Treesearch

Amphibian populations are threatened globally by stressors, including diminishing availabilityof suitable wetland breeding sites, altered hydroregimes driven by changing weather patterns,and exposure to contaminants. Ecological risk assessment should encompass spatial and temporalscales that capture influential ecological processes and demographic responses. Following thePopGUIDE framework of population model development for risk assessment, we used matrix populationmodels, in conjunction with existing hydroregime predictions, under a climate change scenarioto evaluate the effects of...

Temporal partitioning of life history traits among syntopic reptiles can facilitate co-occurrence, but may be influenced byenvironmental factors and evolutionary history. We used 24 years of continuous capture data in the Florida sandhills toevaluate the timing and duration of hatching, maturation and/or surface activity for ten reptile species, spanning multipleclutch strategies, taxonomic relationships, and habits. We hypothesised: i) species would differ in seasonal timing of hatchingand maturation; ii) hatching and maturation periods would be more seasonally-synchronised in fossorial...

Quantifying maximum stand density is important to evaluate the potential stand density of the target populationin forest management. However, most of the past research in the eastern US was mainly focused on plantedmonocultures, coniferous forests, a few commercially important species at the stand level, or in a particulargeographic region. This study aimed to estimate the maximum stand density for mixed-hardwood forests acrossphysiographic zones in the eastern US between two decades (1996-2009 and 2010-2021). Data used in analyseswere collected from the US national forest inventory...

Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi) and Paiute cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii seleniris) are rare taxa of conservation concern. Their generally low population densities and remote distribution make traditional sampling difficult, but they primarily exist in small streams, a habitat type where environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling has proven extremely effective. We developed a single eDNA assay that allows sensitive detection of both taxa, which occur separate from each other in different regions of the Lahontan Basin. Performance of the assay was evaluated using...

Wildfire severity is a key indicator of both direct ecosystem impacts and indirect emissions impacts that affect air quality, climate, and public health far beyond the spatial footprint of the flames. Comprehensive, accurate inventories of severity and emissions are essential for assessing these impacts and setting appropriate fire management and health care preparedness strategies, as is the ability to project emissions for future wildfires. The frequency of large wildfires and the magnitude of their impacts have increased in recent decades, fueling concerns about decreased air quality....

The biological control program against Tamarix spp. (tamarisk/saltcedar; Tamaricaceae) was initiated in the 1970s to reduce negative impacts of this invasive Old World shrub to riparian biodiversity and ecosystem function in western North America. Field releases of host-specific leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) in the genus Diorhabda were initiated in 2001, with significant establishment and widespread defoliation observed roughly two years after open releases. What followed were a variety of complex interactions among invasive Tamarix, its guild of herbivores including Diorhabda spp., and the...

Anecdotal reports indicate that invasive yellow or common toadflax (Linaria vulgaris) and Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica) (Plantaginaceae) were deliberately introduced to North America for ornamental purposes. They were also accidentally introduced as a seed contaminant, as was the case for many early-introduced invasive plants in North America (Mack, 1986, 2003; Mack and Erneberg, 2002; Lehan et al., 2013). In the absence of laws regulating the importation of exotic plants (as opposed to plant pests) into the United States, plant-lovers ranging from homesteaders and miners to...

Altered weather patterns associated with climate change are likely to adversely affect amphibian recruitment, especially for species dependent on ephemeral, geographically isolated wetlands for breeding. Future changes in temperature and rainfall patterns could affect hydroregimes (periodicity, depth, duration, and timing of water in wetlands) or adult breeding effort. We used 24 years of continuous amphibian trapping, weather, and hydroregime data to identify breedingto- metamorphosis periods (BMPs) and environmental factors affecting annual recruitment by three hylid species at eight...