Monitoring Least Bitterns (Ixobrychis exilis) in Vermont: Detection probability and occupancy modeling
Aswini Cherukuri, Allan Strong, Therese M. Donovan
2018, Northeastern Naturalist (25) 56-71
Ixobrychus exillis (Least Bittern) is listed as a species of high concern in the North American Waterbird Conservation Plan and is a US Fish and Wildlife Service migratory bird species of conservation concern in the Northeast. Little is known about the population of Least Bitterns in the Northeast because of their...
Movers and stayers: Novel assemblages in changing environments
Richard L. Hobbs, Leonie E. Valentine, Rachel J. Standish, Stephen T. Jackson
2018, Trends in Ecology and Evolution (33) 116-128
How species will respond to ongoing climate and other change is of increasing concern.Most attention is given to how species move or are moved, but many species stay.Understanding the dynamics of new species combinations is essential for successful conservation in a changing climate.Increased attention to species movement...
Fire and climate suitability for woody vegetation communities in the south central United States
Esther Stroh, Matthew Struckhoff, Michael C. Stambaugh, Richard P. Guyette
2018, Fire Ecology (14) 106-124
Climate and fire are primary drivers of plant species distributions. Long-term management of south central United States woody vegetation communities can benefit from information on potential changes in climate and fire frequencies, and how these changes might affect plant communities. We used historical (1900 to 1929) and future (2040 to...
Adaptive influence of extrinsic and intrinsic factors on variation of incubation periods among tropical and temperate passerines
Thomas E. Martin, Riccardo Ton, Juan C. Oteyza
2018, The Auk (135) 101-113
Understanding intrinsic (physiological) and extrinsic (e.g., temperature) causes of variation in embryonic development time (incubation period) is important because they can have different impacts on individual quality. Robert Ricklefs and colleagues have argued that longer incubation periods result primarily from intrinsic physiological programs that increase individual quality and adult survival....
Quantifying seining detection probability for fishes of Great Plains sand‐bed rivers
Robert Mollenhauer, Daniel R. Logue, Shannon K. Brewer
2018, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (147) 329-341
Species detection error (i.e., imperfect and variable detection probability) is an essential consideration when investigators map distributions and interpret habitat associations. When fish detection error that is due to highly variable instream environments needs to be addressed, sand‐bed streams of the Great Plains represent a unique challenge. We quantified seining...
Oil and gas development footprint in the Piceance Basin, western Colorado
Cericia D. Martinez, Todd M. Preston
2018, Science of the Total Environment (616-617) 355-362
Understanding long-term implications of energy development on ecosystem functionrequires establishing regional datasets to quantify past development and determine relationships to predict future development. The Piceance Basin in western Colorado has a history of energy production and development is expected to continue into the foreseeable future due to abundant natural gas...
National Gas Hydrate Program Expedition 01 offshore India; gas hydrate systems as revealed by hydrocarbon gas geochemistry
Thomas Lorenson, Timothy S. Collett
2018, Marine and Petroleum Geology (92) 477-492
The National Gas Hydrate Program Expedition 01 (NGHP-01) targeted gas hydrate accumulations offshore of the Indian Peninsula and along the Andaman convergent margin. The primary objectives of coring were to understand the geologic and geochemical controls on the accumulation of methane hydrate and their linkages to underlying petroleum systems....
Efficacy of otoliths and first dorsal spines for preliminary age and growth determination in Atlantic Tripletails
Russell T. Parr, Robert B. Bringolf, Cecil A. Jennings
2018, Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science (10) 71-79
The Atlantic Tripletail Lobotes surinamensis is a popular sport fish for which age and growth data are scarce in general and nonexistent for Georgia (GA), USA, waters. These data are necessary to ensure that management regulations are adequate to protect this species, especially given its popularity as a sport fish. We evaluated...
