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At least 919 records · Page 51Linked to original sources
USGS2020

Impact of smallmouth bass predation on subyearling fall Chinook salmon over a broad river continuum

Smallmouth bass ( Micropterus dolomieu ) predation on subyearling fall Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) was examined in the Snake River (USA) to identify seasonal and habitat-related changes in bass diets, and associated subyearling consumption and loss in various riverine and impounded reaches. Smallmouth bass diets reflected opportunistic foraging that at times showed predation on subyearlings is influenced by the consumption of other prey such as crayfish, sand roller ( Percopsis transmontana ), and smaller invertebrates. Estimated loss of subyearlings was influenced by bass abundance and consumption rates. The highest bass abundances (> 1,000 bass/river kilometer) were observed in the upper reach of Hells Canyon early in April and May, and in Lower Granite Reservoir. Peak consumption rates of subyearlings (≥ 0.12 subyearlings/bass/day) occurred in the upper reach of Hells Canyon during May and in most reservoir reaches in June. Predation losses accumulated evenly along the river continuum from riverine to reservoir habitats. We estimated that 869,371 subyearlings could be lost to smallmouth bass predation between riverine production areas and Lower Granite Dam in a given year. To provide a context for this estimated loss, we provide an illustration of its potential effect on the adult population. Assuming no juvenile mortality occurred downstream of the dam and depending on smolt-to-adult return rates, this represented up to 3.9–16.0% of the potential adult run that could have returned to Lower Granite Dam had no subyearling predation by smallmouth bass occurred upstream of the dam. Although this study was limited by a number of assumptions and constraints, it does provide an illustration of how predation affects juvenile and adult salmon loss over a broad, changing river landscape.

Idaho, Oregon, Washington↗
USGS2017

Early detection monitoring for larval dreissenid mussels: How much plankton sampling is enough?

The development of quagga and zebra mussel (dreissenids) monitoring programs in the Pacific Northwest provides a unique opportunity to evaluate a regional invasive species detection effort early in its development. Recent studies suggest that the ecological and economic costs of a dreissenid infestation in the Pacific Northwest of the USA would be significant. Consequently, efforts are underway to monitor for the presence of dreissenids. However, assessments of whether these efforts provide for early detection are lacking. We use information collected from 2012 to 2014 to characterize the development of larval dreissenid monitoring programs in the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington in the context of introduction and establishment risk. We also estimate the effort needed for high-probability detection of rare planktonic taxa in four Columbia and Snake River reservoirs and assess whether the current level of effort provides for early detection. We found that the effort expended to monitor for dreissenid mussels increased substantially from 2012 to 2014, that efforts were distributed across risk categories ranging from high to very low, and that substantial gaps in our knowledge of both introduction and establishment risk exist. The estimated volume of filtered water required to fully census planktonic taxa or to provide high-probability detection of rare taxa was high for the four reservoirs examined. We conclude that the current level of effort expended does not provide for high-probability detection of larval dreissenids or other planktonic taxa when they are rare in these reservoirs. We discuss options to improve early detection capabilities.

Idaho, Oregon, Washington↗
USGS2024

The reach-scale biogeomorphic effect of submerged macrophytes on trout habitat suitability

Submerged macrophytes have complex effects on spatiotemporal characteristics of river ecosystems, including trout habitat. We investigated the impact of submerged macrophyte coverage on trout habitat in the Henrys Fork of the Snake River, Idaho, USA. We hypothesized that higher submerged macrophyte coverage would create new habitat types beneficial for trout growth. We assessed river physical and biotic attributes, trout habitat preferences, and estimated trout growth potential with bioenergetics models across a gradient of submerged macrophyte coverage (32–94%). We identified four distinct habitat types within the riverscape shaped by submerged macrophyte coverage. Increased submerged macrophyte coverage increased the frequency of habitat types with higher trout growth potential but reduced the occurrence of preferred habitat types. We observed no relationship between reach-scale trout growth potential and submerged macrophyte coverage. However, an outlier of very high trout growth potential at 94% submerged macrophyte coverage suggests a potential threshold effect. More study is required but our observations suggest macrophyte growth homogenized physical habitat characteristics, reduced flow velocities, and increased invertebrate drift, thereby enhancing trout growth potential. Our findings underscore the complex interplay between submerged macrophytes and trout habitat dynamics across scales, emphasizing the importance of considering both physical and biological effects on trout habitat.

