Species mixture effects and climate influence growth, recruitment and mortality in Interior West USA Populus tremuloides-conifer communities
Christopher E. Looney, Wilfred J Previant, John B. Bradford, Linda M Nagel
2021, Journal of Ecology (109) 2934-2949
Tree-species mixture effects (e.g. complementarity and facilitation) have been found to increase individual-tree productivity, lessen mortality and improve recruitment in forests worldwide. By promoting more efficient and complete resource use, mixture effects may also lessen individual-tree-level water stress, thus improving drought resistance. We investigated the influence of mixture effects...
Time marches on, but do the causal pathways driving instream habitat and biology remain consistent?
Richard H Walker, Matthew J. Ashton, Matthew J. Cashman, Rosemary M. Fanelli, Kevin P. Krause, Gregory E. Noe, Kelly O. Maloney
2021, Science of the Total Environment (789)
Stream ecosystems are complex networks of interacting terrestrial and aquatic drivers. To untangle these ecological networks, efforts evaluating the direct and indirect effects of landscape, climate, and instream predictors on biological condition through time are needed. We used structural equation modeling and leveraged a...
Improved methods for understanding the role of predation on dreissenid population dynamics
Kevin R. Keretz, Richard Kraus, Joseph Schmitt
2021, Environmental Biology of Fishes (104) 629-633
Impacts of dreissenid mussels (Dreissena spp.) on Great Lakes ecosystems are well documented, and a better understanding of mechanisms that cause variation in dreissenid abundance is needed. An outstanding question is how much dreissenid biomass is consumed by fish predation. A significant difficulty for investigating dreissenid consumption by fish is that...
Environmental conditions associated with occurrences of the threatened Yaqui Catfish in the Yaqui River Basin, Mexico
T. Hafen, A.T. Taylor, D.A. Hendrickson, D.R. Stewart, James M. Long
2021, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (41) S54-S63
The Yaqui Catfish Ictalurus pricei is an understudied species, with limited information available on its ecology, distribution, and local habitat use. Native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, Yaqui Catfish populations are declining, which has prompted listing of the species as threatened in the United States and as a species...
Comment on ‘New insights on Franciscan Complex geology, architecture, depositional age, and provenance for the western Mt. Tamalpais area, Marin County, California’ by Bero et al. (2020)
Russell Graymer, Trevor A. Dumitru, Robert J. McLaughlin, Carl M. Wentworth
2021, International Geology Review (64) 1191-1197
Serious errors and inconsistencies in the article undermine many of its interpretations to the point that principal conclusions are not valid. Much dependence is placed on the maximum depositional age (Dmax) of sandstone units based on zircon analysis of 10 samples, but calculation of those Dmax values is flawed, and...
Range-wide declines of northern spotted owl populations in the Pacific Northwest: A meta-analysis
Alan B. Franklin, Katie M. Dugger, Damon B. Lesmeister, Raymond J. Davis, J. David Wiens, Gary C. White, James D. Nichols, James E. Hines, Charles B. Yackulic, Carl J. Schwarz, Steven H. Ackers, Andrew L. Stevens, Larissa L. Bailey, Robin Bown, Jesse Burgher, Kenneth P. Burnham, Peter C. Carlson, Tara Chestnut, Mary M Conner, Krista E. Dilione, Eric D. Forsman, Elizabeth M. Glenn, Scott A. Gremel, Keith A. Hamm, Dale R. Herter, J. Mark Higley, Rob B. Horn, Julianna M. Jenkins, William L. Kendall, David W Lamphear, Christopher McCafferty, Trent L. McDonald, Janice A Reid, Jeremy T. Rockweit, David C. Simon, Stan G. Sovern, James Swingle, Heather Wise
2021, Biological Conservation, (259)
The northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) inhabits older coniferous forests in the Pacific Northwest and has been at the center of forest management issues in this region. The immediate threats to this federally listed species include habitat loss and competition with barred owls (Strix...
Effect of groundwater withdrawals, river stage, and precipitation on water-table elevations in the Iowa River alluvial aquifer near Tama, Iowa, 2017–20
Lance R. Gruhn, Adel E. Haj
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1019
The Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa is the only federally recognized Tribe in the State of Iowa and is commonly known as the Meskwaki Nation. The Tribe owns more than 8,100 acres, referred to as the “Meskwaki Settlement.” The Meskwaki Settlement uses a well field that...
