A. Keith Miles (Former Employee)
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 111
PCB exposure in sea otters and harlequin ducks in relation to history of contamination by the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Exposure to contaminants other than petroleum hydrocarbons could confound interpretation of Exxon Valdez oil spill effects on biota at Prince William Sound, Alaska. Hence, we investigated polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in blood of sea otters and harlequin ducks sampled during 1998. PCB concentrations characterized by lower chlorinated congeners were highest in sea otters from the unoiled area, w
Authors
Mark A. Ricca, A. Keith Miles, Brenda E. Ballachey, James L. Bodkin, Daniel Esler, Kimberly A. Trust
Invertebrate mercury bioaccumulation in permanent, seasonal, and flooded rice wetlands within California's Central Valley
We examined methylmercury (MeHg) bioavailability in four of the most predominant wetland habitats in California's Central Valley agricultural region during the spring and summer: white rice, wild rice, permanent wetlands, and shallowly-flooded fallow fields. We sampled MeHg and total mercury (THg) concentrations in two aquatic macroinvertebrate taxa at the inlets, centers, and outlets of four repl
Authors
Joshua T. Ackerman, A. Keith Miles, Collin A. Eagles-Smith
Cytochrome P4501A biomarker indication of oil exposure in harlequin ducks up to 20 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Hydrocarbon-inducible cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) expression was measured, as ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity, in livers of wintering harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) captured in areas of Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA, oiled by the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill and in birds from nearby unoiled areas, during 2005 to 2009 (up to 20 years following the spill). The present work rep
Authors
Daniel Esler, Kimberly A. Trust, Brenda E. Ballachey, Samuel A. Iverson, Tyler L. Lewis, Daniel Rizzolo, Daniel M. Mulcahy, A. Keith Miles, Bruce R. Woodin, John J. Stegeman, John D. Henderson, Barry W. Wilson
Effects of urbanization on carnivore species distribution and richness
Urban development can have multiple effects on mammalian carnivore communities. We conducted a meta-analysis of 7,929 photographs from 217 localities in 11 camera-trap studies across coastal southern California to describe habitat use and determine the effects of urban proximity (distance to urban edge) and intensity (percentage of area urbanized) on carnivore occurrence and species richness in na
Authors
Miguel A. Ordenana, Kevin R. Crooks, Erin E. Boydston, Robert N. Fisher, Lisa M. Lyren, Shalene Siudyla, Christopher D. Haas, Sierra Harris, Stacie A. Hathaway, Greta M. Turschak, A. Keith Miles, Dirk H. Van Vuren
Temporal and spatial distributions of sediment mercury at salt pond wetland restoration sites, San Francisco Bay, CA, USA
Decommissioned agricultural salt ponds within south San Francisco Bay, California, are in the process of being converted to habitat for the benefit of wildlife as well as water management needs and recreation. Little is known of baseline levels of contaminants in these ponds, particularly mercury (Hg), which has a well established legacy in the Bay. In this study we described spatial and short-ter
Authors
A. Keith Miles, M.A. Ricca
Salton Sea Ecosystem Monitoring Project
The Salton Sea is critically important for wintering and breeding waterbirds, but faces an uncertain future due to water delivery reductions imposed by the Interstate and Federal Quantification Settlement Agreement of 2003. The current preferred alternative for wetland restoration at the Salton Sea is saline habitat impoundments created to mitigate the anticipated loss of wetland habitat. In 2006,
Authors
A. Keith Miles, Mark A. Ricca, Anne Meckstroth, Sarah E. Spring
Organochlorine contaminants in fishes from coastal waters west of Amukta Pass, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA
Organochlorines were examined in liver and stable isotopes in muscle of fishes from the western Aleutian Islands, Alaska, in relation to islands or locations affected by military occupation. Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis), and rock greenling (Hexagrammos lagocephalus) were collected from nearshore waters at contemporary (decommissioned) and historical
Authors
A. Keith Miles, Mark A. Ricca, Robert G. Anthony, James A. Estes
Potential effects of mercury on threatened California black rails
San Francisco Bay (SFB) estuary sediments contain high levels of mercury (Hg), and tidal marsh resident species may be vulnerable to Hg contamination. We examined Hg concentrations in California black rails, a threatened waterbird species that inhabits SFB tidal salt marshes. We captured 127 black rails during the prebreeding and postbreeding seasons and examined the influence of site, sex, and ye
