Estimating demographic parameters using a combination of known-fate and open N-mixture models
Joshua H. Schmidt, Devin S. Johnson, Mark S. Lindberg, Layne G. Adams
2015, Ecology (96) 2583-2589
Accurate estimates of demographic parameters are required to infer appropriate ecological relationships and inform management actions. Known-fate data from marked individuals are commonly used to estimate survival rates, whereas N-mixture models use count data from unmarked individuals to estimate multiple demographic parameters. However, a joint approach combining the strengths of...
Spatial and temporal movement dynamics of brook Salvelinus fontinalis and brown trout Salmo trutta
L.A. Davis, Tyler Wagner, Meredith L. Barton
2015, Environmental Biology of Fishes (98) 2049-2065
Native eastern brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis and naturalized brown trout Salmo trutta occur sympatrically in many streams across the brook trout’s native range in the eastern United States. Understanding within- among-species variability in movement, including correlates of movement, has implications for management and conservation. We radio tracked 55 brook trout...
Spatial occupancy models for predicting metapopulation dynamics and viability following reintroduction
Richard B. Chandler, Erin L. Muths, Brent H. Sigafus, Cecil R. Schwalbe, Christopher J. Jarchow, Blake R. Hossack
2015, Journal of Applied Ecology (52) 1325-1333
The reintroduction of a species into its historic range is a critical component of conservation programmes designed to restore extirpated metapopulations. However, many reintroduction efforts fail, and the lack of rigorous monitoring programmes and statistical models have prevented a general understanding of the factors affecting metapopulation viability following...
Adaptive invasive species distribution models: A framework for modeling incipient invasions
Daniel R. Uden, Craig R. Allen, David G. Angeler, Lucia Corral, Kent A. Fricke
2015, Biological Invasions (17) 2831-2850
The utilization of species distribution model(s) (SDM) for approximating, explaining, and predicting changes in species’ geographic locations is increasingly promoted for proactive ecological management. Although frameworks for modeling non-invasive species distributions are relatively well developed, their counterparts for invasive species—which may not be at equilibrium within recipient environments and often...
Effects of climate and land cover on hydrology in the southeastern U.S.: Potential impacts on watershed planning
Jacob H. LaFontaine, Lauren E. Hay, Roland J. Viger, R. Steve Regan, Steven L. Markstrom
2015, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (51) 1235-1261
The hydrologic response to statistically downscaled general circulation model simulations of daily surface climate and land cover through 2099 was assessed for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin located in the southeastern United States. Projections of climate, urbanization, vegetation, and surface-depression storage capacity were used as inputs to the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System...
Development of the Global Earthquake Model’s neotectonic fault database
Annemarie Christophersen, Nicola Litchfield, Kelvin Berryman, Richard Thomas, Roberto Basili, Laura Wallace, William Ries, Gavin P. Hayes, Kathleen M. Haller, Toshikazu Yoshioka, Richard D. Koehler, Dan Clark, Monica Wolfson-Schwehr, Margaret S. Boettcher, Pilar Villamor, Nick Horspool, Teraphan Ornthammarath, Ramon Zuniga, Robert M. Langridge, Mark W. Stirling, Tatiana Goded, Carlos Costa, Robert Yeats
2015, Natural Hazards (79) 111-135
The Global Earthquake Model (GEM) aims to develop uniform, openly available, standards, datasets and tools for worldwide seismic risk assessment through global collaboration, transparent communication and adapting state-of-the-art science. GEM Faulted Earth (GFE) is one of GEM’s global hazard module projects. This paper describes GFE’s development of a modern neotectonic...
Effects of climate change on long-term population growth of pronghorn in an arid environment
Jay V. Gedir, James W. Cain III, Grant Harris, Trey T. Turnbull
2015, Ecosphere (6) 1-20
Climate often drives ungulate population dynamics, and as climates change, some areas may become unsuitable for species persistence. Unraveling the relationships between climate and population dynamics, and projecting them across time, advances ecological understanding that informs and steers sustainable conservation for species. Using pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) as an ecological model,...
The rise of fire: Fossil charcoal in late Devonian marine shales as an indicator of expanding terrestrial ecosystems, fire, and atmospheric change
Susan M. Rimmer, Sarah J. Hawkins, Andrew C. Scott, Walter L. Cressler III
2015, American Journal of Science (315) 713-733
Fossil charcoal provides direct evidence for fire events that, in turn, have implications for the evolution of both terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. Most of the ancient charcoal record is known from terrestrial or nearshore environments and indicates the earliest occurrences of fire in the Late Silurian. However, despite the...