Idaho↗
USGS2018

An objective road risk assessment method for multiple species: ranking 166 reptiles and amphibians in California

Context Transportation and wildlife agencies may consider the need for barrier structures and safe wildlife road-crossings to maintain the long-term viability of wildlife populations. In order to prioritize these efforts, it is important to identify species that are most at risk of extirpation from road-related impacts. Purpose Our goal was to identify reptiles and amphibians in California most susceptible to road mortality and fragmentation. With over 160 species and a lack of species-specific research data, we developed an objective risk assessment method based upon road ecology science. Methods Risk scoring was based upon a suite of life history and space-use characteristics associated with negative road effects applied in a hierarchical manner from individuals to species. We evaluated risk to both aquatic and terrestrial connectivity and calculated buffer distances to encompass 95% of population-level movements. We ranked species into five relative categories of road-related risk (very-high to very-low) based upon 20% increments of all species scores. Results All chelonids, 72% of snakes, 50% of anurans, 18% of lizards and 17% of salamander species in California were ranked at high or very-high risk from negative road impacts. Results were largely consistent with local and global scientific literature in identifying high risk species and groups. Conclusions This comparative risk assessment method provides a science-based framework to identify species most susceptible to negative road impacts. The results can inform regional-scale road mitigation planning and prioritization efforts and threat assessments for special-status species. We believe this approach is applicable to numerous landscapes and taxonomic groups.

California↗
USGS2013

Histological assessment of organs in sexually mature and post-spawning steelhead trout and insights into iteroparity

Steelhead trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) are anadromous and iteroparous, but repeat-spawning rates are generally low. Like other anadromous salmonids, steelhead trout fast during freshwater spawning migrations, but little is known about the changes that occur in vital organs and tissues. We hypothesized that fish capable of repeat-spawning would not undergo the same irreversible degeneration and cellular necrosis documented in semelparous salmon. Using Snake River steelhead trout as a model we used histological analysis to assess the cellular architecture in the pyloric stomach, ovary, liver, and spleen in sexually mature and kelt steelhead trout. We observed 38 % of emigrating kelts with food or fecal material in the gastrointestinal tract. Evidence of feeding was more likely in good condition kelts, and feeding was associated with a significant renewal of villi in the pyloric stomach. No vitellogenic oocytes were observed in sections of kelt ovaries, but perinucleolar and early/late stage cortical alveolus oocytes were present suggesting iteroparity was possible. We documented a negative correlation between the quantity of perinucleolar oocytes in ovarian tissues and fork length of kelts suggesting that larger steelhead trout may invest more into a single spawning event. Liver and spleen tissues of both mature and kelt steelhead trout had minimal cellular necroses. Our findings indicate that the physiological processes causing rapid senescence and death in semelparous salmon are not evident in steelhead trout, and recovery begins in fresh water. Future management efforts to increase iteroparity in steelhead trout and Atlantic salmon must consider the physiological processes that influence post-spawning recovery.

Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries↗
USGS2011

Native and exotic plants of fragments of sagebrush steppe produced by geomorphic processes versus land use

Habitat fragmentation and invasion by exotic species are regarded as major threats to the biodiversity of many ecosystems. We surveyed the plant communities of two types of remnant sagebrush-steppe fragments from nearby areas on the Snake River Plain of southeastern Idaho, USA. One type resulted from land use (conversion to dryland agriculture; hereafter AG Islands) and the other from geomorphic processes (Holocene volcanism; hereafter kipukas). We assessed two predictions for the variation in native plant species richness of these fragments, using structural equation models (SEM). First, we predicted that the species richness of native plants would follow the MacArthur–Wilson (M–W) hypothesis of island biogeography, as often is expected for the communities of habitat fragments. Second, we predicted a negative relationship between native and exotic plants, as would be expected if exotic plants are decreasing the diversity of native plants. Finally, we assessed whether exotic species were more strongly associated with the fragments embedded in the agricultural landscape, as would be expected if agriculture had facilitated the introduction and naturalization of non-native species, and whether the communities of the two types of fragments were distinct. Species richness of native plants was not strongly correlated with M–W characteristics for either the AG Islands or the **kipukas. The AG Islands had more species and higher cover of exotics than the kipukas, and exotic plants were good predictors of native plant species richness. Our results support the hypothesis that proximity to agriculture can increase the diversity and abundance of exotic plants in native habitat. In combination with other information, the results also suggest that agriculture and exotic species have caused loss of native diversity and reorganization of the sagebrush-steppe plant community.

