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USGS2011

Discrete choice modeling of shovelnose sturgeon habitat selection in the Lower Missouri River

Substantive changes to physical habitat in the Lower Missouri River, resulting from intensive management, have been implicated in the decline of pallid ( Scaphirhynchus albus ) and shovelnose ( S. platorynchus ) sturgeon. To aid in habitat rehabilitation efforts, we evaluated habitat selection of gravid, female shovelnose sturgeon during the spawning season in two sections (lower and upper) of the Lower Missouri River in 2005 and in the upper section in 2007. We fit discrete choice models within an information theoretic framework to identify selection of means and variability in three components of physical habitat. Characterizing habitat within divisions around fish better explained selection than habitat values at the fish locations. In general, female shovelnose sturgeon were negatively associated with mean velocity between them and the bank and positively associated with variability in surrounding depths. For example, in the upper section in 2005, a 0.5 m s −1 decrease in velocity within 10 m in the bank direction increased the relative probability of selection 70%. In the upper section fish also selected sites with surrounding structure in depth (e.g., change in relief). Differences in models between sections and years, which are reinforced by validation rates, suggest that changes in habitat due to geomorphology, hydrology, and their interactions over time need to be addressed when evaluating habitat selection. Because of the importance of variability in surrounding depths, these results support an emphasis on restoring channel complexity as an objective of habitat restoration for shovelnose sturgeon in the Lower Missouri River.

Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota↗

USGS2004

The Schaake shuffle: A method for reconstructing space-time variability in forecasted precipitation and temperature fields

A number of statistical methods that are used to provide local-scale ensemble forecasts of precipitation and temperature do not contain realistic spatial covariability between neighboring stations or realistic temporal persistence for subsequent forecast lead times. To demonstrate this point, output from a global-scale numerical weather prediction model is used in a stepwise multiple linear regression approach to downscale precipitation and temperature to individual stations located in and around four study basins in the United States. Output from the forecast model is downscaled for lead times up to 14 days. Residuals in the regression equation are modeled stochastically to provide 100 ensemble forecasts. The precipitation and temperature ensembles from this approach have a poor representation of the spatial variability and temporal persistence. The spatial correlations for downscaled output are considerably lower than observed spatial correlations at short forecast lead times (e.g., less than 5 days) when there is high accuracy in the forecasts. At longer forecast lead times, the downscaled spatial correlations are close to zero. Similarly, the observed temporal persistence is only partly present at short forecast lead times. A method is presented for reordering the ensemble output in order to recover the space-time variability in precipitation and temperature fields. In this approach, the ensemble members for a given forecast day are ranked and matched with the rank of precipitation and temperature data from days randomly selected from similar dates in the historical record. The ensembles are then reordered to correspond to the original order of the selection of historical data. Using this approach, the observed intersite correlations, intervariable correlations, and the observed temporal persistence are almost entirely recovered. This reordering methodology also has applications for recovering the space-time variability in modeled streamflow.

Journal of Hydrometeorology↗

USGS2007

Prioritizing bottomland hardwood forest sites for protection and augmentation

Bottomland hardwood forest has been greatly diminished by conversion to agriculture. Less than 25% of the pre-Columbian bottomland hardwood forests remain in the southeastern United States. Because of the valuable ecological and hydrological functions performed by these forests, their conservation and restoration has been a high priority. Part of these restoration efforts has focused on developing tools that can be used for both assessments at the landscape level and policy implementation at the local level. The distribution of bottomland hardwood forests in the Cache and White River watersheds in eastern Arkansas were examined using existing GIS databases. Criteria were developed to select areas that should be conserved or augmented for wildlife habitat. Over 67% of the study area was classified as agriculture, with bottomland hardwood forest the next largest habitat class. The thickness of a forest fragment was defined as the radius of the largest circle that can be inscribed in a fragment. Thickness was used in three ways. First, individual forest fragments were identified and selected based on ecological function using criteria we established. Second, individual fragments that were too small to support interior species, but large enough that if moderately augmented they could recover that function, were identified and selected. These augmentable fragments were further prioritized by adjacency to habitat that might be suitable for reforestation, namely agriculture. Third, watersheds were prioritized for conservation and augmentation based on the size and distributions of forest fragment thickness and area within each watershed.

