Publications
These publications showcase the significant science conducted in our Science Centers.
Filter Total Items: 16727
Estimating movement and survival rates of a small saltwater fish using autonomous antenna receiver arrays and passive integrated transponder tags Estimating movement and survival rates of a small saltwater fish using autonomous antenna receiver arrays and passive integrated transponder tags
We evaluated the performance of small (12.5 mm long) passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags and custom detection antennas for obtaining fine-scale movement and demographic data of mummichog Fundulus heteroclitus in a salt marsh creek. Apparent survival and detection probability were estimated using a Cormack Jolly Seber (CJS) model fitted to detection data collected by an array of 3...
Authors
Paul J. Rudershausen, Jeffery A. Buckel, Todd Dubreuil, Matthew J. O’Donnell, Joseph E. Hightower, Steven J. Poland, Benjamin H. Letcher
Aspidoscelis deppii (Black-bellied Racerunner). Predation by Great Egrets Aspidoscelis deppii (Black-bellied Racerunner). Predation by Great Egrets
Aspidoscelis deppii) is widely distributed from Veracruz and Michoacan, Mexico to Costa Rica (Köhler et al. 2006. The Amphibians and Reptiles of El Salvador. Krieger Publishing Co., Malabar, Florida. 238 pp.). Neotropical lizards are abundant and common prey to all classes of terrestrial vertebrates, and bird predation of lizards is well known.
Authors
Robert P. Reynolds, James F. Whatton, Christina A. Gebhard
Threshold concepts: implications for the management of natural resources Threshold concepts: implications for the management of natural resources
Threshold concepts can have broad relevance in natural resource management. However, the concept of ecological thresholds has not been widely incorporated or adopted in management goals. This largely stems from the uncertainty revolving around threshold levels and the post hoc analyses that have generally been used to identify them. Natural resource managers have a need for new tools and
Authors
Glenn R. Guntenspergen, John Gross
North American amphibians: Distribution and diversity North American amphibians: Distribution and diversity
Some 300 species of amphibians inhabit North America. The past two decades have seen an enormous growth in interest about amphibians and an increased intensity of scientific research into their fascinating biology and continent-wide distribution. This atlas presents the spectacular diversity of North American amphibians in a geographic context. It covers all formally recognized amphibian...
A deglacial and Holocene record of climate variability in south-central Alaska from stable oxygen isotopes and plant macrofossils in peat A deglacial and Holocene record of climate variability in south-central Alaska from stable oxygen isotopes and plant macrofossils in peat
We used stable oxygen isotopes derived from bulk peat (δ18OTOM), in conjunction with plant macrofossils and previously published carbon accumulation records, in a ∼14,500 cal yr BP peat core (HT Fen) from the Kenai lowlands in south-central Alaska to reconstruct the climate history of the area. We find that patterns are broadly consistent with those from lacustrine records across the...
Authors
Miriam C. Jones, Matthew J. Wooller, Dorothy M. Peteet
A Bayesian network approach to predicting nest presence of thefederally-threatened piping plover (Charadrius melodus) using barrier island features A Bayesian network approach to predicting nest presence of thefederally-threatened piping plover (Charadrius melodus) using barrier island features
Sea-level rise and human development pose significant threats to shorebirds, particularly for species that utilize barrier island habitat. The piping plover (Charadrius melodus) is a federally-listed shorebird that nests on barrier islands and rapidly responds to changes in its physical environment, making it an excellent species with which to model how shorebird species may respond to...
Authors
Katherina D. Gieder, Sarah M. Karpanty, James D. Fraser, Daniel H. Catlin, Benjamin T. Gutierrez, Nathaniel G. Plant, Aaron M. Turecek, E. Robert Thieler
Aspidoscelis deppii (black-bellied racerunner). Predation by turkey vulture. Aspidoscelis deppii (black-bellied racerunner). Predation by turkey vulture.
Aspidoscelis deppii is widely distributed from Veracruz and Michoacan, Mexico, to Costa Rica (Köhler et al. 2006. The Amphibians and Reptiles of El Salvador, Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, Florida. 238 pp.). Neotropical lizards are abundant and common prey to all classes of terrestrial vertebrates, and bird predation of lizards is well known. The Turkey Vulture (Carthartes aura) is...
Authors
Robert P. Reynolds, Christina A. Gebhard
Can uncertainties in sea ice albedo reconcile patterns of data-model discord for the Pliocene and 20th/21st centuries? Can uncertainties in sea ice albedo reconcile patterns of data-model discord for the Pliocene and 20th/21st centuries?
General Circulation Model simulations of the mid-Pliocene warm period (mPWP, 3.264 to 3.025 Myr ago) currently underestimate the level of warming that proxy data suggest existed at high latitudes, with discrepancies of up to 11°C for sea surface temperature estimates and 17°C for surface air temperature estimates. Sea ice has a strong influence on high-latitude climates, partly due to...
Authors
Fergus W. Howell, Alan M. Haywood, Aisling M. Dolan, Harry J. Dowsett, Jane E Francis, Daniel J. Hill, Steven J. Pickering, James O. Pope, Ulrich Salzmann, Bidget S Wade
Mineral Resource of the Month: Talc Mineral Resource of the Month: Talc
When people think of talc, they often think of talcum and baby powder. However, these uses of talc are minor compared to its use in industrial manufacturing. The leading use of talc in the United States is in the production of ceramics, where it is a source of magnesium oxide, serves as a flux to reduce firing temperatures, and improves thermal shock characteristics of the final product...
Authors
Robert L. Virta, Bradley S. Van Gosen
Soil criteria to protect terrestrial wildlife and open-range livestock from metal toxicity at mining sites Soil criteria to protect terrestrial wildlife and open-range livestock from metal toxicity at mining sites
Thousands of hard rock mines exist in the western USA and in other parts of the world as a result of historic and current gold, silver, lead, and mercury mining. Many of these sites in the USA are on public lands. Typical mine waste associated with these sites are tailings and waste rock dumps that may be used by wildlife and open-range livestock. This report provides wildlife screening...
Authors
Karl L Ford, W. Nelson Beyer
Porphyry copper assessment of Central America and the Caribbean Basin Porphyry copper assessment of Central America and the Caribbean Basin
Mineral resource assessments provide a synthesis of available information about distributions of mineral deposits in the Earth’s crust. The U.S. Geological Survey prepared a probabilistic mineral resource assessment of undiscovered resources in porphyry copper deposits in Central America and the Caribbean Basin in collaboration with geoscientists from academia and the minerals industry...
Authors
Floyd Gray, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Stephen Ludington, Lukas Zürcher, Carl E. Nelson, Gilpin R. Robinson, Robert J. Miller, Barry C. Moring
Monitoring of wild fish health at selected sites in the Great Lakes Basin: methods and preliminary results Monitoring of wild fish health at selected sites in the Great Lakes Basin: methods and preliminary results
During fall 2010 and spring 2011, a total of 119 brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus), 136 white sucker (Catostomus commersoni), 73 smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), and 59 largemouth bass (M. salmoides) were collected from seven Great Lakes Basin Areas of Concern and one Reference Site. Comprehensive fish health assessments were conducted in order to document potential adverse...
Authors
Vicki Blazer, Patricia M. Mazik, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Ryan Braham, Cassidy Hahn, Heather L. Walsh, Adam Sperry