Environmental tradeoffs of urban stream restoration in Fairfax County, Virginia
Aaron J. Porter, Christopher M. Ruck, Spencer John Tassone
2026, Ecological Engineering (224)
Regulatory mandates to improve water quality and stream health have driven substantial investment in stream restoration. Most projects aim to improve channel-floodplain connectivity, reduce sediment erosion, and enhance habitat for aquatic organisms, yet few include adequate pre- and post-restoration monitoring to assess outcomes. Since 2007, Fairfax County, Virginia, and the...
Seed coating treatments alter emergence windows of native Intermountain West U.S. grasses under different regimes of water availability
Laura Cecilia Shriver, Sarah A. Costanzo, Matthew D. Madsen, Seth M. Munson
2026, Restoration Ecology (34)
IntroductionSeed-based restoration is widely implemented to recover degraded lands but often fails. Seed enhancement technologies may improve outcomes by shifting emergence to target favorable climate windows and serving as a bet-hedging strategy against increasingly variable precipitation patterns.ObjectivesTo test the potential benefit of these technologies,...
Groundwater salinity: Applying the specific conductance and water type proxy
R. Blaine McCleskey, Charles A. Cravotta III, Katherine J. Knierim, Paul E. Stackelberg, Courtney D. Killian
2026, Groundwater (64) 150-160
Groundwater is increasingly needed for water supplies but may have limited utility in some locations because of its salinity. Salinity, often expressed as total dissolved solid (TDS), is frequently estimated using specific conductance (SC) measurements. However, the commonly used proxy (0.65 multiplied by SC to indicate TDS,...
Restoring the Florida Everglades: Insights on integrating sea level rise into decision-support tools
Stephanie Castellano, Mysha Clarke, Laura D’Acunto, Stephanie S. Romañach, Stephanie Cadaval
2026, Environmental Management (76)
Although coastal ecosystems are impacted by climate change and sea-level rise, many ecological and hydrological models do not yet incorporate sea-level rise projections in their modeling outputs. Therefore, this research examined the various challenges that may prevent sea-level rise from being effectively incorporated in modeling and decision-support tools. We conducted...
Summary of first daily ring formation in otoliths of freshwater fishes in the continental United States
James M. Long, Richard A. Snow
2026, Fisheries (51) 189-199
Daily ring counts in young-of-the-year fishes are important for estimating important vital rates, such as growth, mortality, and timing of hatch. To accurately estimate some of these rates, the timing of the first daily ring must be estimated accurately. Variation in the timing of the first daily ring...
Predicting niche spaces of expanding Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis) populations following white-nose syndrome establishment
Sally B. Martinez, Laura D’Acunto, Bradford J. Westrich, Scott M. Bergeson, Patrick A. Zollner
2026, Journal of Mammalogy (107) 135-145
Observations of the Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis), a species historically distributed abundantly throughout the southeastern United States, are speculated to have increased in the Midwest. One hypothesis for this expansion in geographic distribution is that local extirpations of other bat species resulted in the expanded realized niche spaces for evening...
Summer snow determines the depth to ice-cemented ground under dry permafrost in Antarctica
C. P. McKay, M. Marinova, Kaj E. Williams, M. Mellon
2026, Antarctic Science (38) 122-134
Dry permafrost underlain by ice-cemented permafrost has been reported in several locations in Antarctica. Initially thought to be relic ice, it is now understood that this subsurface ice is in equilibrium with the surface conditions, although it is not in equilibrium with the atmosphere. We use year-round data from University...
Trophic assessment of potential competition between invasive cichlids and sport fish in Puerto Rico reservoirs
J. Wesley Neal, Jacob A. Moreland, Corey Garland Dunn, Peter J. Allen
2026, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (46) 139-147
Objective Several species of New World cichlids have recently invaded reservoirs in Puerto Rico, potentially jeopardizing established recreationally important, albeit nonnative, sport fish populations. Interactions between invasive species and important sport fish must be understood so that they can be mitigated when feasible. This study compared monthly prey consumption between three...