Arkansas↗

USGS2019

Growth and mortality of invasive Flathead Catfish in the tidal James River, Virginia

Invasive species are a major threat to biodiversity of native fishes in North America. In Atlantic coastal rivers of the United States, large catfishes introduced from the Gulf of Mexico drainages have become established and contributed to native species declines. Flathead Catfish Pylodictis olivaris were introduced to the Chesapeake Bay drainage in the 1960s and 1970s in the James and Potomac river systems in the eastern United States. Diet studies have found James River Flathead Catfish function as apex predators and are known to consume at-risk Alosa spp. To limit further range expansion and impacts to native species, resource management agencies need information on population characteristics to support population assessments and management plan development. Thus, we examined temporal trends in growth rates and estimated total instantaneous mortality for tidal James River Flathead Catfish collected by Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries from 1997 to 2015. Parameters of the von Bertalanffy growth model with length-at-age observations pooled across sampling years were estimated as L ∞ = 1,059 mm, k = 0.231/y, and t 0 = 0.55 y. Flathead Catfish growth differed among sampling years, especially for the years 2007 and 2014, which had the largest sample sizes. However, there were no obvious temporal trends in growth trajectories. James River Flathead Catfish tend to grow much faster than most populations used in development of the relative growth index, but the species is known to grow faster in its nonnative range. Consequently, scientists and managers should use caution when applying growth indices if native and nonnative populations are not expressly considered in development of the index. We estimated total instantaneous mortality as Z = 0.50 and mean natural mortality from six estimators as M = 0.30. A lack of older individuals in the population means that mortality rates may be overestimated as a result of gear selectivity or ongoing maturation of the population. These data provide information to support future work examining the species in the James River and development of population models to evaluate management strategies and management plans.

Virginia↗

USGS2012

Candidate cave entrances on Mars

This paper presents newly discovered candidate cave entrances into Martian near-surface lava tubes, volcano-tectonic fracture systems, and pit craters and describes their characteristics and exploration possibilities. These candidates are all collapse features that occur either intermittently along laterally continuous trench-like depressions or in the floors of sheer-walled atypical pit craters. As viewed from orbit, locations of most candidates are visibly consistent with known terrestrial features such as tube-fed lava flows, volcano-tectonic fractures, and pit craters, each of which forms by mechanisms that can produce caves. Although we cannot determine subsurface extents of the Martian features discussed here, some may continue unimpeded for many kilometers if terrestrial examples are indeed analogous. The features presented here were identified in images acquired by the Mars Odyssey's Thermal Emission Imaging System visible-wavelength camera, and by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's Context Camera. Select candidates have since been targeted by the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment. Martian caves are promising potential sites for future human habitation and astrobiology investigations; understanding their characteristics is critical for long-term mission planning and for developing the necessary exploration technologies.

Journal of Cave and Karst Studies↗

USGS2006

Breeding biology and nest-site selection of red-tailed hawks in an altered desert grassland

Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) have expanded their range as trees have invaded formerly-open grasslands. Desert grasslands of southern Arizona have been invaded by mesquite trees (Prosopis velutina) since Anglo-American settlement and now support a large population of Red-tailed Hawks. We studied a population of Red-tailed Hawks in an altered desert grassland in southern Arizona. Our objectives were to determine what environmental characteristics influence Red-tailed Hawk habitat selection in mesquite-invaded desert grasslands and to evaluate the habitat quality of these grasslands for Red-tailed Hawks based on nesting density, nest success, and productivity. Red-tailed Hawks had 86% (95% C.I. = 73-99) nest success and 1.82 young per breeding pair (95% C.I. = 1.41-2.23). Nesting density was 0.15 (95% CI = 0.08-0.21) breeding pairs/km2 and the mean nearest-neighbor distance was 1.95 km (95% C.I. = 1.74-2.16). Red-tailed Hawks selected nest-sites with taller nest-trees and greater tree height and cover than were available at random. Mesquite trees in desert grasslands provide abundant potential nesting structures for Red-tailed Hawks. ?? 2006 The Raptor Research Foundation, Inc.

Journal of Raptor Research↗

USGS1976

Intermediate-scale mapping

The U.S. Geological Survey has introduced an intermediate-scale map series (1:100,000 and 1:50,000) in response to the demand for maps at scales between the 1:24,000 and 1:250,000 standard series. The goal is to provide basic cartographic data at the level of detail and in the format selected by Federal, State, regional, county, and other users. A major innovation is the preparation of feature-separation drawings which provide great flexibility in constructing maps. The new series is designed with digitization in mind, ultimately to facilitate forming a digital cartographic data bas

Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey↗

USGS1985

Hydraulic gradient control for groundwater contaminant removal

The Rocky Mountain Arsenal near Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., is used as a realistic setting for a hypothetical test of a procedure that plans the hydraulic stabilization and removal of a groundwater contaminant plume. A two-stage planning procedure successfully selects the best wells and their optimal pumping/recharge schedules to contain the plume while a well or system of wells within the plume removes the contaminated water. In stage I, a combined groundwater flow and solute transport model is used to simulate contaminant removal under an assumed velocity field. The result is the approximated plume boundary location as a function of time. In stage II, a linear program, which includes a groundwater flow model as part of the set of constraints, determines the optimal well selection and their optimal pumping/recharge schedules by minimizing total pumping and recharge. The simulation—management model eliminates wells far from the plume perimeter and activates wells near the perimeter as the plume decreases in size. This successfully stablizes the hydraulic gradient during aquifer cleanup.

