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Agate Fossil Beds National Monument: Geologic Resources Inventory Report, John Graham

United States National Park Service: Publications

This report accompanies the digital geologic map for Agate Fossil Beds National Monument in Nebraska, which the Geologic Resources Division produced in collaboration with its partners. It contains information relevant to resource management and scientific research. This document incorporates preexisting geologic information and does not include new data or additional fieldwork.

Formerly a working ranch in sparsely populated northwestern Nebraska, Agate Fossil Beds National Monument is one of the most important paleontological sites in the world for studying Miocene-age mammals and the evolving Miocene world which existed around 20 million years ago. The main bonebeds at Carnegie Hill and University …

White-Nose Syndrome Threatens The Survival Of Hibernating Bats In North America, U.S. Geological Survey

United States Geological Survey: Publications

During the winter of 2006/2007, an affliction of unknown origin dubbed “White-Nose Syndrome” (WNS) began devastating colonies of hibernating bats in a small area around Albany, New York. Colonies of hibernating bats were reduced 81-97% at the affected caves and mines that were surveyed. Since then, White-Nose Syndrome has been detected more than 700 kilometers (450 mi) away from the original site, and has infected bats in eight surrounding states. Most species of bats that hibernate in the region are now known to be affected and little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus), northern long-eared bats (M. septentrionalis), …

Toxicity Of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (De-71) In Chicken (Gallus Gallus), Mallard (Anas Platyrhynchos), And American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius) Embryos And Hatchlings, Moira A. Mckernan, Barnett A. Rattner, Robert C. Hales, Mary Ann Ottinger

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Embryonic survival, pipping and hatching success, and sublethal biochemical, endocrine, and histological endpoints were examined in hatchling chickens (Gallus gallus), mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), and American kestrels (Falco sparverius) following air cell administration of a pentabrominated diphenyl ether (penta-BDE; DE-71) mixture (0.01–20 µg/g egg) or polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congener 126 (3,3’,4,4’,5-pentachlorobiphenyl; 0.002 µg/g egg). The penta-BDE decreased pipping and hatching success at concentrations of 10 and 20 µg/g egg in kestrels but had no effect on survival endpoints in chickens or mallards. Sublethal effects in hatchling chickens included ethoxyresorufin-O-dealkylase (EROD) induction and histological …

Guanophilic Fungi In Three Caves Of Southwestern Puerto Rico, Ángel M. Nieves-Rivera, Carlos J. Santos-Flores, Frank M. Dugan, Thomas E. Miller

International Journal of Speleology

Fifty species of guanophilic (bat guano-loving) fungi were isolated from field-collected samples within three caves in southwestern Puerto Rico; most were mitosporic fungi (23 species). The caves studied were Cueva La Tuna (Cabo Rojo), Cueva de Malano (Sistema de Los Chorros, San Germán), and Cueva Viento (El Convento Cave-Spring System, Guayanilla-Peñuelas). The most conspicuous fungus by far was the zygomycete Circinella umbellata (Mucorales). Circinella umbellata dominated the bat guano incubation chambers (Petri dishes lined with sterile filter paper moistened with sterile water) at ambient laboratory conditions. Nineteen species of basidiomycetes (e.g., Ganoderma cf. resinaceum, Geastrum cf. minimum, Lepiota …

Unusual Anatomy Of The Ectoparasitic Muricid Vitularia Salebrosa (King And Broderip, 1832) (Neogastropoda: Muricidae) From The Pacific Coast Of Panama, Luiz R. L. Simone, Gregory S. Herbert, Didier Merle

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

The morphology and anatomy of Vitularia salebrosa, a muricid ectoparasitic on other mollusks, are investigated based on study of specimens from western Panama. Distinctive characters of this species include the small size of the buccal mass and radular apparatus, simplification of the odontophore muscles and diminished lateral teeth of the radula; an elongated, narrow proboscis; narrow digestive tract and a differentiable glandular region at the beginning of the posterior esophagus. These traits are consistent with adaptive specialization for an ectoparasitic life history