Water residence time and water depth influence on nutrient conditions, eutrophication endpoints and habitat quality in backwater lakes of a large floodplain river
Shawn M. Giblin, James H. Larson, Jeremy D. King
2026, River Research and Applications (42) 547-563
Many eutrophication studies focus on the external supply of critical nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, but hydrology and geomorphology can enhance or dampen the effects of excessive nutrient supply. We studied six backwater lakes in the Upper Mississippi River that varied in water residence time and water depth. Eutrophication in...
Causal networks to inform decisions for ecological restoration
Christopher James Kotalik, Freya Elizabeth Rowland, Bruce G. Marcot, Kristin E. Skrabis, David Walters, Jo Ellen Hinck, William H. Clements, Eric E. Richer, John P. Isanhart
2026, Environmental Management (76)
The release of contaminants into the environment can occur from anthropogenic activities, such as oil extraction and transportation, mining, and industrial processes. Remediation associated with reducing contaminant concentrations, and restoration that improves animals and supporting habitat, are often needed to restore ecosystems to their pre-release, baseline condition. We demonstrated the...
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...
Assessing the topographic distribution of legacy soil phosphorus in agricultural fields of the Delmarva Peninsula, Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain, USA
Maryam Foroughi, Ling Du, Isis P Scott, W. Dean Hively, Zachary P. Simpson, Zacharias J. Smith, Cathleen J. Hapeman, Martin C. Rabenhorst, Raymond R. Weil, Greg W. McCarty
2026, Journal of Environmental Quality (55)
Phosphorus (P) management remains a challenge in agricultural watersheds. The Choptank River Conservation Effects Assessment Project watershed, located in Maryland and Delaware and draining to the Chesapeake Bay, contains legacy soil P from historical dairy and poultry manure applications. These practices elevated soil P beyond crop needs, contributing to persistent...
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...
How high? Identifying elevation thresholds to guide coastal marsh restoration
Emily N. Fromenthal, Camille L. Stagg, Jena A. Moon, Taylor Abshier, Omar Alawneh, Jack A. Cadigan, Daniel A. Gallegos, Brian D. Harris, Nia R. Hurst, Navid H. Jafari, Todd Merendino, Matthew R. Nelson, Michael J. Osland, Philip Pauling, Michael Rezsutek, Colt R. Sanspree, Rachel Katherine Villani
2026, Restoration Ecology (34)
IntroductionCoastal marshes are highly valuable ecosystems facing threats from rising sea levels and intensifying storm events. To elevate marsh surfaces and prevent loss of ecosystem services, the beneficial use of dredged material (BUDM) is increasingly being implemented across the United States.ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to aid decision-makers and...
Land cover, elevation, and precipitation predict distribution and hotspots of three bird species of concern in boreal Alaska
Emily L. Weiser, Katherine Christie, Casey T. Burns, Julie C Hagelin, Steven M. Matsuoka, James A. Johnson, Colleen M. Handel
2026, Ornithological Applications (128) 1-14
The boreal forest biome is an important breeding area for migratory birds and is undergoing rapid changes, including drying of wetlands, changes to vegetation composition, and human development. Many boreal bird populations are declining, but information is often lacking on how these species associate with habitat characteristics and thus how...
Long‐period ground motions from dynamic rupture simulations of large earthquakes on the creeping Hayward–Calaveras–Rodgers Creek fault system
Ruth A. Harris, Michael Barall, Grace Alexandra Parker, Evan Tyler Hirakawa
2026, Seismological Research Letters (97) 2050-2063
he Hayward, Calaveras, and Rodgers Creek faults in the San Francisco Bay region of California have a high probability of producing a large earthquake in the next decades. Although these faults creep, the creep is insufficient to keep up with their relatively rapid slip rates on their deepest sections, so...
Bioclimatic, demographic, and anthropogenic correlates of grizzly bear activity patterns in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
A. Donatelli, Mark Haroldson, Justin G. Clapp, P. Ciucci, Frank T. van Manen
2026, Oikos (2026)
Plasticity of diel activity rhythms may be a key element for adaptations of wildlife populations to changing environmental conditions. In the last decades, grizzly bears Ursus arctos in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) have experienced notable environmental fluctuations, including changes in availability of food sources and severe droughts. Although substantial research has...
