Gap analysis: A proposed methodology to describe and map historical and contemporary populations and habitats
Cory Brant, Karen M Alofs, Chris Castiglione, Susan E. Doka, Alexander T. Duncan, Dave Fielder, Matthew Herbert, Arunas Liskauskus, Edward S. Rutherford, Jason Smith, Ralph W. Tingley III, Ted Treska, Ted Turschak, Cindy Chu, Peter C. Esselman
2023, Report
This is a methodology paper that describes an approach for modeling and mapping historical and contemporary spawning areas for coregonine fishes in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Coregonines are a family of native whitefishes and ciscoes that are now greatly reduced or extirpated, but once served important roles for both the...
Mid-contract management alters conservation reserve program vegetation in the central and western United States
Kenneth Elgersma, Mark W. Vandever, Ai Wen
2023, Ecological Restoration (41) 169-179
Disturbances such as grazing, fire, and burrowing are historically important in North American grasslands, and plans for restoring disturbance regimes are often required for successful restoration. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has become the dominant grassland restoration mechanism in many areas, and...
Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus clade 2.3.4.4b infections in wild terrestrial mammals, United States, 2022
E. J. Elsmo, A. Wünschmann, Kimberlee B. Beckmen, L. B. Broughton-Neiswanger, E. L. Buckles, J. Hugh Ellis, S. D. Fitzgerald, Robert Gerlach, S. Hawkins, Hon S. Ip, Julia S. Lankton, E. M. Lemley, J. B. Lenoch, M. L. Killian, K. Lantz, L. Long, R. Maes, M. Mainenti, J. Melotti, M. E. Moriarty, S. Nakagun, R. M. Ruden, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, D.A. Thompson, M. K. Torchetti, A. J. Van Wettere, A. G. Wise, A. L. Lim
2023, Emerging Infectious Diseases (29) 2451-2460
We describe the pathology of natural infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus of Eurasian lineage Goose/Guangdong clade 2.3.4.4b in 67 wild terrestrial mammals throughout the United States during April 1‒July 21, 2022. Affected mammals include 50 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), 6 striped skunks (Mephitis...
Lactation performance in polar bears is associated with fasting time and energetic state
Louise C. Archer, Stephen N. Atkinson, Anthony M. Pagano, Stephanie R. Penk, Peter K. Molnár
2023, Marine Ecology Progress Series (720) 175-189
Females must continually make resource allocation decisions because of fitness trade-offs between self-maintenance and investment in current offspring, yet factors underpinning these decisions are unresolved. Polar bears Ursus maritimus face considerable allocation challenges when seasonal sea-ice melt precludes access to prey for several months, and females rely solely on energy stores...
Visitor use and activities detected using trail cameras at forest restoration sites
Janice L. Albers, Mark L. Wildhaber, Nicholas S. Green, Matthew Struckhoff, Michael J. Hooper
2023, Ecological Restoration (41) 199-212
We used trail cameras to monitor human visits and activities at two sites in northeast Indiana being restored to bottomland hardwood forests. These sites, managed as nature preserves, are close to cities, where trails and parking lots have been added for ease of access. In this...
Prediction of the probability of elevated nitrate concentrations at groundwater depths used for drinking-water supply in the Puget Sound basin, Washington, 2004–19
Robert W. Black, Elise E. Wright, Valerie A.L. Bright, Alex O. Headman
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5117
The Puget Sound basin encompasses the 13,700-square-mile area that drains to the Puget Sound and the adjacent marine waters of Washington State. Well more than 4 million people live within the basin, with numbers continuing to increase, who rely on the basin’s natural resources including groundwater. The Puget Sound Partnership...
Changes in phosphorus and suspended solids loading in the Fox River, northeastern Wisconsin, 1989–2021
Dale M. Robertson, Matthew W. Diebel, Sarah L. Bartlett, Kevin J. Fermanich
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5112
The entire Lower Fox River and inner bay of Green Bay, in northeastern Wisconsin, have been listed as impaired by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) for low dissolved oxygen and degraded habitat, with total phosphorus (TP) and total suspended solids (TSS) concentrations listed as the likely causes of...
Cold-water corals of the world: Gulf of Mexico
Sandra Brooke, Amanda Demopoulos, Harry Roberts, Jay J. Lunden, Tracey Sutton, Andrew Davies
2023, Book chapter, Cold-water coral reefs of the world
The Gulf of Mexico is a semi-enclosed sea that borders the USA and Mexico and covers approximately 1.5 million square kilometers. The northern Gulf is topographically complex and is a rich source of oil and gas deposits, which has led to a great deal of research on benthic ecosystems from...
