Natural plantings for attracting waterfowl to marsh and other water areas
No abstract available.
Wildlife Leaflet↗
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Natural plantings for attracting waterfowl to marsh and other water areas
No abstract available.
Wildlife Leaflet↗
Avian use of natural versus planted woodlands in eastern South Dakota, USA
We compared avian use of naturally occurring and planted woodlands in eastern South Dakota, USA, to evaluate whether planted woodlands support the same avian communities as natural woodlands. A stratified cluster sample was used to randomly select 307 public areas in which to survey planted (n = 425) and natural (n = 99) woodland patches. Eighty-five species of birds were detected in eastern South Dakota woodlands, 36 of which occurred in ??? 5 of 524 patches surveyed. The probability of occurrence for 8 of 13 woodland-obligate species was significantly greater in natural woodland habitats than in planted woodland habitats. Four of these species breed in relatively high numbers in eastern South Dakota. Only one woodland-obligate occurred less frequently in natural woodlands. Probability of occurrence for 6 edge and generalist species, including the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater [Boddaert]), was significantly higher in planted woodlands. The avian community of planted woodlands was dominated by edge and generalist species. The homogeneous vegetation structure typical of planted woodlands does not appear to provide the habitat characteristics needed by woodland-obligate birds. We conclude that planted woodlands do not support significant numbers of woodland-obligate species and may negatively impact grassland-nesting birds by attracting edge and generalist bird species and predators into previously treeless habitats. Planted woodlands cannot be considered equal replacement habitats for natural woodland patches when managing for nongame woodland bird species. However, the preservation and maintenance of natural woodlands is critical for woodland-obligate species diversity in the northern Great Plains.
South Dakota↗
Monitoring Hawaiian biodiversity: Pilot study to assess changes to forest birds and their habitat
Biological diversity, or biodiversity, is the variety and abundance of species in a defined area, and is one of the oldest and most basic descriptions of biological communities. Understanding how populations and communities are structured and change over space and time in response to internal and external forces is a management priority. Effective management practices and conservation strategies depend on our understanding of the relationship between changes in biodiversity and ecological drivers such as invasive species, land use and climate change. To demonstrate how changes in biodiversity may be monitored over a large (400 km2) tract of native forest habitat, we compared bird and plant community composition and structure in an upper montane region of Hawai‘i Island originally surveyed in 1977 as part of the Hawai‘i Forest Bird Survey (Scott et al. 1986) with a comprehensive sample of the same region in 2015. Our findings suggest that across a region spanning an elevation range of 600 to 2,000 m considerable changes occurred in the plant and bird communities between 1977 and 2015. Endemic and indigenous plants species richness (i.e., total number of species) decreased dramatically in the low and middle elevations below an invasive weed front, whereas naturalized plant species richness did not change between the two periods at any elevation. Endemic bird abundance decreased and two species were lost in the lower elevations (< 1,100 m) between 1977 and 2015, while naturalized bird abundance and the numbers of species increased in the same area. In addition to changes in community composition, the structure of the forest showed evidence of changes in dominant and sub-dominant tree canopy cover, shrub and herbaceous cover, dominant tree canopy height, and matted fern cover. Biodiversity monitoring helps to define specific conservation targets and to measure progress towards reaching those targets. It is difficult to ascribe causative factors to a change in biodiversity without directly manipulating the environment. Forest habitat in a variety of settings (i.e., islands and regions with differing land-use histories and elevation ranges), however, can provide opportunities to evaluate the influence of ecological drivers. Declines in native bird biodiversity in low-elevation areas may be attributed to invasive species as land use and climate conditions have remained relatively similar over the 40-year period. Thus, the shift from an endemic-naturalized co-dominated community in 1977 to one dominated by naturalized, alien birds in 2015, and reduction in native bird abundance over that period, may reflect increasing dominance by naturalized plants within this forested area. Inferences drawn from analyses of region-wide surveys, especially with replicate datasets, will facilitate the identification of broad-scale changes in biodiversity, and provide a needed current datum in Hawaiian plant and bird biodiversity monitoring.
