Feeding ecology of age-0 gar at Lake Texoma inferred from analysis of stable isotopes
Richard A. Snow, D.R. Stewart, M. J. Porta, James M. Long
2020, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (40) 638-650
Conservation and restoration of gar (Lepisosteidae) populations in North America are increasingly of interest to fisheries managers. Alligator Gar Atractosteus spatula are being stocked as age-0 fish in efforts to re-establish extirpated populations. However, gars are known to be highly cannibalistic in hatcheries, suggesting that age-0 Alligator Gar...
Trends in streamflow, nutrients, and total suspended solids in the Upper White River Basin, Indiana
G. F. Koltun, Cassie Hauswald
2020, Fact Sheet 2020-3030
The U.S. Geological Survey, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, analyzed existing water-quality and streamflow data from three locations in the Upper White River Basin, Indiana, to estimate annual mean concentrations and fluxes and to identify and quantify changes in water quality and streamflow over time. Water-quality data used in...
Generalizing indirect defense and resistance of plants
Ian S. Pearse, Eric LoPresti, Robert N. Schaeffer, William C. Wetzel, Kailen A. Mooney, Jared G. Ali, Paul J. Ode, Micky D. Eubanks, Judith L. Bronstein, Marjorie G. Weber
2020, Ecology Letters (23) 1137-1152
Indirect defence, the adaptive top‐down control of herbivores by plant traits that enhance predation, is a central component of plant–herbivore interactions. However, the scope of interactions that comprise indirect defence and associated ecological and evolutionary processes has not been clearly defined. We argue that the range of plant traits that...
Ecological status of aquatic communities in selected streams in the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District planning area of Wisconsin, 2004–13
Barbara C. Scudder Eikenberry, Michelle A. Nott, Jana S. Stewart, Daniel J. Sullivan, David A. Alvarez, Amanda H. Bell, Faith A. Fitzpatrick
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5035
A total of 14 wadable streams in urban or urbanizing watersheds near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, were sampled in 2004, 2007, 2010, and 2013 to assess the ecological status of aquatic communities (biota), including benthic algae and invertebrates, and fish. To assess temporal variation, additional community sampling was also done at a...
Groundwater-quality and select quality-control data from the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, January through December 2016, and previously unpublished data from 2013 to 2015
Terri Arnold, Laura M. Bexfield, MaryLynn Musgrove, Melinda L. Erickson, James A. Kingsbury, James R. Degnan, Anthony J. Tesoriero, Justin T. Kulongoski, Kenneth Belitz
2020, Data Series 1124
Environmental groundwater-quality data were collected from 648 wells as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Project of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Program and are included in this report. Most of the wells (514) were sampled from January through December 2016, and 60 of them were sampled in 2013...
The influence of frequency and duration of seismic ground motion on the size of triggered landslides—A regional view
Randall W. Jibson, Hakan Tanyas
2020, Engineering Geology (273)
Observation, theory, and intuition all suggest that larger earthquakes should trigger larger landslides. Many factors could contribute to this, including depth-dependent shear strength or non-linearity of ground motion in soils and rock, but we hypothesize that the key characteristics of large...
Fluoride occurrence in United States groundwater
Peter B. McMahon, Craig J. Brown, Tyler D. Johnson, Kenneth Belitz, Bruce D. Lindsey
2020, Science of the Total Environment (732)
Data from 38,105 wells were used to characterize fluoride (F) occurrence in untreated United States (U.S.) groundwater. For domestic wells (n = 11,032), water from which is generally not purposely fluoridated or monitored for quality, 10.9% of the samples have F concentrations >0.7 mg/L (U.S. Public Health Service recommended optimal...
Trends in thermal maturity indicators for the organic sulfur-rich Eagle Ford Shale
Katherine L. French, Justin E. Birdwell, Michael Lewan
2020, Marine and Petroleum Geology (118)
Thermal maturity is critical to evaluate petroleum systems and to interpret biomarker results for paleoenvironmental and geobiology studies. Many thermal maturity indices were developed for marine source rocks containing type II kerogen, but their behavior in organic sulfur-rich source rocks requires more investigation. Here, we present geochemical analyses of whole...
