An analysis of the linked decisions in the confiscation of illegally traded turtles
Desireé Smith, Graziella V. DiRenzo, Jillian Elizabeth Fleming, Margaret C. McEachran, Evan H. Campbell Grant
2026, Conservation Science and Practice (8)
Over the last few decades, freshwater turtles have become more common in the illegal wildlife trade because of growing global demand. Illegally traded turtles may be intercepted by several different agencies with separate jurisdictions. When turtles are confiscated, uncertainties may make releasing them back to the wild...
Changing dynamic phosphorus forms from field to stream during surface runoff events
Rebecca M. Kreiling, Tanja N. Williamson, Faith Fitzpatrick, Kenna J. Gierke, James D. Blount, Patrik Mathis Perner, Isaac James Mevis, Heidi Mae Broerman, Katherine R. Merriman, Matthew J. Komiskey
2026, Journal of Environmental Quality (55)
The risk of water quality impairment from agricultural runoff depends on nutrient source, transport, and bioavailability. Phosphorus (P) spirals between dissolved and particulate forms as it is transported with suspended sediment (SS) from agricultural fields, through the stream network, to receiving water bodies. This dynamic sorption-desorption influences bioavailability. We quantified...
Novel adomaviruses associated with blotchy bass syndrome in black basses (Micropterus spp.)
Luke R. Iwanowicz, Clayton D. Raines, Kelsey T. Young, Vicki S. Blazer, Heather L. Walsh, Geoff Smith, Cynthia Holt, John Odenkirk, Tom Jones, Jan-Michael Hessenauer, Morgan Alexandra Biggs, Christopher B. Buck, Justin Blaine Greer, Robert S. Cornman
2026, PLoS ONE (20)
Black bass (Micropterus spp.) are the most important warmwater game fishes in the United States. They have high socioeconomic and recreational value and support an important aquaculture industry. Since 2008, fisheries managers have been reporting the observation of hyperpigmented melanistic lesions (HPMLs) on smallmouth bass (M. dolomieu)...
Multi-scale geophysical mapping of the brine and bedrock surfaces along the Dolores River, Paradox Valley, Colorado, December 2023
Neil C. Terry, M. Alisa Mast, Andrea L. Creighton, Joel William Homan, Connor P. Newman, Suzanne S. Paschke
2026, Near Surface Geophysics (24) 36-49
Total dissolved solids derived from salt dome–sourced brine in the underlying alluvial aquifer substantially increase with distance in the reach of the Dolores River that passes through Paradox Valley in southwestern Colorado. The area has been the site of salinity control operations since the 1990s to reduce salt loading to...
Development of high-throughput genomic resources to inform white-tailed deer population and disease management
David Navarro, Emily K. Latch, Anaïs K. Tallon, Caitlin N. Ott-Conn, Randy W. DeYoung, Daniel P. Walsh, Peter T. Euclide, R.G. Chandika, Wes A. Larson, Arun S. Seetharam, Andrew J. Severin, Andrew J. Severin, James M. Reecy, Zhi-Liang Hu, Jay R. Cantrell, Michelle Carstensen, Joe N. Caudell, Charlie H. Killmaster, Mitch L. Lockwood, William T. McKinley, Andrew S. Norton, Krysten L. Schuler, Daniel J. Storm, Jason A. Sumners, W. David Walter, Julie A. Blanchong
2026, Molecular Ecology Resources (26)
White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are the most abundant and widespread cervid in North America. Genetic data are used as a tool to monitor populations and make management decisions for this game species. However, the development and use of genomic tools that can generate a set of markers suitable for longitudinal...
Hosts, pathogens and hot ponds: Thermal mean and variability contribute to spatial patterns of chytrid infection
Brendan K Hobart, Daniel A. Grear, Megan Winzeler, Travis Mcdevitt-Galles, Timothy M Korpita, Erin L. Muths, Valerie J McKenzie
2026, Oikos (2026)
Temperature is a primary driver of heterogeneity in host–pathogen dynamics and understanding how patch-scale temperature affects landscape-scale patterns of pathogen infection is key to effective monitoring and management. In field studies, both temperature variability and mean temperature are often related to infection of ectothermic animals by fungal pathogens, and although...
Demographic mechanisms of snowshoe hare population cycles in Yukon, Canada
Madan K. Oli, Alice J Kenney, Rudy Boonstra, Stan Boutin, Dennis Murray, Thomas Jung, James E. Hines, Charles J Krebs
2026, Journal of Animal Ecology (95) 21-38
One hundred years have elapsed since Charles Elton (1924) described the periodic fluctuations in North American snowshoe hare abundance, yet mechanisms underlying 9–11-year population cycles in snowshoe hares continue to be debated.We applied multistate capture–mark–recapture models to long-term field data (1977–2020) based on >20,000 captures of >7000 unique snowshoe...