Hawaii↗
Final integrated trip report: site visits to Area 50, Andersen Air Force Base, Guam National Wildlife Refuge, War in the Pacific National Historical Park, Guam, Rota and Saipan, CNMI, 2004-2005
Limestone forests are the most diverse natural plant communities of Guam. Like other natural vegetation types, these forests have a long history of anthropogenic disturbances, being altered and shaped by humans for more than 4,000 years. Although this occupation represents a relatively long human influence in comparison to other Pacific islands, animals associated with humans, such as commensal rodents, arrived in these islands beginning only 1,000 years ago, and larger mammals, such as pigs (Sus scrofa), may not have arrived until European contact. Limestone forests, which also occur on several other Mariana Islands, developed in the presence of frequent tropical storms and are therefore well adapted to this type of natural disturbance regime. However, recent human activities including large scale clearing and conversion combined with the presence of high levels of alien herbivores and seed predators, and the loss of ecological services provided by the former native avifauna may be causing the decline of Guam's forests. Limestone forests on northern Guam, much like those of other Mariana Islands, were heavily cleared for the construction of military installations during World War II. The accidental introduction of the Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis; BTS) around this same period subsequently accelerated the disappearance of Guam's native avifauna and other endemic terrestrial vertebrates, and with them, seed dispersal, pollination, and the predatory regulation of herbivorous insects. Guam and the Mariana Islands contained a high proportion (32 pecent) of endemic bird species, with 4 forms endemic to Guam alone: the now extinct Guam Flycatcher (Myiagra freycineti), and Guam Bridled White-eye (Zosterops conspicillatpicillata), one of three island endemic subspecies from the Marianas; Guam rail (Rallus owstonii); and Guam Kingfisher (Todiramphus cinnamominus cinnamominus), an island endemic subspecies of the regionally endemic Micronesian Kingfisher. Guam once supported the Mariana Gallinule (Gallinula chloropus guami), the Mariana Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos oustaleti), Mariana Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus roseicapilla), White-throated Ground Dove (Gallicolumba xanthonura xanthonura), Mariana Crow (Corvus kubaryi), and the Nightingale Reed-warbler (Acrocephalus luscinia), all endemic to the Mariana Islands. Other regionally endemic endangered species include the Micronesian Megapode (Megapodius laperouse), and the Mariana Swiftlet (Aerodramus bartschi), now reduced to a small population on Guam. Likewise, the flora of Guam is unique, with 21percent of its native vascular plants endemic to the Mariana Islands. In limestone forests of Northern Guam, a number of tall forest tree species such as joga, Elaeocarpus joga (Elaeocarpaceae); pengua or Macaranga thompsonii (Euphorbiaceae); ifit or Intsia bijuga (Fabaceae); seeded breadfruit or Artocarpus marianensis (Moraceae); and umumu or Pisonia grandis (Nyctaginaceae) may be in decline as a result of herbivory by mammals. All show reduced regeneration and age distributions highly skewed towards older individuals. These species provided important habitat for some of Guam's endangered forest birds that remain in captivity such as the Mariana Crow, Guam Kingfisher, and Guam Rail. The recent high frequency of intense tropical storms and herbivory caused by large populations of feral pigs and Philippine sambar deer (Cervus mariannus), as well as invasive alien vines that may suppress tree regeneration, could be permanently altering the structure of regenerating forests and composition of important canopy species on secondary limestone substrates that were cleared and compacted during airfield construction from 1944 through the 1970s. Guam National Wildlife Refuge (GNWR) was established at Ritidian Point, after it was determined to be excess property by the U.S. Navy. Most of the refuge, about 9,087 hectares, is an 'overlay refuge' on lands administered by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy. Although the military mission comes first on these lands, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service assists in protecting native species and habitats. The recovery of limestone forest on Guam for forest bird habitat may require intensive management, including reduction of feral herbivores, propagation, out-planting, weed control, and periodic suppression of herbivorous insects. Research to support these techniques may be best accomplished in small areas where potential limiting factors can easily be experimentally manipulated. Area 50, a 24 ha enclosure, contains a relictual patch of relatively undisturbed limestone forest surrounded by tarmac allowing easy access and management opportunities to control alien mammals and snakes. These species have been periodically managed in the past, but recent typhoons have damaged snake-proofing on the enclosure fence. A new concrete barrier is planned to provide more permanent control opportunities within this enclosed area or another similar area, thereby allowing experimental research for various management regimes. Eradication and control of alien vertebrate and plant pests will provide habitat where native communities can be restored in a small, intensively managed area. The stated aim of this project is to "affect ecosystem restoration through the removal and exclusion of introduced species and the reestablishment and propagation of native species, with focus on the reintroduction of native forest bird species." This will be achieved by constructing a multispecies barrier surrounding the area, coordinated eradication of selected alien species within the area, and possible reintroduction of Mariana Crow, Guam Kingfisher, and Guam Rail. This barrier also allows experimental research questions to be addressed within the small enclosure around Area 50 that may be applied to manage and restore the larger areas of limestone forest on northern Guam and also similar forests on other islands of the Marianas.
