Molecular and morphological data reveal non-monophyly and speciation in imperiled freshwater mussels (Anodontoides and Strophitus)
Chase H. Smith, Nathan A. Johnson, John M. Pfeiffer, Michael M. Gangloff
2018, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution (119) 50-62
Accurate taxonomic placement is vital to conservation efforts considering many intrinsic biological characteristics of understudied species are inferred from closely related taxa. The rayed creekshell, Anodontoides radiatus (Conrad, 1834), exists in the Gulf of Mexico drainages from western Florida to Louisiana and has been petitioned for listing under the Endangered...
Molecular phylogeny of the Nearctic and Mesoamerican freshwater mussel genus Megalonaias
John M. Pfeiffer III, Ashley Sharpe, Nathan A. Johnson, Kitty F. Emery, Lawrence M. Page
2018, Hydrobiologia (811) 139-151
Megalonaias is the most geographically widespread genus of the subfamily Ambleminae and is distributed across much of the eastern half of North America, from Minnesota to Nicaragua. Despite the large geographic distribution, the species-level diversity of Megalonaias is quite depauperate (2 spp.), suggesting the genus may not be constrained...
Spatial patterns and temporal changes in atmospheric-mercury deposition for the midwestern USA, 2001–2016
Martin R. Risch, Donna M. Kenski
2018, Atmosphere (9) 1-20
Spatial patterns and temporal changes in atmospheric-mercury (Hg) deposition were examined in a five-state study area in the Midwestern USA where 32% of the stationary sources of anthropogenic Hg emissions in the continental USA were located. An extensive monitoring record for wet and dry Hg deposition was compiled for 2001–2016,...
Draft critical mineral list—Summary of methodology and background information—U.S. Geological Survey technical input document in response to Secretarial Order No. 3359
Steven M. Fortier, Nedal T. Nassar, Graham W. Lederer, Jamie Brainard, Joseph Gambogi, Erin A. McCullough
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1021
Pursuant to the Presidential Executive Order (EO) No. 13817, “A Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals,” the Secretary of the Interior, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, and in consultation with the heads of other relevant executive departments and agencies, was tasked with developing...
Characterizing the subsurface geology in and around the U.S. Army Camp Stanley Storage Activity, south-central Texas
Charles D. Blome, Allan K. Clark
2018, Fact Sheet 2017-3090
Several U.S. Geological Survey projects, supported by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, have used multi-disciplinary approaches over a 14-year period to reveal the surface and subsurface geologic frameworks of the Edwards and Trinity aquifers of central Texas and the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer of south-central Oklahoma. Some of the project achievements...
Landsat classification of surface-water presence during multiple years to assess response of playa wetlands to climatic variability across the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative region
Daniel J. Manier, Jennifer R. Rover
2018, Open-File Report 2017-1166
To improve understanding of the distribution of ecologically important, ephemeral wetland habitats across the Great Plains, the occurrence and distribution of surface water in playa wetland complexes were documented for four different years across the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative (GPLCC) region. This information is important because it informs land...
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on greater sage-grouse published since January 2015
Sarah K. Carter, Daniel J. Manier, Robert S. Arkle, Aaron N. Johnston, Susan L. Phillips, Steven E. Hanser, Zachary H. Bowen
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1008
The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter GRSG) has been a focus of scientific investigation and management action for the past two decades. The 2015 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listing determination of “not warranted” was in part due to a large-scale collaborative effort to develop strategies to conserve GRSG populations...
International Limnogeology Congress (ILIC6), Reno USA, special issue on new limnogeological research focused on Holocene lake systems
Scott W. Starratt, Michael R. Rosen
2018, Conference Paper, Journal of Paleolimnology
The 6th International Limnogeology Congress (ILIC6) of the International Association of Limnogeology (IAL) was held in Reno, Nevada, USA 15–19 June, 2015. The successful congress brought together a wide variety of academic, government, and industry participants from 20 countries and six continents. The highpoint of the four-day meeting were eight...
Factors affecting mercury stable isotopic distribution in piscivorous fish of the Laurentian Great Lakes
Ryan F. Lepak, Sarah E. Janssen, Runsheng Yin, Jacob M. Ogorek, David P. Krabbenhoft, John F. DeWild, Michael T. Tate, Thomas M. Holsen, James P. Hurley
Sarah E. Janssen, Runsheng Yin, Jacob M. Ogorek, John F. DeWild, Michael T. Tate, Thomas M. Holsen, James P. Hurley, editor(s)
2018, Environmental Science & Technology (52) 2768-2776
Identifying the sources of methylmercury (MeHg) and tracing the transformations of mercury (Hg) in the aquatic food web are important components of effective strategies for managing current and legacy Hg sources. In our previous work, we measured stable isotopes of Hg (δ202Hg, Δ199Hg, and Δ200Hg) in the Laurentian Great Lakes...