Double agents: Invasive Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) and Argentine black and white tegus (Salvator merianae) as potential seed dispersers in south Florida
Adrian Figueroa, Katherine R. Davis, Madison E.A. Harman, Ian A. Bartoszek, Ian C. Easterling, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Christina M. Romagosa
2026, Journal of Zoology (328) 187-202
Invasive species can reshape ecological processes, including seed dispersal, through both direct and indirect pathways. In this study, we explore how invasive reptiles influence seed dispersal dynamics in the Greater Everglades ecosystem using two case studies: the Burmese python (Python bivittatus) and the Argentine black and white tegu (Salvator merianae)....
Same view through a different lens: Comparing population trends for North American birds using eBird and the Breeding Bird Survey
Orin J. Robinson, Alison J. Johnston, Wesley M. Hochachka, J. A. Hostetler, John R. Sauer, Tom Auer, Matthew E. Strimas-Mackey, Shawn Ligocki, Nicholas A. Faraco-Hadlock, Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez, Amanda D. Rodewald, Daniel Fink
2026, Ornithological Applications (128) 1-14
Confidently estimating population trends is of vital importance for a wide range of ecological, conservation, and management applications. North America has 2 major data sources for estimating population trends of breeding birds—the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and the global participatory science project eBird. Because the...
Reconciliation of geochronology and paleozoogeography for Quaternary marine terraces, San Luis Obispo Bay area, California, USA
Daniel R. Muhs, Lindsey T. Groves, R. Randall Schumann, Jordon Bright
2026, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (681)
In the San Luis Obispo Bay area of central California, interpretations of marine terrace ages have been hampered by inconsistent results from geochronological indicators (U-series ages of corals and correlations using amino acid racemization of mollusks) and seemingly contradictory...
An approach to modeling abundance of marine wildlife over space and time using unstructured aerial surveys
Timothy A. Gowan, Jennifer Moore, Holly Edwards, Ashley B.C. Goode, Julien Martin
2026, Journal of Wildlife Management (90)
Estimating spatial and temporal patterns in abundance is often a goal of ecological studies and can be useful for informing management decisions, such as determining the optimal placement of wildlife protection zones. However, estimating abundance can be difficult in practice, especially over large areas, because of imperfect detection, where individuals...
Assessment of treated wastewater infiltration in Bright Angel Wash and the potential for contaminants of emerging concern influencing spring water quality along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Nicholas V. Paretti, Kimberly R. Beisner, Sarah J.R. Shepherd
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5095
In April 2021, a synoptic study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and National Park Service (NPS) identified wastewater-related contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in springs along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. These springs are located north of Bright Angel Wash, an ephemeral channel that receives treated...
Evaluating uncertainties with sample-collection method and source selection in sediment fingerprinting: an example from a Great Lakes tributary
Tanja N. Williamson, James D. Blount, Heidi Mae Broerman, Faith Fitzpatrick, Isaac James Mevis, Dayle J. Hoefling, Shannon Murphy Pace, Matthew J. Komiskey, Rebecca Kreiling
2025, Journal of Soils and Sediments (25) 4140-4163
PurposeIdentifying suspended-sediment (SS) sources, seasonal variability, and phosphorus (P) transported with SS is critical information for basin managers, although there may be concerns about comparability between flow-integrated SS samples used for sediment fingerprinting and discrete samples used for concentrations and loads in basins where SS is mostly silt + clay...
Hydrogeologic characterization of the Cahuilla Valley and Terwilliger Valley Groundwater Basins, Riverside County, California
Christina L. Stamos, Allen H. Christensen, Geoffrey Cromwell, Meghan C. Dick, Christopher P. Ely, Elizabeth R. Jachens, Sarah E. Ogle, Mackenzie M. Shepherd
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5073
The relation between the groundwater and the amount of natural recharge to the Cahuilla Valley and Terwilliger Valley groundwater basins is not well understood. During the 20th century, the reliance on groundwater near Anza, California, used for agricultural, domestic, and municipal reasons has increased, and there is the potential for...
Insights into widespread landsliding in southern Appalachia from Hurricane Helene
Lauren N. Schaefer, Francis K. Rengers, Benjamin Mirus, Liam Toney, Kate E. Allstadt, Richard Wooten, Patrick Moore, Paula Madeline Burgi, Anne Witt, Eric Leland Bilderback, Jennifer Bauer, David Korte, Matthew Crawford
2025, GSA Today (36) 4-11
Between 23 and 27 September 2024, antecedent rain followed by Hurricane Helene produced one of the most damaging weather events in southern Appalachia history. The back-to-back storm events resulted in a maximum cumulative rainfall of 848 mm and hurricane-force wind gusts over 170 km/h in western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee,...
Integrating theory and empirical patterns: Fish body size distributions, life history traits, and environmental flows in streams
Taylor Woods, Daniel J. McGarvey, Matthew J. Cashman, Michael R. Meador, Daren M. Carlisle, Ken Eng, Darin A. Kopp, Kelly O. Maloney
2025, Science Advances (11)
Individual size distributions (ISDs) are prominent in ecological research and may support resource managers with ecosystem-scale objectives. We use a database of individual size measurements for US stream fishes to test for direct and indirect effects of traits, flow regimes, and land use on the interspecific ISD exponent. Path analysis...
