An adaptive decision framework for the conservation of a threatened plant
Clinton T. Moore, Christopher J. Fonnesbeck, Katriona Shea, Kristopher J. Lah, Paul M. McKenzie, Lianne C. Ball, Michael C. Runge, Helen M. Alexander
2011, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (2) 247-261
Mead's milkweed Asclepias meadii, a long-lived perennial herb of tallgrass prairie and glade communities of the central United States, is a species designated as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Challenges to its successful management include the facts that much about its life history is unknown, its age at...
Interspecies transmission and limited persistence of low pathogenic avian influenza genomes among Alaska dabbling ducks
Andrew B. Reeves, John M. Pearce, Andrew M. Ramey, Brandt W. Meixell, Jonathan A. Runstadler
2011, Infection, Genetics and Evolution (11) 2004-2010
The reassortment and geographic distribution of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) virus genes are well documented, but little is known about the persistence of intact LPAI genomes among species and locations. To examine persistence of entire LPAI genome constellations in Alaska, we calculated the genetic identities among 161 full-genome LPAI...
Female American Kestrel survives double amputation
Ben R. Skipper, Clint W. Boal
2011, Journal of Raptor Research (45) 374-375
Free-ranging raptors are susceptible to a variety of injuries, many of which are sustained while pursuing and/or capturing live prey. Injuries hindering an individual’s ability to capture prey, such as partial blindness, damage to the bill, and foot or leg injuries, are debilitating and potentially life-threatening. However, there are ample...
Simulating the impacts of disturbances on forest carbon cycling in North America: Processes, data, models, and challenges
Shuguang Liu, Ben Bond-Lamberty, Jeffrey A. Hicke, Rodrigo Vargas, Shuqing Zhao, Jing Chen, Steven L. Edburg, Yueming Hu, Jinxun Liu, A. David McGuire, Jingfeng Xiao, Robert Keane, Wenping Yuan, Jianwu Tang, Yiqi Luo, Christopher Potter, Jennifer Oeding
2011, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (116) 1-22
Forest disturbances greatly alter the carbon cycle at various spatial and temporal scales. It is critical to understand disturbance regimes and their impacts to better quantify regional and global carbon dynamics. This review of the status and major challenges in representing the impacts of disturbances in modeling the carbon dynamics...
Survey of invasive ants at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
Robert W. Peck, Paul C. Banko
2011, Technical Report HCSU-027
We conducted a survey for invasive ants at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, Hawai‘i Island, during 2009–2010 to evaluate potential threats to native arthropod communities and food webs. The focal area of the survey was the upper portion of the Hakalau Unit of the refuge, where native forest was being...
The role of dyking and fault control in the rapid onset of eruption at Chaitén Volcano, Chile
Charles W. Wicks Jr., J. Carlos de la Llera, Luis E. Lara, Jacob B. Lowenstern
2011, Nature (478) 374-377
Rhyolite is the most viscous of liquid magmas, so it was surprising that on 2 May 2008 at Chaitén Volcano, located in Chile’s southern Andean volcanic zone, rhyolitic magma migrated from more than 5 km depth in less than 4 hours and erupted explosively with only two days of detected precursory seismic activity....
Holocene and late glacial palaeoceanography and palaeolimnology of the Black Sea: Changing sediment provenance and basin hydrography over the past 20,000 years
David Z. Piper, S.E. Calvert
2011, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (75) 5597-5624
The elemental geochemistry of Late Pleistocene and Holocene sediments of the Black Sea, recovered in box cores from the basin margins and a 5-m gravity core from the central abyssal region of the basin, identifies two terrigenous sediment sources over the last 20 kyrs. One source region includes Anatolia and...
Differential survival among sSOD-1* genotypes in Chinook Salmon
Michael C. Hayes, Reginald R. Reisenbichler, Stephen P. Rubin, Lisa A. Wetzel, Anne R. Marshall
2011, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (140) 1305-1316
Differential survival and growth were tested in Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha expressing two common alleles, *–100 and *–260, at the superoxide dismutase locus (sSOD-1*). These tests were necessary to support separate studies in which the two alleles were used as genetic marks under the assumption of mark neutrality. Heterozygous adults...
