Performance and retention of lightweight satellite radio tags applied to the ears of polar bears (Ursus maritimus)
Øystein Wiig, Erik W. Born, Kristin L. Laidre, Rune Dietz, Mikkel Villum Jensen, George M. Durner, Anthony M. Pagano, Eric V. Regehr, Michelle St. Martin, Stephen N. Atkinson, Markus Dyck
2017, Animal Biotelemetry (5) 1-11
BackgroundSatellite telemetry studies provide information that is critical to the conservation and management of species affected by ecological change. Here we report on the performance and retention of two types (SPOT-227 and SPOT-305A) of ear-mounted Argos-linked satellite transmitters (i.e., platform transmitter terminal, or PTT) deployed...
Variation in δ15N and δ13C values of forages for Arctic caribou: Effects of location, phenology and simulated digestion
Lindsey L. Vansomeren, Perry S. Barboza, David D. Gustine, M. Syndonia Bret-Harte
2017, Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry (31) 813-820
RationaleThe use of stable isotopes for dietary estimates of wildlife assumes that there are consistent differences in isotopic ratios among diet items, and that the differences in these ratios between the diet item and the animal tissues (i.e., fractionation) are predictable. However, variation in isotopic ratios and fractionation of δ13C...
Using tri-axial accelerometers to identify wild polar bear behaviors
Anthony M. Pagano, Karyn D. Rode, A. Cutting, M.A. Owen, S. Jensen, J.V. Ware, C.T. Robbins, George M. Durner, Todd C. Atwood, M.E. Obbard, K.R. Middel, G.W. Thiemann, T.M. Williams
2017, Endangered Species Research (32) 19-33
Tri-axial accelerometers have been used to remotely identify the behaviors of a wide range of taxa. Assigning behaviors to accelerometer data often involves the use of captive animals or surrogate species, as their accelerometer signatures are generally assumed to be similar to those of their wild counterparts. However, this has...
The relationship between female brooding and male nestling provisioning: does climate underlie geographic variation in sex roles?
Jongmin Yoon, Helen Sofaer, T. Scott Sillett, Scott A. Morrison, Cameron K. Ghalambor
2017, Journal of Avian Biology (48) 220-228
Comparative studies of populations occupying different environments can provide insights into the ecological conditions affecting differences in parental strategies, including the relative contributions of males and females. Male and female parental strategies reflect the interplay between ecological conditions, the contributions of the social mate, and the needs of offspring. Climate...
Eastern Denali Fault surface trace map, eastern Alaska and Yukon, Canada
Adrian M. Bender, Peter J. Haeussler
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1049
We map the 385-kilometer (km) long surface trace of the right-lateral, strike-slip Denali Fault between the Totschunda-Denali Fault intersection in Alaska, United States and the village of Haines Junction, Yukon, Canada. In Alaska, digital elevation models based on light detection and ranging and interferometric synthetic aperture radar data enabled our...
Baseline and projected future carbon storage and carbon fluxes in ecosystems of Hawai‘i
Paul C. Selmants, Christian P. Giardina, James D. Jacobi, Zhiliang Zhu, editor(s)
2017, Professional Paper 1834
This assessment was conducted to fulfill the requirements of section 712 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and to improve understanding of factors influencing carbon balance in ecosystems of Hawai‘i. Ecosystem carbon storage, carbon fluxes, and carbon balance were examined for major terrestrial ecosystems on the seven...
Divergence and gene flow in the globally distributed blue-winged ducks
Joel Nelson, Robert E. Wilson, Kevin G. McCracken, Graeme Cumming, Leo Joseph, Patrick-Jean Guay, Jeffrey Peters
2017, Journal of Avian Biology (48) 640-649
The ability to disperse over long distances can result in a high propensity for colonizing new geographic regions, including uninhabited continents, and lead to lineage diversification via allopatric speciation. However, high vagility can also result in gene flow between otherwise allopatric populations, and in some cases, parapatric or divergence-with-gene-flow models...
Disturbance of a rare seabird by ship-based tourism in a marine protected area
Timothy K. Marcella, Scott M. Gende, Daniel D. Roby, Arthur Allignol
2017, PLoS ONE (12) 1-23
Managers of marine protected areas (MPAs) must often seek ways to allow for visitation while minimizing impacts to the resources they are intended to protect. Using shipboard observers, we quantified the “zone of disturbance” for Kittlitz’s and marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus brevirostris and B. marmoratus) exposed to large cruise ships...
Spatial variation in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure in Barrow's goldeneye (Bucephala islandica) in coastal British Columbia
Megan Willie, Daniel Esler, W. Sean Boyd, Philip Molloy, Ronald C. Ydenberg
2017, Marine Pollution Bulletin (118) 167-179
Barrow's goldeneyes are sea ducks that winter throughout coastal British Columbia (BC). Their diet consists primarily of intertidal blue mussels, which can accumulate PAHs; accordingly, goldeneyes may be susceptible to exposure through contaminated prey. In 2014/15, we...