The 1912 Ms 7.2 earthquake in the Denali region of central Alaska
Carl Tape, Marco Aquino-Lopez, Sean Bemis, Peter J. Haeussler, Jessalyn Ginnaty
2026, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (116) 322-354
The 2002 Mw 7.9 earthquake in central Alaska ruptured 340 km on three faults—Susitna Glacier thrust fault, Denali fault, Totschunda fault—crossing both the Richardson Highway and the Alaska Pipeline. Its occurrence prompted renewed interest in historical large earthquakes that possibly originated on the Denali fault. One of these earthquakes was a Ms 7.2...
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...
Revised length categories and standard weight equation for Northern Pikeminnow
Nicholas S. Voss, Michael C. Quist
2026, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (46) 259-268
ObjectiveLength and weight indices (e.g., proportional size distribution, relative weight) provide standardized benchmarks that are useful for comparing groups of fish, identifying ecological interactions, and evaluating the effect of management actions. However, the current length categories and standard weight (Ws) equation for Northern Pikeminnow Ptychocheilus oregonensis, a species of important management...
Phylogenomics of endangered troglobiotic rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) from central Texas karst regions
Perry L. Wood Jr., Donald S. Chandler, Nicholas S. Gladstone, Anna Mitelberg, Julia G. Smith, Kemble White, Jenny Wilson, Amy G. Vandergast
2026, Conservation Genetics (27)
The karst habitats of central Texas, USA, are home to an array of endemic subterranean-obligate (troglobiotic) invertebrates. This includes several species of rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae). Here we developed a molecular dataset using sequence capture of Ultra-Conserved Elements (UCEs) from the Coleoptera-UCE-1.1 K v1 baits kit. These data were used...
Evaluating sediment transport and metal sorption in the San Juan River watershed
Michael Ray Whiting, K. Bosch, C.A. Van Zante, Jeb E. Brown, Rachel Lynn Mixon, Johanna Blake, Zoreya (Zev) Eden Ratigan
2026, Geochemistry; Exploration, Environment, Analysis (25)
The physical and chemical characteristics of sediment influence the transport of metals in rivers. The San Juan River and its tributaries are located in the Four Corners Region in the southwestern United States and the watershed contains a wide variety of potential metal...
Population demographics of invasive Silver Carp in a Great Plains river network
Blake Logan, Mark Pegg, Kirk D. Steffensen, Jonathan J. Spurgeon
2026, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (46) 70-83
ObjectiveKnowledge of invasive Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix population demographics and distributions may inform estimates of efforts necessary to achieve reductions in abundance and identify locations to conduct removal. Although extensively studied in other parts of their invasive range (e.g., Mississippi and Illinois rivers), less is known regarding Silver Carp population demographics in...
Groundwater spatial variability within an atoll island: Assessing shallow aquifer heterogeneity with geophysical and physicochemical measurements
Nidia Tobon-Velazquez, Gerd Masselink, T.J. O’Hare, Robert Bates, Ferdinand K.J. Oberle, Curt D. Storlazzi, D. C. Conley
2026, Journal of Hydrology (664)
This study examines the spatial variability of shallow groundwater on Dhigelaabadhoo Island using electromagnetic induction surveys, groundwater monitoring, and sediment analyses. The research reveals how variations in island morphology—such as differences in elevation, reef flat width, and sediment composition—affect the spatial distribution of groundwater lenses and the overall aquifer dynamics....
Variation in soil organic carbon across a latitudinal chronosequence of mangrove poleward expansion
Yiyang Kang, Prakhin Assavapanuvat, Michael J. Osland, David A. Kaplan
2026, Ecosystems (29)
The critical carbon sink provided by coastal wetlands, known as blue carbon, can be affected by multiple aspects of climate change. One important example is warming-induced mangrove poleward expansion, which is shifting dominant plant cover across tropical–temperate transitional zones and altering ecosystem structure and function. We examined how mangrove expansion...