2018 U.S. Geological Survey–California Geological Survey fault-imaging surveys across the Hollywood and Santa Monica Faults, Los Angeles County, California
Rufus D. Catchings, Janis Hernandez, Mark R. Goldman, Joanne H. Chan, Robert R. Sickler, Brian Olson, Coyn J. Criley
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1049
We acquired multiple types of seismic data across the Hollywood Fault in Hollywood, Calif., and the Santa Monica Fault in Beverly Hills, Calif., in May and June 2018. On the basis of our data, we infer near-surface locations of various traces of these faults.From two separate profiles across the Hollywood...
Compositional analysis of formation water geochemistry and microbiology of commercial and carbon dioxide-rich wells in the southwestern United States
Jenna L. Shelton, Robert S. Andrews, Denise M. Akob, Christina A. DeVera, Adam C. Mumford, Mark Engle, Michelle R. Plampin, Sean T. Brennan
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5037
Studies of naturally occurring subsurface carbon dioxide (CO2) accumulations can provide useful information for potential CO2 injection projects; however, the microbial communities and formation water geochemistry of most reservoirs are understudied. Formation water and microbial biomass were sampled at four CO2-rich reservoir sites: two within Bravo Dome, a commercial CO2...
A review of pathogens, diseases, and contaminants of muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) in North America
Laken S Ganoe, W. David Walter, Justin D. Brown, Michael J. Yabsley, Matthew J Lovallo
2020, Frontiers in Veterinary Science (7)
Over the last 50 years, significant muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) harvest declines have been observed throughout North America. Several theories for the decline have been proposed, including increased parasite infections and disease within muskrat populations. No existing wholistic review of muskrat exposure to pathogens, contaminants, and diseases exists. To address this...
Seasonal movements and tributary-specific fidelity of blue sucker Cycleptus elongatus in a Southern Plains riverscape
J. J. Dyer, Shannon K. Brewer
2020, Journal of Fish Biology (97) 279-292
This study used acoustic telemetry and a multistate Cormack–Jolly–Seber model to determine the seasonal movement patterns of blue sucker Cycleptus elongatus from 2015 to 2017. Several hypotheses were ranked using AICc, and it was determined that the movement patterns of blue suckers in a mainstem reach below a hydropower dam (i.e., tailwater)...
Applications and utility of the surface elevation table–marker horizon method for measuring wetland elevation and shallow soil subsidence-expansion: Discussion/reply to: Byrnes M., Britsch L., Berlinghoff J., Johnson R., and Khalil S. 2019. Recent subsidence rates for Barataria Basin, Louisiana. Geo-Marine Letters 39:265–278
Donald Cahoon, Denise Reed, John W. Day, James C. Lynch, Andrew Swales, Robert R. Lane
2020, Geo-Marine Letters (40) 809-815
Byrnes et al. (Geo-Marine Letters 39:265–278, Byrnes et al. 2019) present subsidence data for Barataria Basin...
Species richness responses to water withdrawal scenarios and minimum flow levels: Evaluating presumptive standards in the Tennessee and Cumberland River basins
Lucas Driver, Jennifer M. Cartwright, Rodney Knight, William J. Wolfe
2020, Water (12)
Water resource managers are challenged to balance growing water demand with protecting aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity. Management decisions can benefit from improved understanding of water withdrawal impacts on hydrologic regimes and ecological assemblages. This study used Ecological Limit Functions for fish groups within the Tennessee and Cumberland river basins to...
Growth and behavior of North American microbes on Phragmites australis leaves
Aaron E. Devries, Kurt P. Kowalski, Wesley A. Bickford
2020, Microorganisms (8)
Phragmites australis subsp. australis is a cosmopolitan wetland grass that is invasive in many regions of the world, including North America, where it co-occurs with the closely related Phragmites australis subsp. americanus. Because the difference in invasive behavior is unlikely to be related to physiological differences, we hypothesize that interactions...
Projected impacts of climate change on the range and phenology of three culturally-important shrub species
Janet S. Prevey, Lauren E. Parker, Constance A Harrington
2020, PLoS ONE (15)
Climate change is shifting both the habitat suitability and the timing of critical biological events, such as flowering and fruiting, for plant species across the globe. Here, we ask how both the distribution and phenology of three food-producing shrubs native to northwestern North America might shift as the climate changes....
Does habitat partitioning by sympatric plovers affect nest survival?
