Effects of noise from oil and gas development on ungulates and small mammals—A science synthesis to inform National Environmental Policy Act analyses
Tait K. Rutherford, Logan M. Maxwell, Nathan J. Kleist, Elisabeth C. Teige, Richard J. Lehrter, Megan A. Gilbert, David J.A. Wood, Aaron N. Johnston, Claudia Mengelt, John C. Tull, Travis S. Haby, Sarah K. Carter
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5114
The U.S. Geological Survey is working with Federal land management agencies to develop a series of science syntheses to support environmental effects analyses that agencies conduct to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This report synthesizes science information about the potential effects of noise from oil and gas...
Construction and modification of debris-flow alluvial fans as captured in the geomorphic and sedimentary record: Examples from the western Sangre de Cristo Mountains, south-central Colorado
Sylvia Nicovich, James Schmitt, Harrison J. Gray, Ralph E. Klinger, Shannon A. Mahan
2023, Geological Society of America Special Papers (561)
Debris-flow alluvial fans are iconic features of dynamic landscapes and are hypothesized to record tectonic and climatic change. Here, we highlight their complex formation and evolution through an exemplary suite of Quaternary debris-flow alluvial fans emanating from the western range front of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in south-central Colorado,...
Stony coral tissue loss disease accelerated shifts in coral composition and declines in reef accretion potential in the Florida Keys
Lauren Toth, Travis A. Courtney, Michael A. Colella, Robert R. Ruzicka
2023, Frontiers in Marine Science (10)
Outbreaks of coral disease have been a dominant force shaping western Atlantic coral-reef assemblages since the late 1970s. Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) is nonetheless having an unprecedented impact in the region. Whereas numerous studies over the last decade have worked to characterize this novel pathogen and its...
Factors influencing autumn–winter movements of midcontinent Mallards and consequences for harvest and habitat management
Aaron T. Pearse, M. Szymanski, Cynthia A. Anchor, Michael J. Anteau, Rocco Murano, David A. Brandt, Joshua D. Stafford
2023, Ecology and Evolution (13)
Annual phenology and distributions of migratory wildlife have been noticeably influenced by climate change, leading to concerns about sustainable populations. Recent studies exploring conditions influencing autumn migration departure have provided conflicting insights regarding factors influencing the movements of Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), a popular game...
Responses of native freshwater mussels to remediation to remove polychlorinated biphenyl-contaminated sediments in the upper Hudson River
Teresa J. Newton, Denise A. Mayer, James T. Rogala, Sean S. Madden, Brian R. Gray
2023, Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (33) 1413-1430
The Hudson River, New York, was contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from two manufacturing plants over a period of approximately 30 years, and PCBs are still present in sediment and biota today. The river provides habitat for a variety of plants and animals, including native freshwater mussels. A remediation programme,...
Model-based surveillance system design under practical constraints with application to white-nose syndrome
Gina Oh, Srikanth Aravamuthan, Ting Fung Ma, Juan Francisco Mandujano Juan Francisco
Reyes, Anne Ballmann, Trevor J. Hefley, Ian McGahan, Robin Russell, Daniel P. Walsh, Juntao Zhu
2023, Environmental and Ecological Statistics (30) 649-667
Infectious diseases are powerful ecological forces structuring ecosystems, causing devastating economic impacts and disrupting society. Successful prevention and control of pathogens requires knowledge of the current scope and severity of disease, as well as the ability to forecast future disease dynamics. Assessment of the current situation...
High pathogenicity avian influenza represents an unprecedented conservation challenge for globally declining seabird populations. Response to: Editorial, Protect wildlife from livestock diseases (Thijs Kuiken & Ruth Cromie)
Michelle Wille, Stephanie Avery-Gomm, Valentina Caliendo, Kees Camphuysen, E. Humphreys, Andrew Lang, Emma Philip, Andrew M. Ramey, Jolianne M. Rijks, Gregory Robertson, Laura Robertson
2023, Science (378) 5-5
No abstract available....
Isothermal recombinant polymerase amplification and CRIPSR (CAS12A) assay detection of Renibacterium salmoninarum as an example for wildlife pathogen detection in environmental DNA samples
Erin D’Agnese, Dorothy M. Chase, Elizabeth Andruszkiewicz-Allan
2023, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (59) 545-556
Improving rapid detection methods for pathogens is important for research as we collectively aim to improve the health of ecosystems globally. In the northern hemisphere, the success of salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) populations is vitally important to the larger marine, aquatic, and terrestrial ecosystems they inhabit. This has led to managers cultivating...
