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Publications

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

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Stable isotope and pen feeding trial studies confirm the value of horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus eggs to spring migrant shorebirds in Delaware Bay Stable isotope and pen feeding trial studies confirm the value of horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus eggs to spring migrant shorebirds in Delaware Bay

We used stable isotope (SI) methods in combination with pen feeding trials to determine the importance of eggs of the Atlantic horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus to migratory fattening of red knots Calidris canutus rufa and ruddy turnstones Arenaria interpres morinella during spring stopover in Delaware Bay. By manifesting measurable fractionation (ca +3‰) and rapid turnover, blood plasma...
Authors
G.M. Haramis, W.A. Link, P.C. Osenton, Daniel B. Carter, R.G. Weber, N.A. Clark, M.A. Teece, D.S. Mizrahi

Natural communities in catch basins in southern Rhode Island Natural communities in catch basins in southern Rhode Island

Storm-water drainage catch basins are manmade structures that often contain water and organic matter, making them suitable environments for various organisms. We censused organisms inhabiting catch basins in southern Rhode Island in 2002 in an effort to begin to describe these communities. Catch-basin inhabitants were mostly detritivores, including annelids, arthropods, and mollusks that...
Authors
M. Butler, H. S. Ginsberg, R.A. LeBrun, A.D. Gettman, F. Pollnak

Forty-eighth supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds Forty-eighth supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds

This is the seventh Supplement since the publication of the 7th edition of the Check-list of North American Birds (American Ornithologists’ Union [AOU] 1998). It summarizes decisions made by the AOU’s Committee on Classification and Nomenclature-North America between 1 January and 31 December 2006.
Authors
Richard C. Banks, R.T. Chesser, C. Cicero, J.L. Dunn, A.W. Kratter, I.J. Lovette, P.C. Rasmussen, J.V. Remsen, J.D. Rising, D.F. Stotz

Deer exposed to exceptionally high concentrations of lead near the Continental Mine in Idaho, USA Deer exposed to exceptionally high concentrations of lead near the Continental Mine in Idaho, USA

Habitat surrounding the inactive Continental Mine in northern Idaho, USA, supports bear (Ursus arctos, Ursus americanus), moose (Alces alces), elk (Cervus elaphus), woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), and abundant mule (Odocoileus hemionus) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Tailings on the mining site were capped and remediated in 2003 to reduce environmental...
Authors
W. N. Beyer, G. Gaston, R. Brazzle, A.F. O'Connell, D. J. Audet

Biomechanical factors contributing to self-organization in seagrass landscapes Biomechanical factors contributing to self-organization in seagrass landscapes

Field observations have revealed that when water flow is consistently from one direction, seagrass shoots align in rows perpendicular to the primary axis of flow direction. In this study, live Zostera marina shoots were arranged either randomly or in rows perpendicular to the flow direction and tested in a seawater flume under unidirectional flow and waves to determine if shoot...
Authors
M.S. Fonseca, M.A.R. Koehl, B.S. Kopp

USGS advances in integrated, high-resolution sea-floor mapping: inner continental shelf to estuaries USGS advances in integrated, high-resolution sea-floor mapping: inner continental shelf to estuaries

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been involved in geological mapping of the sea floor for the past thirty years. Early geophysical and acoustic mapping efforts using GLORIA (Geologic LOng Range Inclined ASDIC) a long-range sidescan-sonar system, provided broad-scale imagery of deep waters within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). In the early 1990's, research emphasis shifted...
Authors
J. F. Denny, W. C. Schwab, D.C. Twichell, T.F. O’Brien, W. W. Danforth, D. S. Foster, E. Bergeron, C.W. Worley, B.J. Irwin, B. Butman, P. C. Valentine, W. E. Baldwin, R.A. Morton, E.R. Thieler, D.R. Nichols, B.D. Andrews

Effects of dietary selenium on tissue concentrations,pathology, oxidative stress, and immune function in common eiders (Somateria mollissima) Effects of dietary selenium on tissue concentrations,pathology, oxidative stress, and immune function in common eiders (Somateria mollissima)

Common eiders (Somateria mollissima) were fed added Se (as L-selenomethionine) in concentrations increasing from 10 to 80 ppm in a pilot study (Study 1) or 20 (low exposure) and up to 60 (high exposure) ppm Se in Study 2. Body weights of Study 1 ducks and high-exposure ducks in Study 2 declined rapidly. Mean concentrations of Se in blood reached 32.4 ppm wet weight in Study 1 and 17.5...
Authors
J. Christian Franson, David Hoffman, Alicia M. Wells-Berlin, Matthew C. Perry, Valerie Shearn-Bochsler, Daniel L. Finley, Paul L. Flint, Tuula E. Hollmén

Magnesium compounds Magnesium compounds

Seawater and natural brines accounted for about 52 percent of U.S. magnesium compounds production in 2006. Dead-burned magnesia was produced by Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties from well brines in Michigan. Caustic-calcined magnesia was recovered from sea-water by Premier Chemicals in Florida; from well brines in Michigan by Martin Marietta and Rohm and Haas; and from magnesite in...
Authors
D.A. Kramer

Assessment of Alternative Substrates for Culturing Lumbriculus variegatus Assessment of Alternative Substrates for Culturing Lumbriculus variegatus

The freshwater oligochaete, Lumbriculus variegatus, is tank-cultured to provide organisms for aquatic-habitat assessments, regeneration research and as a clean source of live food for aquarium fishes. Shredded paper is the typical substrate in cultures used to rear L. variegatus for these purposes. However, the effort needed to separate large numbers from decomposing paper can be...
Authors
P. J. Lasier

Winter behavior and ecology of the Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum) in Peru Winter behavior and ecology of the Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum) in Peru

The winter ecology and behavior of Alder Flycatchers (Empidonax alnorum) were studied along the Manu, a white-water meander river in Manu National Park, Madre de Dios, Peru during October and November, 1993 to 1997. The birds occupied territories in primary-succession habitats on growing point bars. They were most common in mixed stands of Tessaria integrifolia (Asteraceae) and Gynerium
Authors
M.S. Foster

The Washington Biologists' Field Club : Its members and its history (1900-2006) The Washington Biologists' Field Club : Its members and its history (1900-2006)

This book is based on the interesting one-hundred-plus-year history of the Club and its members. Plummers Island and the historic cabin on the Island have served as a common meeting area where the Club members have conducted research and held many social activities for over a century. The history has been written and revised over the years by members, and the biographical sketches also...
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