Estimating current and future streamflow characteristics at ungaged sites, central and eastern Montana, with application to evaluating effects of climate change on fish populations
Roy Sando, Katherine J. Chase
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5002
A common statistical procedure for estimating streamflow statistics at ungaged locations is to develop a relational model between streamflow and drainage basin characteristics at gaged locations using least squares regression analysis; however, least squares regression methods are parametric and make constraining assumptions about the data distribution. The random forest regression...
Effects of experimentally reduced snowpack and passive warming on montane meadow plant phenology and floral resources
J.A. Sherwood, D.M. Debinski, P.C. Caragea, Matthew J. Germino
2017, Ecosphere (8)
Climate change can have a broad range of effects on ecosystems and organisms, and early responses may include shifts in vegetation phenology and productivity that may not coincide with the energetics and forage timing of higher trophic levels. We evaluated phenology, annual height growth, and foliar frost responses of forbs...
Distribution, nesting activities, and age-class of territorial pairs of golden eagles at the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area, California, 2014–16
Patrick S. Kolar, J. David Wiens
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1035
The substantial numbers of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) killed by collisions with oldgeneration wind turbines each year at the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area (APWRA) in California has been well documented from previous studies. Few eagle nests have been documented in the APWRA, however, and adults and subadults 3+ years...
A model to inform management actions as a response to chytridiomycosis-associated decline
Sarah J. Converse, Larissa L. Bailey, Brittany A. Mosher, W. Chris Funk, Brian D. Gerber, Erin L. Muths
2017, EcoHealth (14) 144-155
Decision-analytic models provide forecasts of how systems of interest will respond to management. These models can be parameterized using empirical data, but sometimes require information elicited from experts. When evaluating the effects of disease in species translocation programs, expert judgment is likely to play a role because complete empirical information...
Harmonization of forest disturbance datasets of the conterminous USA from 1986 to 2011
Christopher E. Soulard, William Acevedo, Warren B. Cohen, Zhiqiang Yang, Stephen V. Stehman, Janis L. Taylor
2017, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (189)
Several spatial forest disturbance datasets exist for the conterminous USA. The major problem with forest disturbance mapping is that variability between map products leads to uncertainty regarding the actual rate of disturbance. In this article, harmonized maps were produced from multiple data sources (i.e., Global Forest Change, LANDFIRE Vegetation Disturbance,...
Acoustic telemetry and fisheries management
Glenn T. Crossin, Michelle R. Heupel, Christopher M. Holbrook, Nigel E. Hussey, Susan K. Lowerre-Barbieri, Vivian M. Nguyen, Graham D. Raby, Steven J. Cooke
2017, Ecological Applications (27) 1031-1049
This paper reviews the use of acoustic telemetry as a tool for addressing issues in fisheries management, and serves as the lead to the special Feature Issue of Ecological Applications titled “Acoustic Telemetry and Fisheries Management”. Specifically, we provide an overview of the ways in which acoustic telemetry can be...
Effects of internal phosphorus loadings and food-web structure on the recovery of a deep lake from eutrophication
Fabio Lepori, James J. Roberts
2017, Journal of Great Lakes Research (43) 255-264
We used monitoring data from Lake Lugano (Switzerland and Italy) to assess key ecosystem responses to three decades of nutrient management (1983–2014). We investigated whether reductions in external phosphorus loadings (Lext) caused declines in lake phosphorus concentrations (P) and phytoplankton biomass (Chl a), as assumed by the predictive models that...
Pufferfish mortality associated with novel polar marine toxins in Hawaii
Thierry M. Work, Perer D. R. Moeller, Kevin R. Beauchesne, Julie Dagenais, Renee Breeden, Robert Rameyer, Willliam A. Walsh, Melanie Abecassis, Donald R. Kobayashi, Carla M. Conway, James Winton
2017, Diseases of Aquatic Organisms (123) 87-99
Fish die-offs are important signals in tropical marine ecosystems. In 2010, a mass mortality of pufferfish in Hawaii (USA) was dominated by Arothron hispidus showing aberrant neurological behaviors. Using pathology, toxinology, and field surveys, we implicated a series of novel, polar, marine toxins as a likely cause of this mass...
Wind River Subbasin Restoration, annual report of U.S. Geological Survey activities: Parr monitoring and instream passive integrated transponder detection, January 1, 2015 – December 31, 2015
Ian Jezorek, Patrick Connolly
2017, Report
We used Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT)-tagging and a series of instream PIT-tag interrogation systems (PTIS) to investigate life-histories, populations, and efficacy of habitat restoration actions for steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss in the Wind River subbasin, WA. Our tagging focused on parr in headwater areas of the subbasin and our PTISs provide information on movement...