Osteopilus septentrionalis (Cuban treefrog)
Brad M. Glorioso, Philip Vanbergen, Joseph Roy, Matthew Walter, Lauren Leonpacher, Mark Freistak
2018, Herpetological Review (49) 70-71
USA: LOUISIANA: east baton Rouge paRish: private property in a garden center on a bromeliad in the 1700 block of Millerville Road in Baton Rouge (ca. 30.443°N, 91.023°W; WGS 84). 29 November 2016. Joseph Roy. Verified by Hardin Waddle. Florida Museum of Natural History (UF 181952; photo voucher). New parish...
Distinguishing values from science in decision making: Setting harvest quotas for mountain lions in Montana
Michael S. Mitchell, Hilary Cooley, Justin A. Gude, Jay Kolbe, J. Joshua Nowak, Kelly M. Proffitt, Sarah N. Sells, Mike Thompson
2018, Wildlife Society Bulletin (42) 13-21
The relative roles of science and human values can be difficult to distinguish when informal processes are used to make complex and contentious decisions in wildlife management. Structured Decision Making (SDM) offers a formal process for making such decisions, where scientific results and concepts can be disentangled from the values...
Evidence for regional nitrogen stress on chlorophyll a in lakes across large landscape and climate gradients
Christopher T. Filstrup, Tyler Wagner, Samantha K. Oliver, Craig A. Stow, Katherine E. Webster, Emily H. Stanley, John A. Downing
2018, Limnology and Oceanography (63) S324-S339
Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) commonly stimulate phytoplankton production in lakes, but recent observations from lakes from an agricultural region suggest that nitrate may have a subsidy‐stress effect on chlorophyll a (Chl a). It is unclear, however, how generalizable this effect might be. Here, we analyzed a large water quality dataset of 2385...
Response of beach-nesting American Oystercatchers to off-road vehicles: An experimental approach reveals physiological nuances and decreased nest attendance
Shilo K. Felton, Kenneth H. Pollock, Theodore R. Simons
2018, The Condor (120) 47-62
Shorebird populations face increasing challenges as rising sea levels and growing human populations constrain their breeding habitats. On recreational beaches, the nesting season often coincides with a season of high visitor use, increasing the potential for conflict, which may negatively influence beach-nesting shorebird species. We designed a field experiment to...
High‐prevalence and low‐intensity Ichthyophonus infections in Pacific Halibut
Paul Hershberger, Jacob L. Gregg, Claude L. Dykstra
2018, Journal of Aquatic Animal Health (30) 13-19
Ichthyophonus occurred at high prevalence but low intensity in Pacific Halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis throughout the West Coast of North America, ranging from coastal Oregon to the Bering Sea. Infection prevalence in adults was variable on spatial and temporal scales, with the lowest prevalence typically occurring on the edges of the geographic range and...
Environmental risks and challenges associated with neonicotinoid insecticides
Michelle L. Hladik, Anson Main, Dave Goulson
2018, Environmental Science & Technology (52) 3329-3335
Neonicotinoid use has increased rapidly in recent years, with a global shift towards insecticide applications as seed coatings rather than aerial spraying. While the use of seed coatings can lessen the amount of overspray and drift, the near universal and prophylactic use of neonicotinoid seed coatings on major agricultural crops...
Anomalous bioaccumulation of lead in the earthworm Eisenoides lonnbergi (Michaelsen)
W. Nelson Beyer, Eton E. Codling, Michael A. Rutzke
2018, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (37) 914-919
Lead concentrations in soil organisms are usually well below those in the associated soil and tend to decrease with each higher trophic level in a food chain. Earthworms of the species Eisenoides lonnbergi provide an exception to this observation, accumulating very high concentrations of lead from acidic soils. Earthworms belonging to this...
Timber harvest as the predominant disturbance regime in northeastern U.S. forests: Effects of harvest intensification
Michelle L. Brown, Charles D. Canham, Lora Murphy, Therese M. Donovan
2018, Ecosphere (9) 1-19
Harvesting is the leading cause of adult tree mortality in forests of the northeastern United States. While current rates of timber harvest are generally sustainable, there is considerable pressure to increase the contribution of forest biomass to meet renewable energy goals. We estimated current harvest regimes for different forest types...
