Identifying small depressional wetlands and using a topographic position index to infer hydroperiod regimes for pond-breeding amphibians
Jeffrey W. Riley, Daniel L. Calhoun, William J. Barichivich, Susan C. Walls
2017, Wetlands (37) 325-338
Small, seasonal pools and temporary ponds (<4.0 ha) are the most numerous and biologically diverse wetlands in many natural landscapes. Thus, accurate determination of their numbers and spatial characteristics is beneficial for conservation and management of biodiversity associated with these freshwater systems. We examined the utility of a topographic position...
Functional traits and ecological affinities of riparian plants along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
Emily C. Palmquist, Barbara E. Ralston, Sarr. Daniel, David Merritt, Patrick B Shafroth, Julian Scott
2017, Western North American Naturalist (77) 22-30
Trait-based approaches to vegetation analyses are becoming more prevalent in studies of riparian vegetation dynamics, including responses to flow regulation, groundwater pumping, and climate change. These analyses require species trait data compiled from the literature and floras or original field measurements. Gathering such data makes trait-based research time intensive at...
Multi-temporal LiDAR and Landsat quantification of fire-induced changes to forest structure
T. Ryan McCarley, Crystal A. Kolden, Nicole M. Vaillant, Andrew T. Hudak, Alistair Smith, Brian M. Wing, Bryce Kellogg, Jason R. Kreitler
2017, Remote Sensing of Environment (191) 419-432
Measuring post-fire effects at landscape scales is critical to an ecological understanding of wildfire effects. Predominantly this is accomplished with either multi-spectral remote sensing data or through ground-based field sampling plots. While these methods are important, field data is usually limited to opportunistic post-fire observations, and spectral data often lacks...
Cost implications of uncertainty in CO2 storage resource estimates: A review
Steven T. Anderson
2017, Natural Resources Research (26) 137-159
Carbon capture from stationary sources and geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) is an important option to include in strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. However, the potential costs of commercial-scale CO2 storage are not well constrained, stemming from the inherent uncertainty in storage resource estimates coupled with a lack...
Local biotic adaptation of trees and shrubs to plant neighbors
Kevin C. Grady, Troy E. Wood, Thomas E. Kolb, Erika Hersch-Green, Stephen M. Shuster, Catherine A. Gehring, Stephen C. Hart, Gerard J. Allan, Thomas G. Whitham
2017, Oikos (126) 583-593
Natural selection as a result of plant–plant interactions can lead to local biotic adaptation. This may occur where species frequently interact and compete intensely for resources limiting growth, survival, and reproduction. Selection is demonstrated by comparing a genotype interacting with con- or hetero-specific sympatric neighbor genotypes with a shared site-level...
Voice, perceived fairness, agency trust, and acceptance of management decisions among Minnesota anglers
Susan A. Schroeder, David C. Fulton
2017, Society and Natural Resources (30) 569-584
Although researchers agree that public participation in natural resource decision making is critical to institutional acceptance by stakeholders and the general public, the processes to gain public perceptions of fairness, agency trust, and acceptance of management decisions are not clear. Using results from a mail survey of Minnesota resident anglers,...
Evaluation of a method using survey counts and tag data to estimate the number of Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) using a coastal haulout in northwestern Alaska
Brian Battaile, Chadwick V. Jay, Mark S. Udevitz, Anthony S. Fischbach
2017, Polar Biology (40) 1359-1369
Increased periods of sparse sea ice over the continental shelf of the Chukchi Sea in late summer have reduced offshore haulout habitat for Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) and increased opportunities for human activities in the region. Knowing how many walruses could be affected by human activities would...
Molecular analyses reveal high species diversity of trematodes in a sub-Arctic lake
Miroslava Soldanova, Simona Georgieva, Jana Rohacovaa, Rune Knudsen, Jesper A. Kuhn, Eirik H. Henriksen, Anna Siwertsson, Jenny C. Shaw, Armand M. Kuris, Per-Arne Amundsen, Tomas Scholz, Kevin D. Lafferty, Aneta Kostadinova
2017, International Journal for Parasitology (47) 327-345
To identify trematode diversity and life-cycles in the sub-Arctic Lake Takvatn, Norway, we characterised 120 trematode isolates from mollusc first intermediate hosts, metacercariae from second intermediate host fishes and invertebrates, and adults from fish and invertebrate definitive hosts, using molecular techniques. Phylogenies based on nuclear and/or mtDNA revealed high species...
