Dispersal of H9N2 influenza A viruses between East Asia and North America by wild birds
Andrew M. Ramey, Andrew B. Reeves, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Joshua L. Teslaa, Sean W. Nashold, Tyrone F. Donnelly, Bruce Casler, Jeffrey S. Hall
2015, Virology (482) 79-83
Samples were collected from wild birds in western Alaska to assess dispersal of influenza A viruses between East Asia and North America. Two isolates shared nearly identical nucleotide identity at eight genomic segments with H9N2 viruses isolated from China and South Korea providing evidence for intercontinental dispersal by migratory birds....
Evidence of bottom-up limitations in nearshore marine systems based on otolith proxies of fish growth
Vanessa R. von Biela, Gordon H. Kruse, Franz J. Mueter, Bryan A. Black, David C. Douglas, Thomas E. Helser, Christian E. Zimmerman
2015, Marine Biology (162) 1019-1031
Fish otolith growth increments were used as indices of annual production at nine nearshore sites within the Alaska Coastal Current (downwelling region) and California Current (upwelling region) systems (~36–60°N). Black rockfish (Sebastes melanops) and kelp greenling (Hexagrammos decagrammus) were identified as useful indicators in pelagic and...
Intertidal biological indicators of coseismic subsidence during the Mw 7.8 Haida Gwaii, Canada, earthquake
Peter J. Haeussler, Robert C. Witter, Kelin Wang
2015, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (105) 1265-1279
The 28 October 2012 Mw 7.8 Haida Gwaii earthquake was a megathrust earthquake along the very obliquely convergent Queen Charlotte margin of British Columbia, Canada. Coseismic deformation is not well constrained by geodesy, with only six Global Positioning System (GPS) sites and two tide gauge stations within 250 km of the rupture area....
Strontium isotopes delineate fine-scale natal origins and migration histories of Pacific salmon
Sean R. Brennan, Christian E. Zimmerman, Diego P. Fernandez, Thure E. Cerling, Megan V. McPhee, Matthew J. Wooller
2015, Science Advances (1)
Highly migratory organisms present major challenges to conservation efforts. This is especially true for exploited anadromous fish species, which exhibit long-range dispersals from natal sites, complex population structures, and extensive mixing of distinct populations during exploitation. By tracing the migratory histories of individual Chinook salmon caught in fisheries using strontium...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for South Carolina
William Carswell Jr.
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3029
Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of South Carolina, elevation data are critical for flood risk management, natural resources conservation, agriculture and precision farming, infrastructure and construction management, forest...
Glaciological and marine geological controls on terminus dynamics of Hubbard Glacier, southeast Alaska
Leigh A. Stearns, Gordon S. Hamilton, C. J. van der Veen, D. C. Finnegan, Shad O’Neel, J. B. Scheick, D. E. Lawson
2015, Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface (120) 1065-1081
Hubbard Glacier, located in southeast Alaska, is the world's largest non-polar tidewater glacier. It has been steadily advancing since it was first mapped in 1895; occasionally, the advance creates an ice or sediment dam that blocks a tributary fjord (Russell Fiord). The sustained advance raises the probability of long-term closure...
Icefield-to-ocean linkages across the northern Pacific coastal temperate rainforest ecosystem
Shad O’Neel, Eran Hood, Allison L. Bidlack, Sean W. Fleming, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Anthony Arendt, Evan W. Burgess, Christopher J. Sergeant, Anne E. Beaudreau, Kristin Timm, Gregory D. Hayward, Joel H. Reynolds, Sanjay Pyare
2015, BioScience (65) 499-512
Rates of glacier mass loss in the northern Pacific coastal temperate rainforest (PCTR) are among the highest on Earth, and changes in glacier volume and extent will affect the flow regime and chemistry of coastal rivers, as well as the nearshore marine ecosystem of the Gulf of Alaska. Here we...
Focused exhumation along megathrust splay faults in Prince William Sound, Alaska
Peter J. Haeussler, Phillip A Armstrong, Lee M Liberty, Kelly M Ferguson, Shaun P Finn, Jeannette C Arkle, Thomas L. Pratt
2015, Quaternary Science Reviews (113) 8-22
Megathrust splay faults are a common feature of accretionary prisms and can be important for generating tsunamis during some subduction zone earthquakes. Here we provide new evidence from Alaska that megathrust splay faults have been conduits for focused exhumation in the last 5 Ma. In most of central Prince William Sound,...
