A consistent global approach for the morphometric characterization of subaqueous landslides
Michael Clare, Jason Chaytor, Oliver Dabson, Davide Gamboa, Aggeliki Georgiopoulou, Harry Eady, James Hunt, Christopher Jackson, Oded Katz, Sebastian Krastel, Ricardo Leon, Aaron Micallef, Jasper Moernaut, Roberto Moriconi, Lorena Moscardelli, Christof Mueller, Alexandre Normandeau, Marco Patacci, Michael Steventon, Morelia Urlaub, David Volker, Lesli Wood, Zane R. Jobe
2018, Geological Society, London, Special Publications (477)
Landslides are common in aquatic settings worldwide, from lakes and coastal environments to the deep sea. Fast-moving, large-volume landslides can potentially trigger destructive tsunamis. Landslides damage and disrupt global communication links and other critical marine infrastructure. Landslide deposits act as foci for localized, but important, deep-seafloor biological communities. Under...
Inferring species interactions through joint mark–recapture analysis
Charles B. Yackulic, Josh Korman, Michael D. Yard, Maria C. Dzul
2018, Ecology (99) 812-821
Introduced species are frequently implicated in declines of native species. In many cases, however, evidence linking introduced species to native declines is weak. Failure to make strong inferences regarding the role of introduced species can hamper attempts to predict population viability and delay effective management responses. For many species, mark–recapture...
Parasitism and the biodiversity-functioning relationship
André Frainer, Brendan G. McKie, Per-Arne Amundsen, Rune Knudsen, Kevin D. Lafferty
2018, Trends in Ecology and Evolution (33) 260-268
Biodiversity affects ecosystem functioning.Biodiversity may decrease or increase parasitism.Parasites impair individual hosts and affect their role in the ecosystem.Parasitism, in common with competition, facilitation, and predation, could regulate BD-EF relationships.Parasitism affects host phenotypes, including changes to host morphology, behavior, and physiology, which might increase intra- and interspecific functional diversity.The...
Long-term population dynamics and conservation risk of migratory bull trout in the upper Columbia River basin
Ryan Kovach, Jonathan Armstrong, David Schmetterling, Robert Al-Chokhachy, Clint C. Muhlfeld
2018, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (75) 1960-1968
We used redd count data from 88 bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) populations in the upper Columbia River basin to quantify local and regional patterns in population dynamics, including adult abundance, long-term trend, and population synchrony. We further used this information to assess conservation risk of metapopulations using eight population dynamic...
Challenges in complementing data from ground-based sensors with satellite-derived products to measure ecological changes in relation to climate – lessons from temperate wetland-upland landscapes
Alisa L. Gallant, Walter J. Sadinski, Jesslyn F. Brown, Gabriel B. Senay, Mark F. Roth
2018, Sensors (18) 1-38
Assessing climate-related ecological changes across spatiotemporal scales meaningful to resource managers is challenging because no one method reliably produces essential data at both fine and broad scales. We recently confronted such challenges while integrating data from ground- and satellite-based sensors for an assessment of four wetland-rich study areas in the...
Population estimates of the Endangered Hawaiʻi ʻĀkepa (Loxops coccineus) in different habitats on windward Mauna Loa
Seth W. Judge, Richard J. Camp, Patrick J. Hart, Scott T. Kichman
2018, Journal of Field Ornithology (89) 11-21
Endangered Hawai‘i ʻĀkepas (Loxops coccineus) are endemic to Hawai‘i island, where they occur in five spatially distinct populations. Data concerning the status and population trends of these unique Hawaiian honeycreepers are crucial for assessing the effectiveness of recovery and management actions. In 2016, we used point‐transect distance sampling to estimate...
Prey fish returned to Forster’s tern colonies suggest spatial and temporal differences in fish composition and availability
Sarah H. Peterson, Joshua T. Ackerman, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Mark P. Herzog, C. Alex Hartman
2018, PLoS ONE (13) 1-23
Predators sample the available prey community when foraging; thus, changes in the environment may be reflected by changes in predator diet and foraging preferences. We examined Forster’s tern (Sterna forsteri) prey species over an 11-year period by sampling approximately 10,000 prey fish returned to 17 breeding colonies in south San...
Attribution analysis of the Ethiopian drought of 2015
Sjoukje Philip, Sarah F. Kew, Geert Jan van Oldenborgh, Friederike Otto, Sarah O’Keefe, Karsten Haustein, Andrew L. King, Abiy Zegeye, Zewdu Eshetu, Kinfe Hailemariam, Roop Singh, Eddie Jjemba, Chris Funk, Heidi Cullen
2018, Journal of Climate (31) 2465-2486
In northern and central Ethiopia, 2015 was a very dry year. Rainfall was only from one-half to three-quarters of the usual amount, with both the “belg” (February–May) and “kiremt” rains (June–September) affected. The timing of the rains that did fall was also erratic. Many crops failed, causing food shortages for...
A conservation paradox in the Great Basin—Altering sagebrush landscapes with fuel breaks to reduce habitat loss from wildfire
Douglas J. Shinneman, Cameron L. Aldridge, Peter S. Coates, Matthew J. Germino, David S. Pilliod, Nicole M. Vaillant
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1034
Interactions between fire and nonnative, annual plant species (that is, “the grass/fire cycle”) represent one of the greatest threats to sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems and associated wildlife, including the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). In 2015, U.S. Department of the Interior called for a “science-based strategy to reduce the threat...
