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At least 721 records · Page 40Linked to original sources

USGS2001

Biography of Dr. John L. Fryer

There is probably no one in the fi sh health community who does not recognize the name of Professor John L. Fryer. Active in research for a period of more than 40 years, Dr Fryer has achieved internatio nal acclaim for his wor k on infectious diseases of Pacific salmon . The resea rch from his laboratory at Oregon State University (OSU) has spanned the disciplines of virology, parasitology, bacteriology, cell biology, immuno logy and fi sh physiology, result ing in more than 200 publications, two patents and recognition as one of the world's leading centres for researc h on infec tious diseases of salmon id fi sh.

Journal of Fish Diseases↗

USGS2008

Book review: Riparian ecosystem recovery in arid lands: Strategies and references

Increasingly, ecosystem managers are attempting to restore riparian ecosystems in the arid West that have been degraded by land and water management practices. This book will fill a vacant niche in the library of these practitioners. Briggs emphasizes several concepts that should be fundamental to restoration projects but that too often are ignored. One of these central concepts is that the underlying causes of degradation need to be identified before restoration projects are undertaken. Briggs advocates considering multiple impacts, interactions between impacts, and site history when assessing causes of site degradation. Causes can be complex and difficult to assess and may include depletion of water availability by ground water pumping, alteration of flood flow regimes, overgrazing by cattle, and increased soil salinity from upstream agricultural activities, to name a few Review info: Riparian ecosystem recovery in arid lands: Strategies and references. By: Mark K. Briggs. 1996. ISBN 0-8165- 1644-8, 159 pages.

Restoration Ecology↗

USGS2011

Scaling earthquake ground motions for performance-based assessment of buildings

The impact of alternate ground-motion scaling procedures on the distribution of displacement responses in simplified structural systems is investigated. Recommendations are provided for selecting and scaling ground motions for performance-based assessment of buildings. Four scaling methods are studied, namely, (1) geometric-mean scaling of pairs of ground motions, (2) spectrum matching of ground motions, (3) first-mode-period scaling to a target spectral acceleration, and (4) scaling of ground motions per the distribution of spectral demands. Data were developed by nonlinear response-history analysis of a large family of nonlinear single degree-of-freedom (SDOF) oscillators that could represent fixed-base and base-isolated structures. The advantages and disadvantages of each scaling method are discussed. The relationship between spectral shape and a ground-motion randomness parameter, ε, is presented. A scaling procedure that explicitly considers spectral shape is proposed.

Journal of Structural Engineering↗

USGS2012

Field observations of swash zone flow patterns and 3D morphodynamics

Rapid video measurements of foreshore morphology and velocity were collected at Duck, NC in 1997 to investigate sediment transport processes in the swash zone. Estimates of foreshore evolution over a roughly 30 m cross-shore by 80 m alongshore study area were determined using a stereogrammetric technique. During the passage of a small storm (offshore wave heights increased from 1.4 to 2.5 m), the foreshore eroded nearly 40 cm in less than 4 hours. Dense, horizontal surface velocities were measured over a sub-region (roughly 30 m by 40 m) of the study area using a new particle image velocimetry technique. This technique was able to quantify velocities across the bore front approaching 5 m s –1 as well as the rapid velocities in the very shallow backwash flows. The velocity and foreshore topography measurements were used to test a three-dimensional energetics-based sediment transport model. Even though these data represent the most extensive and highly resolved swash measurements to date, the results showed that while the model could predict some of the qualitative trends in the observed foreshore change, it was a poor predictor of the observed magnitudes of foreshore change. Model — data comparisons differed by roughly an order of magnitude with observed foreshore changes on the order of 10's of centimeters and model predictions on the order of meters. This poor comparison suggests that future models of swash-zone sediment transport may require the inclusion of other physical processes such as bore turbulence, fluid accelerations and skewness, infiltration/exfiltration, water depth variations, and variable friction factors (to name a few).

North Carolina↗

USGS2012

A web-enabled system for integrated assessment of watershed development

Researchers at Virginia Tech have put together the primary structure of a web enabled integrated modeling system that has potential to be a planning tool to help decision makers and stakeholders in making appropriate watershed management decisions. This paper describes the integrated system, including data sources, collection, analysis methods, system software and design, and issues of integrating the various component models. The integrated system has three modeling components, namely hydrology, economics, and fish health, and is accompanied by descriptive 'help files.' Since all three components have a related spatial aspect, GIS technology provides the integration platform. When completed, a user will access the integrated system over the web to choose pre-selected land development patterns to create a 'what if' scenario using an easy-to-follow interface. The hydrologic model simulates effects of the scenario on annual runoff volume, flood peaks of various return periods, and ground water recharge. The economics model evaluates tax revenue and fiscal costs as a result of a new land development scenario. The fish health model evaluates effects of new land uses in zones of influence to the health of fish populations in those areas. Copyright ASCE 2004.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2006

