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Publications

These publications showcase the significant science conducted in our Science Centers.

Filter Total Items: 16731

The impact of conservation on the status of the world's vertebrates The impact of conservation on the status of the world's vertebrates

Using data for 25,780 species categorized on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, we present an assessment of the status of the world's vertebrates. One-fifth of species are classified as Threatened, and we show that this figure is increasing: On average, 52 species of mammals, birds, and amphibians move one category closer to extinction each year. However, this...
Authors
Michael Hoffmann, Craig Hilton-Taylor, Ariadne Angulo, Monika Bohm, Thomas M. Brooks, Stuart H.M. Butchart, Kent E. Carpenter, Janice Chanson, Ben Collen, Neil A. Cox, William R.T. Darwall, Nicholas K. Dulvy, Lucy R. Harrison, Vineet Katariya, Caroline M. Pollock, Suhel Quader, Nadia I. Richman, Ana S.L. Rodrigues, Marcelo F. Tognelli, Jean-Christophe Vie, John M. Aguiar, David J. Allen, Gerald R. Allen, Giovanni Amori, Natalia B. Ananjeva, Franco Androene, Paul Andrew, Aida Luz Aquino Ortiz, Jonathan E.M. Baillie, Ricardo Baldi, Ben D. Bell, S.D. Biju, Jeremy P. Bird, Patricia Black-Decima, J. Julian Blanc, Federico Bolanos, Wilmar Bolivar-G., Ian J. Burfield, James A. Burton, David R. Capper, Fernando Castro, Gianluca Catullo, Rachel D. Cavanagh, Alan Channing, Ning Labbish Chao, Anna M. Chenery, Federica Chiozza, Viola Clausnitzer, Nigel J. Collar, Leah C. Collett, Bruce B. Collette, Claudia F. Cortez Fernandez, Matthew T. Craig, Michael J. Crosby, Neil Cumberlidge, Annabelle Cuttelod, Andrew E. Derocher, Arvin C. Diesmos, John S. Donaldson, J.W. Duckworth, Guy Dutson, S.K. Dutta, Richard H. Emslie, Aljos Farjon, Sarah Fowler, Jorg Freyhof, David L. Garshelis, Justin Gerlach, David J. Gower, Tandora D. Grant, Geoffrey A. Hammerson, Richard B. Harris, Lawrence R. Heaney, S. Blair Hedges, Jean-Marc Hero, Baz Hughes, Syed Ainul Hussain, Javier M. Icochea, Robert F. Inger, Nobuo Ishii, Djoko T. Iskandar, Richard K.B. Jenkins, Yoshio Kaneko, Maurice Kottelat, Kit M. Kovacs, Sergius L. Kuzmin, Enrique La Marca, John F. Lamoreux, Michael W.N. Lau, Esteban O. Lavilla, Kristin Leus, Rebecca L. Lewison, Gabriela Lichtenstein, Suzanne R. Livingstone, Vimoksolehi Lukoschek, David P. Mallon, Philip J.K. McGowan, Anna McIvor, Patricia D. Moehlman, Sanjay Molur, Antonio Munoz Alonso, John A. Musick, Kristin Nowell, Ronald A. Nussbaum, Wanda Olech, Nikolay L. Orlov, Theodore J. Papenfuss, Gabriela Parra-Olea, William F. Perrin, Beth A. Polidoro, Mohammad Pourkazemi, Paul A. Racey, James S. Ragle, Mala Ram, Galen Rathbun, Robert P. Reynolds, Anders G.J. Rhodin, Stephen J. Richards, Lily O. Rodriguez, Santiago R. Ron, Carlo Rondinini, Anthony B. Rylands, Yvonne Sadovy de Mitcheson, Jonnell C. Sanciangco, Kate L. Sanders, Georgina Santos-Barrera, Jan Schipper, Caryn Self-Sullivan, Yichuan Shi, Alan Shoemaker, Frederick T. Short, Claudio Sillero-Zubiri, Debora L. Silvano, Kevin G. Smith, Andrew T. Smith, Jos Snoeks, Alison J. Stattersfield, Andrew J. Symes, Andrew B. Taber, Bibhab K. Talukdar, Helen J. Temple, Rob Timmins, Joseph A. Tobias, Katerina Tsytsulina, Denis Tweddle, Carmen Ubeda, Sarah V. Valenti, Peter Paul van Dijk, Liza M. Veiga, Alberto Veloso, David C. Wege, Mark Wilkinson, Elizabeth A. Williamson, Feng Xie, Bruce E. Young, H. Resit Akcakaya, Leon Bennun, Tim M. Blackburn, Luigi Boitani, Holly T. Dublin, Gustavo A. B. da Fonseca, Claude Gascon, Thomas E. Lacher, Georgina M. Mace, Susan A. Mainka, Jeffery A. McNeely, Russell A. Mittermeier, Gordon McGregor Reid, Jon Paul Rodriguez, Andrew A. Rosenberg, Michael J. Samways, Jane Smart, Bruce A. Stein, Simon N. Stuart

Earth mineral resource of the month: asbestos Earth mineral resource of the month: asbestos

The article discusses the characteristics and feature of asbestos. According to the author, asbestos is a generic name for six needle-shaped minerals that possess high tensile strengths, flexibility, and resistance to chemical and thermal degradation. These minerals are actinolite, amosite, anthophyllite, chrysolite, crocilodite and tremolite. Asbestos is used for strengthening concrete...
Authors
Robert L. Virta

Reproduction in mallards exposed to dietary concentrations of methylmercury Reproduction in mallards exposed to dietary concentrations of methylmercury