Authors
Danika C. Tsao, A. Keith Miles, John Y. Takekawa, Isa Woo
Dietary flexibility in three representative waterbirds across salinity and depth gradients in salt ponds of San Francisco Bay
Salt evaporation ponds have existed in San Francisco Bay, California, for more than a century. In the past decade, most of the salt ponds have been retired from production and purchased for resource conservation with a focus on tidal marsh restoration. However, large numbers of waterbirds are found in salt ponds, especially during migration and wintering periods. The value of these hypersaline wet
Authors
John Y. Takekawa, A.K. Miles, D. C. Tsao-Melcer, D. H. Schoellhamer, S. Fregien, N.D. Athearn
Use of a nesting platform by Gull-billed Terns and Black Skimmers at the Salton Sea, California
In 2006, we constructed an elevated nesting platform at the Salton Sea, California, and monitored its use by Gull-billed Terns and Black Skimmers over three subsequent breeding seasons. Black Skimmers were the first to colonize the platform with a total of five nests in 2006. In 2007 Gull-billed Terns colonized the platform with a total of 28 nests and the number of Black Skimmer nests increased t
Authors
Kathy C. Molina, Mark A. Ricca, A. Keith Miles, Christian Schoneman
Modeling the effects of fire severity and spatial complexity on Small Mammals in Yosemite National Park, California
We evaluated the impact of fire severity and related spatial and vegetative parameters on small mammal populations in 2 yr- to 15 yr-old burns in Yosemite National Park, California, USA. We also developed habitat models that would predict small mammal responses to fires of differing severity. We hypothesized that fire severity would influence the abundances of small mammals through changes in vege
Authors
Susan L. Roberts, Jan W. Van Wagtendonk, A. Keith Miles, Douglas A. Kelt, James A. Lutz
Bald eagles and sea otters in the Aleutian Archipelago: indirect effects of trophic cascades.
Because sea otters (Enhydra lutris) exert a wide array of direct and indirect effects on coastal marine ecosystems throughout their geographic range, we investigated the potential influence of sea otters on the ecology of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA. We studied the diets, productivity, and density of breeding Bald Eagles on four islands during 1993–1
Authors
R.G. Anthony, J. A. Estes, M.A. Ricca, A.K. Miles, E.D. Forsman
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 111
PCB exposure in sea otters and harlequin ducks in relation to history of contamination by the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Exposure to contaminants other than petroleum hydrocarbons could confound interpretation of Exxon Valdez oil spill effects on biota at Prince William Sound, Alaska. Hence, we investigated polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in blood of sea otters and harlequin ducks sampled during 1998. PCB concentrations characterized by lower chlorinated congeners were highest in sea otters from the unoiled area, w
Authors
Mark A. Ricca, A. Keith Miles, Brenda E. Ballachey, James L. Bodkin, Daniel Esler, Kimberly A. Trust
Invertebrate mercury bioaccumulation in permanent, seasonal, and flooded rice wetlands within California's Central Valley
We examined methylmercury (MeHg) bioavailability in four of the most predominant wetland habitats in California's Central Valley agricultural region during the spring and summer: white rice, wild rice, permanent wetlands, and shallowly-flooded fallow fields. We sampled MeHg and total mercury (THg) concentrations in two aquatic macroinvertebrate taxa at the inlets, centers, and outlets of four repl
Authors
Joshua T. Ackerman, A. Keith Miles, Collin A. Eagles-Smith
Cytochrome P4501A biomarker indication of oil exposure in harlequin ducks up to 20 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Hydrocarbon-inducible cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) expression was measured, as ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity, in livers of wintering harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) captured in areas of Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA, oiled by the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill and in birds from nearby unoiled areas, during 2005 to 2009 (up to 20 years following the spill). The present work rep
Authors
Daniel Esler, Kimberly A. Trust, Brenda E. Ballachey, Samuel A. Iverson, Tyler L. Lewis, Daniel Rizzolo, Daniel M. Mulcahy, A. Keith Miles, Bruce R. Woodin, John J. Stegeman, John D. Henderson, Barry W. Wilson
Effects of urbanization on carnivore species distribution and richness
Urban development can have multiple effects on mammalian carnivore communities. We conducted a meta-analysis of 7,929 photographs from 217 localities in 11 camera-trap studies across coastal southern California to describe habitat use and determine the effects of urban proximity (distance to urban edge) and intensity (percentage of area urbanized) on carnivore occurrence and species richness in na
