Effects of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, abundance, and environmental conditions on bighorn sheep lamb:ewe ratios and adult survival in New Mexico
Colton J. Padilla, Caitlin Q. Ruhl, James W. Cain III, Matthew E. Gompper
2025, Ecosphere (15)
Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae is a primary causative agent responsible for initiating polymicrobial pneumonia in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis). Infections of bighorn sheep populations are typically characterized by initial all-age epizootics followed by long-term periods of repressed juvenile (lamb) survival. Populations of bighorn sheep in New Mexico, USA, were thought to be free...
SCEC/USGS Community Stress Drop Validation Study: How spectral fitting approaches influence measured source parameters
Elizabeth S. Cochran, Annemarie S. Baltay Sundstrom, Shanna Chu, Rachel E. Abercrombie, Dino Bindi, X. Chen, Grace Alexandra Parker, Colin Pennington, Peter M. Shearer, Daniel T. Trugman
2025, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (115) 760-776
Spectral source parameters used to estimate an earthquake’s stress drop (Δσ) can vary significantly across measurement approaches. The Statewide California Earthquake Center/U.S. Geological Survey Community Stress-Drop Validation Study was initiated to compare source parameter estimates, focusing initially on a dataset from the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence. As part of that...
Intra-urban variations in land surface phenology in a semi-arid environment
Ben Crawford, Kathy Kelsey, Peter Christian Ibsen, Amanda Rees, Amanda Charobee
2025, Environmental Research Letters (20)
Urban vegetation is growing in importance as cities use 'green infrastructure' to mitigate the impacts of climate change, reduce extreme heat, and improve human health and comfort. However, due to the heterogeneity of city landscapes, urban vegetation experiences a diverse range of environmental conditions, potentially leading to differences in growing...
Prioritizing US Geological Survey science on salinization and salinity in candidate and selected priority river basins
Christopher H. Conaway, Nancy T. Baker, Craig J. Brown, Christopher T. Green, Douglas B. Kent
2025, Enviornmental Monitoring and Assessment (197)
The US Geological Survey (USGS) is selecting and prioritizing basins, known as Integrated Water Science basins, for monitoring and intensive study. Previous efforts to aid in this selection process include a scientifically defensible and quantitative assessment of basins facing human-caused water resource challenges (Van Metre et al. in Environmental Monitoring...
Hypothetical CO2 leakage into, and hydrological plume management within, an underground source of drinking water at a proposed CO2 storage facility, Kemper County, Mississippi, USA
Michelle R. Plampin, Matthew D. Merrill
2025, Environmental Geosciences (84)
A large Geologic Carbon Sequestration (GCS) hub has been proposed in Kemper County, Mississippi. The target injection interval consists of numerous Cretaceous-aged deep saline aquifers overlain by a competent and extensive regional sealing layer. Above the seal, the deepest Underground Source of Drinking Water (USDW) at the site is the...
Deformation of Mauna Loa volcano before, during, and after its 2022 eruption
Andria P. Ellis, Ingrid A. Johanson, Michael P. Poland
2025, Bulletin of Volcanology (86)
Mauna Loa on the Island of Hawaiʻi erupted on 27 November 2022, the first eruption since 1984, which marked the culmination of decades-long period of non-eruptive unrest and relative quiescence. We briefly describe the evolution of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s geodetic monitoring network at Mauna Loa and show patterns...
First records distribution models to guide biosurveillance for non-native species
Helen Sofaer, Demetra A. Williams, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Keana S. Shadwell, Caroline Kittle, Ian S. Pearse, Lucas Fortini, Kelsey C. Brock
2025, Ecography (2025)
Quickly locating new populations of non-native species can reduce the ecological and economic costs of species invasions. However, the difficulty of predicting which new non-native species will establish, and where, has limited active post-border biosurveillance efforts. Because pathways of introduction underlie spatial patterns of establishment risk, an intuitive approach is...
