Structure of breeding calls in three closely related bird species (Calidris Merrem, 1804; Scolopacidae)
Edward H. Miller, Pavel S. Tomkovich, Vladimir Yu. Arkhipov, Colleen M. Handel
2023, Canadian Journal of Zoology (101) 869-885
We studied calls of three sandpiper species to document species’ similarities and differences. We hypothesized that functionally different calls would differ in degree of divergence. We studied two nuptial calls (complex “Song” and rhythmically repeated aerial call, RRC) of males, and a general-purpose call (“alarm” trill, AT)...
Green turtle fibropapillomatosis: Tumor morphology and growth rate in a rehabilitation setting
Costanza Manes, Richard M. Herren, Annie Page, Faith Dunlap, Chris Skibicki, Devon R. Rollinson Ramia, Jessica A. Farrell, Ilaria Capua, Raymond R. Carthy, David J. Duffy
2023, Veterinary Sciences (10)
Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a neoplastic disease most often found in green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Afflicted turtles are burdened with potentially debilitating tumors concentrated externally on the soft tissues, plastron, and eyes and internally on the lungs, kidneys, and the heart. Clinical signs occur at various levels, ranging from mild...
U.S. Geological Survey Rocky Mountain Region 2022 science exchange, showcasing interdisciplinary and state-of-the-art USGS science
Dana E. Peterson, Katherine L. French, Jeannette H. Oden, Patrick J. Anderson, Timothy N. Titus, Katharine G. Dahm, Jessica M. Driscoll, William J. Andrews
2023, Fact Sheet 2023-3017
IntroductionThe Rocky Mountains and the Colorado River Basin in the Western United States represent complex, interconnected systems that sustain a number of species, including tens of millions of humans. These systems face several challenges, including worsening drought, altered wildfire regimes, climate change, and the spread of invasive species. These factors...
Role of trace metal co-limitation in cyanobacterial blooms of Maumee Bay (Lake Erie) and Green Bay (Lake Michigan)
James H. Larson, Keith A. Loftin, Erin A. Stelzer, David M. Costello, Sean Bailey, Mary Anne Evans, Carrie E. Givens, Lisa R. Fogarty
2023, Journal of Freshwater Ecology (38)
The open waters of large lakes can sometimes become so depleted in important metals that phytoplankton communities become either growth limited or limited in some metabolic function. Metals such as Fe, Ni, Mo, and Zn are used as co-factors for enzymes by phytoplankton in core metabolic functions, as well as...
Tourism-supported working lands sustain a growing jaguar population in the Colombian Llanos
Matthew Hyde, Esteban Payan, Jorge Barragan, Diana Stasiukynas, William L. Kendall, Samantha Rincon, Jeronimo Rodriguez, Kevin R. Crooks, Stewart W. Breck, Valeria Boron
2023, Scientific Reports (13)
Understanding large carnivore demography on human-dominated lands is a priority to inform conservation strategies, yet few studies examine long-term trends. Jaguars (Panthera onca) are one such species whose population trends and survival rates remain unknown across working lands. We integrated nine years of camera trap data and tourist photos to...
Open water dreissenid mussel control projects: Lessons learned from a retrospective analysis
Angelique D. Dahlberg, Diane L. Waller, David Hammond, Keegan Lund, Nicholas B. D. Phelps
2023, Scientific Reports (13)
Dreissenid mussels are one of the most problematic aquatic invasive species (AIS) in North America, causing substantial ecological and economic effects. To date, dreissenid mussel control efforts in open water have included physical, biological, and chemical methods. The feasibility of successful dreissenid mussel management or eradication in lakes is relatively...
Development and application of an Infragravity Wave (InWave) driver to simulate nearshore processes
Maitane Olabarrieta, John C. Warner, Christie Hegermiller
2023, Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems (15)
Infragravity waves are key components of the hydro-sedimentary processes in coastal areas, especially during extreme storms. Accurate modeling of coastal erosion and breaching requires consideration of the effects of infragravity waves. Here, we present InWave, a new infragravity wave driver of the Coupled Ocean-Atmopshere-Waves-Sediment Transport (COAWST) modeling...
Ash aggregate-rich pyroclastic density currents of the 431 CE Tierra Blanca Joven eruption, Ilopango caldera, El Salvador
Richard J. Brown, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Walter Hernandez, Pearce Condren, Clare Sweeney, Pierre-Yves Tournigand, James W. Vallance
2023, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (439)
The VEI 6, Tierra Blanca Joven pyroclastic sequence (30–90 km3 DRE volume), erupted from Ilopango caldera, El Salvador, in 431 CE, is the product of one of the largest eruptions of the last two millennia. The eruption devastated Central America's Mayan civilization. The...
