Trophic compression of lake food webs under hydrologic disturbance
Adam G. Hansen, Jennifer R. Gardner, Kristin A. Connelly, Matt Polacek, David A. Beauchamp
2018, Ecosphere (9) 1-11
The need to protect biostructure is increasingly recognized, yet empirical studies of how human exploits affect ecological networks are rare. Studying the effects of variation in human disturbance intensity from decades past can help us understand and anticipate ecosystem change under alleviated or amplified disturbance over decades to come. Here,...
USGS critical minerals review
Steven M. Fortier, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Sarah J. Ryker, Warren C. Day, Robert R. Seal
2018, Mining Engineering (71) 35-35
The United States’ supply of critical minerals has been a concern and a source of potential strategic vulnerabilities for U.S. economic and national security interests for decades (for example, see Strategic and Critical Minerals Stockpiling Act, 1939). More recently, with the rapid increase in the types of materials being used...
North American net import reliance of mineral materials in 2014 for advanced technologies
Jamie L. Brainard, Robert G Sinclair, Kevin Stone, Elizabeth Scott Sangine, Steven M. Fortier
2018, Mining Engineering (70) 107-112
The U.S. Geological Survey and Natural Resources Canada conducted a study on the net import reliance of each North American country, and the impact of North American trade on the net import reliance of 12 nonfuel mineral commodities that are associated with advanced technology products: cadmium, cobalt, gallium, germanium, graphite,...
Blurred lines: Multiple freshwater and marine algal toxins at the land-sea interface of San Francisco Bay, California
Melissa B. Peacock, Corinne M. Gibble, David B. Senn, James E. Cloern, Raphael M. Kudela
2018, Harmful Algae (73) 138-147
San Francisco Bay (SFB) is a eutrophic estuary that harbors both freshwater and marine toxigenic organisms that are responsible for harmful algal blooms. While there are few commercial fishery harvests within SFB, recreational and subsistence harvesting for shellfish is common. Coastal shellfish are monitored for <a title="Learn more about Domoic acid"...
Origin of last-glacial loess in the western Yukon-Tanana Upland, central Alaska, USA
Daniel R. Muhs, Jeffrey S. Pigati, James R. Budahn, Gary L. Skipp, E. Arthur Bettis III, Britta Jensen
2018, Quaternary Research (89) 797-819
Loess is widespread over Alaska, and its accumulation has traditionally been associated with glacial periods. Surprisingly, loess deposits securely dated to the last glacial period are rare in Alaska, and paleowind reconstructions for this time period are limited to inferences from dune orientations. We report a rare occurrence of loess...
Quartz-pebble-conglomerate gold deposits
Ryan D. Taylor, Eric D. Anderson
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5070-P
Quartz-pebble-conglomerate gold deposits represent the largest repository of gold on Earth, largely due to the deposits of the Witwatersrand Basin, which account for nearly 40 percent of the total gold produced throughout Earth’s history. This deposit type has had a controversial history in regards to genetic models. However, most researchers...
Raptor nest-site use in relation to the proximity of coalbed methane development
J.D. Carlile, Lindsey E. Sanders, Anna D. Chalfoun, K.G. Gerow
2018, Animal Biodiversity and Conservation (41) 227-243
Raptor nest–site use in relation to the proximity of coalbed–methane development. Energy development such as coalbed–methane (CBM) extraction is a major land use with largely unknown consequences for many animal species. Some raptor species may be especially vulnerable to habitat changes due to energy development given their ecological requirements and...
Estimating distribution and connectivity of recolonizing American marten in the northeastern United States using expert elicitation techniques
C.M. Aylward, J.D. Murdoch, Therese M. Donovan, C.W. Kilpatrick, C. Bernier, J. Katz
2018, Animal Conservation (21) 483-495
The American marten Martes americana is a species of conservation concern in the northeastern United States due to widespread declines from over‐harvesting and habitat loss. Little information exists on current marten distribution and how landscape characteristics shape patterns of occupancy across the region, which could help develop effective recovery strategies. The rarity...
Examining speed versus selection in connectivity models using elk migration as an example
Angela Brennan, Ephraim M. Hanks, Jerod Merkle, Eric K. Cole, Sarah Dewey, Alyson B. Courtemanch, Paul C. Cross
2018, Landscape Ecology (33) 955-968
ContextLandscape resistance is vital to connectivity modeling and frequently derived from resource selection functions (RSFs). RSFs estimate relative probability of use and tend to focus on understanding habitat preferences during slow, routine animal movements (e.g., foraging). Dispersal and migration, however, can produce rarer, faster movements,...
