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At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
USGS2010

BRIDGES: Evolution of basic and applied linkages in benthic science

Growing awareness of environmental degradation resulted in stricter environmental regulations and laws for aquatic ecosystems. These regulations were followed by an increase in applied research and monitoring beginning in the early 1970s. The number of applied scientists who were members of the North American Benthological Society grew at a commensurate rate. The editors of J-NABS recognized that, despite these increases, submitted manuscripts mostly addressed basic science. In response, the BRIDGES section of J-NABS was created in 1994 to provide a forum for linking basic ecological principles to applied science problems and issues. We examined the emergence of applied science topics in J-NABS and its predecessor, Freshwater Invertebrate Biology , from their beginning in 1982 to 2009. We classified papers among 11 categories that included a basic/applied science linkage. In the 1980s, applied papers were predominantly on effects of eutrophication/pollution and landuse changes. When BRIDGES was established in 1994, papers were solicited by editors and BRIDGES sections usually included >1 paper on a common theme to express complementary or alternate viewpoints. Forty-two papers appeared in BRIDGES between 1994 and 2009, but the number per issue declined after 2001. The total number of applied science papers in J-NABS has increased since ∼1994. Citation analysis of BRIDGES papers illustrates how information is being cited, but applied papers often are used in ways that might not lead to citations. BRIDGES transitioned to a new format in September 2009 to address new types of complex, multifaceted linkages. All new BRIDGES articles will be open access, and authors will be encouraged to produce lay-language fact sheets and to post them on the web.

Journal of the North American Benthological Societ↗
USGS2007

Amphibian populations in the terrestrial environment: Is there evidence of declines of terrestrial forest amphibians in northwestern California?

Amphibian declines have been documented worldwide; however the vast majority are species associated with aquatic habitats. Information on the status and trends of terrestrial amphibians is almost entirely lacking. Here we use data collected across a 12-yr period (sampling from 1984-86 and from 1993-95) to address the question of whether evidence exists for declines among terrestrial amphibians in northwestern California forests. The majority of amphibians, both species and relative numbers, in these forests are direct-developing salamanders of the family Plethodontidae. We examined amphibian richness and evenness, and the relative abundances of the four most common species of plethodontid salamanders. We examined evidence of differences between years in two ecological provinces (coastal and interior) and across young, mature, and late seral forests and with reference to a moisture gradient from xeric to hydric within late seral forests. We found evidence of declines in species richness across years on late seral mesic stands and in the coastal ecological province, but these differences appeared to be caused by differences in the detection of rarer species, rather than evidence of an overall pattern. We also found differences among specific years in numbers of individuals of the most abundant species, Ensatina eschscholtzii, but these differences also failed to reflect a consistent pattern of declines between the two decadal sample periods. Results showing differences in richness, evenness, and relative abundances along both the seral and moisture continua were consistent with previous research. Overall, we found no compelling evidence of a downward trend in terrestrial plethodontid salamanders. We believe that continued monitoring of terrestrial salamander populations is important to understanding mechanisms of population declines in amphibian species. Copyright 2007 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.

Journal of Herpetology↗
USGS2005

Multilevel assessment of fish species traits to evaluate habitat degradation in streams of the upper midwest

We used species traits to examine the variation in fish assemblages for 21 streams in the Northern Lakes and Forests Ecoregion along a gradient of habitat disturbance. Fish species were classified based on five species trait-classes (trophic ecology, substrate preference, geomorphic preference, locomotion morphology, and reproductive strategy) and 29 categories within those classes. We used a habitat quality index to define a reference stream and then calculated Euclidean distances between the reference and each of the other sites for the five traits. Three levels of species trait analyses were conducted: (1) a composite measure (the sum of Euclidean distances across all five species traits), (2) Euclidean distances for the five individual species trait-classes, and (3) frequencies of occurrence of individual trait categories. The composite Euclidean distance was significantly correlated to the habitat index (r = -0.81; P = 0.001), as were the Euclidean distances for four of the five individual species traits (substrate preference: r = -0.70, P = 0.001; geomorphic preference: r = -0.69, P = 0.001; trophic ecology: r = -0.73, P = 0.001; and reproductive strategy: r = -0.64, P = 0.002). Although Euclidean distances for locomotion morphology were not significantly correlated to habitat index scores (r = -0.21; P = 0.368), analysis of variance and principal components analysis indicated that Euclidean distances for locomotion morphology contributed to significant variation in the fish assemblages among sites. Examination of trait categories indicated that low habitat index scores (degraded streams) were associated with changes in frequency of occurrence within the categories of all five of the species traits. Though the objectives and spatial scale of a study will dictate the level of species trait information required, our results suggest that species traits can provide critical information at multiple levels of data analysis. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2005.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management↗
USGS2011