Idaho↗
USGS2015

Geochemical evolution of groundwater in the Mud Lake area, eastern Idaho, USA

Groundwater with elevated dissolved-solids concentrations—containing large concentrations of chloride, sodium, sulfate, and calcium—is present in the Mud Lake area of Eastern Idaho. The source of these solutes is unknown; however, an understanding of the geochemical sources and processes controlling their presence in groundwater in the Mud Lake area is needed to better understand the geochemical sources and processes controlling the water quality of groundwater at the Idaho National Laboratory. The geochemical sources and processes controlling the water quality of groundwater in the Mud Lake area were determined by investigating the geology, hydrology, land use, and groundwater geochemistry in the Mud Lake area, proposing sources for solutes, and testing the proposed sources through geochemical modeling with PHREEQC. Modeling indicated that sources of water to the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer were groundwater from the Beaverhead Mountains and the Camas Creek drainage basin; surface water from Medicine Lodge and Camas Creeks, Mud Lake, and irrigation water; and upward flow of geothermal water from beneath the aquifer. Mixing of groundwater with surface water or other groundwater occurred throughout the aquifer. Carbonate reactions, silicate weathering, and dissolution of evaporite minerals and fertilizer explain most of the changes in chemistry in the aquifer. Redox reactions, cation exchange, and evaporation were locally important. The source of large concentrations of chloride, sodium, sulfate, and calcium was evaporite deposits in the unsaturated zone associated with Pleistocene Lake Terreton. Large amounts of chloride, sodium, sulfate, and calcium are added to groundwater from irrigation water infiltrating through lake bed sediments containing evaporite deposits and the resultant dissolution of gypsum, halite, sylvite, and bischofite.

Idaho↗
USGS2011

Novel microsatellite loci for studies of Thamnophis Gartersnake genetic identity and hybridization

Butler’s Gartersnakes (BGS; Thamnophis butleri ) are confined to open and semi-open canopy wetlands and adjacent uplands, habitats under threat of development in Wisconsin. To address issues of species identity and putative hybridization with congeneric snakes, a suite of 18 microsatellite loci capable of cross-species amplification of Plains Gartersnakes ( T. radix ) and Common Gartersnakes ( T. sirtalis ) was developed. All loci were polymorphic in BGS with mean number of alleles per locus of 16.11 (range = 3–41) and mean observed heterozygosity of 0.659 (range = 0.311–0.978). Loci amplified efficiently in the congeneric species with high levels of intra- and inter-specific variation. These loci will aid ongoing efforts to effectively identify and manage BGS in Wisconsin.

Conservation Genetics Resources↗
USGS1988

Pb, Sr, and Nd isotopic compositions of a suite of Late Archean, igneous rocks, eastern Beartooth Mountains: Implications for crust-mantle evolution

A series of compositionally diverse, Late Archean rocks (2.74–2.79 Ga old) from the eastern Beartooth Mountains, Montana and Wyoming, U.S.A., have the same initial Pb, Sr, and Nd isotopic ratios. Lead and Sr initial ratios are higher and Nd initial ratios lower than would be expected for rocks derived from model mantle sources and strongly indicate the involvement of an older crustal reservoir in the genesis of these rocks. Crustal contamination during emplacement can be ruled out for a variety of reasons. Instead a model involving subduction of continental detritus and contamination of the overlying mantle as is often proposed for modern subduction environments is preferred. This contaminated mantle would have all the isotopic characteristics of mantle enriched by internal mantle metasomatism but would require no long-term growth or changes in parent to daughter element ratios. This contaminated mantle would make a good source for some of the Cenozoic mafic volcanics of the Columbia River, Snake River Plain, and Yellowstone volcanic fields that are proposed to come from ancient, enriched lithospheric mantle. The isotopic characteristics of the 2.70 Ga old Stillwater Complex are a perfect match for the proposed contaminated mantle which provides an alternative to crustal contamination during emplacement. The Pb isotopic characteristics of the Late Archean rocks of the eastern Beartooth Mountains are similar to those of other Late Archean rocks of the Wyoming Province and suggest that Early Archean, upper crustal rocks were common in this terrane. The isotopic signatures of Late Archean rocks in the Wyoming Province are distinctive from those of other Archean cratons in North America which are dominated by a MORB-like, Archean mantle source (Superior Province) and/or a long-term depleted crustal source (Greenland).