USGS Flow Photo Explorer is still going and growing!
Jennifer H. Fair
2025, Newsletter
The Flow Photo Explorer (FPE) platform continues to grow rapidly as a national resource for using imagery to monitor environmental conditions. As of early December 2025, FPE now supports more than 350 users, operating across more than 600 monitoring sites. The database has expanded to over 12 million images, 800,000 annotations, and approximately 160 trained models, reflecting...
Shallow geologic framework of the Mississippi Sound and the potential for sediment resources
James Flocks, Arnell Forde
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5100
The Mississippi Sound, an estuarine environment located between the mainland and barrier islands bordering the northern Gulf of America (formerly the Gulf of Mexico), serves as a vital ecosystem for the States of Mississippi and Alabama. Spanning approximately 100 kilometers from east to west and covering 1,400 square kilometers, the...
Dynamic risk from Mexican wolves and mountain lions influences elk foraging behavior
Julia E. Olson, Cara J. Thompson, Zachary J. Farley, Samuel I. Martinez, Scott T. Boyle, Nicole M. Tatman, James C. DeVos, Stewart D. Liley, James W. Cain III
2025, Ecology and Evolution (15)
Foraging time is a major component of ungulate activity budgets but can be limited by anti-predator behaviors (e.g., vigilance). Multitasking can reduce the nutritional costs of vigilance under heightened predation risk, but this may depend on the response of prey to risk from multiple predators across a...
Achieving interpretable machine learning by functional decomposition of black-box models into explainable predictor effects
David Kohler, David Rügamer, Lindsey J. Boyle, Kelly O. Maloney, Matthias Schmid
2025, npj Artificial Intelligence (1)
Machine learning (ML) models are often based on complex black-box architectures that are difficult to interpret. This interpretability problem can hinder the use of ML in fields like medicine, ecology, and insurance, and has boosted research in interpretable machine learning (IML). Here, we propose a novel approach for the functional...
Approximate inland extent of saltwater intrusion at the base of the Biscayne aquifer, Miami-Dade County, Florida, 2022
Jade Ziqiu Zhang, Corinne Renshaw
2025, Scientific Investigations Map 3541
Miami-Dade County is part of a densely populated urban corridor in southeastern Florida. The Biscayne aquifer serves as Miami-Dade County’s primary drinking water source and is characterized by highly permeable karstic limestone and carbonate sand. The aquifer’s coastal location and permeable nature make it susceptible to saltwater intrusion. Monitoring the...
Muskellunge spawning habitat characteristics and availability in Green Bay, Lake Michigan
Jared E. Krebs, Robert J. Sheffer, Daniel J. Dembkowski, Ryan Eastman, Steven R. Holger, Joshua K. Raabe, Daniel A. Isermann
2025, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (45) 1155-1170
ObjectiveHabitat degradation has been associated with the loss of many self-sustaining Muskellunge Esox masquinongy populations, including those in Green Bay, where stocking has provided an exceptional trophy fishery but restoration goals include establishing self-sustaining populations and there is little evidence of natural recruitment. Our objectives were to determine...
Aeromagnetic and magnetotelluric imaging of west-central Idaho and the Stibnite-Yellow Pine mining district: A regional to district perspective
Eric D. Anderson, Brian D. Rodriguez, Karen Lund, Christopher Dail, Bill Breen
2025, Economic Geology (120) 1899-1923
Aeromagnetic and magnetotelluric (MT) data are used to better understand the geology and mineral resources near the Stibnite-Yellow Pine mining district in central Idaho. The reduced-to-pole (RTP) transformation of regional-scale aeromagnetic data shows that allochthonous island-arc rocks west of the Salmon River suture are significantly more magnetic than the Laurentian...
Geologic models underpinning the 2024 U.S. Geological Survey assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Hosston and Travis Peak Formations of the onshore Gulf Coast region, U.S.A.
Lauri A. Burke, Stanley T. Paxton, Scott A. Kinney, Nicholas J. Gianoutsos, Russell F. Dubiel, Janet K. Pitman
2025, GCAGS Journal (14) 87-105
The Early Cretaceous (Berriasian–Hauterivian) Hosston Formation in Louisiana and eastward is time correlative to the Travis Peak Formation of Texas and southern Arkansas. The formation is a first-order clastic sequence with a regional carbonate transgressive surface as an upper contact. The Hosston and Travis Peak formations contain conventional natural gas...
Effects of climate change on Midwestern ecosystems: Central and Eastern North American Grassland and Shrubland
Hugh Ratcliffe, Katherine Charton, Taylor Siddons, Marta P. Lyons, Olivia E. LeDee
2025, Report
The Central and Eastern North American Grassland and Shrubland ecosystem may be increasingly shaped by intensifying drought and shifting seasonality. Rising temperatures and more variable precipitation, marked by longer dry spells, are projected to increase evapotranspiration and soil moisture deficits, and yield more frequent drought. At the same time, warming...
