Publications
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Utilizing high-resolution genetic markers to track population-level exposure of migratory birds to renewable energy development
With new motivation to increase the proportion of energy demands met by zero-carbon sources, there is a greater focus on efforts to assess and mitigate the impacts of renewable energy development on sensitive ecosystems and wildlife, of which birds are of particular interest. One challenge for researchers, due in part to a lack of appropriate tools, has been estimating the effects from such develo
Authors
Ryan J. Harrigan, Jasmine Rajbhandary, Christen Bossu, Peter M. Sanzenbacher, Thomas Dietsch, Cristian Gruppi, Todd E. Katzner, Thomas J. Smith III, Kristen Ruegg
Winter distribution of golden eagles in the Eastern USA
Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) have a Holarctic distribution, but some details of that overall distribution are poorly understood, including parts of the range in eastern North America. Recent studies in the region suggest that Golden Eagles may be more widely distributed than previously recognized. For species specific conservation efforts to be effective, an understanding of the distribution
Authors
Tricia Miller, Michael Lanzone, Melissa Braham, Adam Duerr, Jeff Cooper, Scott Somershoe, David Hanni, Eric C. Soehren, Carrie Threadgill, Mercedes Maddox, Jonathan Stober, Christine A. Kelly, Tom Salo, Andrew Berry, Mark S. Martell, Scott Mehus, Brian Dirks, Robert Sargent, Todd E. Katzner
Integrated science strategy for assessing and monitoring water availability and migratory birds for terminal lakes across the Great Basin, United States
Executive SummaryIn 2022, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) established the Saline Lake Ecosystems Integrated Water Availability Assessment (IWAAs) to monitor and assess the hydrology of terminal lakes in the Great Basin and the migratory birds and other wildlife dependent on those habitats. Scientists from across the USGS (with specialties in water quantity, water quality, limnology, avian biolog
Authors
Rebecca J. Frus, Cameron L. Aldridge, Michael L. Casazza, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Garth Herring, Scott A. Hynek, Daniel K. Jones, Susan K Kemp, Thomas M. Marston, Christopher M. Morris, Ramon C. Naranjo, Cee Nell, David R. O'Leary, Cory T. Overton, Bryce A. Pulver, Brian E. Reichert, Christine A. Rumsey, Rudy Schuster, Cassandra D. Smith
Satellite-derived prefire vegetation predicts variation in field-based invasive annual grass cover after fire
AimsInvasion by annual grasses (IAGs) and concomitant increases in wildfire are impacting many drylands globally, and an understanding of factors that contribute to or detract from community resistance to IAGs is needed to inform postfire restoration interventions. Prefire vegetation condition is often unknown in rangelands but it likely affects variation in postfire invasion resistance across lar
Authors
Christopher A Anthony, Cara Applestein, Matthew Germino
Habitat and dissolved organic carbon modulate variation in the biogeochemical drivers of mercury bioaccumulation in dragonfly larvae at the national scale
We paired mercury (Hg) concentrations in dragonfly larvae with water chemistry in 29 U.S. national parks to highlight how ecological and biogeochemical context (habitat, dissolved organic carbon [DOC]) influence drivers of Hg bioaccumulation. Although prior studies have defined influences of biogeochemical variables on Hg production and bioaccumulation, it has been challenging to determine their i
Authors
Sarah J. Nelson, James Willacker, Collin Eagles-Smith, Colleen M Flanagan Pritz, Celia Y. Chen, Amanda J Klemmer, David P. Krabbenhoft
Numbers of wildlife fatalities at renewable energy facilities in a targeted development region
Increased interest in renewable energy has fostered development of wind and solar energy facilities globally. However, energy development sometimes has negative environmental impacts, such as wildlife fatalities. Efforts by regional land managers to balance energy potential while minimizing fatality risk currently rely on datasets that are aggregated at continental, but not regional scales, that f
Authors
Tara Conkling, Amy L. Fesnock, Todd E. Katzner
Co-production of models to evaluate conservation alternatives for a threatened fish in a rapidly changing landscape
Reintroductions are one means of managing species distributions, but the feasibility of such efforts is uncertain. Here we consider reintroduction for threatened bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) that currently occupy a small fraction of historically occupied habitats in the upper Klamath River basin owing to climate warming and human modifications of ecosystems. We engaged stakeholders across m
Authors
Joseph R. Benjamin, Jason B. Dunham, Nolan P. Banish, David K Hering, Zachary Tiemann
Understanding fatality patterns and sex ratios of Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) at wind energy facilities in western California and Texas
BackgroundOperation of wind turbines has resulted in collision fatalities for several bat species, and one proven method to reduce these fatalities is to limit wind turbine blade rotation (i.e., curtail turbines) when fatalities are expected to be highest. Implementation of curtailment can potentially be optimized by targeting times when females are most at risk, as the proportion of females limit
Authors
Sarah Licari, Amanda Hale, Sara Weaver, Sarah R. Fritts, Todd E. Katzner, David H. Nelson, Dean Williams
Reservoir stratification modulates the influence of impoundments on fish mercury concentrations along an arid land river system
Impoundment is among the most common hydrologic alterations with impacts on aquatic ecosystems that can include effects on mercury (Hg) cycling. However, landscape-scale differences in Hg bioaccumulation between reservoirs and other habitats are not well characterized nor are the processes driving these differences. We examined total Hg (THg) concentrations of Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu
Authors
James Willacker, Collin Eagles-Smith, Jim Chandler, Jesse Naymik, Ralph Myers, David P. Krabbenhoft
Long-term biocrust responses to wildfires in Washington, USA
PremiseDryland ecosystems in the western United States are affected by invasive species, wildfires, livestock grazing, and climate change in ways that are difficult to distinguish. Biocrusts perform important ecological roles in these systems and are sensitive to all of these pressures.MethodsWe revisited a Washington, USA, site sampled for biocrusts in 1999 to focus on effects of exotic annual gr
Authors
Heather T. Root, Julian Chan, Jeanne M Ponzetti, David A. Pyke, Bruce McCune
Acclimation capacity of critical thermal maximum varies among populations: Consequences for estimates of vulnerability
Adaptive plasticity in thermal tolerance traits may buffer organisms against changing temperatures, making such responses of particular interest in the face of global climate change. Although population variation is integral to the evolvability of this trait, many studies inferring proxies of physiological vulnerability from thermal tolerance traits extrapolate data from one or a few populations t
Authors
Amanda S. Cicchino, Alisha A. Shah, Brenna R. Forester, Jason B. Dunham, N. LeRoy Poff, Cameron K. Ghalambor, W. Chris Funk