Development of the oriental latrine fly, Chrysomya megacephala (Diptera: Calliphoridae), at five constant temperatures
S. V. Gruner, D. H. Slone, J.L. Capinera, M. P. Turco
2017, Journal of Medical Entomology (54) 290-298
Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) is a forensically important fly that is found throughout the tropics and subtropics. We calculated the accumulated development time and transition points for each life stage from eclosion to adult emergence at five constant temperatures: 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 °C. For each transition, the 10th, 50th,...
Climate-induced glacier and snow loss imperils alpine stream insects
J. Joseph Giersch, Scott Hotaling, Ryan Kovach, Leslie A. Jones, Clint C. Muhlfeld
2017, Global Change Biology (23) 2577-2589
Climate warming is causing rapid loss of glaciers and snowpack in mountainous regions worldwide. These changes are predicted to negatively impact the habitats of many range-restricted species, particularly endemic, mountaintop species dependent on the unique thermal and hydrologic conditions found only in glacier-fed and snowmelt-driven alpine streams. Though progress has...
Fine‐resolution conservation planning with limited climate‐change information
Payal Shah, Mindy L. Mallory, Amy W. Ando, Glenn R. Guntenspergen
2017, Conservation Biology (31) 278-289
Climate‐change induced uncertainties in future spatial patterns of conservation‐related outcomes make it difficult to implement standard conservation‐planning paradigms. A recent study translates Markowitz's risk‐diversification strategy from finance to conservation settings, enabling conservation agents to use this diversification strategy for allocating conservation and restoration investments across space to minimize the risk...
Mercury and drought along the lower Carson River, Nevada: IV. Snowy egret post-fledging dispersal, timing of migration and survival, 2002–2004
Charles J. Henny, Elwood F. Hill, Robert A. Grove, Nathan Chelgren, Patricia K. Haggerty
2017, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety (135) 358-367
This telemetry study is an extension of our 1997–2006 research on historical mercury contamination on snowy egrets (Egretta thula) up to ~ 20 days of age. Findings from initial studies at the mercury-contaminated Carson River colony at Lahontan Reservoir (LR) and a similar-sized reference (REF) colony on the Humboldt River...
A synthesis of radial growth patterns preceding tree mortality
Maxime Cailleret, Steven Jansen, Elisabeth M.R. Robert, Lucia Desoto, Tuomas Aakala, Joseph A. Antos, Barbara Beikircher, Christof Bigler, Harald Bugmann, Marco Caccianiga, Vojtech Cada, Jesus J. Camarero, Paolo Cherubini, Herve Cochard, Marie R. Coyea, Katarina Cufar, Adrian J. Das, Hendrik Davi, Sylvain Delzon, Michael Dorman, Guillermo Gea-Izquierdo, Sten Gillner, Laurel J. Haavik, Henrik Hartmann, Ana-Maria Heres, Kevin R. Hultine, Pavel Janda, Jeffrey M. Kane, Vyacheslav I. Kharuk, Thomas Kitzberger, Tamir Klein, Koen Kramer, Frederic Lens, Tom Levanic, Juan C. Linares Calderon, Francisco Lloret, Raquel Lobo-Do-Vale, Fabio Lombardi, Rosana Lopez Rodriguez, Harri Makinen, Stefan Mayr, IIona Meszaros, Juha M. Metsaranta, Francesco Minunno, Walter Oberhuber, Andreas Papadopoulos, Mikko Peltoniemi, Any M. Petritan, Brigitte Rohner, Gabriel Sanguesa-Barreda, Dimitrios Sarris, Jeremy M. Smith, Amanda B. Stan, Frank Sterck, Dejan B. Stojanovic, Maria L. Suarez, Miroslav Svoboda, Roberto Tognetti, Jose M. Torres-Ruiz, Volodymyr Trotsiuk, Ricardo Villalba, Floor Vodde, Alana R. Westwood, Peter H. Wyckoff, Nikolay Zafirov, Jordi Martínez-Vilalta
2017, Global Change Biology (23) 1675-1690
Tree mortality is a key factor influencing forest functions and dynamics, but our understanding of the mechanisms leading to mortality and the associated changes in tree growth rates are still limited. We compiled a new pan-continental tree-ring width database from sites where both dead and living trees were sampled (2970...
