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Publications

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

Filter Total Items: 16746

An 40Ar/39Ar thermochronology of the Ofoten‐Troms region: Implications for terrane amalgamation and extensional collapse of the northern Scandinavian Caledonides An 40Ar/39Ar thermochronology of the Ofoten‐Troms region: Implications for terrane amalgamation and extensional collapse of the northern Scandinavian Caledonides

Fifteen 40Ar/39Ar cooling ages are reported for metamorphic hornblende and muscovite from far traveled terranes constituting the Ofoten nappe stack of northern Norway. Eight cooling ages on hornblende range from 425 to 394 Ma and seven muscovite ages, from the same or nearby outcrops as the hornblendes, range from 400 to 373 Ma. These data are compared with 40Ar/39Ar ages from over a...
Authors
Janet E. Coker, Mark G. Steltenpohl, A. Andersen, Michael J. Kunk

Age of the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary in the Western Interior of the United States Age of the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary in the Western Interior of the United States

High precision 40Ar/39Ar laser-microprobe ages of individual sanidines,40Ar/39Ar plateau age spectra on bulk sanidine concentrates, U-Pb zircon ages, and zircon and apatite fission-track ages from three bentonites bracketing the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary in the Western Interior of the United States suggest an age for the boundary of 93.1 ± 0.3 (2σ. The lowermost bentonite comes from...
Authors
B. J. Kowallis, Eric H. Christiansen, Alan L. Deino, Michael J. Kunk, L. Heaman

Response of northern pintail breeding populations to drought, 1961-1992 Response of northern pintail breeding populations to drought, 1961-1992

According to data from the 1960s, northern pintails (Anas acuta) fly north of the Alberta and Saskatchewan prairies during drought resulting in decreasing pintail annual production. Reanalysis of overflight and reduced-production hypotheses using data from 1961-92 indicated that, although the same basic relationships were present, these relationships changed over time. The number of...
Authors
Jay B. Hestbeck

Effects of diet on rate of body mass gain by wintering canvasbacks Effects of diet on rate of body mass gain by wintering canvasbacks

Because habitat degradation has led to the loss of submerged vegetation in Chesapeake Bay, wintering canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria) have shifted from a plant diet of American wildcelery (Vallisneria americana) to an animal diet of Baltic clams (Macoma balthica). We conducted experiments with pen-reared canvasbacks (n = 32, 1990; n = 32, 1991) to assess the effect of this diet change on...
Authors
Dennis G. Jorde, G. Michael Haramis, Christine M. Bunck, Grey W. Pendleton

A ten-year history of the demography and productivity of an Arctic wolf pack A ten-year history of the demography and productivity of an Arctic wolf pack

A pack of two to eight adult wolves (Canis lupus arctos) and their pups was observed during ten summers (1986-95) on Ellesmere Island, Northwest Territories, Canada. The author habituated the wolf pack to his presence in the first summer and reinforced the habituation each summer thereafter. The first alpha female produced four to six pups each year between 1986 and 1989. However, her...
Authors
L.D. Mech

Demography of birds in a neotropical forest: Effects of allometry, taxonomy, and ecology Demography of birds in a neotropical forest: Effects of allometry, taxonomy, and ecology

Comparative demographic studies of terrestrial vertebrates have included few samples of species from tropical forests. We analyzed 9 yr of mark—recapture data and estimated demographic parameters for 25 species of birds inhabiting lowland forests in central Panama. These species were all songbirds (Order Passeriformes) ranging in mass from 7 to 57 g. Using Jolly—Seber stochastic models...
Authors
J. D. Brawn, James R. Karr, James D. Nichols

Fluorspar Fluorspar

The production, consumption, and applications of fluorspar are reviewed. In 1994, the U.S. exported about 45 kt of fluorspar, but, according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, 493 kt were imported during the same period. Consumption, according to preliminary figures from the U.S. Bureau of Mines, was about 473 kt. China continued to be the main supplier of imports to the U.S. with 61...
Authors
M. Miller

Residues and trends of organochlorine pesticide and polychlorinated biphenyls in birds from Texas, 1965-88 Residues and trends of organochlorine pesticide and polychlorinated biphenyls in birds from Texas, 1965-88

Concentrations of DDE (a metabolite of DDT) in birds decreased during recent years in most areas of the continental United States. Organochlorine pesticides were widely used in agriculture in Texas from the early 1950s to the 1970s. I used previously published data to determine whether concentrations of DDE and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in birds from Texas have followed a...
Authors
Miguel A. Mora

Bioindicators used in aquatic and terrestrial monitoring Bioindicators used in aquatic and terrestrial monitoring

There are many different types of contaminants present in the environment ranging from synthetic chemicals, which would not be present in the environment without man's intervention, to trace metals that are required for life. Concerns range from possible harmful effects on flora and fauna to possible harm to humans consuming such organisms. The complete chemical analysis for all possible
Authors
Mark J. Melancon

The challenge and opportunity of recovering wolf populations The challenge and opportunity of recovering wolf populations

The gray wolf once inhabited a wide variety of habitats throughout most of the northern hemisphere north of 20°N latitude. Because the animal preyed on livestock and competed with humans for wild prey, it was extirpated from much of its range outside of wilderness areas. Environmental awareness in the late 1960s brought for the wolf legal protection, increased research, and favorable...
Authors
L.D. Mech
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