Species richness and distributions of boreal waterbirds in relation to nesting and brood-rearing habitats
Tyler L. Lewis, Mark S. Lindberg, Joel A. Schmutz, Mark R. Bertram, Adam J. Dubour
2015, Journal of Wildlife Management (79) 296-310
Identification of ecological factors that drive animal distributions allows us to understand why distributions vary temporally and spatially, and to develop models to predict future changes to populations–vital tools for effective wildlife management and conservation. For waterbird broods in the boreal forest, distributions are likely driven by factors affecting quality...
Projected changes in wildlife habitats in Arctic natural areas of northwest Alaska
Bruce G. Marcot, M. Torre Jorgenson, James P. Lawler, Colleen M. Handel, Anthony R. DeGange
2015, Climatic Change (130) 145-154
We project the effects of transitional changes among 60 vegetation and other land cover types (“ecotypes”) in northwest Alaska over the 21st century on habitats of 162 bird and 39 mammal species known or expected to occur regularly in the region. This analysis, encompassing a broad suite of arctic and...
Migratory Patterns of Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha Returning to a Large, Free-flowing River Basin
John H. Eiler, Allison N. Evans, Carl B. Schreck
2015, PLoS ONE (10)
Upriver movements were determined for Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha returning to the Yukon River, a large, virtually pristine river basin. These returns have declined dramatically since the late 1990s, and information is needed to better manage the run and facilitate conservation efforts. A total of 2,860 fish were radio tagged during 2002–2004....
Ecology and conservation of North American sea ducks
Jean-Pierre L. Savard, Dirk V. Derksen, Daniel Esler, John M. Eadie, editor(s)
2015, Book, Studies in Avian Biology
The past decade has seen a huge increase in the interest and attention directed toward sea ducks, the Mergini tribe. This has been inspired, in large part, by the conservation concerns associated with numerical declines in several sea duck species and populations, as well as a growing appreciation for their...
Spatially explicit estimation of aboveground boreal forest biomass in the Yukon River Basin, Alaska
Lei Ji, Bruce K. Wylie, Dana R. N. Brown, Birgit E. Peterson, Heather D. Alexander, Michelle C. Mack, Jennifer R. Rover, Mark P. Waldrop, Jack W. McFarland, Xuexia Chen, Neal J. Pastick
2015, International Journal of Remote Sensing (36) 939-953
Quantification of aboveground biomass (AGB) in Alaska’s boreal forest is essential to the accurate evaluation of terrestrial carbon stocks and dynamics in northern high-latitude ecosystems. Our goal was to map AGB at 30 m resolution for the boreal forest in the Yukon River Basin of Alaska using Landsat data and ground...
Identifying a reliable blubber measurement site to assess body condition in a marine mammal with topographically variable blubber, the Pacific walrus
Shawn R. Noren, Mark S. Udevitz, Lisa Triggs, Jessa Paschke, Lisa Oland, Chadwick V. Jay
2015, Marine Mammal Science (31) 658-676
Pacific walruses may be unable to meet caloric requirements in the changing Arctic ecosystem, which could affect body condition and have population-level consequences. Body condition has historically been monitored by measuring blubber thickness over the xiphoid process (sternum). This may be an unreliable condition index because blubber at other sites...
Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array Type L-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) mosaic for the Kahiltna terrane, Alaska, 2007-2010
Christopher J. Cole, Michaela R. Johnson, Garth E. Graham
2015, Scientific Investigations Map 3323
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has initiated a multi-disciplinary study investigating the applicability of remote sensing technologies for geologic mapping and identification of prospective areas for base and precious metal deposits in remote parts of Alaska. The Kahiltna terrane in southwestern Alaska was selected for investigation because of its known...
Conclusions, synthesis, and future directions: understanding sources of population change
Daniel Esler, Paul L. Flint, Dirk V. Derksen, Jean-Pierre L. Savard, John M. Eadie
2015, Book chapter, Ecology and Conservation of North American Sea Ducks
The material in this volume reflects the burgeoning interest in sea ducks, both as study species with compelling and unique ecological attributes and as taxa of conservation concern. In this review, we provide perspective on the current state of sea duck knowledge by highlighting key findings in the preceding chapters...