Detection limits of quantitative and digital PCR assays and their influence in presence-absence surveys of environmental DNA
Margaret Hunter, Robert M. Dorazio, John S. Butterfield, Gaia Meigs-Friend, Leo Nico, Jason A. Ferrante
2017, Molecular Ecology Resources (17) 221-229
A set of universal guidelines is needed to determine the limit of detection (LOD) in PCR-based analyses of low concentration DNA. In particular, environmental DNA (eDNA) studies require sensitive and reliable methods to detect rare and cryptic species through shed genetic material in environmental samples. Current strategies for assessing detection...
Evaluating nest supplementation as a recovery strategy for the endangered rodents of the Florida Keys
Michael V. Cove, Theodore R. Simons, Beth Gardner, Andrew S. Maurer, Allan F. O’Connell
2017, Restoration Ecology (25) 253-260
The Key Largo woodrat (Neotoma floridana smalli) and Key Largo cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus allapaticola) are federally endangered subspecies endemic to the tropical hardwood hammocks of Key Largo, Florida. Woodrats are considered generalists in habitat and diet, yet a steady decline in natural stick nests and capture rates over the...
How will predicted land-use change affect waterfowl spring stopover ecology? Inferences from an individual-based model
William S. Beatty, Dylan C. Kesler, Elisabeth B. Webb, Luke W. Naylor, Andrew H. Raedeke, Dale D. Humburg, John M. Coluccy, Gregory J. Soulliere
2017, Journal of Applied Ecology (54) 926-934
Habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, overexploitation and climate change pose familiar and new challenges to conserving natural populations throughout the world. One approach conservation planners may use to evaluate the effects of these challenges on wildlife populations is scenario planning.We developed an individual-based model to evaluate the effects...
Combining citizen science species distribution models and stable isotopes reveals migratory connectivity in the secretive Virginia rail
Auriel M. V. Fournier, Alexis R. Sullivan, Joseph K. Bump, Marie Perkins, Mark C. Shieldcastle, Sammy L. King
2017, Journal of Applied Ecology (54) 618-627
Stable hydrogen isotope (δD) methods for tracking animal movement are widely used yet often produce low resolution assignments. Incorporating prior knowledge of abundance, distribution or movement patterns can ameliorate this limitation, but data are lacking for most species. We demonstrate how observations reported by citizen scientists can...
Hydrologic restoration in a dynamic subtropical mangrove-to-marsh ecotone
Rebecca J. Howard, Richard H. Day, Ken W. Krauss, Andrew S. From, Larry K. Allain, Nicole Cormier
2017, Restoration Ecology (25) 471-482
Extensive hydrologic modifications in coastal regions across the world have occurred to support infrastructure development, altering the function of many coastal wetlands. Wetland restoration success is dependent on the existence of hydrologic regimes that support development of appropriate soils and the growth and persistence of wetland vegetation. In Florida, United...
Groundwater response to the 2014 pulse flow in the Colorado River Delta
Jeffrey R. Kennedy, Eliana Rodriguez-Burgueno, Jorge Ramirez-Hernandez
2017, Ecological Engineering (106) 715-724
During the March-May 2014 Colorado River Delta pulse flow, approximately 102 × 106 m3 (82,000 acre-feet) of water was released into the channel at Morelos Dam, with additional releases further downstream. The majority of pulse flow water infiltrated and recharged the regional aquifer. Using groundwater-level and microgravity data we mapped the spatial and...
Breeding birds in managed forests on public conservation lands in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
Daniel J. Twedt, R. Randy Wilson
2017, Forest Ecology and Management (384) 180-190
Managers of public conservation lands in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley have implemented forest management strategies to improve bottomland hardwood habitat for target wildlife species. Through implementation of various silvicultural practices, forest managers have sought to attain forest structural conditions (e.g., canopy cover, basal area, etc.) within values postulated to benefit wildlife....
Assessments of species' vulnerability to climate change: From pseudo to science
Alisa A. Wade, Brian K. Hand, Ryan Kovach, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Robin S. Waples, Gordon Luikart
2017, Biodiversity and Conservation (26) 223-229
Climate change vulnerability assessments (CCVAs) are important tools to plan for and mitigate potential impacts of climate change. However, CCVAs often lack scientific rigor, which can ultimately lead to poor conservation prioritization and associated ecological and economic costs. We discuss the need to improve comparability and consistency of CCVAs and...