Migration, breeding location, and seascape shape seabird assemblages in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Pamela E. Michael, Kathy M. Hixson, Jeffery S. Gleason, Christopher Haney, Yvan Satgé, Patrick G.R. Jodice
2023, PLoS ONE (18)
The Gulf of Mexico supports many seabird species, yet data gaps describing species composition and habitat use are prevalent. We used vessel-based observations from the Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species to identify and characterize distinct seabird assemblages in the northern Gulf of...
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in United States tapwater: Comparison of underserved private-well and public-supply exposures and associated health implications
Kelly L. Smalling, Kristin M. Romanok, Paul M. Bradley, Matthew C. Morriss, James L. Gray, Leslie K. Kanagy, Stephanie E. Gordon, Brianna Williams, Sara E. Breitmeyer, Daniel K. Jones, Laura A. DeCicco, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Tyler Wagner
2023, Environment International (178)
Drinking-water quality is a rising concern in the United States (US), emphasizing the need to broadly assess exposures and potential health effects at the point-of-use. Drinking-water exposures to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a national concern, however, there is limited information on PFAS in residential tapwater at the point-of-use,...
A new DNA extraction method (HV-CTAB-PCI) for amplification of nuclear markers from open ocean-retrieved faeces of an herbivorous marine mammal, the dugong
Vicky Ooi, Lee McMichael, Margaret Hunter, Aristide Takoukam Kamla, Janet M. Lanyon
2023, PLoS ONE (18)
Non-invasively collected faecal samples are an alternative source of DNA to tissue samples, that may be used in genetic studies of wildlife when direct sampling of animals is difficult. Although several faecal DNA extraction methods exist, their efficacy varies between species. Previous attempts to amplify mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers from...
The Colorado River water crisis: Its origin and the future
John C. Schmidt, Charles B. Yackulic, Eric Kuhn
2023, WIREs Water (10)
During much of the 21st century, natural runoff in the Colorado River basin has declined, while consumption has remained relatively constant, leading to historically low reservoir storage. Between January 2000 and April 2023, the amount of water stored in Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the two largest reservoirs in the...
Pathology and infectious agents of unionid mussels: A primer for pathologists in disease surveillance and investigation of mortality events
Susan Knowles, Michelle Dennis, Andrew McElwain, Eric Leis, Jordan C. Richard
2023, Veterinary Pathology (60) 510-528
Freshwater mussels are one of the most imperiled groups of organisms in the world, and more than 30 species have gone extinct in the last century. While habitat alteration and destruction have contributed to the declines, the role of disease in mortality events is unclear. In an effort to involve...
Implications of tree expansion in shrubland ecosystems for two generalist avian predators
Aaron C. Young, Todd E. Katzner, Douglas J. Shinneman, Tracey N. Johnson
2023, PLoS ONE (18)
Shrublands globally have undergone structural changes due to plant invasions, including the expansion of native trees. Removal of native conifer trees, especially juniper (Juniperus spp.), is occurring across the Great Basin of the western U.S. to support declining sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitats and associated wildlife species, such as greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus...
Accounting for spatial habitat and management boundaries when estimating forest bird population distribution and density: Inferences from a soap film smoother
Richard J. Camp, David L Miller, Steve T. Buckland, Steve J. Kendall
2023, PeerJ (11)
Birds are often obligate to specific habitats which can result in study areas with complex boundaries due to sudden changes in vegetation or other features. This can result in study areas with concave arcs or that include holes of unsuitable habitat such as lakes or agricultural fields. Spatial models...
One Ranney well can make a difference: The impacts of a radial collector well on groundwater level and quality in the Cedar River alluvial aquifer
Adel E. Haj, Lance R. Gruhn, Stephen J. Kalkhoff
2023, Groundwater Monitoring & Remediation (43) 51-60
The City of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, depends on groundwater from the Cedar River alluvial aquifer for residential and industrial use. In 2020, the city completed an additional radial collector well, or Ranney well, and was concerned that pumping from the well at high rates may lower water level elevations in...
Witnessing history: Comparison of a century of sedimentary and written records in a California protected area
R. Scott Anderson, M. Allison Stegner, SeanPaul La Selle, Brian L. Sherrod, Anthony D. Barnosky, Elizabeth A. Hadly
2023, Regional Environmental Change (23)
We use a combination of proxy records from a high-resolution analysis of sediments from Searsville Lake and adjacent Upper Lake Marsh and historical records to document over one and a half centuries of vegetation and socio-ecological change—relating to logging, agricultural land use change, dam construction, chemical applications, recreation, and other...