Integrated analysis for population estimation, management impact evaluation, and decision-making for a declining species
Brian A. Crawford, Clinton T. Moore, Terry M. Norton, John C. Maerz
2018, Biological Conservation (222) 33-43
A challenge for making conservation decisions is predicting how wildlife populations respond to multiple, concurrent threats and potential management strategies, usually under substantial uncertainty. Integrated modeling approaches can improve estimation of demographic rates necessary for making predictions, even for rare or cryptic species with sparse data, but their use in...
Characterization of Plasmodium relictum, a cosmopolitan agent of avian malaria
Gediminas Valkiunas, Mikas Ilgunas, Dovile Bukauskaite, Karin Fragner, Herbert Weissenbock, Carter T. Atkinson, Tatjana Iezhova
2018, Malaria Journal (17) 1-21
BackgroundMicroscopic research has shown that Plasmodium relictum is the most common agent of avian malaria. Recent molecular studies confirmed this conclusion and identified several mtDNA lineages, suggesting the existence of significant intra-species genetic variation or cryptic speciation. Most identified lineages have a broad range of hosts...
Origin of primitive tholeiitic and calc-alkaline basalts at Newberry Volcano, Oregon
Richard W. Carlson, Timothy L. Grove, Julie M. Donnelly-Nolan
2018, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (19) 1360-1377
Major and trace element and radiogenic isotopic characteristics of primitive mafic Pleistocene and Holocene lavas from Newberry Volcano, Oregon, define two groups. The first consists of dry tholeiitic high-alumina olivine basalts that are slightly enriched in highly incompatible elements. The second group consists of calc-alkaline basalts that...
Effects of climate change on forest vegetation in the Northern Rockies Region
Robert E. Keane, Mary Frances Mahalovich, Barry L. Bollenbacher, Mary E. Manning, Rachel A. Loehman, Terrie B. Jain, Lisa M. Holsinger, Andrew J. Larson, Meredith M. Webster
2018, General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-374-6
The projected rapid changes in climate will affect the unique vegetation assemblages of the Northern Rockies region in myriad ways, both directly through shifts in vegetation growth, mortality, and regeneration, and indirectly through changes in disturbance regimes and interactions with changes in other ecosystem processes, such as hydrology, snow dynamics,...
Effects of climate change on ecological disturbance in the Northern Rockies Region [Chapter 8]
Rachel A. Loehman, Barbara J. Bentz, Gregg A. DeNitto, Robert E. Keane, Mary E. Manning, Jacob P. Duncan, Joel M. Egan, Marcus B. Jackson, Sandra Kegley, I. Blakey Lockman, Dean E. Pearson, James A. Powell, Steve Shelly, Brytten E. Steed, Paul J. Zambino
2018, General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-374
This chapter describes the ecology of important disturbance regimes in the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USFS) Northern Region and the Greater Yellowstone Area, hereafter called the Northern Rockies region, and potential shifts in these regimes as a consequence of observed and projected climate change. The term disturbance regime...
New insights into the phylogenetics and population structure of the prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus)
Jacqueline M. Doyle, Douglas A. Bell, Peter H. Bloom, Gavin Emmons, Amy Fesnock-Parker, Todd E. Katzner, Larry LePre, Kolbe Leonard, Phillip SanMiguel, Rick Westerman, J. Andrew DeWoody
2018, BMC Genomics (19) 1-14
BackgroundManagement requires a robust understanding of between- and within-species genetic variability, however such data are still lacking in many species. For example, although multiple population genetics studies of the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) have been conducted, no similar studies have been done of the...
Potential impacts of projected climate change on vegetation management in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park
Richard J. Camp, Rhonda Loh, S. Paul Berkowitz, Kevin W. Brinck, James D. Jacobi, Jonathan Price, Sierra McDaniel, Lucas B. Fortini
2018, Park Science (34) 22-31
Climate change will likely alter the seasonal and annual patterns of rainfall and temperature in Hawai`i. This is a major concern for resource managers at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park where intensely managed Special Ecological Areas (SEAs), focal sites for managing rare and endangered plants, may no longer provide suitable habitat...