Carbonatite and alkaline intrusion-related rare earth element deposits–A deposit model
Philip L. Verplanck, Bradley S. Van Gosen
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1256
The rare earth elements are not as rare in nature as their name implies, but economic deposits with these elements are not common and few deposits have been large producers. In the past 25 years, demand for rare earth elements has increased dramatically because of their wide and diverse use...
Flood-frequency analyses from paleoflood investigations for Spring, Rapid, Boxelder, and Elk Creeks, Black Hills, western South Dakota
Tessa M. Harden, Jim E. O'Connor, Daniel G. Driscoll, John F. Stamm
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5131
Flood-frequency analyses for the Black Hills area are important because of severe flooding of June 9-10, 1972, that was caused by a large mesoscale convective system and caused at least 238 deaths. Many 1972 peak flows are high outliers (by factors of 10 or more) in observed records that date...
Vegetation assessment of forests of Pagan Island, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Linda W. Pratt
2011, Technical Report HCSU-023
As part of the Marianas Expedition Wildlife Surveys-2010, the forest vegetation of the island of Pagan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), was sampled with a series of systematic plots along 13 transects established for monitoring forest bird populations. Shrubland and grassland were also sampled in the northern half...
The future of rare earth elements—will these high-tech industry elements continue in short supply?
Keith R. Long
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1189
* REE will continue to find increasing use due to their unique properties. * There is a realistic possibility around 2015-2016 of sufficient REE capacity to meet demand under conditions of healthy price competition. * REE supplies will be tight and prices high for a few years. * There is...
Groundwater-quality data in the northern Coast Ranges study unit, 2009: Results from the California GAMA Program
Timothy M. Mathany, Barbara J. Dawson, Jennifer L. Shelton, Kenneth Belitz
2011, Data Series 609
Groundwater quality in the 633-square-mile Northern Coast Ranges (NOCO) study unit was investigated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from June to November 2009, as part of the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program's Priority Basin Project (PBP) and the U.S. Geological...
An open-water electrical geophysical tool for mapping sub-seafloor heavy placer minerals in 3D and migrating hydrocarbon plumes in 4D
Jefferey C. Wynn, Scott Urquhart, Mike Williamson, John B. Fleming
2011, Conference Paper, OCEANS '11 MTS/IEEE Kona
A towed-streamer technology has been developed for mapping placer heavy minerals and dispersed hydrocarbon plumes in the open ocean. The approach uses induced polarization (IP), an electrical measurement that encompasses several different surface-reactive capacitive and electrochemical phenomena, and thus is ideally suited for mapping dispersed or disseminated targets. The application...
Inference about density and temporary emigration in unmarked populations
Richard B. Chandler, J. Andrew Royle, David I. King
2011, Ecology (92) 1429-1435
Few species are distributed uniformly in space, and populations of mobile organisms are rarely closed with respect to movement, yet many models of density rely upon these assumptions. We present a hierarchical model allowing inference about the density of unmarked populations subject to temporary emigration and imperfect detection. The model...
A taping method for external transmitter attachment on aquatic snakes
G.D. Wylie, J.J. Smith, M. Amarello, Michael L. Casazza
2011, Herpetological Review (42) 187-191
Radio telemetry is extremely useful for studying habitat use and movements of free ranging snakes. Surgically implanting radio transmitters into the body cavity of snakes is standard practice in most studies (e.g., Reinert and Cundall 1982; Weatherhead and Blouin-Demers 2004), but this implanting method has its drawbacks. Surgery itself is...
Estimating age from recapture data: Integrating incremental growth measures with ancillary data to infer age-at-length
Mitchell J. Eaton, William A. Link
2011, Ecological Applications (21) 2487-2497
Estimating the age of individuals in wild populations can be of fundamental importance for answering ecological questions, modeling population demographics, and managing exploited or threatened species. Significant effort has been devoted to determining age through the use of growth annuli, secondary physical characteristics related to age, and growth models. Many...
Gross and microscopic morphology of lesions in Cnidaria from Palmyra Atoll, Central Pacific
Gareth J. Williams, Thierry M. Work, Greta S. Aeby, Ingrid S. Knapp, Simon K. Davy
2011, Journal of Invertebrate Pathology (106) 165-173
We conducted gross and microscopic characterizations of lesions in Cnidaria from Palmyra Atoll, Central Pacific. We found growth anomalies (GA) to be the most commonly encountered lesion. Cases of discoloration and tissue loss were rare. GAs had a focal or multi-focal distribution and were predominantly nodular, exophytic, and umbonate. In...