Contributions of wildland fire to terrestrial ecosystem carbon dynamics in North America from 1990 to 2012
Guangsheng Chen, Daniel J. Hayes, A. David McGuire
2017, Global Biogeochemical Cycles (31) 878-900
Burn area and the frequency of extreme fire events have been increasing during recent decades in North America, and this trend is expected to continue over the 21st century. While many aspects of the North American carbon budget have been intensively studied, the net contribution of fire disturbance to the...
Historical biogeography sets the foundation for contemporary conservation of martens (genus Martes) in northwestern North America
Natalie G. Dawson, Jocelyn P. Colella, Maurine P. Small, Karen D. Stone, Sandra L. Talbot, Joseph A. Cook
2017, Journal of Mammalogy (98) 715-730
Effective conservation of insular populations requires careful consideration of biogeography, including colonization histories and patterns of endemism. Across the Pacific Northwest of North America, Pacific martens (Martes caurina) and American pine martens (Martes americana) are parapatric sister species with distinctive postglacial histories. Using mitochondrial DNA and 12 nuclear microsatellite loci,...
Cessation of oil exposure in harlequin ducks after the Exxon Valdez oil spill: Cytochrome P4501A biomarker evidence
Daniel Esler, Brenda E. Ballachey, Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Rian D. Dickson, John D. Henderson
2017, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (36) 1294-1300
The authors quantified hepatic hydrocarbon-inducible cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) expression, as ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity, in wintering harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) captured in Prince William Sound, Alaska (USA), during 2011, 2013, and 2014 (22–25 yr following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill). Average EROD activity was compared between birds from areas oiled...
Magmatic degassing, lava dome extrusion, and explosions from Mount Cleveland volcano, Alaska, 2011–2015: Insight into the continuous nature of volcanic activity over multi-year timescales
Cynthia Werner, Christoph Kern, Diego Coppola, John J. Lyons, Peter J. Kelly, Kristi L. Wallace, David J. Schneider, Rick Wessels
2017, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (337) 98-110
Mount Cleveland volcano (1730 m) is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutian arc, Alaska, but heightened activity is rarely accompanied by geophysical signals, which makes interpretation of the activity difficult. In this study, we combine volcanic gas emissions measured for the first time in August 2015 with longer-term...
Ongoing efforts to make ash-cloud model forecasts more accurate
Larry G. Mastin, Alexa R. Van Eaton, David J. Schneider, Roger P. Denlinger
2017, Conference Paper, Proceedings of impact of volcanic ash clouds on military operations
The 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland changed the rules for air travel in Europe and introduced the use of restricted fly zones based on ash-cloud concentrations calculated by dispersion models. This change prompted a sustained effort to improve the accuracy of ash-cloud model forecasts. In this paper we...
Potential effects of permafrost thaw on arctic river ecosystems
Jonathan A. O'Donnell, Christian E. Zimmerman, Michael P. Carey, Joshua C. Koch
2017, Alaska Park Science (16) 47-49
No abstract available....
A lake-centric geospatial database to guide research and inform management decisions in an Arctic watershed in northern Alaska experiencing climate and land-use changes
Benjamin M. Jones, Christopher D. Arp, Matthew S. Whitman, Debora A. Nigro, Ingmar Nitze, John Beaver, Anne Gadeke, Callie Zuck, Anna K. Liljedahl, Ronald Daanen, Eric Torvinen, Stacey Fritz, Guido Grosse
2017, Ambio (46) 769-786
Lakes are dominant and diverse landscape features in the Arctic, but conventional land cover classification schemes typically map them as a single uniform class. Here, we present a detailed lake-centric geospatial database for an Arctic watershed in northern Alaska. We developed a GIS dataset consisting of 4362 lakes that provides...
Fracture propagation and stability of ice shelves governed by ice shelf heterogeneity
Chris Borstad, Daniel Mcgrath, Allen Pope
2017, Geophysical Research Letters (44) 4186-4194
Tabular iceberg calving and ice shelf retreat occurs after full‐thickness fractures, known as rifts, propagate across an ice shelf. A quickly evolving rift signals a threat to the stability of Larsen C, the Antarctic Peninsula's largest ice shelf. Here we reveal the influence of ice shelf heterogeneity on the growth...
Low-pathogenic influenza A viruses in North American diving ducks contribute to the emergence of a novel highly pathogenic influenza A(H7N8) virus
Yifei Xu, Andrew M. Ramey, Andrew S. Bowman, Thomas J. DeLiberto, Mary L. Killian, Scott Krauss, Jacqueline M. Nolting, Mia Kim Torchetti, Andrew B. Reeves, Richard J. Webby, David E. Stallknecht, Xiu-Feng Wan
2017, Journal of Virology (91)
Introductions of low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses of subtypes H5 and H7 into poultry from wild birds have the potential to mutate to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses, but such viruses' origins are often unclear. In January 2016, a novel H7N8 HPAI virus caused an outbreak in turkeys in...