Context-specific parasitism in Tubifex tubifex in geothermally influenced stream reaches in Yellowstone National Park

Parasites can regulate host abundance and influence the composition and structure of communities. However, host-parasite interactions might be context-specific if environmental conditions can alter the outcome of parasitism and disease. An understanding of how host-parasite interactions might change in different contexts will be useful for predicting and managing disease against a background of anthropogenic environmental change. We examined the ecology of Myxobolus cerebralis , the parasite that causes whirling disease in salmonids, and its obligate host, Tubifex tubifex , in geothermally variable stream reaches in Yellowstone National Park. We identified reaches in 4 categories of geothermal influence, which were characterized by variable substrates, temperatures, specific conductivities, and pH. In each reach, we measured aspects of host ecology (abundance, relative abundance, size, and genotype of T. tubifex ), parasite ecology (infection prevalence in T. tubifex and abundance of M. cerebralis -infected T. tubifex ), and risk to fish of contracting whirling disease. Tubifex tubifex abundance was high all in reaches characterized by geothermal influence, whereas abundance of M. cerebralis -infected T. tubifex was high only in reaches characterized by intermediate geothermal influence. We suggest that habitat had a contextual effect on parasitism in the oligochaete host. Abundance of infected hosts appeared to depend on host abundance in all reach types except those with high geothermal influence, where abundance of infected hosts depended on environmental factors.

Journal of the North American Benthological Societ↗
USGS2011

Seasonal movements and environmental triggers to fall migration of Sage Sparrows

Post-breeding ecology of shrubland passerines prior to onset of migration is unknown relative to dynamics of breeding areas. We radiomarked and monitored 38 Sage Sparrows (Amphispiza belli ssp. nevadensis) at one site in Oregon and two in Nevada from September to mid-November 2007 to track local movements, estimate seasonal range sizes, and characterize weather patterns triggering onset of migration. Median area used by Sage Sparrows monitored between 3 and 18 days during or prior to migration was 14 ha; maximum daily movement was 15 km. Radio-marked Sage Sparrows at each location departed individually, rather than en masse, corresponding with passage of cold front weather systems. Conventional telemetry techniques limited our ability to monitor Sage Sparrows beyond pre-migratory periods and precluded detecting and tracking actual movements during migration. ?? 2011 by the Wilson Ornithological Society.

Wilson Journal of Ornithology↗
USGS2002

Observations of the larval stages of Diceroprocta apache Davis (Homoptera: Tibicinidae)

Diceroprocta apache Davis is a locally abundant cicada in the riparian woodlands of the southwestern United States. While its ecological importance has often been hypothesized, very little is known of its specific life history. This paper presents preliminary information on life history of D. apache from larvae collected in the field at seasonal intervals as well as a smaller number of reared specimens. Morphological development of the fore-femoral comb closely parallels growth through distinct size classes. The data indicate the presence of five larval instars in D. apache . Development times from greenhouse-reared specimens suggest a 3-4 year life span and overlapping broods were present in the field. Sex ratios among pre-emergent larvae suggest the asynchronous emergence of sexes.

Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society↗
USGS2021

Invaders from islands: Thermal matching, potential or flexibility?