Open-File Report↗
Do nurse plant effects strengthen over time? Results from 12 years of desert habitat restoration
Nurse plant effects occur when benefactor perennials facilitate beneficiary plants below their canopies. Two poorly understood aspects of nurse plant ecology include whether facilitation strengthens as nurse plants mature and whether reestablishing perennials through ecological restoration at disturbed sites can trigger facilitation akin to in natural plant communities. We examined these uncertainties in a 12-year study by assessing plant communities below native perennials outplanted at disturbed sites and as compared with open interspaces and perennials in undisturbed sites in Joshua Tree National Park, Mojave Desert, USA. An overarching conclusion was that facilitation by outplants was intermittent. Results did not consistently support a hypothesis that facilitation strengthened as outplants matured, as the nuanced results hinged on beneficiary response metrics (cover or species richness), group of potential beneficiary species (e.g., native, non-native), and measurement year. There was, however, a general trend for beneficiary plant groups below outplants to shift through time. Non-native plant cover initially benefited when outplants were 1–9 years old, but this switched to native plants benefiting as outplants matured (9–12 years old). Facilitation was not strongest in dry years nor was nurse canopy cover usually strongly correlated with beneficiary metrics. An encouraging result for ecological restoration was that reestablishing native perennials appeared to disproportionately facilitate other native over non-native plants as restoration sites matured.
California↗
Aerial dispersal of Lygodium microphyllum spores within Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
Native across the Old World tropics from Africa to Southeast Asia and Australia, Lygodium microphyllum (Cav.) R. Br. (Old World Climbing Fern) is one of the most invasive plant species threatening South Florida ecosystems (Rodgers et al. 2014). This invasive fern was first collected as a naturalized plant in South Florida in the late 1960s (Beckner 1968). Subsequent populations were observed in the late 1970s in both Martin and Palm Beach Counties (Nauman and Austin 1978). In 1989 L. microphyllum was observed by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) in the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (LNWR). In 1995, a survey by SFWMD indicated that 12% of LNWR was colonized by L. microphyllum. By 1997 this had increased to 36% (Ferriter 2001). Ten years later, Systematic Reconnaissance Flights conducted over LNWR estimated that 44% of LNWR had sparse (> a single individual tree, shrub or stem to <50%) or dense (>50%) infestations of L. microphyllum
Florida Scientist↗
Spectral reflectance and emissivity features of broad leaf plants: Prospects for remote sensing in the thermal infrared (8.0-14.0 μm)
Field emissivity measurements were made of leaves collected from nine deciduous tree and agricultural plant species. The data show, for the first time, that it is possible to discriminate subtle spectral emissivity features of leaves from the natural background emission. Under conditions of controlled measurement geometry (leaves arranged to cover a flat surface), the field emissivity spectra agreed fairly well with emissivity values calculated from laboratory directional hemispherical reflectance measurements. Spectral features associated with a variety of leaf chemical constituents, including cellulose, cutin, xylan, silica, and oleanolic acid could be identified in the field emissivity data. Structural aspects of leaf surfaces also influenced spectral behavior, notably the abundance of trichomes, as well as wax thickness and texture. Field spectral measurements made at increasing distances from natural plant canopies showed progressive attenuation of the spectral emissivity features. This attenuation is ascribed to increased multiple scattering that superimposes an opposite-in-sign reflected component on the emittance, and to the increasing number of canopy voids within the instrument field of view. Errors associated with the removal of atmospheric features and with the non-isotropic thermal characteristics of canopies also contribute to the loss of spectral information at greater measurement distances. In contrast to visible and short-wave infrared data, thermal infrared spectra of broad leaf plants show considerable spectral diversity, suggesting that such data eventually could be utilized to map vegetation composition. However, remotely measuring the subtle emissivity features of leaves still presents major challenges. To be successful, sensors operating in the 8–14 μm atmospheric window must have high signal-to-noise and a small enough instantaneous field of view to allow measurements of only a few leaf surfaces. Methods for atmospheric compensation, temperature–emissivity separation, and spectral feature analysis also will need to be refined to allow the recognition, and perhaps, exploitation of leaf thermal infrared spectral properties.
