Irrigated agriculture and future climate change effects on groundwater recharge, northern High Plains aquifer, USA
Zachary H. Lauffenburger, Jason J. Gurdak, Christopher M. Hobza, Duane Woodward, Cassandra Wolf
2018, Agricultural Water Management (204) 69-80
Understanding the controls of agriculture and climate change on recharge rates is critically important to develop appropriate sustainable management plans for groundwater resources and coupled irrigated agricultural systems. In this study, several physical (total potential (ψT) time series) and chemical tracer and dating (3H, Cl−, Br−, CFCs, SF6, and 3H/3He) methods...
Energetic fitness: Field metabolic rates assessed via 3D accelerometry complement conventional fitness metrics
David Gremillet, Amelie Lescroel, Grant Ballard, Katie M. Dugger, Melanie Massaro, Elizabeth L. Porzig, David G. Ainley
2018, Functional Ecology (32) 1203-1213
Evaluating the fitness of organisms is an essential step towards understanding their responses to environmental change. Connections between energy expenditure and fitness have been postulated for nearly a century. However, testing this premise among wild animals is constrained by difficulties in measuring energy expenditure while simultaneously monitoring conventional fitness...
Molecular and morphometric analyses reveal cryptic diversity within freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) of the western Gulf coastal drainages of the USA
Anna M. Pieri, Kentaro Inoue, Nathan A. Johnson, Chase H. Smith, John L. Harris, Clint Robertson, Charles R. Randklev
2018, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society (124) 261-277
Past geological processes and climate change affected current species distributions and the genetic structure of riverine fauna. Western Gulf of Mexico coastal rivers harbour four mussel species within the genus Fusconaia(Bivalvia: Unionida). The distributions of these species are unclear owing to their indistinguishable shell morphologies. Using molecular phylogenetic and Fourier morphometric...
Fight and air exposure times of caught and released salmonids from the South Fork Snake River
Curtis J. Roth, Daniel J. Schill, Michael C. Quist
2018, Fisheries Research (201) 38-42
Catch-and-release regulations are among the most common types of fishing regulations. In recent years, concerns have arisen regarding the exposure of fish to air during catch-and-release angling. The purpose of our study was to quantify the length of time angled fish were exposed to air by anglers in a typical...
A multiscale investigation of habitat use and within-river distribution of sympatric sand darter species
Patricia A. Thompson, Stuart A. Welsh, Michael P. Strager, Austin A. Rizzo
2018, Journal of Geospatial Applications in Natural Resources (2) 1-22
The western sand darter Ammocrypta clara, and eastern sand darter Ammocrypta pellucida, are sand-dwelling fishes of conservation concern. Past research has emphasized the importance of studying individual populations of conservation concern, while recent research has revealed the importance of incorporating landscape scale processes that structure habitat mosaics and local populations....
Adaptive harvest management for the Svalbard population of pink-footed geese: 2018 progress summary
Fred A. Johnson, Gitte Hoj Jensen, Kevin K. Clausen, Jesper Madsen
2018, Report
This report describes progress on development and implementation of an adaptive harvest management program for maintaining the Svalbard population of Pink-footed Geese (Anser brachyrhynchus) near their target level (60,000) by providing sustainable harvests in Norway and Denmark. Specifically, this report provides an assessment of recent monitoring information and its implications...
Quantifying salinity and season effects on eastern oyster clearance and oxygen consumption rates
S.M. Casas, Romain Lavaud, Megan K. LaPeyre, L. A. Comeau, R. Filgueira, Jerome F. LaPeyre
2018, Marine Biology (165) 1-13
There are few data on Crassostrea virginica physiological rates across the range of salinities and temperatures to which they are regularly exposed, and this limits the applicability of growth and production models using these data. The objectives of this study were to quantify, in winter (17 °C) and summer (27 °C), the...
Co‐occurrence dynamics of endangered Lower Keys marsh rabbits and free‐ranging domestic cats: Prey responses to an exotic predator removal program
Michael V. Cove, Beth Gardner, Theodore R. Simons, Allan F. O’Connell
2018, Ecology and Evolution (8) 4042-4052
The Lower Keys marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri) is one of many endangered endemic species of the Florida Keys. The main threats are habitat loss and fragmentation from sea‐level rise, development, and habitat succession. Exotic predators such as free‐ranging domestic cats (Felis catus) pose an additional threat to these endangered...