Modeled predictions of human-associated and fecal-indicator bacteria concentrations and loadings in the Menomonee River, Wisconsin using in-situ optical sensors
Peter L. Lenaker, Steven R. Corsi, Laura A. DeCicco, Hayley T. Olds, Debra K. Dila, Mari Danz, Sandra L. McLellan, Troy D. Rutter
2023, PLoS ONE (18)
Human sewage contamination of waterways is a major issue in the United States and throughout the world. Models were developed for estimation of two human-associated fecal-indicator and three general fecal-indicator bacteria (HIB and FIB) using in situ optical field-sensor data for estimating concentrations and loads of...
Neonicotinoid sunflower seed treatment, while not detected in pollen and nectar, still impacts wild bees and crop yield
Laura T. Ward, Michelle L. Hladik, Aidee Guzman, Ariana Bautista, Nicholas Mills
2023, Agrochemicals (2) 279-295
Neonicotinoid seed treatments are commonly used in agricultural production even though their benefit to crop yield and their impact on pollinators, particularly wild bees, remains unclear. Using an on-farm matched pair design in which half of each field was sown with thiamethoxam treated seed and half without, we assessed honey...
A Carboniferous apex for the late Paleozoic icehouse
Neil Patrick Griffis, Roland Mundil, Isabel P. Montanez, Daniel Le Heron, Pierre Dietrich, Roberto Iannuzzi
2023, Geological Society, London, Special Publications (535)
Icehouse climate systems occur across an abbreviated portion of Earth history, constituting c. 25% of the Phanerozoic record. The Late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA) was the most extreme and longest lasting glaciation of the Phanerozoic and is characterized...
Dietary comparison of age-0 sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus sp.) between upper and lower Missouri River basins
Alin González, James M. Long, Nathan J.C. Gosch, Anthony P. Civiello, Todd R. Gemeinhardt, Jerrod Hall, Patrick Braaten
2023, Journal of Freshwater Ecology (38)
Understanding potential limiting factors affecting population growth of the endangered pallid sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus albus, is important in the upper (UMOR) and lower Missouri River (LMOR) basins. The UMOR is upstream of several reservoirs and generally has more natural habitat features, whereas the LMOR is downstream of these reservoirs and has...
Evaluating pharmaceuticals and other organic contaminants in the Lac du Flambeau Chain of Lakes using risk-based screening techniques
Matthew A. Pronschinske, Steven R. Corsi, Celeste Hockings
2023, PLoS ONE (18)
In an investigation of pharmaceutical contamination in the Lac du Flambeau Chain of Lakes (hereafter referred to as “the Chain”), few contaminants were detected; only eight pharmaceuticals and one pesticide were identified among the 110 pharmaceuticals and other organic contaminants monitored in surface water samples. This...
Calibration of the Trinity River Stream Salmonid Simulator (S3) with extension to the Klamath River, California, 2006–17
John M. Plumb, Russell W. Perry, Nicholas A. Som, Damon H. Goodman, Aaron C. Martin, Justin S. Alvarez, Nicholas J. Hetrick
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1023
The Trinity River is managed in two sections: (1) the upper 64-kilometer (km) “restoration reach” downstream from Lewiston Dam and (2) the 120-km lower Trinity River downstream from the restoration reach. The Stream Salmonid Simulator (S3) has been previously constructed and calibrated for the restoration reach. In this report, we...
Estimating population viability of the northern Great Plains piping plover population considering updated population structure, climate change, and intensive management
Rose J. Swift, Michael J. Anteau, Kristen S. Ellis, Garrett J. MacDonald, Megan M. Ring, Mark H. Sherfy, Dustin L. Toy
2023, Frontiers in Bird Science (2)
One challenge in wildlife conservation is understanding how various threats and management actions may influence long-term population viability. This is particularly evident when there is considerable uncertainty regarding population structure and vital rates. Reassessment of current knowledge and population trends is necessary for listed species to improve management actions...
Establishing big sagebrush seedlings on the Colorado Plateau
Kari E. Veblen, Eric Thacker, Mark Larese-Casanova, Kyle C. Nehring, Michael C. Duniway, Colby C. Brungard
2023, Report
Factors such as soil type and precipitation vary across rangeland landscapes, and these factors affect restoration outcomes and ultimately mean that “one size fits all” management strategies are not effective across large, complex landscapes. Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is a foundational rangeland species that is important to wildlife habitat across...