Phylogenetics, phylogeography and population genetics of North American sea ducks (tribe: Mergini)
Sandra L. Talbot, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, John M. Pearce, Kim T. Scribner
2015, Book chapter, Ecology and conservation of North American sea ducks; Studies in Avian Biology v. 46
Many environments occupied by North American sea ducks are remote and difficult to access, and as a result, detailed information about life history characteristics that drive population dynamics within and across species is limited. Nevertheless, progress on this front during the past several decades has benefited by the application of...
Variation in migration strategies of North American sea ducks
Margaret R. Petersen, Jean-Pierre L. Savard
2015, Book chapter, Ecology and conservation of North American sea ducks; Studies in Avian Biology v. 46
Migration exerts strong effects on population dynamics, so consideration of migration as a driver of population change is an important area of inquiry. Sea ducks (Mergini) exemplify the wide range in types of migration strategies, which become more variable with the addition of a third migration to distinct molting areas....
Population dynamics of sea ducks: using models to understand the causes, consequences, evolution, and management of variation in life history characteristics
Paul L. Flint
2015, Book chapter, Ecology and conservation of North American sea ducks: Studies in Avian Biology v. 46
In this chapter, I explore population dynamics of sea ducks by developing population models. In determining which life history characteristics had the greatest influence on future population dynamics, adult female survival consistently had the highest sensitivity and elasticity and this result was robust across a wide range of life history...
Habitats of North American sea ducks.
Dirk V. Derksen, Margaret R. Petersen, Jean-Pierre L. Savard
2015, Book chapter, Ecology and conservation of North American sea ducks; Studies in Avian Biology v. 46
Breeding, molting, fall and spring staging, and wintering habitats of the sea duck tribe Mergini are described based on geographic locations and distribution in North America, geomorphology, vegetation and soil types, and fresh water and marine characteristics. The dynamics of habitats are discussed in light of natural and anthropogenic events...
Remigial molt of sea ducks
Margaret R. Petersen, Jean-Pierre L. Savard
2015, Book chapter, Ecology and conservation of North American sea ducks; Studies in Avian Biology v. 46
Molt is a dynamic process occurring throughout much of the year in waterfowl. The molt of flight feathers by waterfowl, especially sea ducks, however, occurs over a compressed period of time and in spcific areas used each year. We provide an overview of the flight feather molt of sea ducks....
Diet of yellow-billed loons (Gavia adamsii) in Arctic lakes during the nesting season inferred from fatty acid analysis
T B Haynes, Joel A. Schmutz, Jeffrey F. Bromaghin, S J Iverson, V. M. Padula, A E Rosenberger
2015, Polar Biology (38) 1239-1247
Understanding the dietary habits of yellow-billed loons (Gavia adamsii) can give important insights into their ecology, however, studying the diet of loons is difficult when direct observation or specimen collection is impractical. We investigate the diet of yellow-billed loons nesting on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska using...
Can polar bears use terrestrial foods to offset lost ice-based hunting opportunities?
Karyn D. Rode, Charles T. Robbins, Lynne Nelson, Steven C. Amstrup
2015, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (13) 138-145
Increased land use by polar bears (Ursus maritimus) due to climate-change-induced reduction of their sea-ice habitat illustrates the impact of climate change on species distributions and the difficulty of conserving a large, highly specialized carnivore in the face of this global threat. Some authors have suggested that terrestrial food consumption...
Prevalence and genetic diversity of haematozoa in South American waterfowl and evidence for intercontinental redistribution of parasites by migratory birds
Matthew M. Smith, Andrew M. Ramey
2015, International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife (4) 22-28
To understand the role of migratory birds in the movement and transmission of haematozoa within and between continental regions, we examined 804 blood samples collected from eleven endemic species of South American waterfowl in Peru and Argentina for infection by Haemoproteus, Plasmodium, and/or Leucocytozono blood parasites. Infections were detected in...
A real-time, quantitative PCR protocol for assessing the relative parasitemia of Leucocytozoon in waterfowl
Matthew M. Smith, Joel A. Schmutz, Chloe Apelgren, Andrew M. Ramey
2015, Journal of Microbiological Methods (111) 72-77
Microscopic examination of blood smears can be effective at diagnosing and quantifying hematozoa infections. However, this method requires highly trained observers, is time consuming, and may be inaccurate for detection of infections at low levels of parasitemia. To develop a molecular methodology for identifying and quantifying Leucocytozoon parasite infection in...