Evolutionary and ecological correlates of thiaminase in fishes
Freya Elizabeth Rowland, Cathy A. Richter, Donald E Tillitt, David Walters
2023, Scientific Reports (13)
Thiamine (vitamin B1) is required by all living organisms in multiple metabolic pathways. It is scarce in natural systems, and deficiency can lead to reproductive failure, neurological issues, and death. One major cause of thiamine deficiency is an overreliance on diet items containing the enzyme thiaminase. Thiaminase activity has been...
Climate, heatwaves, nearshore ecosystems and the sunflower sea star
Sarah Beth Traiger, Robert M. Suryan, Heather A. Coletti, Daniel Esler
2023, Open Access Government (2023) 412-413
At the nexus of the ocean and the land lies the nearshore ecosystem, which includes the intertidal zone, an area exposed during low tides and submerged during high tides. Species in the intertidal are adapted to a high level of environmental variability including high temperatures, waves, and salinity variability. Species’...
A watershed moment for western U.S. dams
Amy E. East, Gordon E. Grant
2023, Water Resources Research (59)
The summer of 2023 is a notable time for water-resource management in the western United States: Glen Canyon Dam, on the Colorado River, turns 60 years old while the largest dam-removal project in history is beginning on the Klamath River. This commentary discusses these events in the context...
Disinfection protocols for herpetofaunal pathogens
Molly C. Bletz, James T. Julian, Megan S. Kirchgessner, James M. Drasher, Paula F. P. Henry, Susan D. Jewell, Pamela T. Meier, Kathy Michelle, Jennifer C. Olori, Kevin J. Oxenrider, Michael J. Ravesi, Scott A. Smith
2023, Herpetological Review (54) 200-203
The spread of disease-causing pathogens is a major threat to amphibians and reptiles worldwide (Converse and Greene 2005; Picco et al. 2007; Picco and Collins 2008; St-Amour et al. 2008; O’Hanlon et al. 2018; Scheele et al. 2019). The World Organisation for Animal Health’s global list of notifiable animal diseases...
A mixture of Nalbuphine, Azaperone, and Medetomidine for Immobilizing Ringtail (Bassariscus astutus)
Lindsay N. Somers, DeWaine H. Jackson, Katie Dugger, Julia D. Burco
2023, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (59) 610-615
We evaluated a combination of nalbuphine HCl (40 mg/mL), azaperone tartrate (10 mg/mL), and medetomidine HCl (10 mg/mL), a combination known as NAM or NalMed-A, in 23 ringtails (Bassariscus astutus) during 29 handling events for a radio-collaring study in southern Oregon, US, from August 2020...
Elevation, canopy cover and grass cover structure patterns of seedling establishment in a subtropical post-fire restoration
Christopher Warneke, Lars Brudvig, Makani Gregg, Sierra McDaniel, Stephanie G. Yelenik
2023, Ecological Solutions and Evidence (4)
Ecological restoration is beneficial to ecological communities in this era of large-scale landscape change and ecological disruption. However, restoration outcomes are notoriously variable, which makes fine-scale decision-making challenging. This is true for restoration efforts that follow large fires, which are increasingly common as the climate changes.Post-fire restoration efforts, like...
Historically active volcanoes of Alaska reference deck
Cheryl E. Cameron, Kristen A. H. Janssen, Tim R. Orr, Matthew W. Loewen
2023, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Information Circular IC59 v.3
No abstract available....
Submersed macrophyte density regulates aquatic greenhouse gas emissions
Meredith E. Theus, Nicholas E. Ray, Sheel Bansal, Meredith A. Holgerson
2023, JGR Biogeosciences (128)
Shallow freshwater ecosystems emit large amounts of greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), yet emissions are highly variable. The role that aquatic macrophytes play in regulating aquatic GHG emissions is uncertain despite their ability to dominate shallow waterbodies. Here, we studied the...
USGS RAMPS (Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest) newsletter - Fall 2023 edition
Laura Cecilia Shriver
2023, Newsletter
No abstract available....