Dynamics of a recovering Arctic bird population: the importance of climate, density dependence, and site quality
Jason E. Bruggeman, Ted Swem, David E. Andersen, Patricia L. Kennedy, Debora A. Nigro
2015, Ecological Applications (25) 1932-1943
Intrinsic and extrinsic factors affect vital rates and population-level processes, and understanding these factors is paramount to devising successful management plans for wildlife species. For example, birds time migration in response, in part, to local and broadscale climate fluctuations to initiate breeding upon arrival to nesting territories, and prolonged inclement...
Characterization of shrubland ecosystem components as continuous fields in the northwest United States
George Z. Xian, Collin G. Homer, Matthew B. Rigge, Hua Shi, Debbie Meyer
2015, Remote Sensing of Environment (168) 286-300
Accurate and consistent estimates of shrubland ecosystem components are crucial to a better understanding of ecosystem conditions in arid and semiarid lands. An innovative approach was developed by integrating multiple sources of information to quantify shrubland components as continuous field products within the National Land Cover Database (NLCD). The approach...
Ionospheric current source modeling and global geomagnetic induction using ground geomagnetic observatory data
Jin Sun, Anna Kelbert, G. D. Egbert
2015, Journal of Geophysical Research (120) 6771-6796
Long-period global-scale electromagnetic induction studies of deep Earth conductivity are based almost exclusively on magnetovariational methods and require accurate models of external source spatial structure. We describe approaches to inverting for both the external sources and three-dimensional (3-D) conductivity variations and apply these methods to long-period (T≥1.2 days) geomagnetic observatory data....
On the reconstruction of palaeo-ice sheets: Recent advances and future challenges
Chris R. Stokes, Lev Tarasov, Robin Blomdin, Thomas M. Cronin, Timothy G. Fisher, Richard Gyllencreutz, Clas Hattestrand, Jakob Heyman, Richard C. A. Hindmarsh, Anna L. C. Hughes, Martin Jakobsson, Nina Kirchner, Stephen J. Livingstone, Martin Margold, Julian B. Murton, Riko Noormets, W. Richard Peltier, Dorothy M. Peteet, David J. W. Piper, Frank Preusser, Hans Renssen, David H. Roberts, Didier M. Roche, Francky Saint-Ange, Arjen P. Stroeven, James T. Teller
2015, Quaternary Science Reviews (125) 15-49
Reconstructing the growth and decay of palaeo-ice sheets is critical to understanding mechanisms of global climate change and associated sea-level fluctuations in the past, present and future. The significance of palaeo-ice sheets is further underlined by the broad range of disciplines concerned with reconstructing their behaviour, many of which have...
FORUM: Effective management of ecological resilience – are we there yet?
Bryan M. Spears, Stephen C. Ives, David G. Angeler, Craig R. Allen, Sebastian Birk, Laurence Carvalho, Stephen Cavers, Francis Daunt, R. Daniel Morton, Michael J. O. Pocock, Glenn Rhodes, Stephen J. Thackeray
2015, Journal of Applied Ecology (52) 1311-1315
Ecological resilience is developing into a credible paradigm for policy development and environmental management for preserving natural capital in a rapidly changing world. However, resilience emerges from complex interactions, limiting the translation of theory into practice.Main limitations include the following: (i) difficulty in quantification and detection of...
Determination of 1-chloro-4-[2,2,2-trichloro-1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]benzene and related compounds in marine pore water by automated thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry using disposable optical fiber
Robert P. Eganhouse, Erica L DiFilippo
2015, Journal of Chromatography A (1415) 38-47
A method is described for determination of ten DDT-related compounds in marine pore water based on equilibrium solid-phase microextraction (SPME) using commercial polydimethylsiloxane-coated optical fiber with analysis by automated thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS). Thermally cleaned fiber was directly exposed to sediments and allowed to reach equilibrium under static conditions...
Delayed dynamic triggering of deep tremor along the Parkfield-Cholame section of the San Andreas Fault following the 2014 M6.0 South Napa earthquake
Zhigang Peng, David R. Shelly, William L. Ellsworth
2015, Geophysical Research Letters (42) 7916-7922
Large, distant earthquakes are known to trigger deep tectonic tremor along the San Andreas Fault and in subduction zones. However, there are relatively few observations of triggering from regional distance earthquakes. Here we show that a small tremor episode about 12–18 km NW of Parkfield was triggered during and immediately following...