Golden Eagle Monitoring Plan for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan
David Wiens, Patrick Kolar, Todd E. Katzner
2018, Report
This report describes options for monitoring the status and population trends of the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) within the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) area of Southern California in maintaining stable or increasing population in the planning area. The report profiles the ecology of golden eagles in the region...
History of state wildlife management in the United States
John F. Organ
2018, Book chapter, State wildlife management and conservation
No abstract available....
Associations between cyanobacteria and indices of secondary production in the western basin of Lake Erie
James H. Larson, Mary Anne Evans, Robert J. Kennedy, Sean Bailey, Keith A. Loftin, Zachary R. Laughrey, Robin Femmer, Jeff Schaeffer, William B. Richardson, Timothy Wynne, J. C. Nelson, Joseph W. Duris
2018, Limnology and Oceanography (63) S232-S243
Large lakes provide a variety of ecological services to surrounding cities and communities. Many of these services are supported by ecological processes that are threatened by the increasing prevalence of cyanobacterial blooms which occur as aquatic ecosystems experience cultural eutrophication. Over the past 10 yr, Lake Erie experienced cyanobacterial blooms...
Species distribution modeling in regions of high need and limited data: waterfowl of China
Diann J. Prosser, Changqing Ding, R. Michael Erwin, Taej Mundkur, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Erle C. Ellis
2018, Avian Research (9) 1-14
BackgroundA number of conservation and societal issues require understanding how species are distributed on the landscape, yet ecologists are often faced with a lack of data to develop models at the resolution and extent desired, resulting in inefficient use of conservation resources. Such a situation...
Geoelectric hazard assessment: the differences of geoelectric responses during magnetic storms within common physiographic zones
Stephen W. Cuttler, Jeffrey J. Love, Andrei Swidinsky
2018, Earth, Planets and Space (70)
Geomagnetic field data obtained through the INTERMAGNET program are convolved with with magnetotelluric surface impedance from four EarthScope USArray sites to estimate the geoelectric variations throughout the duration of a magnetic storm. A duration of time from June 22, 2016, to June 25, 2016, is considered which encompasses a magnetic storm of...
Developing a framework for evaluating tallgrass prairie reconstruction methods and management
Diane L. Larson, Marissa Ahlering, Pauline Drobney, Rebecca Esser, Jennifer L. Larson, Karen Viste-Sparkman
2018, Ecological Restoration (36) 6-18
The thousands of hectares of prairie reconstructed each year in the tallgrass prairie biome can provide a valuable resource for evaluation of seed mixes, planting methods, and post-planting management if methods used and resulting characteristics of the prairies are recorded and compiled in a publicly accessible database. The objective of...
Fire and grazing influence site resistance to Bromus tectorum through their effects on shrub, bunchgrass and biocrust communities in the Great Basin (USA)
Lea A. Condon, David A. Pyke
2018, Ecosystems (21) 1416-1431
Shrubs, bunchgrasses and biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are believed to contribute to site resistance to plant invasions in the presence of cattle grazing. Although fire is a concomitant disturbance with grazing, little is known regarding their combined impacts on invasion resistance. We are the first to date to test the...
2017 Landsat Science Team Summer Meeting Summary
Christopher J. Crawford, Thomas R. Loveland, Michael A. Wulder, James R. Irons
2018, The Earth Observer (30) 21-25
The summer meeting of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)-NASA Landsat Science Team (LST) was held June 11-13, 2017, at the USGS’s Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center near Sioux Falls, SD. This was the final meeting of the Second (2012-2017) LST.1 Frank Kelly [EROS—Center Director] welcomed the attendees and...
Potential effects of elevated base flow and midsummer spike flow experiments on riparian vegetation along the Green River
Jonathan M. Friedman
2018, Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/WRD/NRR—2018/1603
The Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program has requested experimental flow releases from Flaming Gorge Dam for (1) elevated summer base flows to promote larval endangered Colorado pikeminnow, and (2) midsummer spike flows to disadvantage spawning invasive smallmouth bass. This white paper explores the effects of these proposed flow...