Participatory engagement to reduce communication gaps
Legna M. Torres-Garcia, Manuel Valdés Pizzini, Krystalliá Valdés-Calderón, Donya P. Frank-Gilchrist, Dawn Marie Kotowicz, Emmanuel Maldonado, Priscila Vargas-Babilonia
2025, Natural Hazards (121) 6367-6390
Underserved communities, especially those in coastal areas in Puerto Rico, face significant threats from natural hazards such as hurricanes and rising sea levels. Limited funding hinders the investment in costly mitigation measures, increasing exposure to natural disasters. Providing coastal resources and data products through effective communication mechanisms is fundamental to...
Imperiled Great Basin terminal lakes: Synthesizing ecological and hydrological science gaps and research needs for waterbird conservation
Garth Herring, Ashley L. Whipple, Cameron L. Aldridge, Bryce Alan Pulver, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Rich D. Inman, Elliott Matchett, Adrian P. Monroe, Elizabeth Kari Orning, Benjamin Seward Robb, Jessica E. Shyvers, Bryan C. Tarbox, Nathan D. Van Schmidt, Cassandra Smith, Matthew J. Holloran, Cory T. Overton, David O’Leary, Michael L. Casazza, Rebecca J. Frus
2025, BioScience (75) 112-126
Terminal lakes are declining globally because of human water demands, drought, and climate change. Through literature synthesis and feedback from the resource and conservation community, we review the state of research for terminal lakes in the Great Basin of the United States, which support millions of waterbirds annually, to prioritize...
Neonate morphometrics and lambing season characteristics of desert bighorn sheep
Grace L. Parikh, Rebekah C. Karsch, James W. Cain III, Eric M. Rominger, Elise J. Goldstein
2025, Mammalia (89) 121-130
Desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) populations often occur in remote areas at low densities, leading to gaps in knowledge of life history. In November 2011, we translocated 11 female desert bighorn sheep from the Fra Cristobal Mountains and 9 from Red Rock Wildlife Management Area (RRWMA) to the Peloncillo Mountains...
Mountain sentinels in a changing world: Review and conservation implications of weather and climate effects on mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus)
Kevin White, Becky Cadsand, Steeve D. Cote, Tabitha A. Graves, Sandra Hamel, Richard B. Harris, Forest Hayes, Eran Hood, Kevin Hurley, Tyler Jessen, Bill Jex, Erich Peitzsch, Wesley Sarmento, Helen M. Schwantje, Joel Berger
2025, Global Ecology and Conservation (57)
Climate change is occurring at an accelerated rate in high-elevation alpine and mountain ecosystems. Cold-adapted, mountain species are at risk due to forecasted change and knowledge is needed to respond to current and future conservation challenges. Mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) are an iconic species of North American mountain cultures and...
Intrinsic and environmental drivers of pairwise cohesion in wild Canis social groups
John F. Benson, David A. Keiter, Peter J. Mahoney, Benjamin L. Allen, Lee R. Allen, Francisco Álvares, Morgan L. Anderson, Shannon M. Barber-Meyer, Adi Barocas, James C Beasley, Linda Behrendorff, Jerrold L. Belant, Dean Beyer Jr., Luigi Boitani, Bridget L Borg, Stan Boutin, Erin E. Boydston, Justin L. Brown, Joseph K. Bump, Jonathon D. Cepek, Michael J Chamberlain, Yvette M. Chenaux-Ibrahim, Seth G. Cherry, Duško Ćirović, Paolo Ciucci, H. Dean Cluff, Susan M Cooper, Kevin R. Crooks, Daniel L.J. Dupont, Robert N. Fisher, Daniel Fortin, Thomas D. Gable, Emilio Garcia, Eli Geffen, Stanley D. Gehrt, Michael Gillingham, Douglas C. Heard, Mark Hebblewhite, Joseph W Hinton, Austin T. Homkes, Chris G. Howden, Djuro Huber, Pat J. Jackson, Kyle Joly, Allicia P Kelly, Marcella J. Kelly, Katrien A. Kingdon, Abhijeet Kulkarni, Josip Kusak, Gerald W. Kuzyk, Bryce C. Lake, Luis Llaneza, Jose Vicente Lopez-Bao, Daniel R. MacNulty, Ashley A.D. McLaren, Philip D. McLoughlin, Evelyn H. Merrill, Kenneth J. Mills, Numi Mitchell, Seth A. Moore, Matthew Mumma, Maureen H. Murray, Marco Musiani, Mónia Nakamura, Eric