Conterminous United States land-cover change (1985-2016): New insights from annual time series
Roger F. Auch, Danika Fay Wellington, Janis L. Taylor, Stephen V. Stehman, Heather J. Tollerud, Jesslyn F. Brown, Thomas Loveland, Bruce Pengra, Josephine Horton, Zhe Zhu, Alemayehu Midekisa, Kristi L. Sayler, George Z. Xian, Christopher Barnes, Ryan R. Reker
2022, Land (11)
Sample-based estimates augmented by complete coverage land-cover maps were used to estimate area and describe patterns of annual land-cover change across the conterminous United States (CONUS) between 1985 and 2016. Most of the CONUS land cover remained stable in terms of net class change over this time,...
Experimental evaluation of predator exclosures on nest, chick, and adult survival of piping plovers
Michael J. Anteau, Rose J. Swift, Mark H. Sherfy, David N. Koons, Kristen S. Ellis, Terry L. Shaffer, Dustin L. Toy, Megan M. Ring
2022, Journal of Wildlife Management (86) 1-21
Species of conservation concern often receive intensive management to improve vital rates and facilitate recovery. Piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) are federally listed in the United States and concerns over nest depredation have prompted widespread use of plover-permeable predator exclosures placed around nests (0.5–2-m radius). While effectiveness of exclosures for improving...
Immunological evidence of variation in exposure and immune response to Bacillus anthracis in herbivores of Kruger and Etosha National Parks
Sunday O. Ochai, Jan E. Crafford, Ayesha Hassim, Charles Byaruhanga, Yen-Hua Huang, Axel Hartmann, Edgar H. Dekker, O. Louis van Schalkwyk, Pauline L. Kamath, Wendy Christine Turner, Henriette van Heerden
2022, Frontiers in Immunology (13)
Exposure and immunity to generalist pathogens differ among host species and vary across spatial scales. Anthrax, caused by a multi-host bacterial pathogen, Bacillus anthracis, is enzootic in Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa and Etosha National Park (ENP), Namibia. These parks share many of the same potential host species, yet the...
Epidemiological differences between sexes affect management efficacy in simulated chronic wasting disease systems
William J. Rogers, Ellen E. Brandell, Paul C. Cross
Hamish McCallum, editor(s)
2022, Journal of Applied Ecology (59) 1122-1133
Sex-based differences in physiology, behaviour and demography commonly result in differences in disease prevalence. However, sex differences in prevalence may reflect exposure rather than transmission, which could affect disease control programmes. One potential example is chronic wasting disease (CWD), which has been observed at greater prevalence among male than...
Prospective and retrospective evaluation of the U.S. Geological Survey public aftershock forecast for the 2019-2021 Southwest Puerto Rico Earthquake and aftershocks
Nicholas van der Elst, Jeanne L. Hardebeck, Andrew J. Michael, Sara K. McBride, Elizabeth Vanacore
2022, Seismological Research Letters (93) 620-640
The Mw">Mw 6.4 Southwest Puerto Rico Earthquake of 7 January 2020 was accompanied by a robust fore‐ and aftershock sequence. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has issued regular aftershock forecasts for more than...
Juvenile continental crust evolution in a modern oceanic arc setting: Petrogenesis of Cenozoic felsic plutons in Fiji, SW Pacific
Chris S. Marien, Elizabeth Kathleen Drewes-Todd, Allen Stork, Erin Todd, James B Gill, J. Elis Hoffman, Kenichiro Tani, Charlotte M. Allen, Carsten Munker
2022, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (320) 339-365
Viti Levu, Fiji, provides one of the best exposed Phanerozoic analogues for the formation of juvenile continental crust in an intra-oceanic setting. Tonalites and trondhjemites are present in several large (75–150 km2) adjacent, mid-Cenozoic plutons. We report major and trace element data...
Mature diffuse tectonic block boundary revealed by the 2020 southwestern Puerto Rico seismic sequence
Uri S. ten Brink, L Vanacore, E. J. Fielding, Jason Chaytor, A.M. Lopez-Venegas, Wayne E. Baldwin, David S. Foster, Brian D. Andrews
2022, Tectonics (41)
Distributed faulting typically tends to coalesce into one or a few faults with repeated deformation. The progression of clustered medium-sized (≥Mw4.5) earthquakes during the 2020 seismic sequence in southwestern Puerto Rico (SWPR), modeling shoreline subsidence from InSAR, and sub-seafloor mapping by high-resolution seismic reflection profiles, suggest that the 2020 SWPR...