A preliminary investigation of the variables affecting the distribution of giant gartersnakes (Thamnophis gigas) in the Sacramento Valley, California
Brian J. Halstead, Shannon M. Skalos, Michael L. Casazza, Glenn D. Wylie
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1178
Giant gartersnakes (Thamnophis gigas) comprise a species of rare, semi-aquatic snake precinctive to the Central Valley of California. Because of the loss of more than 90% of their natural habitat, giant gartersnakes are listed as Threatened by the United States and California endangered species acts. Little is known, however, about...
Field guide to the Mesozoic arc and accretionary complex of South-Central Alaska, Indian to Hatcher Pass
Susan M. Karl, P.J. Oswald, Chad P. Hults
2015, Book, Fieldtrip Guidebook
This field trip traverses exposures of a multi-generation Mesozoic magmatic arc and subduction-accretion complex that had a complicated history of magmatic activity and experienced variations in composition and deformational style in response to changes in the tectonic environment. This Mesozoic arc formed at an unknown latitude to the south, was...
Increasing Northern Hemisphere water deficit
Gregory J. McCabe, David M. Wolock
2015, Climatic Change (132) 237-249
A monthly water-balance model is used with CRUTS3.1 gridded monthly precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (PET) data to examine changes in global water deficit (PET minus actual evapotranspiration) for the Northern Hemisphere (NH) for the years 1905 through 2009. Results show that NH deficit increased dramatically near the year 2000 during...
Application of a coupled vegetation competition and groundwater simulation model to study effects of sea level rise and storm surges on coastal vegetation
Su Yean Teh, Michael Turtora, Donald L. DeAngelis, Jiang Jiang, Leonard G. Pearlstine, Thomas J. Smith, Hock Lye Koh
2015, Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (3) 1149-1177
Global climate change poses challenges to areas such as low-lying coastal zones, where sea level rise (SLR) and storm-surge overwash events can have long-term effects on vegetation and on soil and groundwater salinities, posing risks of habitat loss critical to native species. An early warning system is urgently needed to...
Reconnaissance surficial geologic map of the Taylor Mountains quadrangle, southwestern Alaska
Frederic H. Wilson
2015, Scientific Investigations Map 3334
This map and accompanying digital files are the result of the interpretation of aerial photographs from the 1950s as well as more modern imagery. The area, long considered a part of Alaska that was largely not glaciated (see Karlstrom, 1964; Coulter and others, 1965; or Péwé, 1975), actually has a...
Methods for estimating the magnitude and frequency of peak streamflows at ungaged sites in and near the Oklahoma Panhandle
S. Jerrod Smith, Jason M. Lewis, Grant M. Graves
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5134
This report presents the results of a cooperative study by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to estimate the magnitude and frequency of peak streamflows from regional regression equations for ungaged stream sites in and near the Oklahoma Panhandle. These methods relate basin characteristics (physiographic and...
Will the effects of sea-level rise create ecological traps for Pacific Island seabirds?
Michelle H. Reynolds, Karen Courtot, Paul Berkowitz, Curt D. Storlazzi, Janet Moore, Elizabeth Flint
2015, PLoS ONE (10)
More than 18 million seabirds nest on 58 Pacific islands protected within vast U.S. Marine National Monuments (1.9 million km2). However, most of these seabird colonies are on low-elevation islands and sea-level rise (SLR) and accompanying high-water perturbations are predicted to escalate with climate change. To understand how SLR may...
Flood-inundation maps for the Tippecanoe River at Winamac, Indiana
Chad D. Menke, Aubrey R. Bunch
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5103
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 6.2 mile reach of the Tippecanoe River at Winamac, Indiana (Ind.), were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science Web...
Status report for the 3D Elevation Program, 2013-2014
Vicki Lukas, Diane F. Eldridge, Allyson L. Jason, David L. Saghy, Pamela R. Steigerwald, Jason M. Stoker, Larry J. Sugarbaker, Diana R. Thunen
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1161
The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) goal is to acquire, manage, and distribute enhanced three-dimensional elevation data for the Nation and U.S. territories by 2023. This status report covers implementation activities during 2013–2014 to include meeting funding objectives, developing a management structure, modernizing systems, and collecting and producing initial 3DEP data...
Measurement of in situ sulfur isotopes by laser ablation multi-collector ICPMS: opening Pandora’s Box
William I. Ridley, Michael J. Pribil, Alan E. Koenig, John F. Slack
2015, Procedia Earth and Planetary Science (13) 116-119
Laser ablation multi-collector ICPMS is a modern tool for in situ measurement of S isotopes. Advantages of the technique are speed of analysis and relatively minor matrix effects combined with spatial resolution sufficient for many applications. The main disadvantage is a more destructive sampling mechanism relative to the ion microprobe technique. Recent...