Earth and Planetary Science Letters↗
USGS2017

Age of the last major scabland flood of the Columbia Plateau in eastern Washington

Pumice layers of set S from Mount St. Helens can be correlated with certain ash beds associated with young flood deposits of the channeled scabland. The correlation points to an age of about 13,000 14 C yr B.P. for the last major flood to have crossed the scabland. Until recently, the last major episode of flooding was thought to be closer to 20,000 yr B.P., an age inferred chiefly from the relation of the flood to glacial events of the northern Rocky Mountains. Several investigations within the last few years have suggested that the last major flood occurred well after 20,000 yr B.P. Tentative correlations of ash beds of the scabland with set S pumice layers, the relations of flood and glacial events along the northwestern margin of the Columbia Plateau, and a radiocarbon date from the Snake River drainage southeast of the plateau all indicate an age much younger than 20,000 yr. The postulated age of about 13,000 yr B.P. is further supported by a radiocarbon date in the Columbia River valley downstream from the scabland tract. Basal peat from a bog on the Portland delta of Bretz, which is a downvalley deposit of the last major scabland flood, has been dated as 13,080 ± 300 yr B.P. (W-3404).

Washington↗
USGS1979

Deep structure under Yellowstone National Park U.S.A.: A continental "hot spot"

In order to understand the origin of long-lived loci of volcanism (sometimes called “hot spots”) and their possible role in global tectonic processes, it is essential to know their deep structure. Even though some work has been done on the crustal, upper-mantle, and deep-mantle structure under some of these “hot spots”, the picture is far from clear. In an attempt to study the structure under the Yellowstone National Park U.S.A., which is considered to be such a “hot spot”, we recorded teleseisms using 26 telemetered seismic stations and three groups of portable stations. The network was operated within a 150 km radius centered on the Yellowstone caldera, the major, Quaternary volcanic feature of the Yellowstone region. Teleseismic delays of about 1.5 sec are found inside the caldera, and the delays remain high over a 100 km wide area around the caldera. The spatial distribution and magnitude of the delays indicate the presence of a large body of low-velocity material with horizontal dimensions corresponding approximately to the caldera size (40 km × 80 km) near the surface and extending to a depth of 200–250 km under the caldera. Using ray-tracing and inversion techniques, it is estimated that the compressional velocity inside the anomalous body is lower than in the surrounding rock by about 15% in the upper crust and by 5% in the lower crust and upper mantle. It is postulated that the body is partly composed of molten rock with a high degree of partial melting at shallow depths and is responsible for the observed Yellowstone volcanism. The large size of the partially molten body, taken together with its location at the head of a 350 km zone of volcanic propagation along the axis of the Snake River Plain, indicates that the volcanism associated with Yellowstone has its origin below the lithosphere and is relatively stationary with respect to plate motion. Using our techniques, we are unable to detect any measurable velocity contrast in the mantle beneath the low-velocity body, and, hence, we are unable to determine whether the Yellowstone melting anomaly is associated with a deep heat source or with any deep phenomenon such as a convection plume, chemical plume, or gravitational anchor.

Wyoming↗
USGS2016

The Bear River's history and diversion: Constraints, unsolved problems, and implications for the Lake Bonneville record: Chapter 2