Utilizing high-resolution genetic markers to track population-level exposure of migratory birds to renewable energy development
Ryan J. Harrigan, Jasmine Rajbhandary, Christen Bossu, Peter M. Sanzenbacher, Thomas Dietsch, Cristian Gruppi, Todd E. Katzner, Thomas J. Smith III, Kristen Ruegg
2023, PLOS Sustainability and Transformation (2)
With new motivation to increase the proportion of energy demands met by zero-carbon sources, there is a greater focus on efforts to assess and mitigate the impacts of renewable energy development on sensitive ecosystems and wildlife, of which birds are of particular interest. One challenge for...
Water, water everywhere, but every drop unique: Emerging challenges in the science to understand the role of contaminants in management of drinking water supplies
S.T. Glassmeyer, E.E. Burns, Michael J. Focazio, Edward Furlong, Matthew O. Gribble, M.A. Jahne, S.P. Keely, A.R. Kenicutt, Dana W. Kolpin, E.K. Medlock Kakaley, S.L. Pfaller
2023, GeoHealth (7)
The protection and management of water resources continues to be challenged by multiple and ongoing factors such as shifts in demographic, social, economic, and public health requirements. Physical limitations placed on access to potable supplies include natural and human-caused factors such as aquifer depletion, aging infrastructure, saltwater...
Creating an updated vegetation map for Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge: Final report
Erin E. Hoy
2023, Report
Although Big Oaks NWR encompasses much diversity in wildlife species, an up-to-date, detailed, and comprehensive map showing vegetation types was lacking. The creation of an updated vegetation map for Big Oaks NWR was approved in early 2019. Digital aerial imagery was collected on November 1, 2019 at a resolution of...
Winter distribution of golden eagles in the Eastern USA
Tricia Miller, Michael Lanzone, Melissa Braham, Adam Duerr, Jeff Cooper, Scott Somershoe, David Hanni, Eric C. Soehren, Carrie Threadgill, Mercedes Maddox, Jonathan Stober, Christine A. Kelly, Tom Salo, Andrew Berry, Mark S. Martell, Scott Mehus, Brian Dirks, Robert Sargent, Todd E. Katzner
2023, Journal of Raptor Research (57) 522-532
Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) have a Holarctic distribution, but some details of that overall distribution are poorly understood, including parts of the range in eastern North America. Recent studies in the region suggest that Golden Eagles may be more widely distributed than previously recognized. For species specific conservation...
Automated construction of Streamflow-Routing networks for MODFLOW—Application in the Mississippi Embayment region
Andrew T. Leaf
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5051
In humid regions with dense stream networks, surface water exerts a fundamental control on the water levels and flow directions of shallow groundwater. Understanding interactions between groundwater and surface water is critical for managing groundwater resources and groundwater-dependent ecosystems. Representing streams in groundwater models has historically been arduous and error...
Simulating groundwater flow in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain with a focus on the Mississippi Delta
Andrew T. Leaf, Leslie L. Duncan, Connor J. Haugh, Randall J. Hunt, James R. Rigby
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5100
The Mississippi Alluvial Plain has become one of the most important agricultural regions in the United States but relies heavily on groundwater for irrigation. On average, more than 12 billion gallons are withdrawn daily from the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer. Declining groundwater levels, especially in the Delta region of...
Updated estimates of water budget components for the Mississippi Embayment Region using a soil-water-balance model, 2000–2020
Martha G. Nielsen, Stephen, M. Westenbroek
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5080
A Soil-Water-Balance (SWB) model for the Mississippi embayment region in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana was constructed and calibrated to gain insight into potential recharge patterns for the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer, which has had substantial drawdown under intense pumping stress over the last several decades. An analysis of...
Trace metal and phosphorus loading from groundwater seepage into South Fork Coeur d’Alene River after remediation at the Bunker Hill Superfund Site, northern Idaho, 2022
Erin M. Murray, Lauren M. Zinsser
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5125
Widely dispersed waste products from historical mining in northern Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene mining district have long been a concern in the Coeur d’Alene River Basin in northern Idaho. The Central Impoundment Area (CIA), an unlined mining waste repository that is part of the Bunker Hill Superfund Site designated in 1983,...
Biophysical drivers of coastal treeline elevation
Grace Molino, Joel A. Carr, Neil K. Ganju, Mathew Kirwan
2023, JGR Biogeosciences (128)
Sea level rise is leading to the rapid migration of marshes into coastal forests and other terrestrial ecosystems. Although complex biophysical interactions likely govern these ecosystem transitions, projections of sea level driven land conversion commonly rely on a simplified “threshold elevation” that represents the elevation of the marsh-upland boundary based...
A Buteo sp. hawk predates a hummingbird (Trochilidae) during autumn migration
Theodore J. Zenzal Jr., Emily J. Lain
2023, Southeastern Naturalist (22) N67-N71
Predation can play a significant role on survival during migration as birds find themselves competing for resources in unfamiliar habitats. Here we describe the first documented observation of a Buteo platypterus (Broad-winged Hawk) predating an Archilochus colubris (Ruby-throated Hummingbird) during autumn migration. To our knowledge, this is the first...