Climate, invasive species and land use drive population dynamics of a cold-water specialist
Ryan P. Kovach, Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Diane C. Whited, David A. Schmetterling, Andrew M. Dux, Clint C. Muhlfeld
2017, Journal of Applied Ecology (54) 638-647
Climate change is an additional stressor in a complex suite of threats facing freshwater biodiversity, particularly for cold-water fishes. Research addressing the consequences of climate change on cold-water fish has generally focused on temperature limits defining spatial distributions, largely ignoring how climatic variation influences population dynamics in...
A history of the 2014 Minute 319 environmental pulse flow asdocumented by field measurements and satellite imagery
Steven M. Nelson, Jorge Ramirez-Hernandez, J. Eliana Rodriguez-Burgeueno, Jeff Milliken, Jeffrey R. Kennedy, Francisco Zamora-Arroyo, Karen Schlatter, Edith Santiago-Serrano, Edgar Carrera-Villa
2017, Ecological Engineering (106) 733-748
As provided in Minute 319 of the U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty of 1944, a pulse flow of approximately 132 million cubic meters (mcm) was released to the riparian corridor of the Colorado River Delta over an eight-week period that began March 23, 2014 and ended May 18, 2014. Peak flows were...
A landscape-scale assessment of above- and belowground primary production in coastal wetlands: Implications for climate change-induced community shifts
Camille L. Stagg, Donald R. Schoolmaster Jr., Sarai C. Piazza, Gregg Snedden, Gregory D. Steyer, Craig J Fischenich, Robert W. McComas
2017, Estuaries and Coasts (40) 856-879
Above- and belowground production in coastal wetlands are important contributors to carbon accumulation and ecosystem sustainability. As sea level rises, we can expect shifts to more salt-tolerant communities, which may alter these ecosystem functions and services. Although the direct influence of salinity on species-level primary production has been documented, we...
Improving spatio-temporal benefit transfers for pest control by generalist predators in cotton in the southwestern U.S.
Ruscena Wiederholt, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Gary F. McCracken, Jay E. Diffendorfer, John B. Loomis, Darius J. Semmens, Amy L. Russell, Chris Sansone, Kelsie LaSharr, Paul M. Cryan, Claudia Reynoso, Rodrigo A. Medellin, Laura Lopez-Hoffman
2017, International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services and Management (13) 27-39
Given rapid changes in agricultural practice, it is critical to understand how alterations in ecological, technological, and economic conditions over time and space impact ecosystem services in agroecosystems. Here, we present a benefit transfer approach to quantify cotton pest-control services provided by a generalist predator, the Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida...
Possibility and challenges of conversion of current virus species names to Linnaean binomials
Postler Thomas, Anna N. Clawson, Gaya K. Amarasinghe, Christopher F. Basler, Sina Bavari, Maria Benko, Kim R. Blasdell, Thomas Briese, Michael J. Buchmeier, Alexander Bukreyev, Charles H. Calisher, Kartik Chandran, Remi Charrel, Christopher S. Clegg, Peter L. Collins, Juan Carlos De la Torre, Joseph L. DeRisi, Ralf G. Dietzgen, Olga Dolnik, Ralf Durrwald, John M. Dye, Andrew J. Easton, Sebastian Emonet, Pierre Formenty, Ron A. M. Fouchier, Elodie Ghedin, Jean-Paul Gonzalez, Balazs Harrach, Roger Hewson, Masayuki Horie, Daohong Jiang, Gary P. Kobinger, Hideki Kondo, Andrew Kropinski, Mart Krupovic, Gael Kurath, Robert A. Lamb, Eric M. Leroy, Igor S. Lukashevich, Andrea Maisner, Arcady Mushegian, Sergey V. Netesov, Norbert Nowotny, Jean L. Patterson, Susan L. Payne, Janusz T. Paweska, C.J. Peters, Sheli Radoshitzky, Bertus K. Rima, Victor Romanowski, Dennis Rubbenstroth, Sead Sabanadzovic, Helene Sanfacon, Maria Salvato, Martin Schwemmle, Sophie J. Smither, Mark Stenglein, D.M. Stone, Ayato Takada, Robert B. Tesh, Keizo Tomonaga, N. Tordo, Jonathan S. Towner, Nikos Vasilakis, Victor E. Volchkov, Victoria Jensen, Peter J. Walker, Lin-Fa Wang, Arvind Varsani, Anna E. Whitfield, Francisco Murilo Zerbini, Jens H. Kuhn
2017, Systematic Biology (66) 463-473
Botanical, mycological, zoological, and prokaryotic species names follow the Linnaean format, consisting of an italicized Latinized binomen with a capitalized genus name and a lower case species epithet (e.g., Homo sapiens). Virus species names, however, do not follow a uniform format, and, even when binomial, are not Linnaean in style. In...