A science of integration: frameworks, processes, and products in a place-based, integrative study
Andrew Kliskey, Lilian Alessa, Sarah Wandersee, Paula Williams, Jamie Trammell, Jim Powell, Jess Grunblatt, Mark S. Wipfli
2017, Sustainability Science (12) 293-303
Integrative research is increasingly a priority within the scientific community and is a central goal for the evolving field of sustainability science. While it is conceptually attractive, its successful implementation has been challenging and recent work suggests that the move towards interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity in sustainability science is being only...
Similarities and differences in occurrence and temporal fluctuations in glyphosate and atrazine in small Midwestern streams (USA) during the 2013 growing season
Barbara Mahler, Peter C. Van Metre, Thomas E. Burley, Keith A. Loftin, Michael T. Meyer, Lisa H. Nowell
2017, Science of the Total Environment (579) 149-158
Glyphosate and atrazine are the most intensively used herbicides in the United States. Although there is abundant spatial and temporal information on atrazine occurrence at regional scales, there are far fewer data for glyphosate, and studies that compare the two herbicides are rare. We investigated temporal patterns in glyphosate and...
Risk, liability, and economic issues with long-term CO2 storage—A review
Steven T. Anderson
2017, Natural Resources Research (26) 89-112
Given a scarcity of commercial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, there is a great deal of uncertainty in the risks, liability, and their cost implications for geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO2). The probabilities of leakage and the risk of induced seismicity could be remote, but the volume of...
Using maximum entropy to predict suitable habitat for the endangered dwarf wedgemussel in the Maryland Coastal Plain
Cara Campbell, Robert H. Hilderbrand
2017, Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (27) 462-475
Species distribution modelling can be useful for the conservation of rare and endangered species. Freshwater mussel declines have thinned species ranges producing spatially fragmented distributions across large areas. Spatial fragmentation in combination with a complex life history and heterogeneous environment makes predictive modelling difficult.A machine learning...
Egg deposition by lithophilic-spawning fishes in the Detroit and Saint Clair Rivers, 2005–14
Carson G. Prichard, Jaquelyn M. Craig, Edward F. Roseman, Jason L. Fischer, Bruce A. Manny, Gregory W. Kennedy
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5003
A long-term, multiseason, fish egg sampling program conducted annually on the Detroit (2005–14) and Saint Clair (2010–14) Rivers was summarized to identify where productive fish spawning habitat currently exists. Egg mats were placed on the river bottom during the spring and fall at historic spawning areas and candidate fish spawning...
Developing multi-model ensemble projections of ecologically relevant climate variables for Puerto Rico and the US Caribbean
Adam Terando
2017, Final Project Memorandum 557-271
The global increases in surface air temperature are the most widespread and direct consequence of anthropogenic climate change. However, while 21st century temperatures are projected to increase in the Caribbean, the low variability and high average temperatures suggest that impacts on ecosystems and water resources are more likely through changes...
Geochemistry of host rocks in the Howards Pass district, Yukon-Northwest Territories, Canada: implications for sedimentary environments of Zn-Pb and phosphate mineralization
John F. Slack, Hendrik Falck, Karen D. Kelley, Gabriel G. Xue
2017, Mineralium Deposita (52) 565-593
Detailed lithogeochemical data are reported here on early Paleozoic sedimentary rocks that host the large Howards Pass stratiform Zn-Pb deposits in Yukon-Northwest Territories. Redox-sensitive trace elements (Mo, Re, V, U) and Ce anomalies in members of the Duo Lake Formation record significant environmental changes. During the deposition of lower footwall...
Territory occupancy and breeding success of Peregrine Falcons Falco peregrinus at various stages of population recovery
Michael J. McGrady, James E. Hines, Chris Rollie, George D. Smith, Elise R. Morton, Jennifer F. Moore, Richard M. Mearns, Ian Newton, Oscar E. Murillo-Garcia, Madan K. Oli
2017, Ibis (159) 285-296
Organochlorine pesticides disrupted reproduction and killed many raptorial birds, and contributed to population declines during the 1940s to 1970s. We sought to discern whether and to what extent territory occupancy and breeding success changed from the pesticide era to recent years in a resident population of Peregrine Falcons Falco peregrinus...
Relationships between maternal engorgement weight and the number, size, and fat content of larval Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae)
Howard S. Ginsberg, Chong Lee, Barry Volson, Megan C. Dyer, Roger A. LeBrun
2017, Journal of Medical Entomology (54) 275-280
The relationship between engorgement weight of female Ixodes scapularis Say and characteristics of offspring was studied using field-collected females fed on rabbits in the laboratory. The number of eggs laid was positively related to maternal engorgement weight in one trial, and larval size (estimated by scutal area) was positively related...