The shifting course of the Bear River has influenced the hydrologic balance of the Bonneville basin through time, including the magnitude of Lake Bonneville. This was first recognized by G.K. Gilbert and addressed in the early work of Robert Bright, who focused on the southeastern Idaho region of Gem Valley and Oneida Narrows. In this chapter, we summarize and evaluate existing knowledge from this region, present updated and new chronostratigraphic evidence for the Bear River's drainage history, and discuss implications for the Bonneville record as well as future research needs. The Bear River in Plio-Pleistocene time joined the Snake River to the north by following the present-day Portneuf or Blackfoot drainages, with it likely joining the Portneuf River by middle Pleistocene time. An episode of volcanism in the Blackfoot-Gem Valley volcanic field, sparsely dated to ~ 100–50 ka, diverted the Bear River southward from where the Alexander shield volcano obstructed the river's path into Gem Valley. Previous chronostratigraphic and isotopic work on the Main Canyon Formation in southern Gem Valley indicates internal-basin sedimentation during the Quaternary, with a possible brief incursion of the Bear River ~ 140 ka. New evidence confirms that the Bear River's final diversion at 60–50 ka led to its integration into the Bonneville basin by spillover at a paleo-divide above present-day Oneida Narrows. This drove rapid incision before the rise of Lake Bonneville into the canyon and southern Gem Valley. Bear River diversion at 60–50 ka coincides with the end of the Cutler Dam lake cycle, at the onset of marine isotope stage 3. The Bear River subsequently contributed to the rise of Lake Bonneville, the highest pluvial lake known in the basin, culminating in the Bonneville flood. Key research questions include the prior path of the upper Bear River, dating and understanding the complex geologic relations within the Gem Valley-Blackfoot volcanic field, resolving evidence for possible earlier incursions of Bear River water into the Bonneville basin, and interpreting the sedimentology of the Main Canyon Formation.

Book chapter↗
USGS2014

Invasive and introduced reptiles and amphibians

Why is there a section on introduced amphibians and reptiles in this volume, and why should veterinarians care about this issue? Globally, invasive species are a major threat to the stability of native ecosystems, 1,2 and amphibians and reptiles are attracting increased attention as potential invaders. Some introduced amphibians and reptiles have had a major impact (e.g., Brown Tree Snakes [ Boiga irregularis ] wiping out the native birds of Guam 3 or Cane Toads [ Rhinella marina ] poisoning native Australian predators). 4 For the vast majority of species, however, the ecological, economic, and sociopolitical effects of introduced amphibians and reptiles are generally poorly quantified, largely because of a lack of focused research effort rather than because such effects are nonexistent. This trend is alarming given that rates of introduction have increased exponentially in recent decades.

Book chapter↗
USGS2013

Links between climate change, water-table depth, and water chemistry in a mineralized mountain watershed

Recent studies suggest that climate change is causing rising solute concentrations in mountain lakes and streams. These changes may be more pronounced in mineralized watersheds due to the sensitivity of sulfide weathering to changes in subsurface oxygen transport. Specific causal mechanisms linking climate change and accelerated weathering rates have been proposed, but in general remain entirely hypothetical. For mineralized watersheds, a favored hypothesis is that falling water tables caused by declining recharge rates allow an increasing volume of sulfide-bearing rock to become exposed to air, thus oxygen. Here, we test the hypothesis that falling water tables are the primary cause of an increase in metals and SO4 (100-400%) observed since 1980 in the Upper Snake River (USR), Colorado. The USR drains an alpine watershed geologically and climatologically representative of many others in mineralized areas of the western U.S. Hydrologic and chemical data collected from 2005 to 2011 in a deep monitoring well (WP1) at the top of the USR watershed are utilized. During this period, both water table depths and groundwater SO4 concentrations have generally increased in the well. A numerical model was constructed using TOUGHREACT that simulates pyrite oxidation near WP1, including groundwater flow and oxygen transport in both saturated and unsaturated zones. The modeling suggests that a falling water table could produce an increase in metals and SO4 of a magnitude similar to that observed in the USR (up to 300%). Future water table declines may produce limited increases in sulfide weathering high in the watershed because of the water table dropping below the depth of oxygen penetration, but may continue to enhance sulfide weathering lower in the watershed where water tables are shallower. Advective air (oxygen) transport in the unsaturated zone caused by seasonally variable recharge and associated water table fluctuations was found to have little influence on pyrite oxidation rates near WP1. However, this mechanism could be important in the case of a shallow dynamic water table and more abundant/reactive sulfides in the shallow subsurface. Data from WP1 and numerical modeling results are thus consistent with the falling water table hypothesis, and illustrate fundamental processes linking climate and sulfide weathering in mineralized watersheds.