Colorado↗

USGS2014

Habitat used by juvenile lake sturgeon ( Acipenser fulvescens ) in the North Channel of the St. Clair River (Michigan, USA)

Lake sturgeon ( Acipenser fulvescens ) occupy the St. Clair River, part of a channel connecting lakes Huron and Erie in the Laurentian Great Lakes. In the North Channel of the St. Clair River, juvenile lake sturgeon (3–7 years old and 582–793 mm in length) were studied to determine movement patterns and habitat usage. Fourteen juveniles were implanted with ultrasonic transmitters and tracked June–August of 2004, 2005 and 2006. Telemetry data, Geographic Information System software, side-scan sonar, video images of the river bottom, scuba diving, and benthic substrate samples were used to determine the extent and composition of habitats they occupied. Juvenile lake sturgeon habitat selection was strongly related to water depth. No fish were found in <6 m of water and over 97% of the relocations were found at depths greater than 9 m. Available water depths exceeding 18 m only represented 3.5% of the available habitat, however 34.9% of the relocations were found at depths exceeding 18 m. Juvenile lake sturgeon did not use most areas in proportion to their availability. Sturgeon avoided clay ledges and shallow areas with silt or soft clay, which comprised approximately 39% of the benthic habitat in the North Channel. A total of 300 out of 351 documented locations were on sand and gravel habitat types mixed with clay. Lake sturgeon > 700 mm in length selected sand and gravel areas mixed with zebra mussels and areas dominated by zebra mussels, while fish < 700 mm used these habitat types in proportion to their availability.

Michigan↗

USGS2011

Modal-pushover-based ground-motion scaling procedure

Earthquake engineering is increasingly using nonlinear response history analysis (RHA) to demonstrate the performance of structures. This rigorous method of analysis requires selection and scaling of ground motions appropriate to design hazard levels. This paper presents a modal-pushover-based scaling (MPS) procedure to scale ground motions for use in a nonlinear RHA of buildings. In the MPS method, the ground motions are scaled to match to a specified tolerance, a target value of the inelastic deformation of the first-mode inelastic single-degree-of-freedom (SDF) system whose properties are determined by the first-mode pushover analysis. Appropriate for first-mode dominated structures, this approach is extended for structures with significant contributions of higher modes by considering elastic deformation of second-mode SDF systems in selecting a subset of the scaled ground motions. Based on results presented for three actual buildings-4, 6, and 13-story-the accuracy and efficiency of the MPS procedure are established and its superiority over the ASCE/SEI 7-05 scaling procedure is demonstrated.

Journal of Structural Engineering↗

USGS2010

Technical note assessing the accuracy of Landsat Thematic Mapper classification using double sampling

Double sampling was used to provide a cost efficient estimate of the accuracy of a Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) classification map of a scene located in the Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. In the first phase, 200 sample points were randomly selected to assess the accuracy between Landsat TM data and aerial photography. The overall accuracy and Kappa statistic were 49.5 per cent and 32.5 per cent, respectively. In the second phase, 25 sample points identified in the first phase were selected using stratified random sampling and located in the field. This information was used to correct for misclassification errors associated with the first phase samples. The overall accuracy and Kappa statistic increased to 59.6 per cent and 45.6 per cent, respectively.

International Journal of Remote Sensing↗

USGS2002

A comparison of diets of blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) and threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense) in a large southeastern U.S. Reservoir

The objective of this study was to determine dietary overlap between blueback herring and threadfin shad in J. Strom Thrumond Reservoir, South Carolina/Georgia. We also evaluated prey selectivity for each speices and diet differences between two size categories of blueback herring. Diet and zooplankton samples were collected every other month from April 1992 to February 1994. We examined stomachs containing prey from 170 large blueback herring (>140mm), 96 small blueback herring (<140mm), and 109 threadfin shad, and we also examined 45 zooplankton samples. Large blueback herring diets differed significantly from threadfin shad diets on 11 of 12 sampling dates, and small blueback herring diets differed from threadfin shad diets on all sampling dates. In general, blueback herring consumed proportionally more copepods and fewer Bosmina sp. and rotifers than threadfin shad. Large and small blueback herring diets were significantly different on five of eight sampling dates, primarily due to the tendency of small blueback herring to eat proportionally more Bosmina sp. than large blueback herring. Both blueback herring and threadfin shad fed selectively during some periods of the year. Diet differences between the species may contribute to their coexistence; however, both blueback herring and threadfin shad showed a strong preference for Bosmina sp., increasing the chance that they may negatively influence one another.