Authors
Miguel A. Ordenana, Kevin R. Crooks, Erin E. Boydston, Robert N. Fisher, Lisa M. Lyren, Shalene Siudyla, Christopher D. Haas, Sierra Harris, Stacie A. Hathaway, Greta M. Turschak, A. Keith Miles, Dirk H. Van Vuren
Temporal and spatial distributions of sediment mercury at salt pond wetland restoration sites, San Francisco Bay, CA, USA
Decommissioned agricultural salt ponds within south San Francisco Bay, California, are in the process of being converted to habitat for the benefit of wildlife as well as water management needs and recreation. Little is known of baseline levels of contaminants in these ponds, particularly mercury (Hg), which has a well established legacy in the Bay. In this study we described spatial and short-ter
Authors
A. Keith Miles, M.A. Ricca
Salton Sea Ecosystem Monitoring Project
The Salton Sea is critically important for wintering and breeding waterbirds, but faces an uncertain future due to water delivery reductions imposed by the Interstate and Federal Quantification Settlement Agreement of 2003. The current preferred alternative for wetland restoration at the Salton Sea is saline habitat impoundments created to mitigate the anticipated loss of wetland habitat. In 2006,
Authors
A. Keith Miles, Mark A. Ricca, Anne Meckstroth, Sarah E. Spring
Organochlorine contaminants in fishes from coastal waters west of Amukta Pass, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA
Organochlorines were examined in liver and stable isotopes in muscle of fishes from the western Aleutian Islands, Alaska, in relation to islands or locations affected by military occupation. Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis), and rock greenling (Hexagrammos lagocephalus) were collected from nearshore waters at contemporary (decommissioned) and historical
Authors
A. Keith Miles, Mark A. Ricca, Robert G. Anthony, James A. Estes
Potential effects of mercury on threatened California black rails
San Francisco Bay (SFB) estuary sediments contain high levels of mercury (Hg), and tidal marsh resident species may be vulnerable to Hg contamination. We examined Hg concentrations in California black rails, a threatened waterbird species that inhabits SFB tidal salt marshes. We captured 127 black rails during the prebreeding and postbreeding seasons and examined the influence of site, sex, and ye
Authors
Danika C. Tsao, A. Keith Miles, John Y. Takekawa, Isa Woo
Dietary flexibility in three representative waterbirds across salinity and depth gradients in salt ponds of San Francisco Bay
Salt evaporation ponds have existed in San Francisco Bay, California, for more than a century. In the past decade, most of the salt ponds have been retired from production and purchased for resource conservation with a focus on tidal marsh restoration. However, large numbers of waterbirds are found in salt ponds, especially during migration and wintering periods. The value of these hypersaline wet
Authors
John Y. Takekawa, A.K. Miles, D. C. Tsao-Melcer, D. H. Schoellhamer, S. Fregien, N.D. Athearn
Use of a nesting platform by Gull-billed Terns and Black Skimmers at the Salton Sea, California
In 2006, we constructed an elevated nesting platform at the Salton Sea, California, and monitored its use by Gull-billed Terns and Black Skimmers over three subsequent breeding seasons. Black Skimmers were the first to colonize the platform with a total of five nests in 2006. In 2007 Gull-billed Terns colonized the platform with a total of 28 nests and the number of Black Skimmer nests increased t
Authors
Kathy C. Molina, Mark A. Ricca, A. Keith Miles, Christian Schoneman
Modeling the effects of fire severity and spatial complexity on Small Mammals in Yosemite National Park, California
We evaluated the impact of fire severity and related spatial and vegetative parameters on small mammal populations in 2 yr- to 15 yr-old burns in Yosemite National Park, California, USA. We also developed habitat models that would predict small mammal responses to fires of differing severity. We hypothesized that fire severity would influence the abundances of small mammals through changes in vege
Authors
Susan L. Roberts, Jan W. Van Wagtendonk, A. Keith Miles, Douglas A. Kelt, James A. Lutz
Bald eagles and sea otters in the Aleutian Archipelago: indirect effects of trophic cascades.
Because sea otters (Enhydra lutris) exert a wide array of direct and indirect effects on coastal marine ecosystems throughout their geographic range, we investigated the potential influence of sea otters on the ecology of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA. We studied the diets, productivity, and density of breeding Bald Eagles on four islands during 1993–1
Authors
R.G. Anthony, J. A. Estes, M.A. Ricca, A.K. Miles, E.D. Forsman
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government