Hydrologic variation influences stream fish assemblage dynamics through flow regime and drought
Daniel D. Magoulick, M. P. Dekar, S. W. Hodges, M. K. Scott, M. R. Rabalais, C. M. Bare
2021, Scientific Reports (11)
Hydrologic variation can play a major role in structuring stream fish assemblages and relationships between hydrology and biology are likely to be influenced by flow regime. We hypothesized that more variable flow regimes would have lower and more variable species richness, higher species turnover and lower assemblage stability, and greater...
Threading the needle: How humans influence predator–prey spatiotemporal interactions in a multiple‐predator system
Asia Murphy, Duane R. Diefenbach, Mark Ternent, Matt Lovallo, David Miller
2021, Journal of Animal Ecology (90) 2377-2390
Perceived predation risk and the resulting antipredator behaviour varies across space, time and predator identity. Communities with multiple predators that interact and differ in their use of space, time of activity and hunting mode create a complex landscape for prey to avoid predation. Anthropogenic presence and disturbance have the...
Improving flood-frequency analysis with a 4,000-year record of flooding on the Tennessee River near Chattanooga, Tennessee
Tessa M. Harden, Jim E. O'Connor, Meredith L. Carr, Mackenzie Keith
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5138
This comprehensive field study applied paleoflood hydrology methods to estimate the frequency of low-probability floods for the Tennessee River near Chattanooga, Tennessee. The study combined stratigraphic records of large, previously unrecorded floods with modern streamflow records and historical flood accounts. The overall approach was to (1) develop a flood...
Assessment of disease risk associated with potential removal of anthropogenic barriers to Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) population connectivity
Tristan L. Burgess, Josephine Braun, Carmel L Witte, Nadine Lamberski, Field. Kimberleigh J, Linda J. Allison, Roy C. Averill-Murray, K. Kristina Drake, Kenneth E. Nussear, Todd Esque, Bruce A Rideout
2021, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (57) 579-589
The Mojave Desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), federally listed as threatened, has suffered habitat loss and fragmentation due to human activities. Upper respiratory tract disease (URTD), a documented health threat to desert tortoises, has been detected at the Large-Scale Translocation Study Site (LSTS) in southwestern Nevada, US, a fenced recipient site...
Reconstructing paleohydrology in the northwest Great Basin since the last deglaciation using Paisley Caves fish remains (Oregon, U.S.A.)
Adam M. Hudson, Meaghan M Emery-Wetherell, Patrick M Lubinski, Virginia L. Butler, Deanna N Grimstead, Dennis L Jenkins
2021, Quaternary Science Reviews (262)
The arid northwest Great Basin underwent substantial hydroclimate changes in the past 15,000 years, greatly affecting its desert ecosystems and prehistoric people. There are conflicting interpretations of the timing of hydrologic changes in this region, requiring more records to resolve the dominant climatic drivers. The Paisley Caves archaeological site, located...
Establishment and survival of subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) in meadows of Olympic National Park, Washington
Andrea Woodward, Jonathan A. Soll
2021, Northwest Science (94) 256-270
Establishment of trees in subalpine meadows is a potential indicator of ecological effects of climate change. Tree establishment is a multi-year process including cone and seed production, germination, establishment, and growth, with each demographic step possibly sensitive to different climate limitations. While most studies have focused on one or a...
Robust projections of future fire probability for the conterminous United States
Peng Gao, Adam J. Terando, John A Kupfer, J. Morgan Varner, Michael C. Stambaugh, Ting L Lei, J. Kevin Hiers
2021, Science of the Total Environment (789)
Globally increasing wildfires have been attributed to anthropogenic climate change. However, providing decision makers with a clear understanding of how future planetary warming could affect fire regimes is complicated by confounding land use factors that influence wildfire and by uncertainty associated with model simulations of...
A small proportion of breeders drive American bullfrog invasion of the Yellowstone River floodplain, Montana
Daniel M. Bingham, Adam Sepulveda, Sally Painter
2021, Northwest Science (94) 231-242
The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) is a non-native invader of aquatic habitats across the northwestern United States. It recently invaded the Yellowstone River, Montana, and has spread to over 140 km of floodplain habitat. We analyzed seven microsatellites in 528 tadpoles sampled across nearly the...
Sediment budget for watersheds of West Maui, Hawaii
Jonathan D. Stock, Corina Cerovski-Darriau
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5133
Episodic runoff brings suspended sediment to West Maui’s nearshore waters, turning them from blue to brown. This pollution degrades the ecological, cultural, and recreational value of these iconic nearshore waters. We used mapping, monitoring, and modeling to identify and quantify the watershed sources for fine sediment that pollutes the nearshore...