Georgia, South Carolina↗

USGS2020

Seasonal movements and tributary-specific fidelity of blue sucker Cycleptus elongatus in a Southern Plains riverscape

This study used acoustic telemetry and a multistate Cormack–Jolly–Seber model to determine the seasonal movement patterns of blue sucker Cycleptus elongatus from 2015 to 2017. Several hypotheses were ranked using AIC c , and it was determined that the movement patterns of blue suckers in a mainstem reach below a hydropower dam ( i.e. , tailwater) differed from those of blue suckers tagged in the major tributaries (perennial with stream order >3). This study estimated a low probability (≤0.13) blue suckers would leave the tailwater reach at any time during the study. Conversely, blue suckers tagged in the major tributaries had a high probability (≥0.88) of leaving after the spawning season (February–May). Blue suckers tagged in the major tributaries displayed a high probability (0.83) of returning to the tributaries in the spawning season of 2016 when discharges were high. Blue suckers also had a higher probability of fidelity to the tributary where they were tagged (0.65) rather than straying to different tributaries (0.18). The majority of tagged blue suckers that strayed selected the only undammed tributary in the study area. In 2017, spring discharges were low, and the probability of blue suckers returning to any major tributary was low (0.19), with little difference in the probability of displaying site fidelity (0.10) vs. straying (0.09).

Oklahoma↗

USGS1995

A selected bibliography of water-related research in the upper Klamath Basin, Oregon

A bibliography containing 165 selected references was compiled to assist local, State, and Federal agencies that have ongoing water-related research interests in the Upper Klamath Basin. The report has two parts. Part 1 is a list of bibliographic citations alphabetized by author, and Part 2 is a subject index that references bibliographic entries. Categories of the subject index include chemistry, ecology, geology, hydrology, land use, and water management related reports. Maps, reports, proposals, theses, dissertations, and journal articles are referenced. Some of the environmental issues addressed by references in the bibliography are hypereutrophication, nuisance algal blooms, endangered fish species, water allocation questions, wetland and riparian habitat restoration, and pesticide and fertilizer utilization.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2021

Ecological disturbance through patch-burn grazing influences lesser prairie-chicken space use

Across portions of the western Great Plains in North America, natural fire has been removed from grassland ecosystems, decreasing vegetation heterogeneity and allowing woody encroachment. The loss of fire has implications for grassland species requiring diverse vegetation patches and structure or patches that have limited occurrence in the absence of fire. The lesser prairie-chicken ( Tympanuchus pallidicinctus ) is a declining species of prairie-grouse that requires heterogeneous grasslands throughout its life history and fire has been removed from much of its occupied range. Patch-burn grazing is a management strategy that re-establishes the fire-grazing interaction to a grassland system, increasing heterogeneity in vegetation structure and composition. We evaluated the effects of patch-burn grazing on lesser prairie-chicken space use, habitat features, and vegetation selection during a 4-year field study from 2014–2017. Female lesser prairie-chickens selected 1- and 2-year post-fire patches during the lekking season, ≥4-year post-fire patches during the nesting season, and year-of-fire and 1-year post-fire patches during post-nesting and nonbreeding seasons. Vegetation selection during the lekking season was not similar to available vegetation in selected patches, suggesting that lesser prairie-chickens cue in on other factors during the lekking season. During the nesting season, females selected nest sites with greater visual obstruction, which was available in ≥4-year post-fire patches; during the post-nesting season, females selected sites with 15–25% bare ground, which was available in the year-of-fire, 1-year post-fire, and 2-year post-fire patches; and during the nonbreeding season they selected sites with lower visual obstruction, available in the year-of-fire and 1-year post-fire patches. Because lesser prairie-chickens selected all available time-since-fire patches during their life history, patch-burn grazing may be a viable management tool to restore and maintain lesser prairie-chicken habitat on the landscape. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.