Arsenic speciation in arsenic-rich Brazilian soils from gold mining sites under anaerobic incubation

Background. Arsenic speciation in environmental samples is essential for studying toxicity, mobility and bio-transformation of As in aquatic and terrestrial environments. Although the inorganic species As(III) and As(V) have been considered dominant in soils and sediments, organisms are able to metabolize inorganic forms of arsenic into organo-arsenic compounds. Arsenosugars and methylated As compounds can be found in terrestrial organisms, but they generally occur only as minor constituents. We investigated the dynamics of arsenic species under anaerobic conditions in soils surrounding gold mining areas from Minas Gerais State, Brazil to elucidate the arsenic biogeochemical cycle and water contamination mechanisms. Methods. Surface soil samples were collected at those sites, namely Paracatu Formation, Banded Iron Formation and Riacho dos Machados Sequence, and incubated in CaCl2 2.5 mmol L-1 suspensions under anaerobic conditions for 1, 28, 56 and 112 days. After that, suspensions were centrifuged and supernatants analyzed for soluble As species by IC-ICPMS and HPLC-ICPMS. Results. Easily exchangeable As was mainly arsenite, except when reducible manganese was present. Arsenate was mainly responsible for the increase in soluble arsenic due to the reductive dissolution of either iron or manganese in samples from the Paracatu Formation and Riacho dos Machados Sequence. On the other hand, organic species of As dominated in samples from the Banded Iron Formation during anaerobic incubation. Discussion. Results are contrary to the expectation that, in anaerobic environments, As release due to the reductive dissolution of Fe is followed by As(V) reduction to As(III). The occurrence of organo-arsenic species was also found to be significant to the dynamics of soluble arsenic, mainly in soils from the Banded Iron Formation (BIF), under our experimental conditions. Conclusions. In general, As(V) and organic As were the dominant species in solution, which is surprising under anaerobic conditions in terrestrial environments. The unexpected occurrence of organic species of As was attributed to enrollment of ternary organic complexes or living organisms such as algae or cyanobacteria. Perspectives. These findings are believed to be useful for remediation strategies in mine-affected regions, as the organic As species are in general considered to be less toxic than inorganic ones and even As(V) is considered less mobile and toxic than As(III). ?? 2007 ecomed publishers (Verlagsgruppe Hu??thig Jehle Rehm GmbH).

Environmental Science and Pollution Research↗

USGS2024

Mesocarnivores in residential yards: Influence of yard features on the occupancy, relative abundance, and overlap of coyotes, grey fox, and red fox

Context As conversion of natural areas to human development continues, there is a lack of information about how developed areas can sustainably support wildlife. While large predators are often extirpated from areas of human development, some medium-bodied mammalian predators (hereafter, mesocarnivores) have adapted to co-exist in human-dominated areas. Aims How human-dominated areas such as residential yards are used by mesocarnivores is not well understood. Our study aimed to identify yard and landscape features that influence occupancy, relative abundance and spatial-temporal overlap of three widespread mesocarnivores, namely, coyote ( Canis latrans ), grey fox ( Urocyon cineroargenteus ) and red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ). Methods Over the summers of 2021 and 2022, we deployed camera-traps in 46 and 96 residential yards, spanning from low-density rural areas (<1 home per km 2 ) to more urban areas (589 homes per km 2 ) in north-western Arkansas, USA. Key results We found that mesocarnivore occupancy was marginally influenced by yard-level features as opposed to landscape composition. Fences reduced the occupancy probability of coyotes, although they were positively associated with the total area of potential shelter sites in a yard. We found that relative abundance of grey fox was highest in yards with poultry, highlighting a likely source of conflict with homeowners. We found that all three species were primarily nocturnal and activity overlap between the species pairs was high. Conclusions Thus, these species may be using spatio-temporal partitioning to avoid antagonistic encounters and our data supported this, with few examples of species occurring in the same yards during the same 24-h period. Implications As the number of residential yards continues to grow, our results suggested that there are ways in which our yards can provide resources to mesocarnivores and that homeowners also have agency to mitigate overlap with mesocarnivores through management of their yard features.