The purpose of this experiment was to use mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) tested under controlled conditions to determine how much harm to reproduction resulted from various concentrations of mercury in eggs. Breeding pairs of mallards were fed a control diet or diets containing 1, 2, 4, or 8 μg/g mercury, as methylmercury chloride. Mean concentrations of mercury in eggs laid by parents...
Authors
Gary Heinz, David J. Hoffman, Jon D. Klimstra, Katherine R. Stebbins

Predictors of occurrence of the aquatic macrophyte Podostemum ceratophyllum in a southern Appalachian River Predictors of occurrence of the aquatic macrophyte Podostemum ceratophyllum in a southern Appalachian River

The aquatic macrophyte Podostemum ceratophyllum (Hornleaf Riverweed) commonly provides habitat for invertebrates and fishes in flowing-water portions of Piedmont and Appalachian streams in the eastern US. We quantified variation in percent cover by P. ceratophyllum in a 39-km reach of the Conasauga River, TN and GA, to test the hypothesis that cover decreased with increasing non-forest...
Authors
Jane E. Argentina, Mary Freeman, Byron J. Freeman

Hydrostratigraphy, soil/sediment chemistry, and water quality, Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer system, Puchack Well Field Superfund site and vicinity, Pennsauken Township, Camden County, New Jersey, 1997-2001 Hydrostratigraphy, soil/sediment chemistry, and water quality, Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer system, Puchack Well Field Superfund site and vicinity, Pennsauken Township, Camden County, New Jersey, 1997-2001

Drinking-water supplies from the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer system at the Puchack well field in Pennsauken Township, Camden County, New Jersey, have been contaminated by hexavalent chromium-the most toxic and mobile form-at concentrations exceeding the New Jersey maximum contaminant level of 100 micrograms per liter. Also, scattered but widespread instances of volatile organic...
Authors
Julia L. Barringer, Richard L. Walker, Eric Jacobsen, Pamela Jankowski

Intraperitoneal injections as a possible means of generating varied levels of methylmercury in the eggs of birds in field studies Intraperitoneal injections as a possible means of generating varied levels of methylmercury in the eggs of birds in field studies

The ideal study of the effects of methylmercury on the reproductive success of a species of bird would be one in which eggs contained mercury concentrations ranging from controls to very heavily contaminated, all at the same site. Such a study cannot be realized at a mercury contaminated area or under laboratory conditions, but could be achieved by introducing methylmercury into breeding...
Authors
Gary Heinz, David J. Hoffman, Jon D. Klimstra, Katherine R. Stebbins

Preliminary Assessment of the Hydrogeology and Groundwater Availability in the Metamorphic and Siliciclastic Fractured-Rock Aquifer Systems of Warren County, Virginia Preliminary Assessment of the Hydrogeology and Groundwater Availability in the Metamorphic and Siliciclastic Fractured-Rock Aquifer Systems of Warren County, Virginia

Expanding development and the prolonged drought from 1999 to 2002 drew attention to the quantity and sustainability of the groundwater resources in Warren County, Virginia. The groundwater flow systems of the county are complex and are controlled by the extremely folded and faulted geology that underlies the county. A study was conducted between May 2002 and October 2008 by the U.S...
Authors
David L. Nelms, Roger M. Moberg

Certhiasomus, a new genus of woodcreeper (Aves: Passeriformes: Dendrocolaptidae) Certhiasomus, a new genus of woodcreeper (Aves: Passeriformes: Dendrocolaptidae)

Phylogenetic analysis of the family Dendrocolaptidae (Aves: Passeriformes) indicates that the two species traditionally placed in the genus Deconychura are not sister taxa. Certhiasomus, a new genus of woodcreeper, is described for one of these species, C. stictolaemus.
Authors
Elizabeth Derryberry, Santiago Claramunt, R. Terry Chesser, Alexandre Aleixo, Joel Cracraft, Robert G. Moyle, Robb T. Brumfield

A review of sediment budget imbalances along Fire Island, New York: Can nearshore geologic framework and patterns of shoreline change explain the deficit? A review of sediment budget imbalances along Fire Island, New York: Can nearshore geologic framework and patterns of shoreline change explain the deficit?

Sediment budget analyses conducted for annual to decadal timescales report variable magnitudes of littoral transport along the south shore of Long Island, New York. It is well documented that the primary transport component is directed alongshore from east to west, but relatively little information has been reported concerning the directions or magnitudes of cross-shore components. Our...
Authors
Cheryl J. Hapke, Erika E. Lentz, Paul T. Gayes, Clayton A. McCoy, Rachel E. Henderson, William C. Schwab, S. Jeffress Williams

An integrated sampling and analysis approach for improved biodiversity monitoring An integrated sampling and analysis approach for improved biodiversity monitoring

Successful biodiversity conservation requires high quality monitoring data and analyses to ensure scientifically defensible policy, legislation, and management. Although monitoring is a critical component in assessing population status and trends, many governmental and non-governmental organizations struggle to develop and implement effective sampling protocols and statistical analyses...
Authors
Amielle A. DeWan, Elise F. Zipkin

Acute toxicity of diphacinone in Northern bobwhite: Effects on survival and blood clotting Acute toxicity of diphacinone in Northern bobwhite: Effects on survival and blood clotting

The anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone was slightly toxic (acute oral LD50 2014 mg/kg) to Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) in a 14-day acute toxicity trial. Precise and sensitive assays of blood clotting (prothrombin time, Russell’s Viper venom time, and thrombin clotting time) were adapted for use in quail, and this combination of assays is recommended to measure the effects...
Authors
Barnett A. Rattner, Katherine E. Horak, Sarah E. Warner, John J. Johnston
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