Virginia↗
Root hemiparasitic plants are associated with more even communities across North America
Root hemiparasitic plants both compete with and extract resources from host plants. By reducing the abundance of dominant plants and releasing subordinates from competitive exclusion, they can have an outsized impact on plant communities. Most research on the ecological role of hemiparasites is manipulative and focuses on a small number of hemiparasitic taxa. Here, we ask whether patterns in natural plant communities match the expectation that hemiparasites affect the structure of plant communities. Our data were collected on 129 national park units spanning the continental United States. The most common hemiparasite genera were Pedicularis , Castilleja , Krameria , and Comandra . We used null models and linear mixed models to determine whether hemiparasites were associated with changes in community richness and evenness. Hemiparasite presence did not affect community metrics. Hemiparasite abundance was positively associated with increasing evenness of herbaceous species, but not with species richness. The associations that we observed on a continental scale are consistent with evidence that the impacts of root hemiparasitic plants on evenness can be substantial and abundance dependent but that effects on richness are less pronounced. Hemiparasites mediate competitive exclusion in communities to facilitate species coexistence and merit consideration of inclusion in ecological theories of coexistence.
Ecology↗
Endophytic bacteria in grass crop growth promotion and biostimulation
Plants naturally carry microbes on seeds and within seeds that may facilitate development and early survival of seedlings. Some crops have lost seed-vectored microbes in the process of domestication or during seed storage and seed treatment. Biostimulant microbes from wild plants were used by pre-modern cultures to re-acquire beneficial seed microbes. Today some companies have developed or are developing the use of microbes obtained from soils or plant sources to stimulate plant development and growth. Many of these biostimulant microbes are endophytic in plants. Biostimulant products also include humic substances, which appear to function as signal molecules in plants, triggering increased internalization of soil microbes into root cells and tissues. In addition, protein coatings on seeds fuel the growth of seed surface-vectored microbes, increasing microbial activity around and within roots. In this article, we provide evidence of the endophytic nature of many biostimulant microbes, and suggest that many of the beneficial effects of microbial biostimulants stem from their action as endophytes or as participants or stimulants of rhizophagy cycle activity.
Grass Research↗
Science from genes to landscapes
Wherever flowering plants flourish, pollinating bees, birds, butterflies, bats, and other animals are at work, providing vital and often unnoticed services. Many of these species are in serious decline, a situation if unabated, threatens agricultural production, maintenance of natural plant communities, and other important services. Responding to this urgent challenge, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of efforts to provide scientific information to support pollinator conservation, including the implementation of a national pollinator health strategy ( http://www.usgs.gov/ecosystems/wildlife/pollinators/ .) This science is but one example of how the Ecosystems Science Mission Area of the USGS conducts science to support sound management and conservation of our Nation’s biological resources. It does this through research, technical assistance, and education conducted by Cooperative Research Units and Science Centers located in nearly every State. The quality of life and economic strength in America hinges on healthy ecosystems that support living things and natural processes. Ecosystem science better enables society to understand how and why ecosystems change, to predict and forecast future changes, and to guide actions that can prevent damage to, and restore and sustain ecosystems. It is through this knowledge that informed decisions are made about natural resources that can enhance our Nation's economic and environmental well-being.