The Beringian coevolution project: Holistic collections of mammals and associated parasites reveal novel perspectives on evolutionary and environmental change in the North
Joseph A. Cook, Kurt E. Galbreath, Mariel Campbell, Susanne Carrière, Jocelyn P. Colella, Natalie G. Dawson, Jonathan L. Dunnum, Ralph P. Eckerlin, Stephen E. Greiman, Vadim B. Fedorov, Genevieve M. S. Haas, Voitto Haukisalmi, Heikki Henttonen, Andrew G. Hope, Donavan Jackson, Tom Jung, Anson V. Koehler, John M. Kinsella, Dianna Krejsa, Susan J. Kutz, Schuyler Liphardt, Stephen O. MacDonald, Jason L. Malaney, Arseny Makarikov, Jon Martin, Bryan S. McLean, Robert Mulders, Batsaikhan Nyamsuren, Sandra L. Talbot, Vasyl V. Tkach, Albina Tsvetkova, Heather M. Toman, Eric C. Waltari, Jackson S. Whitman, Eric P. Hoberg
2017, Arctic Science (3) 585-617
The Beringian Coevolution Project (BCP), a field program underway in the high northern latitudes since 1999, has focused on building key scientific infrastructure for integrated specimen-based studies on mammals and their associated parasites. BCP has contributed new insights across temporal and spatial scales into how ancient climate and environmental change...
Genetic structure among greater white-fronted goose populations of the Pacific Flyway
Craig R. Ely, Robert E. Wilson, Sandra L. Talbot
2017, Ecology and Evolution (7) 2956-2968
An understanding of the genetic structure of populations in the wild is essential for long-term conservation and stewardship in the face of environmental change. Knowledge of the present-day distribution of genetic lineages (phylogeography) of a species is especially important for organisms that are exploited or utilize habitats that may be...
Growth of black brant and lesser snow goose goslings in northern Alaska
Jerry W. Hupp, David H. Ward, Kyle R. Hogrefe, James S. Sedinger, Philip D. Martin, Alice A Stickney, Tim Obritschkewitsch
2017, Journal of Wildlife Management (81) 846-857
Gosling body mass can affect first year survival, recruitment, adult body size, and future fecundity of geese, and can serve as an indicator of forage availability and quality on brood-rearing areas. From 2012–2014 we measured body mass of 76 black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) and 268 lesser snow goose (Chen...
Geographic and temporal patterns of variation in total mercury concentrations in blood of harlequin ducks and blue mussels from Alaska
Lucas Savoy, Paul L. Flint, Denny Zwiefelhofer, Heather Brant, Christopher R. Perkins, Robert J. Taylor, Oksana P. Lane, Jefferson S. Hall, David C. Evers, Jason Schamber
2017, Marine Pollution Bulletin (117) 178-183
We compared total mercury (Hg) concentrations in whole blood of harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) sampled within and among two geographically distinct locations and across three years in southwest Alaska. Blue mussels were collected to assess correlation between Hg concentrations in locally available forage and birds. Mercury concentrations in harlequin duck...
Geometry, mass balance and thinning at Eklutna Glacier, Alaska: an altitude-mass-balance feedback with implications for water resources
Louis C. Sass, Michael G. Loso, Jason Geck, Evan Thoms, Daniel Mcgrath
2017, Journal of Glaciology (63) 343-354
We analyzed glacier surface elevations (1957, 2010 and 2015) and surface mass-balance measurements (2008–2015) on the 30 km2 Eklutna Glacier, in the Chugach Mountains of southcentral Alaska. The geodetic mass balances from 1957 to 2010 and 2010 to 2015 are −0.52 ± 0.46 and −0.74 ± 0.10 m w.e. a<span...
The 3.6 ka Aniakchak tephra in the Arctic Ocean: A constraint on the Holocene radiocarbon reservoir age in the Chukchi Sea
Christof Pearce, Aron Varhelyi, Stefan Wastegård, Francesco Muschitiello, Natalia Barrientos Macho, Matt O'Regan, Thomas M. Cronin, Laura Gemery, Igor Semiletov, Jan Backman, Martin Jakobsson
2017, Climate of the Past (13) 303-316
The caldera-forming eruption of the Aniakchak volcano in the Aleutian Range on the Alaskan Peninsula at 3.6 cal kyr BP was one of the largest Holocene eruptions worldwide. The resulting ash is found as a visible sediment layer in several Alaskan sites and as a cryptotephra on Newfoundland and Greenland. This large...
Reassortment of influenza A viruses in wild birds in Alaska before H5 Clade 2.3.4.4 Outbreaks
Nichola J. Hill, Islam T. M. Hussein, Kimberly R. Davis, Eric J. Ma, Timothy J. Spivey, Andrew M. Ramey, Wendy Blay Puryear, Suman R. Das, Rebecca A. Halpin, Xudong Lin, Nadia B. Federova, David L. Suarez, Walter M. Boyce, Jonathan A. Runstadler
2017, Emerging Infectious Diseases (23) 654-657
Sampling of mallards in Alaska during September 2014–April 2015 identified low pathogenic avian influenza A virus (subtypes H5N2 and H1N1) that shared ancestry with highly pathogenic reassortant H5N2 and H5N1 viruses. Molecular dating indicated reassortment soon after interhemispheric movement of H5N8 clade 2.3.4.4, suggesting genetic exchange in Alaska or surrounds...