Native-range thermal constraints may not reflect the geographical distributions of species introduced from native island ranges in part due to rapid physiological adaptation in species introduced to new environments. Correlative ecological niche models may thus underestimate potential invasive distributions of species from islands. The northern curly-tailed lizard ( Leiocephalus carinatus ) is established in Florida, including populations north of its native range. Competing hypotheses may explain this distribution: Thermal Matching (distribution reflects thermal conditions of the native range), Thermal Potential (species tolerates thermal extremes absent in the native range) and/or Thermal Flexibility (thermal tolerance reflects local thermal extremes). We rejected the Thermal Matching hypothesis by comparing ecological niche models developed from native vs. native plus invasive distributions; L. carinatus exists in areas of low suitability in Florida as predicted by the native-distribution model. We then compared critical thermal limits of L. carinatus from two non-native populations to evaluate the Thermal Potential and Flexibility hypotheses: one matching native range latitudes, and another 160 km north of the native range that experiences more frequent cold weather events. Critical thermal minima in the northern population were lower than in the south, supporting the Thermal Flexibility hypothesis, whereas critical thermal maxima did not differ.

Florida↗
USGS2004

Differential propagation of the metazoan parasite Myxobolus cerebralis by Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri, Ilyodrilus templetoni, and genetically distinct strains of Tubifex tubifex

Whirling disease, caused by the parasite Myxobolus cerebralis, has infected rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and other salmonid fish in the western United States, often with devastating results to native populations but without a discernible spatial pattern. The parasite develops in a complex 2-host system in which the aquatic oligochaete Tubifex tubifex is an obligate host. Because substantial differences in whirling disease severity in different areas of North America did not seem explainable by environmental factors or features of the parasite or its fish host, we sought to determine whether ecological or genetic variation within oligochaete host populations may be responsible. We found large differences in compatibility between the parasite and various laboratory strains of T. tubifex that were established from geographic regions with different whirling disease histories. Moreover, 2 closely related species of tubificids, Limnodrilus hqffmeisteri and Ilyodrilus templetoni, which occur naturally in mixed species assemblages with T. tubifex, were incompatible with M. cerebralis. Virulence of the parasite was directly correlated with the numbers of triactinomyxon spores that developed within each strain of T. tubifex. Thus, the level of virulence was directly related to the compatibility between the host strain and the parasite. Genetic analyses revealed relationships that were in agreement with the level of parasite production. Differences in compatibilities between oligochaetes and M. cerebralis may contribute to the spatial variance in the severity of the disease among salmonid populations. ?? American Society of Parasitologists 2004.

Journal of Parasitology↗
USGS2011

Structural complexity, movement bias, and metapopulation extinction risk in dendritic ecological networks

Spatial complexity in metacommunities can be separated into 3 main components: size (i.e., number of habitat patches), spatial arrangement of habitat patches (network topology), and diversity of habitat patch types. Much attention has been paid to lattice-type networks, such as patch-based metapopulations, but interest in understanding ecological networks of alternative geometries is building. Dendritic ecological networks (DENs) include some increasingly threatened ecological systems, such as caves and streams. The restrictive architecture of dendritic ecological networks might have overriding implications for species persistence. I used a modeling approach to investigate how number and spatial arrangement of habitat patches influence metapopulation extinction risk in 2 DENs of different size and topology. Metapopulation persistence was higher in larger networks, but this relationship was mediated by network topology and the dispersal pathways used to navigate the network. Larger networks, especially those with greater topological complexity, generally had lower extinction risk than smaller and less-complex networks, but dispersal bias and magnitude affected the shape of this relationship. Applying these general results to real systems will require empirical data on the movement behavior of organisms and will improve our understanding of the implications of network complexity on population and community patterns and processes.