Larval aquatic insect responses to cadmium and zinc in experimental streams
Christopher A. Mebane, Travis S. Schmidt, Laurie S. Balistrieri
2017, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (36) 749-762
To evaluate the risks of metal mixture effects to natural stream communities under ecologically relevant conditions, the authors conducted 30-d tests with benthic macroinvertebrates exposed to cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) in experimental streams. The simultaneous exposures were with Cd and Zn singly and with Cd+Zn mixtures at environmentally relevant...
Camera system considerations for geomorphic applications of SfM photogrammetry
Adam R. Mosbrucker, Jon J. Major, Kurt R. Spicer, John Pitlick
2017, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (42) 969-986
The availability of high-resolution, multi-temporal, remotely sensed topographic data is revolutionizing geomorphic analysis. Three-dimensional topographic point measurements acquired from structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry have been shown to be highly accurate and cost-effective compared to laser-based alternatives in some environments. Use of consumer-grade digital cameras to generate terrain models and derivatives is...
Mangrove expansion and contraction at a poleward range limit: Climate extremes and land-ocean temperature gradients
Michael J. Osland, Richard H. Day, Courtney T. Hall, Marisa D Brumfield, Jason Dugas, William R. Jones
2017, Ecology (98) 125-137
Within the context of climate change, there is a pressing need to better understand the ecological implications of changes in the frequency and intensity of climate extremes. Along subtropical coasts, less frequent and warmer freeze events are expected to permit freeze-sensitive mangrove forests to expand poleward and displace freeze-tolerant salt...
Virulence and biodegradation potential of dynamic microbial communities associated with decaying Cladophora in Great Lakes
Chan Lan Chun, Julie R. Peller, Dawn Shively, Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli, Richard L. Whitman, Christopher Staley, Qian Zhang, Satoshi Ishii, Michael J. Sadowsky
2017, Science of the Total Environment (574) 872-880
Cladophora mats that accumulate and decompose along shorelines of the Great Lakes create potential threats to the health of humans and wildlife. The decaying algae create a low oxygen and redox potential environment favoring growth and persistence of anaerobic microbial populations, including Clostridium botulinum, the causal agent of botulism in...
Maternal androgens in avian brood parasites and their hosts: responses to parasitism and competition?
Caldwell Hahn, John C. Wingfield, David M. Fox, Brian G. Walker, Jill E Thomley
2017, General and Comparative Endocrinology (240) 143-152
In the coevolutionary dynamic of avian brood parasites and their hosts, maternal (or transgenerational) effects have rarely been investigated. We examined the potential role of elevated yolk testosterone in eggs of the principal brood parasite in North America, the brown-headed cowbird, and three of its frequent host species. Elevated maternal...
Analysis of local slopes at the InSight landing site on Mars
Robin L. Fergason, Randolph L. Kirk, Glen E. Cushing, Donna M. Galuszka, Matthew P. Golombek, Trent M. Hare, Elpitha Howington-Kraus, Devin M Kipp, Bonnie L. Redding
2017, Space Science Reviews (211) 109-133
To evaluate the topography of the surface within the InSight candidate landing ellipses, we generated Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) at lander scales and those appropriate for entry, descent, and landing simulations, along with orthoimages of both images in each stereopair, and adirectional slope images. These products were used to assess...
Retrospective analysis of the epidemiologic literature, 1990–2015, on wildlife-associated diseases from the Republic of Korea
Jusun Hwang, Kyunglee Lee, Young-Jun Kim, Jonathan M. Sleeman, Hang Lee
2017, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (53) 5-18
To assess the status of research on wildlife diseases in the Republic of Korea (ROK) and to identify trends, knowledge gaps, and directions for future research, we reviewed epidemiologic publications on wildlife-associated diseases in the ROK. We identified a relatively small but rapidly increasing body of literature. The majority of...