Kelly S Overduijn, Colleen M. Handel, Abby Powell
2020, The Auk (137)
The vertical structure and composition of vegetation can influence the quantity and quality of potential nesting sites for birds. Interspecific competition for high-quality nesting habitat may force some individuals into suboptimal habitat and lead to reduced reproductive success, eventually leading to changes in distribution or abundance. Large climate-mediated shifts in...
GeoNat v1.0: A dataset for natural feature mapping with artificial intelligence and supervised learning
Samantha Arundel, Wenwen Li, Sizhe Wang
2020, Transactions in GIS (24) 556-572
Machine learning allows “the machine” to deduce the complex and sometimes unrecognized rules governing spatial systems, particularly topographic mapping, by exposing it to the end product. Often, the obstacle to this approach is the acquisition of many good...
Harnessing multiple models for outbreak management
Katriona Shea, Michael C. Runge, David Pannell, William J. M. Probert, Shou-Li Li, Michael J. Tildesley, Matthew J. Ferrari
2020, Science (368) 577-579
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered efforts by multiple modeling groups to forecast disease trajectory, assess interventions, and improve understanding of the pathogen. Such models can often differ substantially in their projections and recommendations, reflecting different policy assumptions and objectives, as well as scientific, logistical, and other uncertainty...
Successful restoration of Metrosideros polymorpha (ʻōhiʻa) is possible in forest sites with active Rapid ‘Ōhiʻa Death infections
Stephanie G. Yelenik, Kylle Roy, Jeff Stallman
2020, Restoration Ecology (28) 1257-1261
Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD), caused by the fungal pathogen Ceratocystis, is killing large numbers of ʻōhiʻa trees (Metrosideros polymorpha) in Hawaiʻi. ʻŌhiʻa are a dominant tree in Hawaiian forests, have a range that goes from arid to wet forest climates, and are important for endangered species habitat and ecosystem function. To...
Pilot-scale testing of dairy manure treatments to reduce nutrient transport from land application, northwest Ohio, 2015–17
Donna S. Francy, Amie M.G. Brady, Bethany L. Ash, W. Robert Midden
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5015
Manure and wastewater from large livestock operations have the potential to negatively affect surface water and groundwater, including the eutrophication of surface waters and harmful algal blooms. In the Western Lake Erie Basin, where there is a high density of animal agriculture, harmful algal blooms have been attributed, in part,...
Simulation of the probabilistic plume extent for a potential replacement wastewater-infiltration lagoon, and probabilistic contributing areas for supply wells for the Town of Lac du Flambeau, Vilas County, Wisconsin
Paul F. Juckem, Michael N. Fienen
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1032
An existing two-dimensional, steady-state groundwater-flow model of the shallow groundwater-flow system of the Lac du Flambeau Reservation in Vilas County, Wisconsin, originally developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, was used to simulate the potential for wastewater from a proposed relocation of a wastewater lagoon to contaminate the Lac du Flambeau...
Biological and habitat assessment of the Lower Rouge River, Michigan 2018
Edward F. Roseman, Jason Fischer, Robin L. DeBruyne, Scott A. Jackson
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5009
A key component of evaluating the success of habitat remediation projects is determining preremediation conditions, biotic and abiotic, to establish a baseline and compare with postproject conditions. The Rouge River, Michigan, is a Great Lakes Area of Concern with a listed Beneficial Use Impairment related to loss of fish and...
“Good” and “bad”: Human perceptions of and interactions with urban wildlife
G. Perry, Clint W. Boal, R. Verble, M. Wallace
2020, Book chapter, Problematic wildlife II: New conservation and management challenges in the human-wildlife interactions
Urban environments offer habitat for many species of animals. Although some of those are ubiquitous and/or undesirable, others are native and in some cases, of conservation value. In many cases, urban wildlife populations are a source of enjoyment for human residents, who sometimes invest considerable amounts in attracting them to...
Chemical evaluation of water and gases collected from hydrothermal systems located in the central Aleutian arc, August 2015
Cynthia A. Werner, Christoph Kern, Peter J. Kelly
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5043
Five volcanic-hydrothermal systems in the central Aleutians Islands were sampled for water and gas geochemistry in 2015 to provide baseline data to help predict future volcanic unrest. Some areas had not been sampled in 20–30 years (Makushin volcano, Geyser Bight), and other areas had minimal to no prior sampling (Tana...