Applied Geochemistry↗
USGS2019

Sources, fate, and flux of geothermal solutes in the Yellowstone and Gardner Rivers, Yellowstone National Park, WY

The total discharge and thermal output from the numerous hydrothermal features in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) can be estimated from the chloride (Cl) flux in the Madison, Yellowstone, Falls, and Snake Rivers. Monitoring the Cl flux in these four major rivers provides a holistic view of the hydrothermal output from YNP and changes in the Cl flux may indicate changes in geothermal or magmatic activity. In this study, the source, fate, and flux of geothermal solutes in the Yellowstone River and Gardner Rivers were determined. Beginning in 2012, the fluxes of geothermal solutes, including Cl, were determined at monitoring sites in the Yellowstone and Gardner Rivers downstream of geothermal inputs within YNP. A method was developed using specific conductance as a surrogate measure for solute concentrations at these monitoring sites. Combining continuous (15-min) specific conductance and discharge data, Cl and other geothermal solute fluxes were determined at both sites and approximately 32% of the Cl flux exiting YNP is from the Yellowstone River watershed. Synoptic sampling of river water and discharge measurements were performed during low-flow conditions of September 2014 allowed for the determinations of geothermal solute sources and their downstream fate. Thus, the contribution of geothermal solutes from the various geothermal areas at the downstream monitoring sites was quantified. The thermal features draining into Yellowstone Lake account for 34% of the Cl flux at the Yellowstone River monitoring site which is located approximately 5 km north of YNP. The Gardner River, which captures geothermal water from Mammoth Hot Springs, is responsible for 22% of the Cl at the Yellowstone River monitoring site. Because the Yellowstone River watershed is large and contains numerous thermal areas, knowing the source and fate of geothermal solutes is import baseline information that can be used to identify future changes in thermal activity.

Wyoming↗
USGS2013

The conservation status of the world’s reptiles

Effective and targeted conservation action requires detailed information about species, their distribution, systematics and ecology as well as the distribution of threat processes which affect them. Knowledge of reptilian diversity remains surprisingly disparate, and innovative means of gaining rapid insight into the status of reptiles are needed in order to highlight urgent conservation cases and inform environmental policy with appropriate biodiversity information in a timely manner. We present the first ever global analysis of extinction risk in reptiles, based on a random representative sample of 1500 species (16% of all currently known species). To our knowledge, our results provide the first analysis of the global conservation status and distribution patterns of reptiles and the threats affecting them, highlighting conservation priorities and knowledge gaps which need to be addressed urgently to ensure the continued survival of the world’s reptiles. Nearly one in five reptilian species are threatened with extinction, with another one in five species classed as Data Deficient. The proportion of threatened reptile species is highest in freshwater environments, tropical regions and on oceanic islands, while data deficiency was highest in tropical areas, such as Central Africa and Southeast Asia, and among fossorial reptiles. Our results emphasise the need for research attention to be focussed on tropical areas which are experiencing the most dramatic rates of habitat loss, on fossorial reptiles for which there is a chronic lack of data, and on certain taxa such as snakes for which extinction risk may currently be underestimated due to lack of population information. Conservation actions specifically need to mitigate the effects of human-induced habitat loss and harvesting, which are the predominant threats to reptiles.

Biological Conservation↗
USGS2025

Vertebrates in trade that pose high invasion risk to the United States

The United States imports thousands of live vertebrate species annually as part of legal trade. Escapes and releases from captivity are major pathways of invasion, however, the risk posed by the thousands of imported vertebrate species has not been systematically assessed. We conducted a horizon scan that used a data-driven climate match to filter a list of nearly 15,000 taxa drawn from across the globe of imported fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals for rapid assessment by taxonomic experts. Experts evaluated 840 species and identified 32 (22 reptiles and 10 fishes) as having the highest risk for establishment, spread, and negative impacts. Of those high-risk species, the majority have the capacity to disrupt ecosystem processes via their role as top predators or the unique ecological niches that they occupy, while several of the snake species pose a threat to human health. High-risk species were often scored with high confidence while in contrast, low scores were attributed to a combination of ecological redundancy, low propagule pressure, or low climate match while low confidence arose from a lack of information in the literature (i.e., data deficiency). Our study therefore highlights legally imported species likely to cause the greatest harm with the recognition that many other species could also become invasive in the United States. The ranked list of vertebrate threats can be used to prioritize watchlists and inform the development of targeted regulations for importation can be applied to regions to provide a rapid, preliminary screening for large pools of potential invaders.