Fact Sheet↗
Latitudinal variation in carbon storage can help predict changes in swamps affected by global warming
Plants may offer our best hope of removing greenhouse gases (gases that contribute to global warming) emitted to the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels. At the same time, global warming could change environments so that natural plant communities will either need to shift into cooler climate zones, or become extirpated (Prasad and Iverson, 1999; Crumpacker and others, 2001; Davis and Shaw, 2001). It is impossible to know the future, but studies combining field observation of production and modeling can help us make predictions about what may happen to these wetland communities in the future. Widespread wetland types such as baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) swamps in the southeastern portion of the United States could be especially good at carbon sequestration (amount of CO2 stored by forests) from the atmosphere. They have high levels of production and sometimes store undecomposed dead plant material in wet conditions with low oxygen, thus keeping gases stored that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere (fig. 1). To study the ability of baldcypress swamps to store carbon, our project has taken two approaches. The first analysis looked at published data to develop an idea (hypothesis) of how production levels change across a temperature gradient in the baldcypress region (published data study). The second study tested this idea by comparing production levels across a latitudinal range by using swamps in similar field conditions (ongoing carbon storage study). These studies will help us make predictions about the future ability of baldcypress swamps to store carbon in soil and plant biomass, as well as the ability of these forests to shift northward with global warming.
Fact Sheet↗
Crossing the threshold: Invasive grasses inhibit forest restoration on Hawaiian islands
Forest removal for livestock grazing is a striking example of human-caused state change leading to a stable, undesirable invasive grass system that is resistant to restoration efforts. Understanding which factors lead to resilience to the alternative grass state can greatly benefit managers when planning forest restoration. We address how thresholds of grass cover and seed rain might influence forest recovery in a restoration project on Hawaiʻi Island, USA. Since the 1980s, over 400,000 Acacia koa (koa) trees have been planted across degraded pasture, and invasive grasses still dominate the understory with no native woody-plant recruitment. Between this koa/grass matrix are remnant native Metrosideros polymorpha (ʻōhiʻa) trees beneath which native woody plants naturally recruit. We tested whether there were threshold levels of native woody understory that accelerate recruitment under both tree species by monitoring seed rain at 40 trees (20 koa and ʻōhiʻa) with a range of native woody understory basal area (BA). We found a positive relationship between total seed rain (but not bird-dispersed seed rain) and native woody BA and a negative relationship between native woody BA and grass cover, with no indication of threshold dynamics. We also experimentally combined grass removal levels with seed rain density (six levels) of two common understory species in plots under koa ( n = 9) and remnant ʻōhiʻa ( n = 9). Few seedlings emerged when no grass was removed despite adding seeds at densities two to 75 times higher than naturally occurring. However, seedling recruitment increased two to three times once at least 50% of grass was removed. Existing survey data of naturally occurring seedlings also supported a threshold of grass cover below which seedlings were able to establish. Thus, removal of all grasses is not necessary to achieve system responses: Even moderate reductions (~50%) can increase rates of native woody recruitment. The nonlinear thresholds found here highlight how incremental changes to an inhibitory factor lead to limited restoration success until a threshold is crossed. The resources needed to fully eradicate an invasive species may be unwarranted for state change, making understanding where thresholds lie of the utmost importance to prioritize resources.
