Disentangling the potential effects of land-use and climate change on stream conditions
Kelly O. Maloney, Kevin P. Krause, Claire Buchanan, Lauren Hay, Gregory J. McCabe, Zachary M. Smith, Terry L. Sohl, John A. Young
2020, Global Change Biology (26) 2251-2269
Land‐use and climate change are significantly affecting stream ecosystems, yet understanding of their long‐term impacts is hindered by the few studies that have simultaneously investigated their interaction and high variability among future projections. We modeled possible effects of a suite of 2030, 2060, and 2090 land‐use and climate scenarios on...
Daily stream samples reveal highly complex pesticide occurrence and potential toxicity to aquatic life
Julia E. Norman, Barbara Mahler, Lisa H. Nowell, Peter C. Van Metre, Mark W. Sandstrom, Mark A. Corbin, Yaorong Qian, James F. Pankow, Wentai Luo, Nicholas B. Fitzgerald, William E. Asher, Kevin J. McWhirter
2020, Science of the Total Environment (715)
Transient, acutely toxic concentrations of pesticides in streams can go undetected by fixed-interval sampling programs. Here we compare temporal patterns in occurrence of current-use pesticides in daily composite samples to those in weekly composite and weekly discrete samples of surface water from 14 small stream sites. Samples were collected over...
The transformative impact of genomics on sage-grouse conservation and management
Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Kevin P Oh, Shawna J Zimmerman, Cameron L. Aldridge
2020, Book chapter, Population genomics: Wildlife
For over two decades, genetic studies have been used to assist in the conservation and management of both Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and Gunnison Sage-grouse (C. minimus), addressing a wide variety of topics including taxonomy, parentage, population connectivity, and demography. The field of conservation genetics has...
Effect of environmental factors on the movement of Rainbow Trout in the Deerfield Reservoir System
Jeremy Kientz, Jacob L. Davis, Steven R. Chipps, Gregory Simpson
2020, Journal of FisheriesSciences.com (14) 1-6
Spawning movements and the factors affecting those movements are often of interest to fisheries managers and biologists. The objective of this study was to examine the influence of environmental factors on the movements of an adfluvial Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss population in the Black Hills, South Dakota. Three unique strains...
High-resolution airborne geophysical survey of the Shellmound, Mississippi area
Bethany L. Burton, Burke J. Minsley, Benjamin R. Bloss, Wade H. Kress, James R. Rigby, Bruce D. Smith
2020, Scientific Investigations Map 3449
In late February to early March 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey acquired 2,364 line-kilometers (km) of airborne electromagnetic, magnetic, and radiometric data in the Shellmound, Mississippi study area. The purpose of this survey is to contribute high-resolution information about subsurface geologic structure to inform groundwater models, water resource infrastructure studies,...
Understanding effects of small dams on benthic metabolism and primary production in temperate forested streams
John P. Ludlam, Allison H. Roy
2020, Fundamental and Applied Limnology (193) 227-237
Dams can alter the chemical and physical conditions of downstream environments by increasing stream temperatures, altering nutrient limitation, reducing flow variability, and reducing fine sediment deposition. However, little is known about how fundamental stream ecosystem processes like productivity and respiration respond to dams. Nutrient diffusing substrates were installed in three...
Use of visual surveys and radiotelemetry reveals sources of detection bias for a cryptic snake at low densities
SM Boback, Melia G. Nafus, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Robert Reed
2020, Ecosphere (11)
Transect surveys are frequently used to estimate distribution and abundance of species across a landscape, yet a proportion of individuals present will be missed because either they were out of view and unavailable for detection or they were available but not detected because the surveyors missed them. These situations lead...
The lead (Pb) lining of agriculture‐related subsidies: enhanced Golden Eagle growth rates tempered by Pb exposure
Garth Herring, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Jeremy A. Buck, Alyssa E. Shiel, Chris R. Vennum, Colleen Emery, Branden L. Johnson, David Leal, Julie A. Heath, Benjamin M Dudek, Charles R. Preston, Brian Woodbridge
2020, Ecosphere (11)
Supplementary food resources (e.g., subsidies) associated with agriculture can benefit wildlife species, increasing predictability and availability of food. Avian scavengers including raptors often utilize subsidies associated with both recreational hunting and pest shooting on agricultural lands. However, these subsidies can contain lead (Pb) fragments if they are...
Using thermal infrared cameras to detect avian chicks at various distances and vegetative coverages
Diann Prosser, Tom Collier, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Katherine Emily Dale, Carl R. Callahan, Peter C. McGowan, Edward Gaylord, Julia M. Geschke, Lucas Howell, Paul R. Marban, Saba Raman
2020, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (11) 245-257
Population monitoring of nesting waterbirds often involves frequent entries into the colony, but alternative methods such as local remotely sensed thermal imaging may help reduce disturbance while providing a cost-effective way to survey breeding populations. Such an approach can have high initial costs, however, which may have reduced the number...