The intensity signature of induced seismicity
Gail M. Atkinson, David J. Wald, Charles Worden, Vince Quitoriano
2018, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (103) 1080-1086
We analyze a comprehensive database of ∼63,000">∼63,000 geocoded community intensity observations from >400">>400 earthquakes of moment...
Deformation of the Pacific/North America plate boundary at Queen Charlotte Fault: The possible role of rheology
Uri S. ten Brink, Nathaniel C. Miller, Brian D. Andrews, Daniel S. Brothers, Peter J. Haeussler
2018, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (123) 4223-4242
The Pacific/North America (PA/NA) plate boundary between Vancouver Island and Alaska is similar to the PA/NA boundary in California in its kinematic history and the rate and azimuth of current relative motion, yet their deformation styles are distinct. The California plate boundary shows a broad zone of parallel strike slip...
Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership 2017 Annual Report
Amy L. Puls, Rebecca A. Scully, Megan M. Dethloff, Jennifer M. Bayer, Sheryn J. Olson, Samuel A. Cimino
2018, Report
The Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership (PNAMP) continued to promote the integration of monitoring resources and development of tools to support monitoring in 2017. Improved coordination and integration of goals, objectives, and activities among Pacific Northwest monitoring programs is essential to improving the quality and consistency of monitoring in the...
Risky behavior and its effect on survival: snowshoe hare behavior under varying moonlight conditions
Laura C. Gigliotti, Duane R. Diefenbach
2018, Journal of Zoology (305) 27-34
Predation and predation risk can exert strong influences on the behavior of prey species. However, risk avoidance behaviors may vary among populations of the same species. We studied a population of snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) near the southern edge of their range, in Pennsylvania. This population occupies different habitat types,...
Fusing MODIS with Landsat 8 data to downscale weekly normalized difference vegetation index estimates for central Great Basin rangelands, USA
Stephen P. Boyte, Bruce K. Wylie, Matthew B. Rigge, Devendra Dahal
2018, GIScience and Remote Sensing (55) 376-399
Data fused from distinct but complementary satellite sensors mitigate tradeoffs that researchers make when selecting between spatial and temporal resolutions of remotely sensed data. We integrated data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor aboard the Terra satellite and the Operational Land Imager sensor aboard the Landsat 8 satellite...
Landscape assessment of side channel plugs and associated cumulative side channel attrition across a large river floodplain
Ann Marie Reinhold, Geoffrey C. Poole, Robert G. Bramblett, Alexander V. Zale, David W. Roberts
2018, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (190) 1-15
Determining the influences of anthropogenic perturbations on side channel dynamics in large rivers is important from both assessment and monitoring perspectives because side channels provide critical habitat to numerous aquatic species. Side channel extents are decreasing in large rivers worldwide. Although riprap and other linear structures have been shown to...
Estimation of unregulated monthly, annual, and peak streamflows in Forest City Stream and lake levels in East Grand Lake, United States-Canada border between Maine and New Brunswick
Pamela J. Lombard
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5044
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the International Joint Commission, compiled historical data on regulated streamflows and lake levels and estimated unregulated streamflows and lake levels on Forest City Stream at Forest City, Maine, and East Grand Lake on the United States-Canada border between Maine and New Brunswick to...
Diet of burbot and implications for sampling
Kathryn E. McBaine, Zachary B. Klein, Michael C. Quist, Darren T. Rhea
2018, Intermountain Journal of Sciences (24) 1-13
Burbot (Lota lota) are an apex piscivore that were illegally introduced to the Green River drainage, Wyoming, raising concerns for the conservation and management of fishes throughout the basin. However, relatively little is known about the diet of non-native burbot. The objectives of this research were to characterize diet composition...
Reproductive frequency and size-dependence of fecundity in the Giant Gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas)
Jonathan P. Rose, Julia Ersan, Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. Casazza, Brian J. Halstead
2018, Herpetological Conservation and Biology (13) 80-90
How reproductive output changes with age or size is a key life-history trait that can affect which demographic rates most influence population growth. Although many studies have investigated the reproductive ecology of gartersnakes, we know little about reproduction in the threatened Giant Gartersnake, Thamnophis gigas. We used X-radiography to determine reproductive status and...