Arkansas, Missouri↗

USGS2005

Discovery of a unique Ig heavy-chain (IgT) in rainbow trout: Implications for a distinctive B cell developmental pathway in teleost fish

During the analysis of Ig superfamily members within the available rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) EST gene index, we identified a unique Ig heavy-chain (IgH) isotype. cDNAs encoding this isotype are composed of a typical IgH leader sequence and a VDJ rearranged segment followed by four Ig superfamily C-1 domains represented as either membrane-bound or secretory versions. Because teleost fish were previously thought to encode and express only two IgH isotypes (IgM and IgD) for their humoral immune repertoire, we isolated all three cDNA isotypes from a single homozygous trout (OSU-142) to confirm that all three are indeed independent isotypes. Bioinformatic and phylogenetic analysis indicates that this previously undescribed divergent isotype is restricted to bony fish, thus we have named this isotype "IgT" (??) for teleost fish. Genomic sequence analysis of an OSU-142 bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clone positive for all three IgH isotypes revealed that IgT utilizes the standard rainbow trout VH families, but surprisingly, the IgT isotype possesses its own exclusive set of DH and JH elements for the generation of diversity. The IgT D and J segments and ?? constant (C) region genes are located upstream of the D and J elements for IgM, representing a genomic IgH architecture that has not been observed in any other vertebrate class. All three isotypes are primarily expressed in the spleen and pronephros (bone marrow equivalent), and ontogenically, expression of IgT is present 4 d before hatching in developing embryos. ?? 2005 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of↗

USGS2015

Biodiversity influences plant productivity through niche–efficiency

The loss of biodiversity is threatening ecosystem productivity and services worldwide, spurring efforts to quantify its effects on the functioning of natural ecosystems. Previous research has focused on the positive role of biodiversity on resource acquisition (i.e., niche complementarity), but a lack of study on resource utilization efficiency, a link between resource and productivity, has rendered it difficult to quantify the biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationship. Here we demonstrate that biodiversity loss reduces plant productivity, other things held constant, through theory, empirical evidence, and simulations under gradually relaxed assumptions. We developed a theoretical model named niche–efficiency to integrate niche complementarity and a heretofore-ignored mechanism of diminishing marginal productivity in quantifying the effects of biodiversity loss on plant productivity. Based on niche–efficiency, we created a relative productivity metric and a productivity impact index (PII) to assist in biological conservation and resource management. Relative productivity provides a standardized measure of the influence of biodiversity on individual productivity, and PII is a functionally based taxonomic index to assess individual species’ inherent value in maintaining current ecosystem productivity. Empirical evidence from the Alaska boreal forest suggests that every 1% reduction in overall plant diversity could render an average of 0.23% decline in individual tree productivity. Out of the 283 plant species of the region, we found that large woody plants generally have greater PII values than other species. This theoretical model would facilitate the integration of biological conservation in the international campaign against several pressing global issues involving energy use, climate change, and poverty.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of↗

USGS2016

Carbon dioxide as a tool to deter the movement of invasive bigheaded carps

Nonnative bigheaded carps are established in the Mississippi River and there is substantial concern about their potential entry into the interconnected Laurentian Great Lakes. While electrical barriers currently exist as a preventative measure, there is need for additional control mechanisms to promote barrier security through redundancy. We tested the effectiveness of infused carbon dioxide gas (CO 2 ) as a tool to influence the movement and behavior invasive bigheaded carps, namely Bighead Carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and Silver Carp H. molitrix , as well as native Bigmouth Buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus , Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus , Paddlefish Polyodon spathula , and Yellow Perch Perca flavescens in an experimental pond. Individuals were monitored with acoustic telemetry before, during, and after CO 2 addition to the pond. We noted distinct changes in fish behavior following CO 2 addition. Each species except Paddlefish maintained farther distances from the CO 2 infusion manifold relative to controls. Both bigheaded carp species had slower persistence velocities (persistence of a movement in a given direction) following CO 2 infusion and Bighead Carp used a smaller area of the pond immediately after CO 2 addition. Pond pH progressively decreased up to 1.5 units following CO 2 infusion. This work provides evidence that could inform future research to enhance existing control measures used to deter high-risk invasive fishes, such as bigheaded carps.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS2009

The Mono Arch, eastern Sierra region, California: Dynamic topography associated with upper-mantle upwelling?