Rare earth elements: end use and recyclability
Thomas G. Goonan
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5094
Rare earth elements are used in mature markets (such as catalysts, glassmaking, lighting, and metallurgy), which account for 59 percent of the total worldwide consumption of rare earth elements, and in newer, high-growth markets (such as battery alloys, ceramics, and permanent magnets), which account for 41 percent of the total...
Diel biogeochemical processes in terrestrial waters
David A. Nimick, Chris Gammons
2011, Chemical Geology (283) 1-2
Many biogeochemical processes in rivers and lakes respond to the solar photocycle and produce persistent patterns of measureable phenomena that exhibit a day–night, or 24-h, cycle. Despite a large body of recent literature, the mechanisms responsible for these diel fluctuations are widely debated, with a growing consensus that combinations...
Depositional setting and geochemistry of phosphorites and metalliferous black shales in the Carboniferous-Permian Lisburne Group, Northern Alaska
Julie A. Dumoulin, John F. Slack, Michael T. Whalen, Anita G. Harris
2011, Professional Paper 1776-C
Phosphatic rocks are distributed widely in the Lisburne Group, a mainly Carboniferous carbonate succession that occurs throughout northern Alaska. New sedimentologic, paleontologic, and geochemical data presented here constrain the geographic and stratigraphic extent of these strata and their depositional and paleogeographic settings. Our findings support models that propose very high...
Wind energy in the United States and materials required for the land-based wind turbine industry from 2010 through 2030
David R. Wilburn
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5036
The generation of electricity in the United States from wind-powered turbines is increasing. An understanding of the sources and abundance of raw materials required by the wind turbine industry and the many uses for these materials is necessary to assess the effect of this industry's growth on future demand for...
Abundance of introduced species at home predicts abundance away in herbaceous communities
Jennifer Firn, Joslin L. Moore, Andrew S. MacDougall, Elizabeth T. Borer, Eric W. Seabloom, Janneke HilleRisLambers, W. Stanley Harpole, Elsa E. Cleland, Cynthia S. Brown, Johannes M.H. Knops, Suzanne M. Prober, David A. Pyke, Kelly A. Farrell, John D. Bakker, Lydia R. O’Halloran, Peter B. Adler, Scott L. Collins, Carla M. D'Antonio, Michael J. Crawley, Elizabeth M. Wolkovich, Kimberly J. La Pierre, Brett A. Melbourne, Yann Hautier, John W. Morgan, Andrew D.B. Leakey, Adam Kay, Rebecca McCulley, Kendi F. Davies, Carly J. Stevens, Cheng-Jin Chu, Karen D. Holl, Julia A. Klein, Phillip A. Fay, Nicole Hagenah, Kevin P. Kirkman, Yvonne M. Buckley
2011, Ecology Letters (14) 274-281
Many ecosystems worldwide are dominated by introduced plant species, leading to loss of biodiversity and ecosystem function. A common but rarely tested assumption is that these plants are more abundant in introduced vs. native communities, because ecological or evolutionary-based shifts in populations underlie invasion success. Here, data for 26 herbaceous...
Projected status of the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) in the twenty-first century
Chadwick V. Jay, Bruce G. Marcot, David C. Douglas
2011, Polar Biology (34) 1065-1084
Extensive and rapid losses of sea ice in the Arctic have raised conservation concerns for the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens), a large pinniped inhabiting arctic and subarctic continental shelf waters of the Chukchi and Bering seas. We developed a Bayesian network model to integrate potential effects of...
A trade-off between embryonic development rate and immune function of avian offspring is concealed by embryonic temperature
Thomas E. Martin, Elena Arriero, Ania Majewska
2011, Biology Letters (7) 425-428
Long embryonic periods are assumed to reflect slower intrinsic development that are thought to trade off to allow enhanced physiological systems, such as immune function. Yet, the relatively rare studies of this trade-off in avian offspring have not found the expected trade-off. Theory and tests have not taken into account...