Mercury sources and budget for the Snake River above a hydroelectric reservoir complex
Austin K. Baldwin, Sarah E. Janssen, Michael T. Tate, Brett Poulin, Alysa Muir Yoder, Jesse Naymik, Christopher F. Larsen, Charles Hoovestol, David P. Krabbenhoft
2023, Science of the Total Environment (907)
Understanding sources of mercury (Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg) to a water body is critical for management but is often complicated by poorly characterized Hg inputs and in situ processes, such as inorganic Hg methylation. In this study, we determined inorganic Hg and MeHg concentrations...
Movement behavior, habitat selection, and functional responses to habitat availability among four species of wintering waterfowl in California
Cory T. Overton, Michael L. Casazza
2023, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (11)
Habitat selection analyses provide a window into the perceived value of habitats by animals and how those perceptions compare with other animals, change across time, or change in relation to availability (termed functional responses). Habitat selection analysis and functional responses can be used to develop strategies to avoid habitat limitations,...
Annual and inter-annual variability in the diffuse attenuation coefficient and turbidity in an urbanized Washington lake from 2013 to 2022 assessed using Landsat-8/9
Jennifer A. Schulien, Tessa Julianne Code, Curtis L. DeGasperi, David Beauchamp, Arielle Tonus Ellis, Arni H. Litt
2023, Remote Sensing (15)
Water clarity, defined in this study using measurements of the downwelling diffuse light attenuation coefficient (Kd) and turbidity, is an important indicator of lake trophic status and ecosystem health. We used in-situ measurements to evaluate existing semi-analytical models for Kd and turbidity, developed a regional turbidity model based on spectral shape,...
Impacts of acute and chronic suspended solids exposure on juvenile freshwater mussels
Wenyu Zhu, James L. Kunz, Eric Brunson, Christopher M. Barnhart, Henry Brown, Stephen E. McMurray, Andy Roberts, Christopher Shulse, Kathleen Trauth, Binbin Wang, Jeffery A. Steevens, Baolin Deng
2023, Science of the Total Environment (905)
Construction activities may affect adjacent water systems by introducing increased levels of suspended solids into the water body and may subsequently affect the survival and growth of freshwater mussels. We tested three sediment types from sites in Missouri, including Spring River sediment (SRS), Osage River bank...
Ammonia and aquatic ecosystems – A review of global sources, biogeochemical cycling, and effects on fish
Thea Margaret Edwards, Holly J. Puglis, Jonathan Lopez Duran, Lillian Bradshaw, Douglas B. Kent, Aida Farag
2023, Science of the Total Environment (9097)
The purpose of this review is to better understand the full life cycle and influence of ammonia from an aquatic biology perspective. While ammonia has toxic properties in water and air, it also plays a central role in the biogeochemical nitrogen (N) cycle and...
Climate-induced shifts in grassland bird nesting phenology have implications for grassland management
Michael J. Anteau, Kristen S. Ellis, Garrett J. MacDonald, Lawrence Igl, Neal D. Niemuth, Josh Vest
2023, Global Ecology and Conservation (48) e02700
Grasslands are among the most impacted ecosystems globally. In the midcontinent of North America, a > 80% loss of grasslands has made their conservation a major priority for resource managers. Grassland ecosystems evolved under periodic disturbances; consequently, grassland management often involves regular...
Conservation genomics of an endangered montane amphibian reveals low population structure, low genomic diversity and selection pressure from disease
Daryl Trumbo, Bennett Hardy, Harry Crockett, Erin L. Muths, Brenna R. Forester, Rebecca Cheek, Shawna J Zimmerman, Sarah Corey-Rivas, Larissa L. Bailey, Chris Funk
2023, Molecular Ecology (32) 6777-6795
Wildlife diseases are a major global threat to biodiversity. Boreal toads (Anaxyrus [Bufo] boreas) are a state-endangered species in the southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado and New Mexico, and a species of concern in Wyoming, largely due to lethal skin infections caused by the...
Opera Dynamic Surface Water extents for Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 (DSWX-HLS) validation activities
Nicholas Arena, Grace Bato, David Bekaert, Matthew Bonnema, Steven Chan, Bruce Chapman, John Jones, Alexander L. Handwerger, Alex Lewandowski, Charlie Marshak, Simran Sangha, Karthik Venkataramani
2023, Conference Paper
We present the validation methodology and results of Dynamic Surface Water eXtent from Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 (DSWx-HLS). The DSWx-HLS product is the first of the DSWx suite, comprised of products each which map water from Earth Observation optical and SAR satellites. We detail the generation of high-resolution (3 m) validation...
