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These publications showcase the significant science conducted in our Science Centers.

Filter Total Items: 16784

Photoperiod and nesting phenology of whooping cranes at two captive sites

Increasing daylight is known to be a breeding stimulus in many avian species breeding in northern latitudes. This is thought to be true for cranes that breed in such latitudes including the Whooping Crane (Grus americana). For this reason, the captive breeding centers use artificial light to lengthen daylight hours, but no study has been done to look at the effect of such lighting on the reproduct
Authors
Glenn H. Olsen

Estimating abundance

This chapter provides a non-technical overview of ‘closed population capture–recapture’ models, a class of well-established models that are widely applied in ecology, such as removal sampling, covariate models, and distance sampling. These methods are regularly adopted for studies of reptiles, in order to estimate abundance from counts of marked individuals while accounting for imperfect detection
Authors
Chris Sutherland, Andy Royle

Geology of the Mount Rogers area, revisited: Evidence of Neoproterozoic continental rifting, glaciation, and the opening and closing of the Iapetus ocean, Blue Ridge, VA–NC–TN

Recent field and geochronological studies in eight 7.5-minute quadrangles near Mount Rogers in Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee recognize important stratigraphic and structural relationships for the Neoproterozoic Mount Rogers and Konnarock formations, the northeast end of the Mountain City window, the separation of Mesoproterozoic rocks of the Blue Ridge into three age groups, and timing an

Authors
Arthur J. Merschat, C. Scott Southworth, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma, Ryan J. McAleer

Soil mercury distribution in adjacent coniferous and deciduous stands highly impacted by acid rain in the Ore Mountains, Czech Republic

Forests play a primary role in the cycling and storage of mercury (Hg) in terrestrial ecosystems. This study aimed to assess differences in Hg cycling and storage resulting from different vegetation at two adjacent forest stands - beech and spruce. The study site Načetín in the Czech Republic's Black Triangle received high atmospheric loadings of Hg from coal combustion in the second half of the 2
Authors
Tomáš Navrátil, James B. Shanley, Jan Rohovec, Filip Oulehle, Martin Šimeček, Jakub Houška, Pavel Cudlín

Structural geometry of the Valley and Ridge and Plateaus provinces

The Valley and Ridge physiographic province comprises the area between the Blue Ridge province on the east and the Appalachian Plateau province on the west. The province consists of Paleozoic carbonate and clastic rocks that were folded and thrust faulted during the Alleghanian orogeny. The Appalachian Plateau province consists of mostly flat lying to gently dipping upper Paleozoic rocks, with the
Authors
Mark A. Evans, Randall C. Orndorff, William S. Henika

Estimating abundance: Chapter 27

This chapter provides a non-technical overview of ‘closed population capture–recapture’ models, a class of well-established models that are widely applied in ecology, such as removal sampling, covariate models, and distance sampling. These methods are regularly adopted for studies of reptiles, in order to estimate abundance from counts of marked individuals while accounting for imperfect detection
Authors
J. Andrew Royle

Comparative mitogenomic analyses of three North American stygobiont amphipods of the genus Stygobromus (Crustacea: Amphipoda)

The mitochondrial genomes of three North American stygobiont amphipods Stygobromus tenuis potomacus, S. foliatus and S. indentatus collected from Caroline County, VA, were sequenced using a shotgun sequencing approach on an Illumina NextSeq500 (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA). All three mitogenomes displayed 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs and two rRNAs typical of metazoans. While S. tenuis and S.
Authors
Aaron Aunins, David L. Nelms, Christopher S. Hobson, Tim L. King

Northeast and Midwest regional species and habitats at greatest risk and most vulnerable to climate impacts

The objectives of this Chapter are to describe climate change vulnerability, it’s components, the range of assessment methods being implemented regionally, and examples of training resources and tools. Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments (CCVAs) have already been conducted for numerous Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need and their dependent 5 habitats across the Northeast and Midwe
Authors
Michelle D. Staudinger, Laura Hilberg, Maria Janowiak, C.O. Swanton

Paleogeographic implications of Late Miocene lacustrine and nonmarine evaporite deposits in the Lake Mead region: Immediate precursors to the Colorado River

Thick late Miocene nonmarine evaporite (mainly halite and gypsum) and related lacustrine limestone deposits compose the upper basin fill in half grabens within the Lake Mead region of the Basin and Range Province directly west of the Colorado Plateau in southern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. Regional relations and geochronologic data indicate that these deposits are late synextensional to poste
Authors
James E. Faulds, Charlotte Schreiber, Victoria E. Langenheim, Nicholas H. Hinz, Tom Shaw, Matthew T. Heizler, Michael E Perkins, Mohammed El Tabakh, Michael J. Kunk

Elevated bladder cancer in northern New England: The role of drinking water and arsenic

Background: Bladder cancer mortality rates have been elevated in northern New England for at least five decades. Incidence rates in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont are about 20% higher than the United States overall. We explored reasons for this excess, focusing on arsenic in drinking water from private wells, which are particularly prevalent in the region.Methods: In a population-based case-con
Authors
Dalsu Baris, Richard Wadell, Laura Freeman, Molly Schwenn, Joanne Colt, Joseph D. Ayotte, Mary Ward, John Nuckols, Alan Schned, Brian Jackson, Castine Clerkin, Nathanial Rothman, Lee Moore, Anne Taylor, Gilpin Robinson, Monawar G. Hosain, Carla Armenti, Richard McCoy, Claudine Samanic, Robert Hoover, Joseph Fraumeni, Alison Johnson, Margaret Karagas, Debra Silverman

Effects of 2 fungicide formulations on microbial and macroinvertebrate leaf decomposition under laboratory conditions

Aquatic fungi contribute significantly to the decomposition of leaves in streams, a key ecosystem service. However, little is known about the effects of fungicides on aquatic fungi and macroinvertebrates involved with leaf decomposition. Red maple (Acer rubrum) leaves were conditioned in a stream to acquire microbes (bacteria and fungi), or leached in tap water (unconditioned) to simulate potenti
Authors
Adria Elskus, Kelly L. Smalling, Michelle Hladik, Kathryn Kuivila

Reply Zalasiewicz et al. comment

No abstract available.
Authors
Stanley C. Finney, Lucy E. Edwards