Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

Filter Total Items: 2088

Patton's tracks in the Mojave Desert, USA: An ecological legacy Patton's tracks in the Mojave Desert, USA: An ecological legacy

Recovery of soil properties from World War II-era military training exercises in the Mojave Desert was measured approximately 55 years following disturbance. Tracks from military vehicles were still visible, particularly in areas of desert pavement. Soil penetrability was much lower in visible tracks than outside the tracks. Soils in tracks had fewer rocks in the top 10cm of the soil...
Authors
Jayne Belnap, Steven D. Warren

Comparison of methods for nutrient measurement in calcareous soils: Ion-exchange resin bag, capsule, membrane, and chemical extractions Comparison of methods for nutrient measurement in calcareous soils: Ion-exchange resin bag, capsule, membrane, and chemical extractions

Four methods for measuring quantities of 12 plant-available nutrients were compared using three sandy soils in a series of three experiments. Three of the methods use different ion-exchange resin forms—bags, capsules, and membranes—and the fourth was conventional chemical extraction. The first experiment compared nutrient extraction data from a medium of sand saturated with a nutrient...
Authors
S. K. Sherrod, J. Belnap, M. E. Miller

Alien invasions in aquatic ecosystems: Toward an understanding of brook trout invasions and potential impacts on inland cutthroat trout in western North America Alien invasions in aquatic ecosystems: Toward an understanding of brook trout invasions and potential impacts on inland cutthroat trout in western North America

Experience from case studies of biological invasions in aquatic ecosystems has motivated a set of proposed empirical “rules” for understanding patterns of invasion and impacts on native species. Further evidence is needed to better understand these patterns, and perhaps contribute to a useful predictive theory of invasions. We reviewed the case of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis...
Authors
Jason B. Dunham, Susan B. Adams, Robert Schroeter, Douglas C. Novinger

Collaborative approaches to the evolution of migration and the development of science-based conservation in shorebirds Collaborative approaches to the evolution of migration and the development of science-based conservation in shorebirds

Shorebirds are among the most highly migratory creatures on earth. Both the study of their ecology and ongoing efforts to conserve their populations must reflect this central aspect of their biology. Many species of shorebirds use migration and staging sites scattered throughout the hemisphere to complete their annual migrations between breeding areas and nonbreeding habitats (Morrison...
Authors
Brian A. Harrington, S. Brown, James Corven, Jonathan Bart

Treatment effects on performance of N-fixing lichens in disturbed crusts of the Colorado Plateau Treatment effects on performance of N-fixing lichens in disturbed crusts of the Colorado Plateau

Biological soil crusts arrest soil erosion and supply nitrogen to arid ecosystems. To understand their recovery from disturbance, we studied performances of Collema spp. lichens relative to four experimental treatments plus microtopography of soil pedicels, oriented north-northwest to south-southeast in crusts. At sites in Needles (NDLS) and Island in the Sky (ISKY) districts of...
Authors
Diane W. Davidson, Mathew Bowker, Dylan George, Susan L. Phillips, Jayne Belnap

Epizootiology and effect of avian pox on Hawaiian forest birds Epizootiology and effect of avian pox on Hawaiian forest birds

We determined prevalence and altitudinal distribution of forest birds infected with avian pox at 16 locations on Hawaii, from sea level to tree line in mesic and xeric habitats, during 1977–1980. Isolates from lesions were cultured in the laboratory for positive identification of Poxvirus avium. Infected birds from the wild were brought into the laboratory to assess differences in the...
Authors
Charles van Riper, Sandra G. van Riper, Wallace R. Hansen

Residency and movement patterns of wintering dunlin in the Willamette Valley of Oregon Residency and movement patterns of wintering dunlin in the Willamette Valley of Oregon

In the winters of 1998–1999 and 1999–2000, we tracked 67 radio-marked Dunlin (Calidris alpina) throughout the complex agricultural landscape of the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Individual birds were tracked across 8-week sampling periods and indicated a high degree of regional fidelity throughout the three winter sampling periods. Birds exhibited varied degrees of fidelity to specific...
Authors
Peter M. Sanzenbacher, Susan M. Haig

American white pelican soaring flight times and altitudes relative to changes in thermal depth and intensity American white pelican soaring flight times and altitudes relative to changes in thermal depth and intensity

We compared American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) soaring flight times and altitudes to model-produced estimates of thermal depth and intensity. These data showed that pelican soaring flight was confined to the thermal layer, and that the vertical extent of the soaring flight envelope increased with increases in thermal depth. Pelicans soaring cross-country between foraging...
Authors
H.D. Shannon, G.S. Young, M. Yates, Mark R. Fuller, W. Seegar

Comparative diversity and composition of cyanobacteria in three predominate soil crusts of the Colorado Plateau Comparative diversity and composition of cyanobacteria in three predominate soil crusts of the Colorado Plateau

Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRF or T-RFLP) analysis and 16S rDNA sequence analysis from clone libraries were used to examine cyanobacterial diversity in three types of predominant soil crusts in an arid grassland. Total DNA was extracted from cyanobacteria-, lichen-, or moss-dominated crusts that represent different successional stages in crust development, and...
Authors
Elizabeth Redfield, Susan M. Barns, Jayne Belnap, Lori L. Daane, Cheryl R. Kuske

Golden eagles in the U.S. and Canada: Status, trends, and conservation challenges Golden eagles in the U.S. and Canada: Status, trends, and conservation challenges

We reviewed the literature to assess status and population trends and to identify mortality factors affecting Golden Eagle populations in the U.S. and Canada. Nesting populations in Alaska and Canada are stable, but some nesting populations in the western U.S. have declined. Small but steady declines in the intermountain West have been associated with shrub loss and declining jackrabbit
Authors
Michael N. Kochert, Karen Steenhof
Was this page helpful?