All Publications

Gape-limited predators (e.g., snakes, many fish) are not generally expected to pose a predation threat to prey that are too large for them to swallow. However, the extent to which snakes predate on prey that exceed their gape limitation remains largely unknown. We conducted the first study to investigate the influence of both prey and predator sizes on the frequency of ingestion success...

Non-native species can affect ecosystems by influencing native predator-prey dynamics. Therefore, management interventions designed to remove non-natives may inadvertently lead to increased predation on native species. Feral horses are widely distributed throughout the arid parts of western North America. A growing body of research indicates that horses can be an important prey species...

Options for selecting a high Na concentration mineral for instrument calibration that are suitably stable under the electron beam are limited [1]. NaCl (approximately a mass fraction of 39 % Na) is not practical for use alongside other embedded and polished materials in a mounted block of standards. While albite (NaAlSi3O8; approximately a mass fraction of 8 % Na) represents a typical...

Cultures throughout history have valued jadeite jade (hereinafter jade), a natural material assemblage composed predominately of the NaAl endmember pyroxene, jadeite (NaAlSi2O6) that is prized for its mechanical properties and enticing coloration [1, 2]. The geological setting for the formation of jadeite-rich rocks and associated complex geochemical phenomena is well documented in the...

Angrite meteorites represent interesting sampling of planetary crustal environments. Quench-textured angrites with strong crystal zoning originated from the shallow surface region, with evidence of reducing conditions during solidification. Plutonic angrites have more coarse-grained igneous and metamorphic textures with comparatively less zoning and are interpreted as having equilibrated...

Mercury (Hg) concentrations and their associated toxicological effects in terrestrial ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico are largely unknown. Compounding this uncertainty, a large input of organic matter from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill may have altered Hg cycling and bioaccumulation dynamics. To test this idea, we quantified blood concentrations of total mercury (THg) in Seaside...

From April-May 2024, the NASA Mentors who span eleven Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) co-led the third Champions Cohort with the NASA Openscapes project team, this year focusing on, teaching lessons they adapted for geospatial and cloud analysis. The Cohort included nine international research teams from academia and government that were curious about working with NASA...

As of 2024, there are 32 National Scenic and Historic Trails (NSHTs) in the system administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. The BLM administers, manages, and protects 19 of these trails as part of its system of national conservation lands. Various laws, regulations, and policies require that the BLM...

Intertribal networks for collecting and analyzing hydrologic and environmental data are growing. The U.S. Geological Survey can be a key partner with Tribal Nations in the further development of network capacity. A first step is the internship opportunity available through the partnership between the USGS and The Wildlife Society: The Native American Research Assistantship Program.

Habitat loss, agricultural intensification, pesticide use, disease and climate change have contributed to the decline of numerous insect groups. Recent government initiatives have recognized the importance of supplementary wildflower plantings to support native bee populations, yet little information exists on the attractiveness of recommended plant species to bees.With the use of...

Decades of human activities and fire suppression have adversely affected longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystems, which are home to high levels of diversity and endemism. These iconic ecosystems also now face challenges from urbanization and climate change, which will alter conservation outcomes over the remainder of the 21st century. To explore how long-term, large-scale human...

Seismic boundaries caused by phase transitions between olivine polymorphs in Earth's mantle provide thermal and compositional markers that inform mantle dynamics. Seismic studies of the mantle transition zone often use either global averaging with sparse arrays or regional sampling from a single dense array. The intermediate approach of this study utilizes many densely spaced seismic...