All Publications

A central question in evolutionary biology is how lineages quickly diversify to occupy different ecological niches, along with determining genomic factors that facilitate evolutionary change. Isolated, oceanic archipelagos are famous for adaptive radiations characterized by endemic, species-rich clades with substantial ecological variation, yet genome resources key to determining eco-evo processes

Fluorine-rich granites and rhyolites occur throughout the southern Rocky Mountains, but the origin of F-enrichment has remained unclear. We test if F-enrichment could be inherited from ancient mafic lower crust by: (1) measuring amphibole compositions, including F and Cl contents, of lower crustal mafic granulite xenoliths from northern Colorado to determine if they are unusually enriched in halog

Long-term (2010–19) water-quality monitoring on the Colorado River downstream from Moab Utah indicated the persistent presence of Bioactive Chemicals (BC), such as pesticides and pharmaceuticals. This stream reach near Canyonlands National Park provides critical habitat for federally endangered species. The Moab wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) outfall discharges to the Colorado River and is the

The origin of Au-bearing, low sulfide quartz veins in the Pogo and Tibbs Creek regions of interior Alaska remain enigmatic. Intrusion-related Au and mesozonal orogenic vein models have both been proposed (Thompson and Newberry, 2000; Rhys et al., 2003; Goldfarb et al., 2022; Dilworth et al., 2007). To date, studies of igneous geochronology and metamorphic timing have shown that gold veins formed b

This report presents the methods, results, and applications of an updated flood-frequency study for the State of Illinois. This study, which uses data through September 2017, updates two previous studies that used data through 1999 and 2009, respectively. Flood-frequency estimates are used for a variety of land-use planning and infrastructure design purposes, including for the hydraulic design of

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), along with landowners including San Diego State University, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Western Riverside Regional Conservation Authority and Riverside County Flood Control District are developing wildlife crossing infrastructure projects along a 3-mile stretch of Interstate 15 (I-15) in the Sa

A better understanding of modeled streamflow errors related to basin reservoir storage is needed for large regions, which normally have many ungaged basins with reservoirs. We quantified the difference between modeled and observed streamflows for one process-based and three statistical-transfer hydrologic models, none of which explicitly accounted for reservoir storage. Streamflow statistics repre

Broad-scale mapping of stream channel and floodplain geomorphic metrics is critical to improve the understanding of geomorphic change, biogeochemical processes, riverine habitat quality, and opportunities for management intervention. The Floodplain and Channel Evaluation Tool (FACET) was developed to provide an open-source tool for automated processing of digital elevation models (DEMs) to generat

Endemic Hawaiian forest birds have exhibited dramatic population declines since human colonization of Hawai‘i. The Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a Forest Bird Sanctuary and adjacent Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a Forest Reserve on Hawai‘i Island were established in 2002 to conserve endemic forest birds and their habitats. Surveys have been conducted in this area to monitor forest bird populations and their response to management ac

The economic and methodological efficiencies of environmental DNA (eDNA) based survey approaches provide an unprecedented opportunity to assess and monitor aquatic environments. However, instances of inadequate communication from the scientific community about confidence levels, knowledge gaps, reliability, and appropriate parameters of eDNA-based methods have hindered their uptake in environmenta

The extent to which effects seen in chronic toxicity studies in the laboratory affect mussel fitness later in life is poorly known. We examined juvenile Fatmucket (Lampsilis siliquoidea) survival and growth for 56 d following exposure to Zn in a laboratory bioassay. We conducted a 28-d chronic toxicity bioassay with 6-wk-old juvenile mussels exposed to a control and two Zn treatments (120 and 240

MODFLOW 6 is the latest in a line of six “core” versions of MODFLOW released by the U.S. Geological Survey. The MODFLOW 6 architecture supports incorporation of additional hydrologic processes, in addition to groundwater flow, and allows interaction between processes. The architecture supports multiple model instances and multiple types of models within a single simulation, a flexible approach to