Predicting the impacts of Mississippi River diversions and sea-level rise on spatial patterns of eastern oyster growth rate and production
Hongqing Wang, Q. Chen, Megan La Peyre, Kelin Hu, Jerome F. La Peyre
2017, Ecological Modelling (352) 40-53
There remains much debate regarding the perceived tradeoffs of using freshwater and sediment diversions for coastal restoration in terms of balancing the need for wetland restoration versus preserving eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) production. Further complicating the issue, climate change-induced sea-level rise (SLR) and land subsidence are also expected to affect...
The U.S. Geological Survey Monthly Water Balance Model Futures Portal
Andy Bock
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3002
Simulations of future climate suggest profiles of temperature and precipitation may differ significantly from those in the past. These changes in climate will likely lead to changes in the hydrologic cycle. As such, natural resource managers are in need of tools that can provide estimates of key components of the...
Functional traits and ecological affinities of riparian plants along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
Emily C. Palmquist, Barbara E. Ralston, Sarr. Daniel, David Merritt, Patrick B Shafroth, Julian Scott
2017, Western North American Naturalist (77) 22-30
Trait-based approaches to vegetation analyses are becoming more prevalent in studies of riparian vegetation dynamics, including responses to flow regulation, groundwater pumping, and climate change. These analyses require species trait data compiled from the literature and floras or original field measurements. Gathering such data makes trait-based research time intensive at...
Citizen science can improve conservation science, natural resource management, and environmental protection
Duncan C. McKinley, Abe J. Miller-Rushing, Heidi L. Ballard, Rick Bonney, Hutch Brown, Susan C. Cook-Patton, Daniel M. Evans, Rebecca A. French, Julia Parrish, Tina B. Phillips, Sean F. Ryan, Lea A. Shanley, Jennifer L. Shirk, Kristine F. Stepenuck, Jake F. Weltzin, Andrea Wiggins, Owen D. Boyle, Russell D. Briggs, Stuart F. Chapin III, David A. Hewitt, Peter W. Preuss, Michael A. Soukup
2017, Biological Conservation (208) 15-28
Citizen science has advanced science for hundreds of years, contributed to many peer-reviewed articles, and informed land management decisions and policies across the United States. Over the last 10 years, citizen science has grown immensely in the United States and many other countries. Here, we show how citizen science is...
Effects of food web changes on Mysis diluviana diet in Lake Ontario
Brian P. O'Malley, Lars G. Rudstam, James M. Watkins, Toby J. Holda, Brian Weidel
2017, Journal of Great Lakes Research (43) 813-822
Mysids are important benthic-pelagic omnivores in many deep-lake food webs, yet quantitative data on their diet are limited. We explored the trophic role of Mysis diluviana in offshore Lake Ontario using samples collected in May, July, and September 2013 with a focus on seasonal and ontogenetic patterns in herbivory and...
Operational shoreline mapping with high spatial resolution radar and geographic processing
Amina Rangoonwala, Cathleen E Jones, Zhaohui Chi, Elijah W. Ramsey III
2017, Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing (83) 237-246
A comprehensive mapping technology was developed utilizing standard image processing and available GIS procedures to automate shoreline identification and mapping from 2 m synthetic aperture radar (SAR) HH amplitude data. The development used four NASA Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle SAR (UAVSAR) data collections between summer 2009 and 2012 and a fall 2012 collection...
Fallow-land Algorithm based on Neighborhood and TemporalAnomalies (FANTA) to map planted versus fallowed croplands usingMODIS data to assist in drought studies leading to water and foodsecurity assessments
Cynthia Wallace, Prasad S. Thenkabail, Jesus R. Rodriguez, Melinda K. Brown
2017, GIScience and Remote Sensing (54) 258-282
An important metric to monitor for optimizing water use in agricultural areas is the amount of cropland left fallowed, or unplanted. Fallowed croplands are difficult to model because they have many expressions; for example, they can be managed and remain free of vegetation or be abandoned and become weedy if the climate for...
Multi-temporal LiDAR and Landsat quantification of fire-induced changes to forest structure
T. Ryan McCarley, Crystal A. Kolden, Nicole M. Vaillant, Andrew T. Hudak, Alistair Smith, Brian M. Wing, Bryce Kellogg, Jason R. Kreitler
2017, Remote Sensing of Environment (191) 419-432
Measuring post-fire effects at landscape scales is critical to an ecological understanding of wildfire effects. Predominantly this is accomplished with either multi-spectral remote sensing data or through ground-based field sampling plots. While these methods are important, field data is usually limited to opportunistic post-fire observations, and spectral data often lacks...