Coastal single-beam bathymetry data collected in 2015 from Raccoon Point to Point Au Fer Island, Louisiana
Chelsea A. Stalk, Nancy T. DeWitt, Jack L. Kindinger, James G. Flocks, Billy J. Reynolds, Kyle W. Kelso, Joseph J. Fredericks, Thomas M. Tuten
2017, Data Series 1041
As part of the Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring Program (BICM), scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a nearshore single-beam bathymetry survey along the south-central coast of Louisiana, from Raccoon Point to Point Au Fer Island, in July 2015. The goal of...
Albedo feedbacks to future climate via climate change impacts on dryland biocrusts
William A. Rutherford, Thomas H. Painter, Scott Ferrenberg, Jayne Belnap, Gregory S. Okin, Cody B. Flagg, Sasha C. Reed
2017, Scientific Reports (7)
Drylands represent the planet’s largest terrestrial biome and evidence suggests these landscapes have large potential for creating feedbacks to future climate. Recent studies also indicate that dryland ecosystems are responding markedly to climate change. Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) ‒ soil surface communities of lichens, mosses, and/or cyanobacteria ‒ comprise up...
Natural resource inventory and monitoring for Ulaan Taiga Specially Protected Areas—An assessment of needs and opportunities in northern Mongolia
Peggy E. Moore, Joseph B. Meyer, Leslie S. Chow
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1025
Between 1997 and 2011, Mongolia established three specially protected areas in the north-central part of the country to protect various high-value resources. These areas are jointly referred to as the Ulaan Taiga Specially Protected Areas. In accordance with the goals of the draft general management plan, this report identifies...
Creating high-resolution bare-earth digital elevation models (DEMs) from stereo imagery in an area of densely vegetated deciduous forest using combinations of procedures designed for lidar point cloud filtering
Jessica D. DeWitt, Timothy A. Warner, Peter G. Chirico, Sarah E. Bergstresser
2017, GIScience and Remote Sensing (54) 552-572
For areas of the world that do not have access to lidar, fine-scale digital elevation models (DEMs) can be photogrammetrically created using globally available high-spatial resolution stereo satellite imagery. The resultant DEM is best termed a digital surface model (DSM) because it includes heights of surface features. In densely vegetated...
Structured decision making as a conservation tool for recovery planning of two endangered salamanders
Katherine M. O’Donnell, Arianne F Messerman, William J. Barichivich, Raymond D. Semlitsch, Thomas A. Gorman, Harold G Mitchell, Nathan Allan, Dante B. Fenolio, Adam Green, Fred A. Johnson, Allison Keever, Mark Mandica, Julien Martin, Jana Mott, Terry Peacock, Joseph Reinman, Stephanie S. Romanach, Greg Titus, Conor P. McGowan, Susan C. Walls
2017, Journal for Nature Conservation (37) 66-72
At least one-third of all amphibian species face the threat of extinction, and current amphibian extinction rates are four orders of magnitude greater than background rates. Preventing extirpation often requires both ex situ (i.e., conservation breeding programs) and in situ strategies (i.e., protecting natural habitats). Flatwoods salamanders (Ambystoma bishopi and...
Putting flow-ecology relationships into practice: A decision-support system to assess fish community response to water-management scenarios
Jennifer M. Cartwright, Casey Caldwell, Steven Nebiker, Rodney Knight
2017, Water (9) 1-18
This paper presents a conceptual framework to operationalize flow–ecology relationships into decision-support systems of practical use to water-resource managers, who are commonly tasked with balancing multiple competing socioeconomic and environmental priorities. We illustrate this framework with a case study, whereby fish community responses to various water-management scenarios were predicted in...
Geology and mining history of the Southeast Missouri Barite District and the Valles Mines, Washington, Jefferson, and St. Francois Counties, Missouri
Douglas N. Mugel
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5173
The Southeast Missouri Barite District and the Valles Mines are located in Washington, Jefferson, and St. Francois Counties, Missouri, where barite and lead ore are present together in surficial and near-surface deposits. Lead mining in the area began in the early 1700’s and extended into the early 1900’s. Hand mining...
Groundwater-quality data in 12 GAMA study units: Results from the 2006–10 initial sampling period and the 2008–13 trend sampling period, California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Timothy M. Mathany
2017, Data Series 1038
The Priority Basin Project (PBP) of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) program was developed in response to the Groundwater Quality Monitoring Act of 2001 and is being conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the California State Water Resources Control Board. From 2004 through 2012,...