Sources of volcanic tremor associated with the summit caldera collapse during the 2018 east rift eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i
J. Soubestre, B. Chouet, Phillip B. Dawson
2021, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth (126)
Volcanic tremor occurring at the beginning of the 2018 Kīlauea eruption is characterized using both seismic and tilt data recorded at the Kīlauea summit. An automatic seismic network-based approach detects several types of tremor including (a) 0.5–1 Hz long-period tremor preceding the eruption, located at the south-southwest edge...
Repeated large-scale mechanical treatment of invasive Typha under increasing water levels promotes floating mat formation and wetland methane emissions
Olivia Fayne Johnson, Abha Panda, Shane C. Lishawa, Beth A. Lawrence
2021, Science of the Total Environment (790)
Invasive species management typically aims to promote diversity and wildlife habitat, but little is known about how management techniques affect wetland carbon (C) dynamics. Since wetland C uptake is largely influenced by water levels and highly productive plants, the interplay of hydrologic extremes and <a class="topic-link" title="Learn more about invasive species from...
Willow drives changes in arthropod communities of northwestern Alaska: Ecological implications of shrub expansion
Molly Mcdermott, Patricia Doak, Colleen M. Handel, Greg A. Breed, Christa Mulder
2021, Ecosphere (12)
Arthropods serve as complex linkages between plants and higher-level predators in Arctic ecosystems and provide key ecosystem services such as pollination and nutrient cycling. Arctic plant communities are changing as tall woody shrubs expand onto tundra, but potential effects on arthropod abundance and food web structure...
GIS-based identification of areas that have resource potential for sediment-hosted Pb-Zn deposits in Alaska
Karen D. Kelley, Garth E. Graham, Keith A. Labay, Nora B. Shew
2021, Open-File Report 2020-1147
A state-wide Geographic Information System analysis was conducted to assess prospectivity for lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) in sediment-hosted deposits in Alaska. The datasets that were utilized include publicly available geospatial datasets of lithologic, geochemical, and mineral occurrence data. Key characteristics of Pb-Zn deposits were identified in available datasets and...
Modeling effects of disturbance across life history strategies of stream fishes
Robert J. Fournier, Nick R. Bond, Daniel D. Magoulick
2021, Oecologia (196) 413-425
A central goal of population ecology is to establish linkages between life history strategy, disturbance, and population dynamics. Globally, disturbance events such as drought and invasive species have dramatically impacted stream fish populations and contributed to sharp declines in freshwater biodiversity. Here, we used RAMAS-Metapop to construct stage-based demographic metapopulation...
Stress controls rupture extent and maximum magnitude of induced earthquakes
K. A. Kroll, Elizabeth S. Cochran
2021, Geophysical Research Letters (48)
Seismic hazard forecasts of induced seismicity often require estimates of the maximum possible magnitude (Mmax). Empirical models suggest that maximum magnitudes, or expected number of earthquakes, are related to the volume of injected fluid. We perform a suite of 3D physics-based earthquake simulations with rate- and state-dependent friction, systematically varying...
An empirically based simulation model to inform flow management for endangered species conservation
Timothy E. Walsworth, Phaedra E. Budy
2021, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (78) 1770-1781
Increasing water demand, water development, and ongoing climate change have driven extensive changes to the hydrology, geomorphology and biology of arid-land rivers globally, driving an increasing need to understand how annual hydrologic conditions affect the distribution and abundance of imperiled desert fish populations. We analyzed the relationship between annual hydrologic...
Development of soil radiocarbon profiles in a reactive transport framework
Jennifer Druhan, Corey Lawrence
2021, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (306) 63-83
Today, there is a greater appreciation for the importance of the physical protection of carbon (C) through interactions with mineral surfaces, isolation from microbes, and the important role of transport in shaping soil properties and controlling moisture limitations on decomposition. As our paradigm for soil organic carbon (SOC) preservation changes, so too should our representation...
Exploring how vessel activity influences the soundscape at a navigation lock on the Mississippi River
Rosalyn L Putland, Marybeth K. Brey, Allen F. Mensinger
2021, Journal of Environmental Management (296)
Vessel sound is now globally recognized as a significant and pervasive pollutant to aquatic life. However, compared to marine environments, there is a paucity of data on sound emitted by vessel activity in freshwater habitats. The Upper Mississippi River (UMR) is home...