Journal of the North American Benthological Societ↗
USGS2013

Conservation and Ecology of Marine Forage Fishes--Proceedings of a Research Symposium, September 2012

Locally and globally, there is growing recognition of the critical roles that herring, smelt, sand lance, eulachon, and other forage fishes play in marine ecosystems. Scientific and resource management entities throughout the Salish Sea, agree that extensive information gaps exist, both in basic biological knowledge and parameters critical to fishery management. Communication and collaboration among researchers also is inadequate. Building on the interest and enthusiasm generated by recent forage fish workshops and symposia around the region, the 2012 Research Symposium on the Conservation and Ecology of Marine Forage Fishes was designed to elucidate practical recommendations for science and policy needs and actions, and spur further collaboration in support for the precautionary management of forage fish. This dynamic and productive event was a joint venture of the Northwest Straits Commission Forage Fish Program, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), and The Puget Sound Partnership. The symposium was held on September 12–14, 2012, at the University of Washington, Friday Harbor Laboratories campus. Sixty scientists, graduate students, and fisheries policy experts convened; showcasing ongoing research, conservation, and management efforts targeting forage fish from regional and national perspectives. The primary objectives of this event were to: (1) review current research and management related to marine forage fish species; and (2) identify priority science and policy needs and actions for Washington, British Columbia, and the entire West Coast. Given the diversity of knowledge, interests, and disciplines surrounding forage fish on both sides of the international border, the organizing committee made a concerted effort to contact many additional experts who, although unable to attend, provided valuable insights and ideas to the symposium structure and discussions. The value of the symposium format was highlighted in the closing remarks delivered by Joseph Gaydos, SeaDoc Society and Chair of the Puget Sound Science Panel. Dr. Gaydos’ presentation referenced the 2011 paper by Murray Rudd in the journal Conservation Biology , “How research-prioritization exercises affect conservation policy.” The paper points out that policy makers and funding agencies are more likely to gain a full understanding of issues when they are presented with research findings from an aligned research program. That is, compared to unaligned research strategies, where work is not based on identified research priorities.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2009

Development of a local-scale urban stream assessment method using benthic macroinvertebrates: An example from the Santa Clara Basin, California

Research that explores the biological response to urbanization on a site-specific scale is necessary for management of urban basins. Recent studies have proposed a method to characterize the biological response of benthic macroinvertebrates along an urban gradient for several climatic regions in the USA. Our study demonstrates how this general framework can be refined and applied on a smaller scale to an urbanized basin, the Santa Clara Basin (surrounding San Jose, California, USA). Eighty-four sampling sites on 14 streams in the Santa Clara Basin were used for assessing local stream conditions. First, an urban index composed of human population density, road density, and urban land cover was used to determine the extent of urbanization upstream from each sampling site. Second, a multimetric biological index was developed to characterize the response of macroinvertebrate assemblages along the urban gradient. The resulting biological index included metrics from 3 ecological categories: taxonomic composition ( Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera), functional feeding group (shredder richness), and habit ( clingers). The 90 th -quantile regression line was used to define the best available biological conditions along the urban gradient, which we define as the predicted biological potential. This descriptor was then used to determine the relative condition of sites throughout the basin. Hierarchical partitioning of variance revealed that several site-specific variables (dissolved O 2 and temperature) were significantly related to a site's deviation from its predicted biological potential. Spatial analysis of each site's deviation from its biological potential indicated geographic heterogeneity in the distribution of impaired sites. The presence and operation of local dams optimize water use, but modify natural flow regimes, which in turn influence stream habitat, dissolved O 2 , and temperature. Current dissolved O 2 and temperature regimes deviate from natural conditions and appear to affect benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages. The assessment methods presented in our study provide finer-scale assessment tools for managers in urban basins. ?? North American Benthological Society.

Journal of the North American Benthological Societ↗
USGS2009

Removal of organic wastewater contaminants in septic systems using advanced treatment technologies

The detection of pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater contaminants (OWCs) in ground water and surface-water bodies has raised concerns about the possible ecological impacts of these compounds on nontarget organisms. On-site wastewater treatment systems represent a potentially significant route of entry for organic contaminants to the environment. In this study, effluent samples were collected and analyzed from conventional septic systems and from systems using advanced treatment technologies. Six of 13 target compounds were detected in effluent from at least one septic system. Caffeine, paraxanthine, and acetaminophen were the most frequently detected compounds, and estrogenic activity was detected in 14 of 15 systems. The OWC concentrations were significantly lower in effluent after sand filtration (p < 0.01) or aerobic treatment (p < 0.05) as compared with effluent that had not undergone advanced treatment. In general, concentrations in conventional systems were comparable to those measured in previous studies of municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influent, and concentrations in systems after advanced treatment were comparable to previously measured concentrations in WWTP effluent. These data indicate that septic systems using advanced treatment can reduce OWCs in treated effluent to similar concentrations as municipal WWTPs. Copyright ?? 2009 by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America. All rights reserved.

