Publications

Visual cover class data were collected on over 80 species across 30 permanent sampling frames in sagebrush steppe vegetation communities in Grand Teton National Park from 2012 to 2018. In this report, temporal and spatial patterns in species composition were assessed and used to inform potential sampling strategies for future monitoring. Specifically, the viability of a reduction in...

Measuring changes in the elevation distribution of sub-aerial fine ( 2 mm ) sediment and estimating sandbar volume multiple times per year can improve sediment budget calculations in fluvial systems. In the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, effects of dam operations on sandbar size and distribution is of long-term management interest. Bar-building controlled floods have been...

Bullseye Snakehead Channa marulius (Hamilton 1822) was first detected in the southern Florida town of Tamarac in 2000 and has been expanding its geographic range since. Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is a newly-developed technique used to noninvasively detect cryptic or low-density species or those that are logistically difficult-to-study. Genetic material shed into the environment...

Shrublands in Mediterranean‐type ecosystems worldwide support important ecosystem services including high levels of biodiversity and are threatened by multiple factors in heavily used landscapes. Use, conservation, and management of these landscapes involve diverse stakeholders, making decision processes complex. To be effective, management and land use decisions should be informed by...

The lake trout is a keystone species in the Laurentian Great Lakes that supported valuable fisheries throughout the basin. However, lake trout populations declined to near extirpation in nearly all of the lakes because of the combined effects of over-fishing, sea lamprey predation, and habitat degradation. To restore self-sustaining lake trout populations in Lake Superior, state...

This study explores the feasibility and utility of integrating environmental DNA (eDNA) assessments of species occurrences into the United States (U.S.) Geological Survey’s national streamgage network. We used an existing network of five gages in southwest Idaho to explore the type of information that could be gained as well as the associated costs and limitations. Hydrologic technicians...

The worldwide network of unpaved roads is estimated to include at least 14 million km (8.7 million miles; 1). Although they are vital for local communities, these roads are expensive to maintain and may cause environmental damage through sediment and dust pollution (e.g., 2). Among aggregate-surfaced roads, locally available materials are often used as a surface wearing course, with...

Fish population recoveries can result from ecosystem change in the absence of targeted restoration actions. In Lake Ontario, native Deepwater Sculpin Myoxecephalus thompsonii, were common in the late-1800s, but by the mid-1900s the species was possibly extirpated. During this period mineral nutrient inputs increased and piscivore abundance declined, which increased the abundance of the...

—First sighting records of rare occurrences may become increasingly important for recognizing changes in distribution, changes in migratory strategies, or increases in hybridization. We focumented the first record of a Tundra Bean Goose in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, the outlet and historic floodplain for much of North America and one of the most important waterfowl wintering areas...

Each fall, thousands of Rocky Mountain Sandhill Cranes and other migratory birds congregate at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico’s Rio Grande Valley in search of wintering habitat. As such, this refuge is known as one of the premier destinations for bird viewing and photography in the United States. Using contingent valuation data, this case study quantifies...

No abstract available.

Climate change is affecting the benefits society derives from forests. One such forest ecosystem service is maple syrup, which is primarily derived from Acer saccharum (sugar maple), currently an abundant and widespread tree species in eastern North America. Two climate sensitive components of sap affect syrup production: sugar content and sap flow. The sugar in maple sap derives from