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in groundwater used as a source of drinking water in the eastern United States
Peter B. McMahon, Andrea K. Tokranov, Laura M. Bexfield, Bruce D. Lindsey, Tyler D. Johnson, Melissa A. Lombard, Elise Watson
2022, Environmental Science & Technology (56) 2279-2288
In 2019, 254 samples were collected from five aquifer systems to evaluate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) occurrence in groundwater used as a source of drinking water in the eastern United States. The samples were analyzed for 24 PFAS, major ions, nutrients, trace elements, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), volatile organic...
Estimating wolf abundance from cameras
David Edward Ausband, Paul M. Lukacs, Mark A. Hurley, Shane Roberts, Kaitlyn M. Strickfaden, Anna K. Moeller
2022, Ecosphere (13)
Monitoring the abundance of rare carnivores is a daunting task for wildlife biologists. Many carnivore populations persist at relatively low densities, public interest is high, and the need for population estimates is great. Recent advances in trail camera technology provide an unprecedented opportunity for biologists to monitor rare species economically....
The role of hydraulic and geomorphic complexity in predicting invasive carp spawning potential: St. Croix River, Minnesota and Wisconsin, United States
Alan Kasprak, P. Ryan Jackson, Evan M. Lindroth, J. William Lund, Jeffrey R. Ziegeweid
2022, PLoS ONE (17)
Since they were first introduced to the United States more than 50 years ago, invasive carp have rapidly colonized rivers of the Mississippi River Basin, with detrimental effects on native aquatic species. Their continued range expansion, and potential for subsequent invasion of the Great Lakes, has led to increased concern...
Silicate volcanism on Europa’s seafloor and implications for habitability
Michael T. Bland, Catherine Elder
2022, Geophysical Research Letters (49)
Habitable ocean environments on Europa require an influx of reactants to maintain chemical disequilibrium. One possible source of reactants is seafloor volcanism. Modeling has shown that dissipation of tidal energy in Europa's asthenosphere can generate melt, but melt formation cannot be equated with volcanism. Melt must also...
Poor relationships between NEON Airborne Observation Platform data and field-based vegetation traits at a mesic grassland
Stephanie Pau, Jesse Nippert, Ryan Slapikas, Daniel Mark Griffith, Seton Bachle, Brent Helliker, Rory O’Connor, William J. Riley, Christopher J. Still, Marissa Zaricor
Elizabeth T. Borer, editor(s)
2022, Ecology (103)
Understanding spatial and temporal variation in plant traits is needed to accurately predict how communities and ecosystems will respond to global change. The National Observatory Ecological Network (NEON) Airborne Observation Platform (AOP) provides hyperspectral images and associated data products at numerous field sites at 1 m spatial resolution, potentially allowing...
The role of monitoring and research in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in framing our understanding of the effects of disease on amphibians
Erin L. Muths, Blake R. Hossack
2022, Ecological Indicators (136)
Emerging infectious disease threatens amphibian biodiversity worldwide, including in landscapes that are protected from many anthropogenic stressors. We summarized data from studies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), one of the largest and most complete temperate-zone ecosystems on Earth, to...
General guidance for custom-built structural equation models
James B. Grace
2022, One Ecosystem (7)
Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) represents a quantitative methodology for specifying and evaluating causal network hypotheses. The application of SEM typically involves the use of specialized software packages that implement estimation procedures and automate model checking and the output of summary results. There are times when the specification details an investigator...
Pathways of productivity and influences on top consumers in forested streams
Joseph R. Benjamin, Jason B. Dunham, Sherri L Johnson, Linda Ashkenas, Brooke E Penaluna, Robert E Bilby, Douglas S. Bateman, David W. Leer, James R Bellmore
2022, Forest Ecology and Management (508)
Forested stream ecosystems involve complex physical and biotic pathways that can influence fish in numerous ways. Consequently, the responses of fish communities to disturbance can be difficult to understand. In this study, we employed a food web model that links biotic...
Modelling physiological costs to assess impacts of climate change on amphibians in Yellowstone National Park, U.S.A
Paul E. Bartelt, Peter E. Thornton, Robert W. Klaver
2022, Ecological Indicators (135)
Amphibians are vital elements of ecosystems, serving as predator and prey. Their biphasic nature makes them dependent on aquatic and terrestrial habitats; as wet-skinned ectotherms, they are vulnerable to a range of environmental threats, including climate change. Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is becoming warmer and drier, and some wetlands important...