Journal of Environmental Quality↗
USGS2008

Decreased mortality of lake michigan chinook salmon after bacterial kidney disease challenge: Evidence for pathogen-driven selection?

In the late 1960s, Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha from the Green River, Washington, were successfully introduced into Lake Michigan. During spring from1988 to 1992, large fish die-offs affecting Chinook salmon occurred in the lake. Multiple ecological factors probably contributed to the severity of the fish kills, but the only disease agent found regularly was Renibacterium salmoninarum, the causative agent of bacterial kidney disease. in this study, survival after challenge by R. salmoninarum was compared between two Chinook salmon stocks: a Lake Michigan stock from Wisconsin (WI) and the progenitor stock from the Green River. We found that the WI stock had significantly greater survival than the Green River stock. Next, the WI and Green River stocks were exposed to the marine pathogen Listonella anguillarum (formerly Vibrio anguillarum), one of the causative agents of vibriosis; survival after this challenge was significantly poorer for the WI stock than for the Green River stock. A close genetic relationship between the Green River and WI stocks was confirmed by analyzing 13 microsatellite loci. These results collectively suggest that disease susceptibility of Lake Michigan Chinook salmon has diverged from that of the source population, possibly in response to pathogen-driven selection. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2008.

Journal of Aquatic Animal Health↗
USGS2007

Electrofishing capture probability of smallmouth bass in streams

Abundance estimation is an integral part of understanding the ecology and advancing the management of fish populations and communities. Mark-recapture and removal methods are commonly used to estimate the abundance of stream fishes. Alternatively, abundance can be estimated by dividing the number of individuals sampled by the probability of capture. We conducted a mark-recapture study and used multiple repeated-measures logistic regression to determine the influence of fish size, sampling procedures, and stream habitat variables on the cumulative capture probability for smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu in two eastern Oklahoma streams. The predicted capture probability was used to adjust the number of individuals sampled to obtain abundance estimates. The observed capture probabilities were higher for larger fish and decreased with successive electrofishing passes for larger fish only. Model selection suggested that the number of electrofishing passes, fish length, and mean thalweg depth affected capture probabilities the most; there was little evidence for any effect of electrofishing power density and woody debris density on capture probability. Leave-one-out cross validation showed that the cumulative capture probability model predicts smallmouth abundance accurately. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2007.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management↗
USGS2009

Relationship of stream ecological conditions to simulated hydraulic metrics across a gradient of basin urbanization

The relationships among urbanization, stream hydraulics, and aquatic biology were investigated across a gradient of urbanization in 30 small basins in eastern Wisconsin, USA. Simulation of hydraulic metrics with 1-dimensional unsteady flow models was an effective means for mechanistically coupling the effects of urbanization with stream ecological conditions (i.e., algae, invertebrates, and fish). Urbanization, characterized by household, road, and urban land density, was positively correlated with the lowest shear stress for 2 adjacent transects in a reach for the low-flow summer (p < 0.001) and autumn (p < 0.01) periods. Urbanization also was positively correlated with Reynolds number and % exposed stream bed during months with moderate to low flows. Our study demonstrated the value of temporally and spatially explicit hydraulic models for providing mechanistic insight into the relationships between hydraulic variables and biological responses. For example, the positive correlation between filter-feeding invertebrate richness and minimum 2-transect shear stress observed in our study is consistent with a higher concentration of water-column particulates available for filtration. The strength of correlations between hydraulic and biological metrics is related to the time period (annual, seasonal, or monthly) considered. The hydraulic modeling approach, whether based on hourly or daily flow data, allowed documentation of the effects of a spatially variable response within a reach, and the results suggest that stream response to urbanization varies with hydraulic habitat type. ?? North American Benthological Society.