Biological Conservation↗
USGS2019

Igneous rocks in the Fish Creek Mountains and environs, Battle Mountain area, north-central Nevada: A microcosm of Cenozoic igneous activity in the northern Great Basin, Basin and Range Province, USA

The Great Basin of the western United States, the northern component of the Basin and Range Province, is a region of Cenozoic lithospheric extension with multiple periods and types of igneous activity. The composition and volume of Cenozoic magmas reflect a complex interaction between mantle-derived magmas and highly diverse crust, where both mantle sources and magmatic processes were modulated by tectonic environment. The Fish Creek Mountains in north-central Nevada underwent multiple igneous events ranging from ca. 40 Ma to 1 Ma that span all of the complex Cenozoic tectono-magmatic episodes of the Great Basin. The Fish Creek Mountains, therefore, is an ideal location to evaluate the different sources and processes involved in magma generation. Many plutons were emplaced in the region between about 40 and 38 Ma, several of which host base and precious metal deposits. Between 36 and 33 Ma, lava fields and calderas of the 37–19 Ma Ignimbrite Flare-up were emplaced. Both these and the preceding plutons resulted from southwestward rollback of the Farallon plate beneath North America during by far the most voluminous phase of Cenozoic magmatism. The lavas range from rare basalt and basaltic andesite to andesite, dacite, and rhyolite, have continental arc-like incompatible element patterns, and high initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and low εNd that require a metasomatized lithospheric mantle source combined with minor crustal component. Ignimbrites of the 34.4 Ma Cove Mine (trachydacite to rhyolite) and 34.0 Ma Caetano calderas (rhyolite to high-silica rhyolite) are abundantly porphyritic, include hydrous phases, were largely derived from partial melts of crustal rocks, but likely include 20–30% of a mantle-derived component. Igneous activity ceased in the region as the rollback-arc migrated to the southwest, but at 24.9 Ma a new caldera formed in the southern Fish Creek Mountains that was filled by ignimbrites of the Fish Creek Mountains Tuff. Intracaldera rhyolite ignimbrites range from aphyric, pumice-rich deposits at the base to progressively more quartz-feldspar phyric ignimbrites at higher levels; all flow units lack hydrous phases. No contemporaneous mafic or intermediate igneous activity accompanied caldera formation, but initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values in the Fish Creek Mountains tuffs are lower than in the Caetano Tuff, suggesting a greater mantle contribution to the 24.9 Ma ignimbrites. After another hiatus in igneous activity, the region was intruded and overlain by basalt to rhyolite dykes and lavas of the northern Nevada rift between 16.8 and 15.1 Ma. The primarily tholeiitic igneous suite is of the same age, chemistry, and isotopic composition as the Grande Ronde Formation of the Columbia River flood basalts, and evolved members (trachydacite and rhyolite) are crustally contaminated. The youngest northern Nevada rift lava is an alkali olivine basalt with isotopic affinity to basalts of the eastern Snake River Plain. After 10 Ma of quiescence, the region was locally covered by mafic lava flows with high-alumina olivine tholeiite compositions, represented by the 5.4 Ma Pumpernickel Valley flows. Their mid-ocean ridge-like incompatible element compositions indicate a depleted mantle source for the lavas, but radiogenic isotopic compositions indicate that the lavas of this region include a significant contribution from a mafic to ultramafic, high- 87 Sr/ 86 Sr source. The final igneous event in the Fish Creek Mountains region, the 4.0 to 1.0 Ma Buffalo Valley volcanic field, includes flows and spatter cones of transitional to alkalic basalt that are divided into two geochemical groups with identical isotopic compositions. They represent variable, low percent partial melts of the asthenosphere at different depths, yielding different rare earth element characteristics. Similar to the Lunar Crater volcanic field, the Buffalo Valley rocks represent a rare case where the lithosphere in the central Great Basin is now thin enough to allow melting of the underlying asthenosphere. Cenozoic magmatism in the northern Great Basin exhibits several transitions in magma sources and tectonic setting with time. Magmatism began as pre-extension, subduction-related, primarily lithospherically-derived magmas emplaced on/in tectonically-thickened crust. The onset of extension was partially driven by impingement of the Yellowstone plume that resulted in emplacement of rift-related volcanic and intrusive rocks in the northern Nevada rift, followed by the eruption of extension-related HAOT lavas along the northwest margin of the Great Basin. Finally, lithospheric thinning allowed for partial melting of the asthenosphere and eruption of alkaline basaltic lavas.

Nevada↗