The importance of Sky Islands in the annual cycle of the Western (Cordilleran) Flycatcher Empidonax occidentalis
Charles van Riper III, Harold F. III Greeney
2023, Newsletter, Tucson Audubon Society Fall 2023 Newsletter
For more than a century and a half the Madrean sky islands, a group of 55 mountain ranges that occur from the middle of Arizona to the southern end of Sonora Mexico and rise from the desert floor to 3,000-10,000 feet elevation, have been a Mecca for ornithologists and natural...
Integrated science strategy for assessing and monitoring water availability and migratory birds for terminal lakes across the Great Basin, United States
Rebecca J. Frus, Cameron L. Aldridge, Michael L. Casazza, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Garth Herring, Scott A. Hynek, Daniel K. Jones, Susan K Kemp, Thomas M. Marston, Christopher M. Morris, Ramon C. Naranjo, Cee Nell, David R. O'Leary, Cory T. Overton, Bryce A. Pulver, Brian E. Reichert, Christine A. Rumsey, Rudy Schuster, Cassandra D. Smith
2023, Circular 1516
Executive SummaryIn 2022, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) established the Saline Lake Ecosystems Integrated Water Availability Assessment (IWAAs) to monitor and assess the hydrology of terminal lakes in the Great Basin and the migratory birds and other wildlife dependent on those habitats. Scientists from across the USGS (with specialties in...
Microfossils and biostratigraphy of the Upper Cretaceous Coon Creek Formation Lagerstätte, Mississippi Embayment, USA
Jean Self-Trail, Kristina Frank Gardner, Jennifer M K O'Keefe, Patricia H. Mason, Mark Puckett, Michael A. Gibson, Maeve McCarty
2023, Geological Society, London, Special Publications (545)
The Upper Cretaceous Coon Creek Formation type-locality in McNairy County, Tennessee, is an exceptional marine invertebrate Lagerstätte that was deposited in a nearshore reentrant into the ancestral continent of Appalachia. Extensive taxonomic analysis of the macrofauna has been done for over 100 years. However, documentation of the...
Train, inform, borrow, or combine? Approaches to process-guided deep learning for groundwater-influenced stream temperature prediction
Janet R. Barclay, Simon Nemer Topp, Lauren Elizabeth Koenig, Margaux Jeanne Sleckman, Alison P. Appling
2023, Water Resources Research (59)
Although groundwater discharge is a critical stream temperature control process, it is not explicitly represented in many stream temperature models, an omission that may reduce predictive accuracy, hinder management of aquatic habitat, and decrease user confidence. We assessed the performance of a previously-described process-guided deep learning model...
A decade of death and other dynamics: Deepening perspectives on the diversity and distribution of sea stars and wasting
Michael Dawson, Paige Duffin, Melina Giakoumis, Lauren M Schiebelhut, Rodrigo Beas-Luna, Keith Bosley, Rita Castilho, Christine Ewers-Saucedo, Katie Gavenus, Aimee Keller, Brenda Konar, John L. Largier, Julio Lorda, Melissa Miner, Monica Moritsch, Sergio Navarette, Peter T. Raimondi, Sarah Beth Traiger, Monica Turner, John Wares
2023, Biological Bulletin (244)
Mass mortality events provide valuable insight into biological extremes and also ecological interactions more generally. The sea star wasting epidemic that began in 2013 catalyzed study of the microbiome, genetics, population dynamics, and community ecology of several high-profile species inhabiting the northeastern...
Highway-runoff quality from segments of open-graded friction course and dense-graded hot-mix asphalt pavement on Interstate 95, Massachusetts, 2018–21
Kirk P. Smith, Alana B. Spaetzel, Phillip A. Woodford
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5127
Highway runoff is a source of sediment and associated constituents to downstream waterbodies that can be managed with the use of stormwater-control measures that reduce sediment loads. The use of open-graded friction course (OGFC) pavement has been identified as a method to reduce loads from highway runoff because it retains...
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)
Lawrence D. Igl, Jill A. Shaffer, Douglas H. Johnson, Marriah L. Sondreal, Christopher M. Goldade, Melvin P. Nenneman, Amy L. Zimmerman, Jason P. Thiele, Betty R. Euliss
2023, Professional Paper 1842-T
The key to Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) management is providing open grasslands with scattered trees and shrubs for foraging, nesting, and perching. Loggerhead Shrikes have been reported to use habitats with 20–266 centimeters (cm) vegetation height, greater than or equal to (≥) 10 percent grass cover, 3–48 percent forb cover,...