Kansas↗

USGS2019

Coldwater periods in warmwater streams: Microhabitat shifts from autumn to winter by Smallmouth Bass

Seasonal and life stage variation in microhabitat use is an important driver of fish survival and bioenergetics, but knowledge of microhabitat selection during colder periods is generally lacking in warmwater streams. Our objective was to examine changes in microhabitat selection by age‐0 (TL ≤ 85 mm) and age‐1+ (TL > 85 mm) Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu from autumn to winter in streams of the southwest Ozark Highlands ecoregion. We examined microhabitat selection (depth, velocity, substrate, cover, and temperature) during autumn 2017 (Spavinaw Creek) and winter 2018 (Spavinaw and Spring creeks). During autumn and winter, age‐0 fish selected intermediate depths of approximately 1 m, whereas age‐1+ fish selected the deepest available habitat. Water depth selection was similar across seasons for both life stages. Both age‐0 and age‐1+ bass selected areas of zero velocity, increasing substrate size, instream cover, and warmwater patches in autumn. Velocity selection differed between autumn and winter with both life stages showing stronger selection of low velocity patches (0.1–0.3 m/s) during winter. Both life stages shifted to having no substrate selection during winter. Age‐1+ bass were more likely than age‐0 bass to use cover during autumn, but this relationship shifted in winter to the age‐0 cohort increasing their selection of cover and the age‐1+ cohort decreasing their selection. Both age‐0 and age‐1+ bass selected relatively warmer habitats during autumn, but not winter. Collectively, our results highlight both seasonal and life stage variation in Smallmouth Bass microhabitat selection. As our understanding of habitat selection across seasons develops, the management of Smallmouth Bass will undoubtedly improve. Changing environmental conditions over time may influence available habitat as well as the timing of seasonal shifts across a range of spatial and temporal scales, including microhabitat patches.

Arkansas, Oklahoma↗

USGS2009

Using packrat middens to assess grazing effects on vegetation change

Research on grazing effects usually compares the same sites through time or grazed and ungrazed sites over the same time period. Both approaches are complicated in arid environments where grazing can have a long undocumented history and landscapes can be spatially heterogenous. This work employs both approaches simultaneously by comparing grazed and ungrazed samples through both time and space using fossil plant macrofossils and pollen from packrat middens. A series of 27 middens, spanning from 995 yr BP to the present, were collected from Glen Canyon in southeastern Utah, USA. These middens detail vegetation change just prior to, and following, the historical introduction of domesticated grazers and also compares assemblages from nearby ungrazable mesas. Pre-grazing middens, and modern middens from ungrazed areas, record more native grasses, native herbs, and native shrubs such as Rhus trilobata, Amelanchier utahensis, and Shepherdia rotundifolia than modern middens from grazed areas. Ordinations demonstrate that site-to-site variability is more important than any temporal changes, making selection of comparable grazed versus ungrazed study treatments difficult. But within similar sites, the changes through time show that grazing lowered the number of taxa recorded, and lessened the pre-existing site differences, homogenizing the resultant plant associations in this desert grassland.

Journal of Arid Environments↗

USGS2012

Prey selection by the Lake Superior fish community

Mysis diluviana is an important prey item to the Lake Superior fish community as found through a recent diet study. We further evaluated this by relating the quantity of prey found in fish diets to the quantity of prey available to fish, providing insight into feeding behavior and prey preferences. We describe the seasonal prey selection of major fish species collected across 18 stations in Lake Superior in spring, summer, and fall of 2005. Of the major nearshore fish species, bloater ( Coregonus hoyi ), rainbow smelt ( Osmerus mordax ), and lake whitefish ( Coregonus clupeaformis ) consumed Mysis , and strongly selected Mysis over other prey items each season. However, lake whitefish also selected Bythotrephes in the fall when Bythotrephes were numerous. Cisco ( Coregonus artedi ), a major nearshore and offshore species, fed largely on calanoid copepods, and selected calanoid copepods (spring) and Bythotrephes (summer and fall). Cisco also targeted prey similarly across bathymetric depths. Other major offshore fish species such as kiyi ( Coregonus kiyi ) and deepwater sculpin ( Myoxocephalus thompsoni ) fed largely on Mysis , with kiyi targeting Mysis exclusively while deepwater sculpin did not prefer any single prey organism. The major offshore predator siscowet lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush siscowet ) consumed deepwater sculpin and coregonines, but selected deepwater sculpin and Mysis each season, with juveniles having a higher selection for Mysis than adults. Our results suggest that Mysis is not only a commonly consumed prey item, but a highly preferred prey item for pelagic, benthic, and piscivorous fishes in nearshore and offshore waters of Lake Superior.

Journal of Great Lakes Research↗