Temperature variations in the southern Great Lakes during the last deglaciation: Comparison between pollen and GDGT proxies
Benjamin I. Watson, John W. Williams, James M. Russell, Stephen T. Jackson, Linda Shane, Thomas V. Lowell
2018, Quaternary Science Reviews (182) 78-92
Our understanding of deglacial climate history in the southern Great Lakes region of the United States is primarily based upon fossil pollen data, with few independent and multi-proxy climate reconstructions. Here we introduce a new, well-dated fossil pollen record from Stotzel-Leis, OH, and a new deglacial temperature record based on...
Consortial brown tide − picocyanobacteria blooms in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba
Nathan S Hall, R. Wayne Litaker, W. Judson Kenworthy, Mark W. Vandersea, William G. Sunda, James P. Reid, Daniel H. Slone, Susan M. Butler
2018, Harmful Algae (73) 30-43
A brown tide bloom of Aureoumbra lagunensis developed in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba during a period of drought in 2013 that followed heavy winds and rainfall from Hurricane Sandy in late October 2012. Based on satellite images and water turbidity measurements, the bloom appeared to initiate in January 2013. The causative species (A....
Greater sage-grouse science (2015–17)—Synthesis and potential management implications
Steven E. Hanser, Patricia A. Deibert, John C. Tull, Natasha B. Carr, Cameron L. Aldridge, Travis D. Bargsten, Thomas J. Christiansen, Peter S. Coates, Michele R. Crist, Kevin E. Doherty, Ethan A. Ellsworth, Lee J. Foster, Vicki A. Herren, Kevin H. Miller, Ann Moser, Robin M. Naeve, Karen L. Prentice, Thomas E. Remington, Mark A. Ricca, Douglas J. Shinneman, Richard L. Truex, Lief A. Wiechman, Dereck C. Wilson, Zachary H. Bowen
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1017
Executive SummaryThe greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter called “sage-grouse”), a species that requires sagebrush (Artemisia spp.), has experienced range-wide declines in its distribution and abundance. These declines have prompted substantial research and management investments to improve the understanding of sage-grouse and its habitats and reverse declines in distribution and population...
Egg turning behavior and incubation temperature in Forster’s terns in relation to mercury contamination
Gregory T. Taylor, Joshua T. Ackerman, Scott A. Shaffer
2018, PLoS ONE (13) 1-16
Egg turning behavior is an important determinant of egg hatchability, but it remains relatively understudied. Here, we examined egg turning rates and egg temperatures in Forster’s terns (Sterna forsteri). We used artificial eggs containing a data logger with a 3-D accelerometer, a magnetometer, and a temperature thermistor to monitor parental...
Modelling surface-water depression storage in a Prairie Pothole Region
Lauren E. Hay, Parker A. Norton, Roland J. Viger, Steven L. Markstrom, R. Steve Regan, Melanie K. Vanderhoof
2018, Hydrological Processes (32) 462-479
In this study, the Precipitation-Runoff Modelling System (PRMS) was used to simulate changes in surface-water depression storage in the 1,126-km2 Upper Pipestem Creek basin located within the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, USA. The Prairie Pothole Region is characterized by millions of small water bodies (or surface-water depressions) that provide...
Stream-channel and watershed delineations and basin-characteristic measurements using lidar elevation data for small drainage basins within the Des Moines Lobe landform region in Iowa
David A. Eash, Kimberlee K. Barnes, Padraic S. O’Shea, Brian K. Gelder
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5108
Basin-characteristic measurements related to stream length, stream slope, stream density, and stream order have been identified as significant variables for estimation of flood, flow-duration, and low-flow discharges in Iowa. The placement of channel initiation points, however, has always been a matter of individual interpretation, leading to differences in stream definitions...
Occurrence of quiescence in free-ranging migratory songbirds
Lynn N. Schofield, Jill L. Deppe, Robert H. Diehl, Michael P. Ward, Rachel T. Bolus, Theodore J. Zenzal Jr., Jaclyn A. Smolinsky, Frank R. Moore
2018, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (72)
Quiescence is a period of inactivity that occurs before the onset of migratory activity in nocturnally migrating birds. This behavior has been observed in captive birds in migratory disposition, but its occurrence in free-ranging migratory birds has been documented only anecdotally, and causal factors and function(s), if any, are unknown....