Hawaii↗
Mg isotope constraints on soil pore-fluid chemistry: Evidence from Santa Cruz, California
Mg isotope ratios ( 26 Mg/ 24 Mg) are reported in soil pore-fluids, rain and seawater, grass and smectite from a 90 kyr old soil, developed on an uplifted marine terrace from Santa Cruz, California. Rain water has an invariant 26 Mg/ 24 Mg ratio (expressed as δ26 Mg> δ26 Mg ) at −0.79 ± 0.05‰, identical to seawater δ26 Mg> δ26 Mg . Detrital smectite (from the base of the soil profile, and therefore unweathered) has a δ26Mg"> δ26Mg value of 0.11‰, potentially enriched in 26 Mg by up to 0.3‰ compared to the bulk silicate Earth Mg isotope composition (although within the range of all terrestrial silicates). The soil pore-waters show a continuous profile with depth for δ26 Mg> δ26 Mg , ranging from −0.99‰ near the surface to −0.43‰ at the base of the profile. Shallow pore-waters (<1 m) have δ26 Mg> δ26 Mg values that are similar to, or slightly lower than the rain waters. This implies that the degree of biological cycling of Mg in the pore-waters is relatively small and is quantified as <32%, calculated using the average Mg isotope enrichment factor between grass and rain ( δ26 Mggrass- δ26 Mgrain> δ26 Mggrass- δ26 Mgrain ) of 0.21‰. The deep pore-waters (1–15 m deep) have δ26 Mg> δ26 Mg values that are intermediate between the smectite and rain, ranging from −0.76‰ to −0.43‰, and show a similar trend with depth compared to Sr isotope ratios. The similarity between Sr and Mg isotope ratios confirms that the Mg in the pore-waters can be explained by a mixture between rain and smectite derived Mg, despite the fact that Mg and Sr concentrations may be buffered by the exchangeable reservoir. However, whilst Sr isotope ratios in the pore-waters span almost the complete range between mineral and rain inputs, Mg isotopes compositions are much closer to the rain inputs. If Mg and Sr isotope ratios are controlled uniquely by a mixture, the data can be used to estimate the mineral weathering inputs to the pore-waters, by correcting for the rain inputs. This isotopic correction is compared to the commonly used chloride correction for precipitation inputs. A consistent interpretation is only possible if Mg isotope ratios are fractionated either by the precipitation of a secondary Mg bearing phase, not detected by conventional methods, or selective leaching of 24 Mg from smectite. There is therefore dual control on the Mg isotopic composition of the pore-waters, mixing of two inputs with distinct isotopic compositions, modified by fractionation. The data provide (1) further evidence for Mg isotope fractionation at the surface of the Earth and (2) the first field evidence of Mg isotope fractionation during uptake by natural plants. The coherent behaviour of Mg isotope ratios in soil environments is encouraging for the development of Mg isotope ratios as a quantitative tracer of both weathering inputs of Mg to waters, and the physicochemical processes that cycle Mg, a major cation linked to the carbon cycle, during continental weathering.
California↗
A national reconnaissance for pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater contaminants in the United States - II) Untreated drinking water sources
Numerous studies have shown that a variety of manufactured and natural organic compounds such as pharmaceuticals, steroids, surfactants, flame retardants, fragrances, plasticizers and other chemicals often associated with wastewaters have been detected in the vicinity of municipal wastewater discharges and livestock agricultural facilities. To provide new data and insights about the environmental presence of some of these chemicals in untreated sources of drinking water in the United States targeted sites were sampled and analyzed for 100 analytes with sub-parts per billion detection capabilities. The sites included 25 ground- and 49 surface-water sources of drinking water serving populations ranging from one family to over 8 million people. Sixty-three of the 100 targeted chemicals were detected in at least one water sample. Interestingly, in spite of the low detection levels 60% of the 36 pharmaceuticals (including prescription drugs and antibiotics) analyzed were not detected in any water sample. The five most frequently detected chemicals targeted in surface water were: cholesterol (59%, natural sterol), metolachlor (53%, herbicide), cotinine (51%, nicotine metabolite), β-sitosterol (37%, natural plant sterol), and 1,7-dimethylxanthine (27%, caffeine metabolite); and in ground water: tetrachloroethylene (24%, solvent), carbamazepine (20%, pharmaceutical), bisphenol-A (20%, plasticizer), 1,7-dimethylxanthine (16%, caffeine metabolite), and tri (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (12%, fire retardant). A median of 4 compounds were detected per site indicating that the targeted chemicals generally occur in mixtures (commonly near detection levels) in the environment and likely originate from a variety of animal and human uses and waste sources. These data will help prioritize and determine the need, if any, for future occurrence, fate and transport, and health-effects research for subsets of these chemicals and their degradates most likely to be found in water resources used for drinking water in the United States.