Dam Removal and Fish Passage Improvement Influence Fish Assemblages in the Penobscot River, Maine
Jonathan M. Watson, Stephen M. Coghlan Jr., Joseph D. Zydlewski, Daniel B. Hayes, Ian A. Kiraly
2018, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (147) 525-540
Dams and their impoundments disrupt river habitat connectivity to the detriment of migratory fishes. Removal of dams improves riverine connectivity and lotic habitat, which benefits not only these fishes but also resident fluvial specialist species. Restoration efforts on the Penobscot River, Maine, are among the largest recently completed in the...
Disentangling the effects of low pH and metal mixture toxicity on macroinvertebrate diversity
Riccardo Fornaroli, Alessio Ippolito, Mari J. Tolkkinen, Heikki Mykra, Timo Muotka, Laurie S. Balistrieri, Travis S. Schmidt
2018, Environmental Pollution (235) 889-898
One of the primary goals of biological assessment of streams is to identify which of a suite of chemical stressors is limiting their ecological potential. Elevated metal concentrations in streams are often associated with low pH, yet the effects of these two potentially limiting factors of freshwater biodiversity are rarely...
Risk factors associated with mortality of age-0 Smallmouth Bass in the Susquehanna River basin, Pennsylvania
Heather L. Walsh, Vicki S. Blazer, Geoffrey Smith, Michael Lookenbill, David A. Alvarez, Kelly L. Smalling
2018, Journal of Aquatic Animal Health (30) 65-80
Evidence of disease and mortalities of young of the year (age‐0) Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu has occurred during the late spring and summer in many parts of the Susquehanna River watershed since 2005. To better understand contributing factors, fish collected from multiple areas throughout the watershed as well as out‐of‐basin reference populations...
Review of the geochemistry and metallogeny of approximately 1.4 Ga granitoid intrusions of the conterminous United States
Edward A. du Bray, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma, Karen Lund, Wayne R. Premo
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5111
The conterminous United States hosts numerous volumetrically significant and geographically dispersed granitoid intrusions that range in age from 1.50 to 1.32 billion years before present (Ga). Although previously referred to as A-type granites, most are better described as ferroan granites. These granitoid intrusions are distributed in the northern and central...
Long-term persistence of horse fecal DNA in the environment makes equids particularly good candidates for non-invasive sampling
Sarah R.B. King, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Jennifer A. Fike, Sara J. Oyler-McCance
2018, Ecology and Evolution (8) 4053-4064
Fecal DNA collected noninvasively can provide valuable information about genetic and ecological characteristics. This approach has rarely been used for equids, despite the need for conservation of endangered species and management of abundant feral populations. We examined factors affecting the efficacy of using equid fecal samples for conservation genetics. First,...
Construction and analysis of a giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) population projection model
Jonathan P. Rose, Julia S. M. Ersan, Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. Casazza, Brian J. Halstead
2018, Open-File Report 2017-1164
The giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) is a state and federally threatened species precinctive to California. The range of the giant gartersnake has contracted in the last century because its wetland habitat has been drained for agriculture and development. As a result of this habitat alteration, giant gartersnakes now largely...
Direct fitness benefits and kinship of social foraging groups in an Old World tropical babbler
Sara A. Kaiser, Thomas E. Martin, Juan C. Oteyza, Connor E. Armstad, Robert C. Fleischer
2018, Behavioral Ecology (29) 468-478
Molecular studies have revealed that social groups composed mainly of nonrelatives may be widespread in group-living vertebrates, but the benefits favoring such sociality are not well understood. In the Old World, birds often form conspecific foraging groups that are maintained year-round and offspring usually disperse to other social groups. We...
Raptor interactions with wind energy: Case studies from around the world
Richard T. Watson, Patrick S. Kolar, Miguel Ferrer, Torgeir Nygard, Naira Johnston, W. Grainger Hunt, Hanneline A. Smit-Robinson, Christopher J Farmer, Manuela M. Huso, Todd E. Katzner
2018, Journal of Raptor Research (52) 1-18
The global potential for wind power generation is vast, and the number of installations is increasing rapidly. We review case studies from around the world of the effects on raptors of wind-energy development. Collision mortality, displacement, and habitat loss have the potential to cause population-level effects, especially for species that...
Rare earth element and rare metal inventory of central Asia
Mark J. Mihalasky, Robert D. Tucker, Karine Renaud, Ingrid M. Verstraeten
2018, Fact Sheet 2017-3089
Rare earth elements (REE), with their unique physical and chemical properties, are an essential part of modern living. REE have enabled development and manufacture of high-performance materials, processes, and electronic technologies commonly used today in computing and communications, clean energy and transportation, medical treatment and health care, glass and ceramics,...