Ceres internal structure from geophysical constraints
S.J. King, J. C. Castillo-Rogez, M. J. Toplis, Michael T. Bland, C. A. Raymond, C. T. Russell
2018, Meteoritics and Planetary Science (53) 1999-2007
Thermal evolution modeling has yielded a variety of interior structures for Ceres, ranging from a modestly differentiated interior to more advanced evolution with a dry silicate core, a hydrated silicate mantle, and a volatile‐rich crust. Here we compute the mass and hydrostatic flattening from more than one hundred billion three‐layer...
Migratory hummingbirds make their own rules: The decision to resume migration along a barrier
Theodore J. Zenzal, Frank R. Moore, Robert H. Diehl, Michael B. Ward, JIll Deppe
2018, Animal Behaviour (137) 215-224
Knowing how naïve migrants respond to intrinsic and extrinsic factors experienced en route will allow a more thorough understanding of the endogenous migratory programme. To understand how inexperienced individuals respond to ecological features, we tracked the migratory departures of juvenile ruby-throated hummingbirds, Archilochus colubris,...
Spatial capture–recapture with partial identity: An application to camera traps
Ben C. Augustine, J. Andrew Royle, Marcella J. Kelly, Christopher B. Satter, Robert S. Alonso, Erin E. Boydston, Kevin R. Crooks
2018, Annals of Applied Statistics (12) 67-95
Camera trapping surveys frequently capture individuals whose identity is only known from a single flank. The most widely used methods for incorporating these partial identity individuals into density analyses discard some of the partial identity capture histories, reducing precision, and, while not previously recognized, introducing bias. Here, we present the...
Doublethink and scale mismatch polarize policies for an invasive tree
Caleb P. Roberts, Daniel R. Uden, Craig R. Allen, Dirac Twidwell
2018, PLoS ONE (13) 1-20
Mismatches between invasive species management policies and ecological knowledge can lead to profound societal consequences. For this reason, natural resource agencies have adopted the scientifically-based density-impact invasive species curve to guide invasive species management. We use the density-impact model to evaluate how well management policies for a native invader (Juniperus...
Changes in freshwater mussel communities linked to legacy pollution in the Lower Delaware River
Carrie J. Blakeslee, Erik L. Silldorff, Heather S. Galbraith
2018, Northeastern Naturalist (25) 101-116
Freshwater mussels are among the most-imperiled organisms worldwide, although they provide a variety of important functions in the streams and rivers they inhabit. Among Atlantic-slope rivers, the Delaware River is known for its freshwater mussel diversity and biomass; however, limited data are available on the freshwater mussel fauna in the...
Climate-related variation in plant peak biomass and growth phenology across Pacific Northwest tidal marshes
Kevin J. Buffington, Bruce D. Dugger, Karen M. Thorne
2018, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (202) 212-221
The interannual variability of tidal marsh plant phenology is largely unknown and may have important ecological consequences. Marsh plants are critical to the biogeomorphic feedback processes that build estuarine soils, maintain marsh elevation relative to sea level, and sequester carbon. We calculated Tasseled Cap Greenness, a metric of plant biomass, using...
Individual species–area relationships in temperate coniferous forests
Adrian J. Das, Andrew J. Larson, James A. Lutz
2018, Journal of Vegetation Science (29) 317-324
QuestionsWhat drives individual species–area relationships in temperate coniferous forests?LocationTwo 25.6‐ha forest plots on the Pacific Slope of North America, one in California, and one in Washington State.MethodsWe mapped all trees ≥1 cm in diameter and examined tree species diversity...
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...
Stability and change in kelp forest habitats at San Nicolas Island
Michael C. Kenner, M. Tim Tinker
2018, Western North American Naturalist (78) 633-643
Kelp forest communities are highly variable over space and time. Despite this complexity it has been suggested that kelp forest communities can be classified into one of 2 states: kelp dominated or sea urchin dominated. It has been further hypothesized that these represent “alternate stable states” because a site can...
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...
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...
The geochemistry of loess: Asian and North American deposits compared
Daniel R. Muhs
2018, Journal of Asian Earth Sciences (155) 81-115
Loess is widely distributed over Asia and North America and constitutes one of the most important surficial deposits that serve as terrestrial records of the Quaternary. The oldest Pleistocene loess in China is likely ∼2.6 Ma, thus spanning much or all of the Pleistocene. In North America, most loess is no...
Future southcentral US wildfire probability due to climate change
Michael C. Stambaugh, Richard P. Guyette, Esther D. Stroh, Matthew A. Struckhoff, Joanna B. Whittier
2018, Climate Change (147) 617-631
Globally, changing fire regimes due to climate is one of the greatest threats to ecosystems and society. In this paper, we present projections of future fire probability for the southcentral USA using downscaled climate projections and the Physical Chemistry Fire Frequency Model (PC2FM). Future fire probability is projected to both...
AMModels: An R package for storing models, data, and metadata to facilitate adaptive management
Therese M. Donovan, Jonathan Katz
2018, PLoS ONE (13) 1-57
Agencies are increasingly called upon to implement their natural resource management programs within an adaptive management (AM) framework. This article provides the background and motivation for the R package, AMModels. AMModels was developed under R version 3.2.2. The overall goal of AMModels is simple: To codify knowledge in the form of models and...
Surrounding land cover types as predictors of palustrine wetland vegetation quality in conterminous USA
Martin A. Stapanian, Brian Gara, William Schumacher
2018, Science of the Total Environment (619-620) 366-375
The loss of wetland habitats and their often-unique biological communities is a major environmental concern. We examined vegetation data obtained from 380 wetlands sampled in a statistical survey of wetlands in the USA. Our goal was to identify which surrounding land cover types best predict two indices of vegetation quality...