A broad, topographic flexure localized east of and over the central and southern Sierra Nevada, herein named the Mono Arch, apparently represents crustal response to lithospheric and/or upper-mantle processes, probably dominated by mantle upwelling within the continental interior associated Pacific-North American plate-boundary deformation. This zone of flexure is identified through comparison between the topographic characteristics of the active Cascade volcanic arc and backarc regions with the analogous former arc and backarc in the Sierra Nevada and eastern Sierra Nevada. Serial topographic profiles measured normal to the modern Cascade backarc reveal an accordance of topographic lows defined by valley floors with an average minimum elevation of ???1400-1500m for over 175km to the southeast. Although the accordance drops in elevation slightly to the south, the modern Cascade backarc region is remarkably level, and is characterized by relief up to ???750m above this baseline elevation. By contrast, serial topographic profiles over the former arc and backarc transitions of the eastern Sierra region exhibit a regional anticlinal warping defined by accordant valley floors and by a late Miocene-early Pliocene erosion surface and associated deposits. The amplitude of this flexure above regionally flat baseline elevations to the east varies spatially along the length of the former Sierran arc, with a maximum of ???1000m centred over the Bridgeport Basin. The total zone of flexure is approximately 350km long N-S and 100km wide E-W, and extends from Indian Wells Valley in the south to the Sonora Pass region in the north. Previous geophysical, petrologic, and geodetic studies suggest that the Mono Arch overlies a zone of active mantle upwelling. This region also represents a zone crustal weakness formerly exploited by the middle-to-late Miocene arc and is presently the locus of seismic and volcanic activities. This seismic zone, which lies east of the Sierra Nevada block, includes the northern and central Walker Lane in Nevada and the eastern California shear zone to the south in California. Vertical patterns of surface deformation over this region are characterized by west tilting of the Sierra Nevada block and by block faulting of a late Miocene erosion surface east of the Sierra Nevada.

International Geology Review↗

USGS2007

Oahu: perspective from space

Satellite remote sensing provides us with a unique perspective from space. This perspective is synoptic in nature and provides regional views of most of the land areas of the earth. The orbital characteristics of the Landsat system are such that repetitive imagery of the same area may be obtained. Because of the permanent nature of the imagery, it may be retrieved for comparative analysis at any time. Comparisons of this image of Oahu with maps of the island (for example, the Oahu, Hawaii, 1:250,000-scale topographic map) will enable the reader to readily identify the place names discussed in this article and permit a more detailed interpretation of the image.

Hawaii↗

USGS2021

Koch’s postulates: Confirming Nannizziopsis guarroi as the cause of yellow fungal disease in Pogona vitticeps

Nannizziopsis guarroi is an ascomycete fungus associated with a necrotizing dermatitis in captive green iguanas ( Iguana iguana ) and bearded dragons ( Pogona vitticeps ) across both Europe and North America. Clinical signs of the disease include swelling and lesion formation. Lesions develop from white raised bumps on the skin and progress into crusty, yellow, discolored scales, eventually becoming necrotic. The clinical signs are the basis of a colloquial name yellow fungal disease (YFD). However, until now, N. guarroi has not been confirmed as the primary agent of the disease in bearded dragons. In this experiment, we fulfill Koch’s postulates criteria of disease, demonstrating N. guarroi as the primary agent of YFD in bearded dragons.

Mycologia↗

USGS2014

Auroral omens of the American Civil War

Aurorae are a splendid night-time sight: coruscations of green, purple, and red fluorescent light in the form of gently wafting ribbons, billowing curtains, and flashing rays. Mostly seen at high latitudes, in the north aurorae are often called the northern lights or aurora borealis, and, in the south, the southern lights or aurora australis. The mystery of their cause has historically been the subject of wonder. The folklore and mythology of some far-northern civilizations attributed auroral light to celestial deities. And, in ironic contrast with their heavenly beauty, unusual auroral displays, such as those seen on rare occasions at lower southern latitudes, have sometimes been interpreted as portending unfavorable future events. Today we understand aurorae to be a visual manifestation of the dynamic conditions in the space environment surrounding the earth. Important direct evidence in support of this theory came on September 1, 1859. On that day, an English astronomer named Richard Carrington was situated at his telescope, which was pointed at the sun. While observing and sketching a large group of sunspots, he saw a solar flare—intense patches of white light that were superimposed upon the darker sunspot group and which were illuminated for about a minute. One day later, a magnetic storm was recorded at specially designed observatories in Europe, across Russia, and in India. By many measures, the amplitude of magnetic disturbance was the greatest ever recorded. In the United States, the effects of the Carrington storm could be seen as irregular backand-forth deflections of a few degrees in the magnetized needle of a compass. Rapid magnetic variation also induced electric fields in the earth’s conducting lithosphere, and interfered with the operation of telegraph systems. The Carrington magnetic storm, and an earlier storm that had occurred on August 28, 1859, caused spectacular displays of aurora borealis in the night-time sky over the entire United States and the western hemisphere, possibly all the way down to the equator. This was extremely unusual, so much so that an auroral event o