Matching seed to site by climate similarity: techniques to prioritize plant materials development and use in restoration
Kyle Doherty, Bradley J. Butterfield, Troy E. Wood
2017, Ecological Applications (27) 1010-1023
Land management agencies are increasing the use of native plant materials for vegetation treatments to restore ecosystem function and maintain natural ecological integrity. This shift toward the use of natives has highlighted a need to increase the diversity of materials available. A key problem is agreeing on how many, and...
Molecular analyses reveal high species diversity of trematodes in a sub-Arctic lake
Miroslava Soldanova, Simona Georgieva, Jana Rohacovaa, Rune Knudsen, Jesper A. Kuhn, Eirik H. Henriksen, Anna Siwertsson, Jenny C. Shaw, Armand M. Kuris, Per-Arne Amundsen, Tomas Scholz, Kevin D. Lafferty, Aneta Kostadinova
2017, International Journal for Parasitology (47) 327-345
To identify trematode diversity and life-cycles in the sub-Arctic Lake Takvatn, Norway, we characterised 120 trematode isolates from mollusc first intermediate hosts, metacercariae from second intermediate host fishes and invertebrates, and adults from fish and invertebrate definitive hosts, using molecular techniques. Phylogenies based on nuclear and/or mtDNA revealed high species...
Similarities and differences in occurrence and temporal fluctuations in glyphosate and atrazine in small Midwestern streams (USA) during the 2013 growing season
Barbara Mahler, Peter C. Van Metre, Thomas E. Burley, Keith A. Loftin, Michael T. Meyer, Lisa H. Nowell
2017, Science of the Total Environment (579) 149-158
Glyphosate and atrazine are the most intensively used herbicides in the United States. Although there is abundant spatial and temporal information on atrazine occurrence at regional scales, there are far fewer data for glyphosate, and studies that compare the two herbicides are rare. We investigated temporal patterns in glyphosate and...
Evaluation of a method using survey counts and tag data to estimate the number of Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) using a coastal haulout in northwestern Alaska
Brian Battaile, Chadwick V. Jay, Mark S. Udevitz, Anthony S. Fischbach
2017, Polar Biology (40) 1359-1369
Increased periods of sparse sea ice over the continental shelf of the Chukchi Sea in late summer have reduced offshore haulout habitat for Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) and increased opportunities for human activities in the region. Knowing how many walruses could be affected by human activities would...
Territory occupancy and breeding success of Peregrine Falcons Falco peregrinus at various stages of population recovery
Michael J. McGrady, James E. Hines, Chris Rollie, George D. Smith, Elise R. Morton, Jennifer F. Moore, Richard M. Mearns, Ian Newton, Oscar E. Murillo-Garcia, Madan K. Oli
2017, Ibis (159) 285-296
Organochlorine pesticides disrupted reproduction and killed many raptorial birds, and contributed to population declines during the 1940s to 1970s. We sought to discern whether and to what extent territory occupancy and breeding success changed from the pesticide era to recent years in a resident population of Peregrine Falcons Falco peregrinus...
Coastal single-beam bathymetry data collected in 2015 from Raccoon Point to Point Au Fer Island, Louisiana
Chelsea A. Stalk, Nancy T. DeWitt, Jack L. Kindinger, James G. Flocks, Billy J. Reynolds, Kyle W. Kelso, Joseph J. Fredericks, Thomas M. Tuten
2017, Data Series 1041
As part of the Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring Program (BICM), scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a nearshore single-beam bathymetry survey along the south-central coast of Louisiana, from Raccoon Point to Point Au Fer Island, in July 2015. The goal of...
Natural resource inventory and monitoring for Ulaan Taiga Specially Protected Areas—An assessment of needs and opportunities in northern Mongolia
Peggy E. Moore, Joseph B. Meyer, Leslie S. Chow
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1025
Between 1997 and 2011, Mongolia established three specially protected areas in the north-central part of the country to protect various high-value resources. These areas are jointly referred to as the Ulaan Taiga Specially Protected Areas. In accordance with the goals of the draft general management plan, this report identifies...
Groundwater-quality data in 12 GAMA study units: Results from the 2006–10 initial sampling period and the 2008–13 trend sampling period, California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Timothy M. Mathany
2017, Data Series 1038
The Priority Basin Project (PBP) of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) program was developed in response to the Groundwater Quality Monitoring Act of 2001 and is being conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the California State Water Resources Control Board. From 2004 through 2012,...
