Publications
These publications showcase the significant science conducted in our Science Centers.
Filter Total Items: 16783
Estimating apparent survival of songbirds crossing the Gulf of Mexico during autumn migration
Many migratory bird species are declining, and the migratory period may limit populations because of the risk in traversing large geographical features during passage. Using automated radio-telemetry, we tracked 139 Swainson's thrushes (Catharus ustulatus) departing coastal Alabama, USA and crossing the Gulf of Mexico to arrive in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico during autumn. We estimated apparent
Authors
Michael P. Ward, Thomas J. Benson, JIll Deppe, Theodore J. Zenzal, Robert H. Diehl, Antonio Celis-Murillo, Rachel T Bolus, Frank R. Moore
Movement ecology of reintroduced migratory Whooping Cranes
No abstract available.
Authors
Claire S. Teitelbaum, Sarah J. Converse, William F. Fagan, Thomas Mueller
Reproduction and reproductive strategies relevant to management of Whooping Cranes ex situ
Due to the small population size (∼400 birds) and continuing threats to wild Whooping Cranes (Grus americana), an ex situ (captive) population is maintained to contribute to the recovery of the species. The goals of the captive breeding program are to provide opportunity for research and birds for reintroduction. However, reproduction among captive birds is far from optimal. Specifically, whooping
Authors
Nucharin Songsasen, Sarah J. Converse, Megan Brown
Population dynamics of reintroduced Whooping Cranes
Because of the small size and restricted range of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population, reintroduction is a prominent element of the recovery effort to ensure persistence of Whooping Cranes (Grus americana). A fundamental objective of all Whooping Crane reintroduction efforts is the establishment of a self-sustaining population. Therefore, success of reintroduction efforts will ultimately be determ
Authors
Sarah J. Converse, Sabrina Servanty, Clinton T. Moore, Michael C. Runge
Whooping Cranes past and present
The Whooping Crane (Grus americana), endemic to North America, is the rarest of all crane species. It is believed that in the early 1800s, the Whooping Crane was widespread in North America, though it was never very abundant. Whooping Crane numbers decreased precipitously as westward migration of Euro-American settlers converted prairie to cropland and the birds were hunted. By the early 1940s the
Authors
John B. French, Sarah J. Converse, Jane E. Austin
Reproductive failure in the Eastern Migratory Population: The interaction of research and management
The reintroduction of the Eastern Migratory Population of Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) has shown the most promise of any effort to date toward the establishment of a self-sustaining population. However, reproduction – including both nest success and chick survival – has been a major challenge. Here, we review the research and management efforts deployed to identify and address this challenge.
Authors
Sarah J. Converse, Bradley N. Strobel, Jeb A. Barzen
The Global food‐energy‐water nexus
Water availability is a major factor constraining humanity's ability to meet the future food and energy needs of a growing and increasingly affluent human population. Water plays an important role in the production of energy, including renewable energy sources and the extraction of unconventional fossil fuels that are expected to become important players in future energy security. The emergent com
Authors
Paolo D'Odorico, Kyle Frankel Davis, Lorenzo Rosa, Joel A. Carr, Davide Chiarelli, Jampel Dell’Angelo, Jessica Gephart, Graham K. MacDonald, David A. Seekell, Samir Suweis, Maria Cristina Rulli
Sediment infilling benefits rainbow trout passage in a baffled channel
Fish are thought to exploit low velocity recirculation zones in the wakes of baffles to take refuge from challenging hydraulic conditions in baffled culverts. Here, we investigate how sediment deposition in the wakes of baffles affects passage and behaviors of juvenile rainbow trout in a baffled experimental flume. High temporal resolution 3D fish tracking provided detailed kinematics of adopted t
Authors
Jason Duguay, Brendan Foster, R.W. Jay Lacey, Theodore R. Castro-Santos
Endangered species recovery: A resource allocation problem
Many nations have laws to identify and protect imperiled species and their ecosystems. In the United States, actions taken under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) have prevented many extinctions, but few listed species have recovered to the point where they can have the ESA protections removed (1, 2). One reason for this [among many (3)] is a shortfall in funding, raising a conundrum for agencies r
Authors
Leah R. Gerber, Michael C. Runge, Richard F. Maloney, Gwenllian D. Iacona, C. Ashton Drew, Stephanie Avery-Gomm, James Brazill-Boast, Deborah T. Crouse, Rebecca S. Epanchin-Niell, Sarah B. Hall, Lynn A. Maguire, Tim Male, Don Morgan, Jeff Newman, Hugh P. Possingham, Libby Rumpff, Katherine C. B. Weiss, Robyn S. Wilson, Marilet A. Zablan
Identifying management-relevant research priorities for responding to disease-associated amphibian declines
A research priority can be defined as a knowledge gap that, if resolved, identifies the optimal course of conservation action. We (a group of geographically distributed and multidisciplinary research scientists) used tools from nominal group theory and decision analysis to collaboratively identify and prioritize information needs within the context of disease-associated amphibian decline, in order
Authors
Evan H. Campbell Grant, M. J. Adams, Robert N. Fisher, Daniel A. Grear, Brian J. Halstead, Blake R. Hossack, Erin L. Muths, Katherine L. D. Richgels, Robin E. Russell, Kelly L. Smalling, J. Hardin Waddle, Susan C. Walls, C. LeAnn White
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Investigating home range, movement pattern, and habitat selection of Bar-headed Geese during breeding season at Qinghai Lake, China
The Bar-headed Goose is an important species in Asia, both culturally and ecologically. While prior studies have shown Qinghai Lake supports one of the largest breeding areas for Bar-headed Geese, little is known regarding the species movement ecology during the breeding season. In this study, we examined Bar-headed Goose home range size within the breeding grounds at Qinghai Lake and documented t
Authors
Ruobing Zheng, Lacy M. Smith, Diann J. Prosser, John Y. Takekawa, Scott H. Newman, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Ze Luo, Baoping Yan
Dynamics of gene expression responses for ion transport proteins and aquaporins in the gill of a Euryhaline Pupfish during freshwater and high salinity acclimation
Pupfishes (genus Cyprinodon) evolved some of the broadest salinity tolerances of teleost fishes, with some taxa surviving in conditions from freshwater to nearly 160 ppt. In this study, we examined transcriptional dynamics of ion transporters and aquaporins in the gill of the desert Amargosa pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis amargosae) during rapid salinity change. Pupfish acclimated to 7.5 ppt were
Authors
Sean Lema, Paul G Carvalho, Jennifer N Egelston, John T. Kelly, Stephen D. McCormick