W. Neilson, Lalenia M. Neufeld, Thomas M Newsome, John K. Oakleaf, Vincente Palacios, Marlo M. Perdicas, Thomas Perry, Tyler R. Petroelje, Cyrenea B. Piper, Christina M. Prokopenko, Laura R. Prugh, Seth P.D. Riley, Helena Rio-Maior, Gretchen H. Roffler, Dale Rollins, Håkan Sand, Fiona K A Schmiegelow, Dale R. Seip, Mathew S Sorum, Colleen C. St. Clair, Robin Steenweg, Michael W. Strohbach, Jack Tatler, Maria Thaker, Connor A. Thompson, Julia W. Turner, Abi Tamim Vanak, Eric Vander Wal, Petter Wabakken, Scott E Walter, Sarah C Webster, Tyler J. Wheeldon, Camilla Wikenros, Steve K. Windels, Julie K. Young, Sana Zabihi-Seissan, Barbara Zimmermann, Brent R. Patterson
2025, Ecology (106)
Animals within social groups respond to costs and benefits of sociality by adjusting the proportion of time they spend in close proximity to other individuals in the group (cohesion). Variation in cohesion between individuals, in turn, shapes important group-level processes such as subgroup formation and fission–fusion dynamics. Although critical to...
Late Amazonian ice near Athabasca Valles, Mars: Recent megaflood or climate change?
Colin M. Dundas, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Kaj E. Williams
2025, Icarus (429)
The Athabasca Valles outflow channel system is among the youngest such channels on Mars, with the Athabasca Valles flood lava (AVFL) covering the channel floor and reaching far beyond. Volcanic rootless cones on the AVFL indicate the presence of H2O in the shallow subsurface at the time of lava emplacement....
Great Lakes mallard population dynamics
Benjamin Z. Luukkonen, Scott R. Winterstein, Daniel B. Hayes, Drew Nathan Fowler, Gregory J. Soulliere, John M. Coluccy, Amy A. Shipley, John Simpson, Brendan Shirkey, Jason M. Winiarski, Benjamin J. O’Neal, Barbara A. Avers, Gerald R. Urquhart, Philip Lavretsky
2025, Journal of Wildlife Management (89)
Breeding mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) populations in the Great Lakes region (Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, USA) declined by >40% between 2000–2022 based on abundance data collected during spring aerial surveys. Mallards are an important waterfowl species in this region, where an estimated 60–80% of the mallard harvest is composed of locally banded...
Sampling for disease surveillance: Assessing effects on blue-winged teal survival and recovery
Rose J. Swift, Todd W. Arnold, Deborah L. Carter, Paul K. Link, Rebecca L. Poulson, David E. Stallknecht, Aaron T. Pearse
2025, Journal of Wildlife Management (89)
Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in wild animals highlight the need for disease surveillance in wild birds to improve our understanding of their role as reservoirs and dispersers, and potential threats to domestic poultry and wild bird populations. Surveillance for avian influenza varies in its approach, objectives, and...
Changes in streamflow seasonality associated with hydroclimatic variability in the north-central United States among three discrete temporal periods, 1946–2020
Nancy A. Barth, Harper N. Wavra, Anthony R Koebele, Steven K. Sando
2025, Journal of Hydrology—Regional Studies (57)
Study regionNorth-central United StatesStudy focusThis study uses circular statistics to characterize the seasonal properties of annual maximum (AMS) and peaks-over-threshold (POT) streamflow time series for 841 and 623 selected U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgages, respectively, without regulation or substantial diversion...
Characterizing directivity in small (M 2.4-5) aftershocks of the Ridgecrest sequence
Shanna Chu, Annemarie S. Baltay Sundstrom, Rachel E. Abercrombie
2025, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (115) 1177-1188
Directivity, or the focusing of energy along the direction of an earthquake rupture, is a common property of earthquakes of all sizes and can cause increased hazard due to azimuthally dependent ground‐motion amplification. For small earthquakes, the effects of directivity are generally less pronounced due to reduced rupture size, yet...
