Assessing the influence of sustainable trail design and maintenance on soil loss
Jeffrey L. Marion, Jeremy Wimpey
2017, Journal of Environmental Management (189) 46-57
Natural-surfaced trail systems are an important infrastructure component providing a means for accessing remote protected natural area destinations. The condition and usability of trails is a critical concern of land managers charged with providing recreational access while preserving natural conditions, and to visitors seeking high quality recreational opportunities and experiences....
Status and trends of dam removal research in the United States
James Bellmore, Jeffrey J. Duda, Laura Craig, Samantha L. Greene, Christian E. Torgersen, Mathias J. Collins, Katherine Vittum
2017, WIREs Water (4)
Aging infrastructure coupled with growing interest in river restoration has driven a dramatic increase in the practice of dam removal. With this increase, there has been a proliferation of studies that assess the physical and ecological responses of rivers to these removals. As more dams are considered for removal, scientific...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Harvest dynamics and annual survival of mallards and grey ducks
Matthew B. McDougall, Courtney L. Amundson
2017, Journal of Wildlife Management (81) 449-460
We examined how hunter behavior, environmental covariates, and mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and grey duck (A. superciliosa) population indices affected per capita harvest, hunter effort (i.e., hours hunted), and hunter participation (i.e., license sales) between 1997 and 2012 in the Eastern Fish and Game Region of New Zealand. Additionally, we examined...
Organic petrology of peak oil maturity Triassic Yanchang Formation lacustrine mudrocks, Ordos Basin, China
Paul C. Hackley, Lixia Zhang, Tongwei Zhang
2017, Interpretation (5) SF211-SF223
An organic petrology evaluation and a determination of solid bitumen reflectance BRo">BRo were completed for organic-rich Triassic Yanchang Formation mudrocks (n=15"><span...
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...
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...
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,...
