the GEOSS Implementation Plan was developed,...
Loosely bound oxytetracycline in riverine sediments from two tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay
N.S. Simon
2005, Environmental Science & Technology (39) 3480-3487
The fate of antibiotics that bind to riverine sediment is not well understood. A solution used in geochemical extraction schemes to determine loosely bound species in sediments, 1 M MgCl2 (pH 8), was chosen to determine loosely bound, and potentially bioavailable, tetracycline antibiotics (TCs), including oxytetracycline (5-OH tetracycline)...