Drought before fire increases tree mortality after fire
C. Alina Cansler, Micah Wright, Phillip J. van Mantgem, Timothy M. Shearman, J. Morgan Varner, Sharon M. Hood
2025, Ecosphere (15)
Fire and drought are expected to increase in frequency and severity in temperate forests due to climate change. To evaluate whether drought increases the likelihood of post-fire tree mortality, we used a large database of tree survival and mortality from 32 years of wildland fires covering four dominant western North American...
Global patterns of coseismic landslide runout mobility differ from aseismic landslide trends
Alex R. Grant, Natalie K. Culhane
2025, Engineering Geology (344)
Coseismic landslides significantly contribute to human and economic losses during and immediately following earthquakes, yet very little data on the runout of such landslides exist. While well-established behavior of aseismic (e.g., hydrologically triggered) landslide runout mobility suggests strong correlation between landslide size and mobility, limited studies of coseismic landslide runout...
Invisible hand of sampling for management: Underlying needs to survey a threatened seabird can bias aggregated data
Ryan Baumbusch, Adam Duarte, James Peterson
2025, Journal of Biogeography (52) 699-711
AimSurveying for a species of concern ahead of proposed activities that alter its habitat is routine practice in conservation and management. Such surveys may accumulate large datasets that could further elucidate trends in abundance and distribution. However, the as-needed surveying of proposed activities may impart a sample...
Smectite-rich horizons in Inceptisols trigger shallow landslides in tropical granitic terranes
Peter C. Ryan, D. Mahmud, K. L. Derenoncourt, L. F. Nerbonne, I. L. Perez-Martin, J. Reyes Collovati, M. Junaid, Corina Cerovski-Darriau
2025, Geoderma Regional (40)
Puerto Rico was affected by >70,000 landslides in the wake of 2017 Hurricane Maria, and landslide prevalence was especially high in the Utuado region in the Cordillera Central. Landslide density was highest where soil parent material is granodiorite; landslide slip surfaces tended to be shallow (<60 cm), and often were mobilized...
Applying mark-resight, count, and telemetry data to estimate effective sampling area and fish density with stationary underwater cameras
Viviane Zulian, Krishna Pacifici, Nathan M. Bacheler, Jeffrey A. Buckel, William F. Patterson III, Brian J. Reich, Kyle W. Shertzer, Nathan J. Hostetter
2025, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (82) 1-11
Accurate estimates of abundance and density for geographically open populations must account for the effective sampling area (ESA) of sampling gears. We describe a Marked N-Mixture model to estimate ESA and density (number of individuals/unit area) from repeated counts of unmarked and marked individuals, integrating mark-resight, camera counts, and telemetry...
Distinguishing natural sources from anthropogenic events in seismic data
Sean Maher, Margaret Elizabeth Glasgow, Elizabeth S. Cochran, Zhigang Peng
2025, Seismological Research Letters (96) 1-6
As seismic data are increasingly used to investigate a diverse range of subsurface phenomena beyond regular fast-rupturing earthquakes (Peng and Gomberg, 2010; Beroza and Ide, 2011), it is important to acknowledge that human-generated ground vibrations may be mistaken for naturally generated subsurface processes (Larose et al., 2015; Li et al.,...
Roles of host and environment in shift of primary anthrax host species in Kruger National Park
Sunday O. Ochai, Lourens Snyman, Amelie C. Dolfi, Abel Ramoelo, Brian K. Reilly, Judith M. Botha, Edgar H. Dekker, O. Louis van Schalkwyk, Pauline L. Kamath, Emma Archer, Wendy Christine Turner, Henriette van Heerden
2025, PLoS ONE (19)
Environmental and climatic factors, as well as host demographics and behaviour, significantly influence the exposure of herbivorous mammalian hosts to pathogens such as Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. Until the early 1990s in Kruger National Park (KNP), kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) was the host species most affected by anthrax, with...
Bayesian networks facilitate updating of species distribution and habitat suitability models
Adam Duarte, Robert S. Spaan, James Peterson, Christopher Pearl, Michael J. Adams
2025, Ecological Modelling (501)
Managers often rely on predictions of species distributions and habitat suitability to inform conservation and management decisions. Although numerous approaches are available to develop models to make these predictions, few approaches exist to update existing models as new data accumulate. There is a need for updatable models to ensure good...