Weatherwise↗

USGS2010

Water vapour correction of the daily 1 km AVHRR global land dataset: Part I validation and use of the Water Vapour input field

An atmospheric correction algorithm developed for the 1 km Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) global land dataset was modified to include a near real-time total column water vapour data input field to account for the natural variability of atmospheric water vapour. The real-time data input field used for this study is the Television and Infrared Observational Satellite (TIROS) Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) Pathfinder A global total column water vapour dataset. It was validated prior to its use in the AVHRR atmospheric correction process using two North American AVHRR scenes, namely 13 June and 28 November 1996. The validation results are consistent with those reported by others and entail a comparison between TOVS, radiosonde, experimental sounding, microwave radiometer, and data from a hand-held sunphotometer. The use of this data layer as input to the AVHRR atmospheric correction process is discussed.

International Journal of Remote Sensing↗

USGS2010

Analysis of individual- and time-specific covariate effects on survival of Serinus serinus in north-eastern Spain

We developed models for the analysis of recapture data for 2678 serins (Serinus serinus) ringed in north-eastern Spain since 1985. We investigated several time- and individual-specific factors as potential predictors of overall mortality and dispersal patterns, and of gender and age differences in these patterns. Time-specific covariates included minimum daily temperature, days below freezing, and abundance of a strong competitor, siskins (Carduelis spinus) during winter, and maximum temperature and rainfall during summer. Individual covariates included body mass (i.e. body condition), and wing length (i.e. flying ability), and interactions between body mass and environmental factors. We found little support of a predictive relationship between environmental factors and survival, but good evidence of relationships between body mass and survival, especially for juveniles. Juvenile survival appears to vary in a curvilinear manner with increasing mass, suggesting that there may exist an optimal mass beyond which increases are detrimental. The mass-survival relationship does seem to be influenced by at least one environmental factor, namely the abundance of wintering siskins. When siskins are abundant, increases in body mass appear to relate strongly to increasing survival. When siskin numbers are average or low the relationship is largely reversed, suggesting that the presence of strong competition mitigates the otherwise largely negative aspects of greater body mass. Wing length in juveniles also appears to be related positively to survival, perhaps largely due to the influence of a few unusually large juveniles with adult-like survival. Further work is needed to test these relationships, ideally under experimentation.

Journal of Applied Statistics↗

USGS2013

Effects of depletion sampling by standard three-pass pulsed DC electrofishing on blood chemistry parameters of fishes from Appalachian streams

Adverse effects on fishes captured by electrofishing techniques have long been recognized, although the extent of associated physical injury and behavioral alterations are highly variable and dependent on a number of factors. We examined the effects of three-pass pulsed DC (PDC) electrofishing on two salmonid species (Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis) and five other genera (Green Sunfish Lepomis cyanellus, Potomac Sculpin Cottus girardi, Fathead Minnow Pimephales promelas, Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides, and Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus) common to Appalachian streams. We examined the corresponding effects of PDC electroshock on the following physiological indicators of stress and trauma: blood glucose and serum lactate, as well as on other blood chemistry, namely, enzymes, electrolytes, minerals, and proteins. All species demonstrated physiological responses to PDC electroshock, indicated by the biochemical differences in blood parameters in unshocked and shocked groups of fish with or without gross evidence of hemorrhagic trauma. Serum lactate was the most consistent indicator of these effects. Significant differences in whole blood glucose levels were also noted in treatment groups in all species except Green Sunfish, although the patterns observed were not as consistent as for serum lactate. Elevations in the serum enzymes, aspartate aminotransferase and creatine kinase, in the electroshocked fish occurred only in the two salmonid species. In many instances, although blood parameters were elevated in electroshocked fish compared with the unshocked controls for a given species, there were no differences in those levels in electroshocked fish based on the presence of gross hemorrhagic trauma to axial musculature. While some of the blood parameters examined correlated with both the occurrence of electroshock and the resultant tissue injury, there was no apparent link between the altered blood chemistry and increased mortality 30 d after electrofishing.

Appalachian Mountains↗

USGS2016

Who Knew? Inconnu

In 1999, I moved to Alaska to serve as unit leader of the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and professor of fisheries in the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. What was unusual about this move was that before this I was an easterner and southerner, having done my graduate work in fisheries at Texas A&M University and been stationed in the Coop Unit Program in Ohio, West Virginia, and Maryland. I had never worked with salmonids of any sort. To me fish with adipose fins also had whiskers! I suddenly found myself working in the land of salmon experts, and I didn't even reliably know the names—scientific, common, or colloquial—of the five (or is it six?) common Pacific salmon species in Alaska. I had to quickly find a research niche that probably didn't involve salmon.

Fisheries↗