Associations between urban sprawl and life expectancy in the United States
Shima Hamidi, Reid Ewing, Zaria Tatalovich, James B. Grace, David Berrigan
2018, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (15) 1-11
In recent years, the United States has had a relatively poor performance with respect to life expectancy compared to the other developed nations. Urban sprawl is one of the potential causes of the high rate of mortality in the United States. This study investigated cross-sectional associations between sprawl and life...
Biology and impacts of Pacific Islands invasive species. 14. Sus scrofa the feral pig (Artiodactyla: Suidae)
Nathaniel H. Wehr, Steven C. Hess, Creighton M. Litton
2018, Pacific Science (72) 177-198
Feral pigs (Sus scrofa L.) are perhaps the most abundant, widespread, and economically significant large introduced vertebrate across the Pacific island region. Unlike many other nonnative invasive species, feral pigs have both cultural and recreational importance in the region, complicating their management. Today, Pacific island feral pigs are a mixture of...
The widespread influence of Great Lakes microseisms across the United States revealed by the 2014 polar vortex
Robert Anthony, Adam T. Ringler, David C. Wilson
2018, Geophysical Research Letters (45) 3436-3444
During the winter of 2014, a weak polar vortex brought record cold temperatures to the north‐central (“Midwest”) United States, and the Great Lakes reached the highest extent of ice coverage (92.5%) since 1979. This event shut down the generation of seismic signals caused by wind‐driven wave action within the lakes...
Laboratory observations of artificial sand and oil agglomerates
Robert L. Jenkins III, P. Soupy Dalyander, Allison Penko, Joseph W. Long
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1010
Sand and oil agglomerates (SOAs) form when weathered oil reaches the surf zone and combines with suspended sediments. The presence of large SOAs in the form of thick mats (up to 10 centimeters [cm] in height and up to 10 square meters [m2] in area) and smaller SOAs, sometimes referred...
Measurements of erosion potential using Gust chamber in Yolo Bypass near Sacramento, California
Paul A. Work, David H. Schoellhamer
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1062
This report describes work performed to quantify the erodibility of surface soils in the Yolo Bypass (Bypass) near Sacramento, California, for use in the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Yolo Bypass D-MCM mercury model. The Bypass, when not serving as a floodway, is heavily utilized for agriculture. During flood events, surface water flows over the...
Modeling and simulation of emergent behavior in transportation infrastructure restoration
Akhilesh Ojha, Steven Corns, Thomas G. Shoberg, Ruwen Qin, Suzanna K. Long
2018, Book chapter, Emergent behavior in complex systems engineering: A modeling and simulation approach
The objective of this chapter is to create a methodology to model the emergent behavior during a disruption in the transportation system and that calculates economic losses due to such a disruption, and to understand how an extreme event affects the road transportation network. The chapter discusses a system dynamics...
Factors influencing elk recruitment across ecotypes in the Western United States
Paul M. Lukacs, Michael S. Mitchell, Mark Hebblewhite, Bruce K. Johnson, Heather E. Johnson, Matthew J. Kauffman, Kelly M. Proffitt, Peter Zager, Jedediah Brodie, Kent Hersey, A. Andrew Holland, Mark Hurley, Scott McCorquodale, Arthur Middleton, Matthew Nordhagen, J. Joshua Nowak, Daniel P. Walsh, P.J. White
2018, Journal of Wildlife Management (82) 698-710
Ungulates are key components in ecosystems and economically important for sport and subsistence harvest. Yet the relative importance of the effects of weather conditions, forage productivity, and carnivores on ungulates are not well understood. We examined changes in elk (Cervus canadensis) recruitment (indexed as age ratios) across 7 states and...
A metabolism-based whole lake eutrophication model to estimate the magnitude and time scales of the effects of restoration in Upper Klamath Lake, south-central Oregon
Susan A. Wherry, Tamara M. Wood
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5042
A whole lake eutrophication (WLE) model approach for phosphorus and cyanobacterial biomass in Upper Klamath Lake, south-central Oregon, is presented here. The model is a successor to a previous model developed to inform a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for phosphorus in the lake, but is based on net...
