Publications

About this volume The Williston Basin, which includes parts of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota in the United States, has been a leading domestic oil and gas producing area. To better understand the potential effects of energy development on environmental resources in the Williston Basin, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, and in support...

The ecosystems of the Williston Basin provide direct and indirect benefits to society. These benefits include carbon sequestration, flood control, nutrient rich soils for agricultural productivity, and habitat for wildlife. This chapter’s main focus is on the effects of energy development on species that occupy the ecosystems in the Williston Basin. We compiled a list of documented...

Disturbances elicit both positive and negative effects on organisms; these effects vary in their strength and their timing. Effects of disturbance interval (i.e., the length of time between disturbances) on population growth will depend on both the timing and strength of positive and negative effects of disturbances. Climate change can modify the relative strengths of these positive and...

A number of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) have been reported to interfere with the thyroid signaling pathway and cause oxidative stress in birds, yet the underlying shifts in gene expression associated with these effects remain poorly understood. In this study, we measured hepatic transcriptional responses of 31 genes in American kestrel (Falco sparverius) hatchlings following in...

No abstract available.

Climate matching allows comparisons of climatic conditions between different locations to understand location and species range climatic suitability. The approach may be used as part of horizon scanning exercises such as those conducted for invasive species. We implemented the CLIMATCH algorithm into an R package, climatchR. The package allows automated and scripted climate matching...

The aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill highlighted the lack of baseline spatial, behavioral, and abundance data for many species, including imperiled marine turtles, across the Gulf of Mexico. The ecology of marine turtles is closely tied to their vertical movements within the water column and is therefore critical knowledge for resource management in a changing ocean. A...

The Smoky Madtom Noturus baileyi is a federally endangered species, whose native distribution includes lower Abrams Creek in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) and Citico Creek in nearby Cherokee National Forest. Due to challenges for bio-monitoring posed by its nocturnality and cryptic life history, an environmental DNA (eDNA)-based approach for detection would be useful to...

Biodiversity conservation efforts have been criticized for generating inequitable socio-economic outcomes. These equity challenges are largely analyzed as place-based problems affecting local communities directly impacted by conservation programs. The conservation of migratory species extends this problem geographically since people in one place may benefit while those in another bear...

Little is known about water movement, volume, or residence time (RT), and how those characteristics affect sediment trapping efficiency (TE) and dissolved oxygen concentrations (DO) in the United States' largest remaining bottomland hardwood swamp, the Atchafalaya River Basin. To better understand these dynamics, this study used bathymetry, lidar, and stage records to determine volumes...

We developed new bull trout genetic markers using Restriction-site Associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) to improve our ability to address questions important for their conservation and management. Samples from across the species range were sequenced and 5020 high quality single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci were discovered, including hundreds with high heterozygosity (H > 0.30). We...

Environmental contamination is widespread and can negatively impact wildlife health. Some contaminants, including heavy metals, have immunosuppressive effects, but prior studies have rarely measured contamination and disease simultaneously, which limits our understanding of how contaminants and pathogens interact to influence wildlife health. Here, we measured mercury concentrations...