Eastern Ecological Science Center
Publications
Optimization of salt marsh management at the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine, through use of structured decision making
Structured decision making is a systematic, transparent process for improving the quality of complex decisions by identifying measurable management objectives and feasible management actions; predicting the potential consequences of management actions relative to the stated objectives; and selecting a course of action that maximizes the total...
Neckles, Hilary A.; Lyons, James E.; Nagel, Jessica L.; Adamowicz, Susan C.; Mikula, Toni; O'Brien, Kathleen M.; Benvenuti, Bri; Kleinert, Ryan
Culverts delay upstream and downstream migrations of river herring (Alosa spp.)
Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) are iteroparous anadromous fish found throughout the East Coast of North America. The phenology of anadromous fish migrations is important for fitness, and the duration of spawning migrations has been compressed in recent years in response to climate change. Anthropogenic...
Alcott, Derrick; Goerig, Elsa; Castro-Santos, Theodore R. Survival and spawning success of American shad (Alosa sapidissima) in varying temperatures and levels of glochidia infection
Temperature fluctuations and climate change impacts may substantially affect spawning success of fish, especially migratory species with a limited spawning window. Factors affecting American shad (Alosa sapidissima) spawning success and survival were investigated at different temperatures and periods (peak- and late-spawning periods) during the...
Bayse, Shannon M; Regish, Amy M.; McCormick, Stephen D. A comparison of methods for the long-term harness-based attachment of radio-transmitters to juvenile Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)
BackgroundWhile the period from fledging through first breeding for waterbird species such as terns (e.g., genus Sterna, Sternula) is of great interest to researchers and conservationists, this period remains understudied due in large part to the difficulty of marking growing juveniles with radio transmitters that remain attached for extended...
Buck, Evan J; Sullivan, Jeffery D; Kent, Cody M.; Mullinax, Jennifer M.; Prosser, Diann Identifying climate-resistant vernal pools: Hydrologic refugia for amphibian reproduction under droughts and climate change
Vernal pools of the northeastern United States provide important breeding habitat for amphibians but may be sensitive to droughts and climate change. These seasonal wetlands typically fill by early spring and dry by mid-to-late summer. Because climate change may produce earlier and stronger growing-season evapotranspiration combined with...
Cartwright, Jennifer M.; Morelli, Toni Lyn; Campbell Grant, Evan H. Thyroid disruption and oxidative stress in American kestrels following embryonic exposure to the alternative flame retardants, EHTBB and TBPH
Brominated flame retardant chemicals, such as 2-ethylhexyl-2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (EHTBB) (CAS #: 183658–27-7) and bis(2-ethylhexyl)-2,3,4,5-tetrabromophthalate (TBPH) (CAS #: 26040–51-7), have been detected in avian tissues and eggs from remote regions. Exposure to EHTBB and TBPH has been shown to cause oxidative stress and altered thyroid...
Goodchild, CHristopher; Karouna-Renier, Natalie K.; Henry, Paula F. P.; Letcher, Robert J.; Schultz, Sandra L.; Maddox, Catherine M.; Bean, Thomas; Peters, Lisa E.; Palace, Vince P.; Fernie, Kimberly J. Novel microbiome dominated by Arcobacter during anoxic excurrent flow from an ocean blue hole in Andros Island, The Bahamas
Andros Island, The Bahamas, composed of porous carbonate rock, has about 175 inland blue holes and over 50 known submerged ocean caves along its eastern barrier reef. These ocean blue holes can have both vertical and horizontal zones that penetrate under the island. Tidal forces drive water flow in and out of these caves. King Kong Cavern has a...
Iwanowicz, Deborah D.; Jonas, Robert B; Schill, William B.; Marano-Briggs, Kay
Structured decision making and optimal bird monitoring in the northern Gulf of Mexico
The avian conservation community struggles to design and implement large scale, long-term coordinated bird monitoring programs within the northern Gulf of Mexico due to the complexity of the conservation enterprise in the region; this complexity arises from the diverse stakeholders, multiple jurisdictions, complex ecological processes, myriad...
Fournier, Auriel M.V.; Wilson, R. Randy; Lyons, James E.; Gleason, Jeffrey S.; Adams, Evan M.; Barnhill, Laurel M.; Brush, Janell M.; Cooper, Robert J.; DeMaso, Stephen J.; Driscoll, Melanie J.L.; Eaton, Mitchell J.; Frederick, Peter C.; Just, Michael G.; Seymour, Michael A.; Tirpak, John M.; Woodrey, Mark S. Adaptive two-stage inverse sampling design to estimate density, abundance, and occupancy of rare and clustered populations
Sampling rare and clustered populations is challenging because of the effort required to find rare units. Heuristically, a practitioner would prefer to discontinue sampling in areas where rare units of interest are apparently extremely sparse or absent. We take advantage of the characteristics of inverse sampling to adaptively inform practitioners...
Salehi, Mohammad; Smith, David R. Multiple coping strategies maintain stability of a small mammal population in a resource-restricted environment
In semi-arid environments, aperiodic rainfall pulses determine plant production and resource availability for higher trophic levels, creating strong bottom-up regulation. The influence of climatic factors on population vital rates often shapes the dynamics of small mammal populations in such resource-restricted environments. Using a 21-year...
Polyakov, Anne Y; Tietje, William D; Srivathsa, Arjun; Rolland, Virginie; Hines, James E.; Oli, Madan K. Invader removal triggers competitive release in a threatened avian predator
Invasive species can cause extinctions of native species and widespread biodiversity loss. Invader removal is a common management response, but the use of long-term field experiments to characterize effectiveness of removals in benefitting impacted native species is rare. We used a large-scale removal experiment to investigate the demographic...
Wiens, David; Dugger, Catherine M.; Higley, J. Mark; Lesmeister, Damon B.; Franklin, Alan B.; Hamm, Keith A.; White, Gary C.; Dilione, Krista E.; Simon, David C.; Bown, Robin R.; Carlson, Peter C.; Yackulic, Charles; Nichols, James D.; Hines, James E.; Davis, Raymond J.; Lamphear, David W.; McCafferty, Christopher; McDonald, Trent L.; Sovern, Stan G.
Forest area to support landbird population goals for the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
Historically, the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) (Partners in Flight Bird Conservation Region #26) was predominantly bottomland hardwood forest, but natural vegetation has been cleared from about 80 percent of this ecoregion and converted primarily to agriculture. Because most bird species that are of conservation concern in this region are...
Twedt, Daniel J.; Mini, Anne