The impacts of mangrove range expansion on wetland ecosystem services in the southeastern United States: Current understanding, knowledge gaps, and emerging research needs
Michael Osland, A. Randall Hughes, Anna R. Armitage, Steven B. Scyphers, Just Cebrian, Savannah H. Swinea, Christine C. Shepard, Michael S. Allen, Laura Feher, James A. Nelson, Cherie L. O’Brien, Colt R. Sanspree, Delbert L. Smee, Caitlin M. Snyder, Andrew P. Stetter, Philip W. Stevens, Kathleen M. Swanson, Lauren H. Williams, Janell M. Brush, Joseph Marchionno, Remi Bardou
2022, Global Change Biology (28) 3163-3187
Climate change is transforming ecosystems and affecting ecosystem goods and services. Along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts of the southeastern United States, the frequency and intensity of extreme freeze events greatly influences whether coastal wetlands are dominated by freeze-sensitive woody plants (mangrove forests) or freeze-tolerant grass-like plants (salt...
Behavior of female adult Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) exposed to natural and synthesized odors
Mike Hayes, Mary L. Moser, Brian J. Burke, Aaron D. Jackson, Nicholas S. Johnson
2022, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (13) 94-105
Conservation and management of Pacific Lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus and other imperiled lamprey species could include the use of chemosensory cues to attract or repel migrating adults. For restoration programs, passage of adult lamprey at dams might be improved by using cues to help guide lamprey through fishway entrances. In contrast,...
Testing the potential of streamflow data to predict spring migration of an ungulate herds
Jason S. Alexander, Marissa L. Murr, Cheryl A. Eddy-Miller
Stefano Grignolio, editor(s)
2022, PLoS ONE (17) 1-18
In mountainous and high latitude regions, migratory animals exploit green waves of emerging vegetation coinciding with rising daily mean temperatures initiating snowmelt across the landscape. Snowmelt also causes rivers and streams draining these regions to swell, a process referred to as to as the ‘spring pulse.’ Networks of streamgages measuring...
Redundancy analysis reveals complex den use patterns by eastern spotted skunks, a conditional specialist
Emily D. Thorne, W. Mark Ford
2022, Ecosphere (13)
Wildlife managers tasked with understanding habitat and resource selection at the population level attempt to characterize patterns in nature that aid and inform conservation. Resource selection functions (RSFs), such as discrete choice analyses, are the standard convention to characterize the effects of habitat attributes on resource selection patterns. These tools...
Geomorphic responses of fluvial systems to climate change: A habitat perspective
Kyle E. Juracek, Faith A. Fitzpatrick
2022, River Research and Applications (38) 757-775
Fluvial systems provide a variety of habitats that support thousands of species including many that are threatened or endangered. Moreover, these habitats, which range from aquatic and riparian to floodplain, are important for the variety of ecosystem services they provide. In addition to water temperature and streamflow change, geomorphic change...
Long-term suspended sediment and particulate organic carbon yields from the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed and Critical Zone Observatory
Kayla L Glossner, Kathleen A. Lohse, Alison P. Appling, Zane K Cram, Erin Murray, Sarah E. Godsey, Steve Van Vactor, Emma P McCorkle, Mark Seyfried, Frederick B Pierson
2022, Hydrological Processes (36)
Long-term (>20 y) suspended sediment (SS) and particulate organic carbon (POC) records are relatively rare and yet are necessary for understanding linkages between climate, erosion and carbon export. We estimated long-term (>23 y) SS and POC yields from four nested catchments that ranged from <1 to 54 km2 in area...
Factors affecting spatiotemporal variation in survival of endangered winter-run Chinook Salmon outmigrating from the Sacramento River
Jason L. Hassrick, Arnold J. Ammann, Russell Perry, Sara N. John, Miles E. Daniels
2022, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (42) 375-395
Among four extant and declining Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) runs in California’s Central Valley, none have declined as precipitously as Sacramento River winter-run Chinook Salmon. In addition to habitat loss, migratory winter-run employ a life history strategy to reside and feed in stopover habitats on their way...
Major reorganization of the Snake River modulated by passage of the Yellowstone Hotspot
Lydia M. Staisch, Jim E. O'Connor, Charles M. Cannon, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma, Paul K. Link, John Lasher, Jeremy A. Alexander
2022, GSA Bulletin (134) 1834-1844
The details and mechanisms for Neogene river reorganization in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and northern Rocky Mountains have been debated for over a century with key implications for how tectonic and volcanic systems modulate topographic development. To evaluate paleo-drainage networks, we produced an expansive data...
Transforming Palmyra Atoll to native-tree dominance will increase net carbon storage and reduce dissolved organic carbon reef runoff
Kate Longley-Wood, Mary Engels, Kevin D. Lafferty, John P. McLaughlin, Alex Wegmann
2022, PLoS ONE (17)
Native forests on tropical islands have been displaced by non-native species, leading to calls for their transformation. Simultaneously, there is increasing recognition that tropical forests can help sequester carbon that would otherwise enter the atmosphere. However, it is unclear if native forests sequester more or less...