Alpine plant community diversity in species-area relations at fine scale
George P. Malanson, Emma L Nelson, Dale L. Zimmerman, Daniel B. Fagre
2020, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (52) 41-46
Observations of diversity in alpine vegetation appear to be scale dependent. The relations of plant species richness with surface processes and geomorphology have been studied, but patterns of beta diversity are less known. In Glacier National Park, Montana, diversity has been examined within 1 m2 plots and for 16...
Precipitation, temperature, groundwater-level elevation, streamflow, and potential flood storage trends within the Brazos, Colorado, Big Cypress, Guadalupe, Neches, Sulphur, and Trinity River basins in Texas through 2017
Glenn R. Harwell, Jeremy McDowell, Cathina Gunn-Rosas, Brett Garrett
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5137
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), analyzed streamflow trends and streamflow-related variables through 2017 in seven important water-supply basins to provide information that can help water managers with the USACE and river authorities make future water management decisions. The primary purpose...
Seepage investigation of the Rio Grande from below Leasburg Dam, Leasburg, New Mexico, to above El Paso, Texas, 2018
Grady P. Ball, Andrew J. Robertson, Karen Medina Morales
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5140
Seepage investigations were conducted periodically by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from 1988 to 1998 and from 2006 to 2015 along a 64-mile reach of the Rio Grande as part of the Mesilla Basin monitoring program. Past studies were conducted during no-flow or low-flow periods. In 2018, a seepage investigation...
Use of underwater videography to quantify conditions utilized by endangered Moapa Dace While spawning
Jack E. Ruggirello, Scott A. Bonar, Olin G. Feuerbacher, Lee H. Simons
2020, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (40) 17-28
Advances in underwater camera technology provide an affordable means to quantify the environmental conditions under which fish spawn. This information is important for investigating spawning ecology, managing habitat, or providing information for captive breeding programs. We deployed 12 modified security cameras underwater to identify environmental conditions related to the spawning...
Kelp forest monitoring at Naval Base Ventura County, San Nicolas Island, California: Fall 2017 and Spring 2018, Fourth Annual Report
Michael C. Kenner, Joseph A. Tomoleoni
2020, Open-File Report 2019-1147
To assess and track changes to the rocky subtidal communities surrounding San Nicolas Island, the U.S. Navy entered into an agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2014 to conduct an ecological monitoring program at several sites around the island. Four permanent sites—Nav Fac 100, West End, Dutch Harbor,...
Distribution and abundance of Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus) on the Middle San Luis Rey River, San Diego County, southern California—2019 data summary
Lisa D. Allen, Barbara E. Kus
2020, Data Series 1122
We surveyed for Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus; vireo) along the San Luis Rey River, between College Boulevard in Oceanside and Interstate 15 in Fallbrook, California (middle San Luis Rey River), in 2019, and we surveyed and conducted nest monitoring for Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus; flycatcher) in...
Investigating maternity roost selection by northern long-eared bats at three sites in Wisconsin
Brenna A. Hyzy, Robin E. Russell, Alex Silvis, W. Mark Ford, Jason Riddle, Kevin Russell
2020, Endangered Species Research (41) 55-65
One of the North American bat species most impacted by white-nose syndrome (WNS) is the northern long-eared bat Myotis septentrionalis, which as a result has been listed under the Endangered Species Act. WNS was first detected in Wisconsin in 2014. Unfortunately, little is known regarding the ecology of M. septentrionalis in this state...
Amphibian chytrid prevalence on boreal toads in SE Alaska and NW British Columbia: Tests of habitat, life stages, and temporal trends
Blake R. Hossack, Michael J. Adams, R Ken Honeycutt, Jami J Belt, S Pyare
2020, Diseases of Aquatic Organisms (137) 159-165
Tracking and understanding variation in pathogens such as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ([Bd]), which causes amphibian chytridiomycosis and has caused population declines globally, is a priority for many land managers. However, there has been relatively little sampling of amphibian communities at high latitudes. We used skin swabs collected during 2005–2017 from boreal...
A new stratigraphic framework and constraints for the position of the Paleocene-Eocene boundary in the rapidly subsiding Hanna Basin, Wyoming
Marieke Dechesne, Ellen D Currano, Regan E Dunn, Pennilyn Higgins, Joseph Hartman, Kevin R Chamberlain, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma
2020, Geosphere (16) 594-618
The Paleocene–Eocene strata of the rapidly subsiding Hanna Basin give insights in sedimentation patterns and regional paleogeography during the Laramide orogeny and across the climatic event at the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). Abundant coalbeds and carbonaceous shales of the fluvial, paludal, and lacustrine strata of the Hanna Formation offer a...