Science of the Total Environment↗
Dissipation of contaminants of emerging concern in biosolids applied to non-irrigated farmland in eastern Colorado
In 2007, a 1.5-year field-scale study was initiated by the U.S. Geological Survey to evaluate the dissipation of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) following a first agronomic biosolids application to nonirrigated farmland. CECs with the greatest decrease in concentration in the surface biosolids at 180 days post-application included indole, d-limonene, p-cresol, phenol, and skatol. CECs that were present in the largest concentration in 180-day-weathered biosolids included stanols, nonylphenols, bisphenol A, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, hexahydrohexamethyl cyclopenta-benzopyran (HHCB), and triclosan. CECs that were detected in pre-application soil were 3-beta coprostanol, skatol, acetophenone, beta-sitosterol, beta-stigmastanol, cholesterol, indole, p-cresol, and phenol, most of which are biogenic sterols or fragrances that have natural plant sources in addition to anthropogenic sources, yet their concentrations increased (in some cases, substantially) following biosolids application. Preliminary data indicate the nonylphenols (including NPEO1, NPEO2), OPEO1, benzo[a]pyrene, diethyl phthalate, d-limonene, HHCB, triclosan, and possibly 3-beta coprostanol, skatol, beta-sitosterol, cholesterol, indole, and p-cresol, migrated downward through the soil by 468 days post-application, but indicated little uptake by mature wheat plants. This study indicates that some CECs are sufficiently persistent and mobile to be vertically transported into the soil column following biosolids applications to the land surface, even in semiarid regions.
Journal of the American Water Resources Associatio↗
Water-quality data for pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater contaminants in ground water and in untreated drinking water sources in the United States, 2000-01
This report presents water-quality data from two nationwide studies on the occurrence and distribution of organic wastewater contaminants. These data are part of the continuing effort of the U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program to collect baseline information on the environmental occurrence of pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater contaminants. In 2000, samples were collected from 47 ambient ground-water sites (not drinking-water wells) in 18 states and analyzed for 65 organic wastewater contaminants. In the summer of 2001, samples were collected from 74 sources of raw, untreated, drinking water in 25 states and Puerto Rico and analyzed for 100 organic wastewater contaminants. These sources comprise 25 ground-water and 49 surface-water sources of drinking water serving populations ranging from one family to more than 8 million people. Site selection for both studies focused on areas known or suspected to contain sources of animal and/or human wastewater. The five most frequently detected compounds in samples collected from ambient ground-water sites are N,N-diethyltoluamide (35 percent, insect repellant), bisphenol A (30 percent, plasticizer), tri(2-chloroethy) phosphate (30 percent, fire retardant), sulfamethoxazole (23 percent, veterinary and human antibiotic), and 4-octylphenol monoethoxylate (19 percent, detergent metabolite). The five most frequently detected organic wastewater contaminants in samples of untreated drinking water from surface-water sources are cholesterol (59 percent, natural sterol), metolachlor (53 percent, herbicide), cotinine (51 percent, nicotine metabolite), β-sitosterol (37 percent, natural plant sterol), and 1,7-dimethylxanthine (27 percent, caffeine metabolite). The five most frequently detected organic wastewater contaminants in samples of untreated drinking water from ground-water sources are tetrachloroethylene (24 percent, solvent), carbamazepine (20 percent, pharmaceutical), bisphenol A (20 percent, plasticizer), 1,7-dimethylxanthine (16 percent, caffeine metabolite), and tri(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (12 percent, fire retardant).
Open-File Report↗
The Placer River Silt — An intertidal deposit caused by the 1964 Alaska earthquake
At the head of Turnagain Arm near Anchorage, the major lasting geologic consequence of the Alaska earthquake of 1964 was deposition of the Placer River Silt, an intertidal deposit covering an area of more than 18 km 2 and containing more than 20X10 6 m 3 of sediment. This formation, which was derived from erosion of intertidal bars in Turnagain Arm, averages 1.5 m thick seaward of the Seward Highway and 0.9 m thick landward. Its distribution is controlled both, by the arrangement of the major streams that enter tidewater and by manmade features such as the highway and railroad embankments. The Placer River Silt is still being deposited. The contemporary lowland sedimentation system of the Portage area includes a number of depositional settings: (1) In the Placer River Silt upper tidal flats, levees, and channelway fans, (2) elsewhere in the intertidal zone tidal stream channels, lower tidal flats, and saltwater marsh, and (3) in the supratidal zone gravel levees, freshwater marsh, bogs, and lakes. Since 1964, the critical environmental results of the earthquake-caused deposition have been abandonment of the settlement of Portage, formation of an unsightly blanket of silt, destruction of natural plant communities, localized erosion, and creation of quicksand hazards.
Alaska↗