Journal of the North American Benthological Societ↗
USGS2016

Application of genetics and genomics to wildlife epidemiology

Wildlife diseases can have significant impacts on wildlife conservation and management. Many of the pathogens that affect wildlife also have important implications for domestic animal and human health. However, management interventions to prevent or control wildlife disease are hampered by uncertainties about the complex interactions between pathogens and free-ranging wildlife. We often lack crucial knowledge about host ecology, pathogen characteristics, and host–pathogen dynamics. The purpose of this review is to familiarize wildlife biologists and managers with the application of genetic and genomic methodologies for investigating pathogen and host biology to better understand and manage wildlife diseases. The genesis of this review was a symposium at the 2013 annual Wildlife Society Conference. We reviewed the scientific literature and used our personal experiences to identify studies that illustrate the application of genetic and genomic methods to advance our understanding of wildlife epidemiology, focusing on recent research, new techniques, and innovative approaches. Using examples from a variety of pathogen types and a broad array of vertebrate taxa, we describe how genetics and genomics can provide tools to detect and characterize pathogens, uncover routes of disease transmission and spread, shed light on the ways that disease susceptibility is influenced by both host and pathogen attributes, and elucidate the impacts of disease on wildlife populations. Genetic and increasingly genomic methodologies will continue to contribute important insights into pathogen and host biology that will aid efforts to assess and mitigate the impacts of wildlife diseases on global health and conservation of biodiversity.

Journal of Wildlife Management↗
USGS2008

Reproductive ecology of Actinonaias ligamentina (Bivalvia:Unionidae) in a regulated river

Factors affecting the reproductive success of freshwater mussels in lotic systems are poorly understood. Gravidity, fecundity, and fertilization success of Actinonaias ligamentina were examined at 4 sites along a 63-km reach of the Green River immediately below the Green River Dam, Kentucky. No gravid females were collected at the site closest to the dam, and the percentage of gravid females at downstream sites ranged from 20 to 36%. Not all females became gravid, despite the presence of early stages of ova in the gonadal fluid. This observation suggests that female A. ligamentina undergo a resting stage and, therefore, might not become gravid every year. Fecundity differed among sites and increased with distance from the dam. Fertilization rates ranged from 32 to 97% among sites and increased with distance from the dam. Fertilization rate was independent of local mussel density and position in the mussel bed. The high fertilization rates observed in the upstream portions of mussel beds indicate that freshwater mussel sperm have the ability to travel to distant females in lotic systems. Therefore, females are not necessarily dependent upon nearby males for fertilization. Successful fertilization of A. ligamentina at low mussel densities in the Green River suggests that natural recovery of rare endangered species might be possible if host fish and suitable conditions for juvenile survival and growth are present. ?? 2008 by The North American Benthological Society.

Journal of the North American Benthological Societ↗
USGS2007

Molecular ecology of the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus): Genetic and natural history variation in a hybrid zone

Several geographically distinct mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lineages of the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) have been documented in North America. Individuals from 2 of these lineages, an eastern and a western form, co-occur within maternity colonies in Colorado. The discovery of 2 divergent mtDNA lineages in sympatry prompted a set of questions regarding possible biological differences between haplotypes. We captured big brown bats at maternity roosts in Colorado and recorded data on body size, pelage color, litter size, roosting and overwintering behaviors, and local distributions. Wing biopsies were collected for genetic analysis. The ND2 region of the mtDNA molecule was used to determine lineage of the bats. In addition, nuclear DNA (nDNA) intron 1 of the ??-globin gene was used to determine if mtDNA lineages are hybridizing. Eastern and western mtDNA lineages differed by 10.3% sequence divergence and examination of genetic data suggests recent population expansion for both lineages. Differences in distribution occur along the Colorado Front Range, with an increasing proportion of western haplotypes farther south. Results from nDNA analyses demonstrated hybridization between the 2 lineages. Additionally, no outstanding distinctiveness was found between the mtDNA lineages in natural history characters examined. We speculate that historical climate changes separated this species into isolated eastern and western populations, and that secondary contact with subsequent interbreeding was facilitated by European settlement. ?? 2007 American Society of Mammalogists.

Journal of Mammalogy↗