Effects of elevated sea levels and waves on southern California estuaries during the 2015–2016 El Niño
Madeleine Harvey, Sarah N Giddings, Eric D. Stein, Jeffrey A Crooks, Christine R Whitcraft, Timu W. Gallien, John L. Largier, Liesl Tiefenthaler, Hallee Meltzer, Geno Pawlak, Karen M. Thorne, Karina Johnston, Richard F. Ambrose, Stephen C Schroeter, Henry M. Page, Hany Elwany
2020, Estuaries and Coasts (43) 256-271
The 2015–2016 El Niño provided insight into how low-inflow estuaries might respond to future climate regimes, including high sea levels and more intense waves. High waves and water levels coupled with low rainfall along the Southern California coastline provided the opportunity to examine how extreme ocean...
Is your ad hoc model selection strategy affecting your multimodel inference?
Dana J. Morin, Charles B. Yackulic, James Diffendorfer, Damon B. Lesmeister, Clayton Nielsen, Janice Reid, Eric M. Schauber
2020, Ecosphere (11)
(Yackulic) 1. Ecologists routinely fit complex models with multiple parameters of interest, where hundreds or more competing models are plausible. To limit the number of fitted models, ecologists often define a model selection strategy composed of a series of stages in which certain features of a model are compared while...
A flexible survey design for monitoring spatiotemporal fish richness in nonwadeable rivers: optimizing efficiency by integrating gears
Corey G. Dunn, Craig P. Paukert
2020, Canadian Journal Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (77) 978-990
We designed a flexible protocol for monitoring fish species richness in nonwadeable rivers. Nine sites were sampled seasonally with six gears in two physiographic regions in Missouri (USA). Using resampling procedures and mixed-effects modeling, we quantified richness and compositional overlap among gears, identified efficient gear combinations, and evaluated protocol performance...
An agricultural water use package for MODFLOW and GSFLOW
Richard G. Niswonger
2020, Environmental Modeling and Software (125)
The Agricultural Water Use (AG) Package was developed for simulating demand-driven and supply-constrained agricultural water use in MODFLOW and GSFLOW models. The AG Package uses pre-existing hydrologic simulation provided by MODFLOW and GSFLOW. Three options are available for simulating water use...
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Rapid Seismic Array Deployment for the 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence
Elizabeth S. Cochran, Emily Wolin, Daniel E. McNamara, Alan Yong, David C. Wilson, Mark Alvarez, Nicholas van der Elst, Adria Ruth McClain, Jamison Haase Steidl
2020, Seismological Research Letters (91) 1952-1960
Rapid seismic deployments following large earthquakes capture ephemeral near‐field recordings of aftershocks and ambient noise that can provide valuable data for seismological studies. The U.S. Geological Survey installed 19 temporary seismic stations following the 4 July 2019 Mw 6.4 and 6 July 2019 (UTC) Mw 7.1 earthquakes near the city...
Extreme mortality and reproductive failure of common murres resulting from the northeast Pacific marine heatwave of 2014-2016
John F. Piatt, Julia K. Parrish, Heather M. Renner, Sarah K. Schoen, Timothy Jones, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Kathy J. Kuletz, Barbara Bodenstein, Marisol Garcia-Reyes, Rebecca Duerr, Robin Corcoran, Robb S.A. Kaler, Gerard J. McChesney, Richard T. Golightly, Heather A. Coletti, Robert M. Suryan, Hillary K. Burgess, Jackie Lindsey, Kirsten Lindquist, Peter Warzybok, Jaime Jahncke, Jan Roletto, William J. Sydeman
2020, PLoS ONE
About 62,000 dead or dying common murres (Uria aalge), the trophically dominant fish-eating seabird of the North Pacific, washed ashore between summer 2015 and spring 2016 on beaches from California to Alaska. Most birds were severely emaciated and, so far, no evidence for anything other than starvation was...
A 100-year geoelectric hazard analysis for the U.S. high-voltage power grid
Greg M. Lucas, Jeffrey J. Love, Anna Kelbert, Paul A. Bedrosian, E. Joshua Rigler
2020, Space Weather (18)
A once-per-century geoelectric hazard map is created for the United States high-voltage power grid. A statistical extrapolation from 31 years of magnetic field measurements is made by identifying 84 geomagnetic storms with the Kp and Dst indices. Data from 24 geomagnetic observatories, 1079 magnetotelluric survey sites, and 17,258 transmission lines are utilized to perform...