Pulsed flows, tributary inputs, and food web structure in a highly regulated river
John Sabo, Melanie Caron, Richard R. Doucett, Kimberly L. Dibble, Albert Ruhi, Jane Marks, Bruce Hungate, Theodore A. Kennedy
2018, Journal of Applied Ecology (55) 1884-1895
1.Dams disrupt the river continuum, altering hydrology, biodiversity, and energy flow. Although research indicates that tributary inputs have the potential to dilute these effects, knowledge at the food web level is still scarce.2.Here we examined the riverine food web structure of the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam, focusing on...
Postglacial eruptive history and geochemistry of Semisopochnoi volcano, western Aleutian Islands, Alaska
Michelle L. Coombs, Jessica F. Larsen, Christina A. Neal
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5150
Semisopochnoi Island, located in the Rat Islands group of the western Aleutian Islands and Aleutian volcanic arc, is a roughly circular island composed of scattered volcanic vents, the prominent caldera of Semisopochnoi volcano, and older, ancestral volcanic rocks. The oldest rocks on the island are gently radially dipping lavas that...
Assessing the impact of stocking northern-origin hatchery brook trout on the genetics of wild populations in North Carolina
David C. Kazyak, Jacob Rash, Barbara A. Lubinski, Tim L. King
2018, Conservation Genetics (19) 207-219
The release of hatchery-origin fish into streams with endemics can degrade the genetics of wild populations if interbreeding occurs. Starting in the 1800s, brook trout descendent from wild populations in the northeastern United States were stocked from hatcheries into streams across broad areas of North America to create and enhance...
Opal-A in glassy pumice, acid alteration, and the 1817 phreatomagmatic eruption at Kawah Ijen (Java), Indonesia
Jacob B. Lowenstern, Vincent van Hinsberg, Kim Berlo, Moritz Liesegang, Kayla D. Iacovino, Ilya N. Bindeman, Heather M. Wright
2018, Frontiers in Earth Science (6)
At Kawah Ijen (Indonesia), vigorous SO2 and HCl degassing sustains a hyperacid lake (pH ~0) and intensely alters the subsurface, producing widespread residual silica and advanced argillic alteration products. In 1817, a VEI 2 phreatomagmatic eruption evacuated the lake, depositing a widespread layer of muddy ash fall, and sending lahars down...
Development and characterization of two cell lines from gills of Atlantic salmon
Mona C. Gjessing, Maria Aamelfot, William N. Batts, Sylvie L. Benestad, Ole B. Dale, Even Thoen, Simon C. Weli, James R. Winton
2018, PLoS ONE (13) 1-13
Gill disease in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., causes big losses in the salmon farming industry. Until now, tools to cultivate microorganisms causing gill disease and models to study the gill responses have been lacking. Here we describe the establishment and characterization of two cell lines from the gills of Atlantic salmon....
Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources in the Hanoi Trough, Vietnam, 2017
Christopher J. Schenk, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Tracey J. Mercier, Cheryl A. Woodall, Phuong A. Le, Timothy R. Klett, Thomas M. Finn, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Kristen R. Marra
2018, Fact Sheet 2017-3086
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous resources of 52 million barrels of oil and 591 billion cubic feet of gas in the Hanoi Trough of Vietnam....
On the depth extent of co-seismic rupture
Nicholas M. Beeler, G. Hirth, T.E. Tullis, C. H. Webb
2018, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (108) 761-780
We investigate the implications of deformation experiments for the coseismic down‐dip extent of rupture in quasi‐dynamic, whole‐cycle earthquake models of a fault for which the depth of the transition between seismic and aseisimic fault slip depends on strain rate. The calculations use a dislocation fault model from <a class="link link-ref xref-bibr"...
Unique parasite aDNA in moa coprolites from New Zealand suggests mass parasite extinctions followed human-induced megafauna extinctions
Kevin D. Lafferty, Skylar R. Hopkins
2018, PNAS (115) 1411-1413
Having split early from Gondwana, Zealandia (now modern New Zealand) escaped discovery until the late 13th century, and therefore remains an important glimpse into a human-free world. Without humans or other land mammals, diverse and peculiar birds evolved in isolation, including several flightless moa species, the giant pouakai eagle (Harpagornis...
Coastal knickpoints and the competition between fluvial and wave-driven erosion on rocky coastlines
Patrick W. Limber, Patrick L. Barnard
2018, Geomorphology (306) 1-12
Active margin coastlines are distinguished by rock erosion that acts in two different directions: waves erode the coast horizontally or landwards, a process that creates sea cliffs; and rivers and streams erode the landscape vertically via channel incision. The relative rates of each process exert a dominant control on coastline...