Extremely Slow Feeding In A Tropical Drilling Ectoparasite, Vitularia Salebrosa (King And Broderip, 1832) (Gastropoda: Muricidae), On Molluscan Hosts From Pacific Panama, Gregory S. Herbert, Gregory P. Dietl, Helena Fortunato, Luiz R. L. Simone, Jennifer Leigh Sliko

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

This study documents one of the slowest feeding behaviors ever recorded for a muricid gastropod in one of the most biotically rigorous regions on the planet. In Pacific Panama, Vitularia salebrosa attacks mollusks by drilling through their shells. The duration of attacks estimated by isotope sclerochronology of oyster shells collected during attacks in progress ranges from 90 to 230 days, while experimental observation of interactions documented one attack greater than 103 days. The prolonged nature of attacks suggests that V. salebrosa is best characterized as an ectoparasite than as a predator, which is the ancestral condition in the Muricidae. An …

Integration Of An Extended Octagonal Ring Transducer And Soil Coulterometer For Identifying Soil Compaction, Santosh K. Pitla, Larry G. Wells, Scott A. Shearer

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

The soil coulterometer is an "on-the-go" electro-mechanical system which collects impedance force data at multiple depths using an oscillating coulter. During the initial testing (summer 2006), only vertical soil impedance force data was collected using a pressure sensor. To improve the performance of the coulterometer, an extended octagonal ring transducer was integrated into the system to collect both the horizontal and vertical impedance forces given by the soil. In the summer of 2007, data was collected using the revised sensor from a typical central Kentucky field setting in a 0.8-ha (2-acre) plot. Four passes were made with the coulterometer. Seventy …

Digital Reconstruction Of A Ceratopsid Pes, Ken Conrad Noriega

Theses Digitization Project

A complete and fully articulated right pes of a centrosaurine ceratopsid from the Dinossaur Park Formation of Alberta, Canada provides important information regarding the structure and function of the pelvic limb in this group. A reconstructed centrosaurine foot with all data coming directly from actual specimens could be accurately modeled in three-dimensional morphospace and provide the basis of a digital atlas of the elements.

Spatial, Geologic, And Land Use Characteristics Of Sinkholes In A Karst Landscape: Waverly, Iowa, Adam Richard Campbell

Honors Program Theses

The city of Waverly and its surrounding area in the Waverly Quadrangle has the fortune of having a large supply of groundwater that is easily accessible. However, the karst landscape that comprises much of the quadrangle has made the groundwater supply vulnerable to degradation from point and non-point contamination. Thus, it is crucial to explore the properties of sinkholes in the region to determine their threat to groundwater. To determine this threat, it is necessary to examine the characteristics of where and under what circumstances sinkholes develop. The Waverly Quadrangle is located entirely within the Iowan Surface. The bedrock in …

A Geochemical Paleoecological Analysis Of Miocene Mammalian Mega Fauna Of Fort Polk, Louisiana, Travis Lamar Atwood

LSU Master's Theses

Through a combination of vertebrate paleontology and geochemistry much can be discovered about the environments about the past. Fort Polk’s vertebrate fossil sites are important because they reflect a time when the Antarctic ice cap was just beginning to form during the middle Miocene cooling period just after the middle Miocene Climatic Optimum (~15Ma). This study tested the hypothesis that Miocene seasonality will be preserved in the isotopic geochemistry of terrestrial vertebrate remains at central North American Gulf Coastal sites. Geochemistry was used to understand fossil diagenesis, faunal communities and paleoenvironments. Fort Polk, LA sites range in age from 13.5 …

Miocene Herpetofaunas From The Central Gulf Coast Usa: Their Paleoecology, Biogeography, And Biostratigraphy, Michael John Williams

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The late Barstovian Fort Polk herpetofauna represents the most diverse herpetofauna on the Gulf Coast, USA, and includes 15 genera from ten families. The herpetofaunal composition of Fort Polk and Miocene east Texas localities is similar enough to Great Plains localities that they are all considered to be one biogeographical province during the Barstovian. The use of ternary diagrams, ratios of herpetological elements to kg matrix screened, and natricine-colubrine indices, has allowed determining the wetness of the Fort Polk sites. Development of a composite stratigraphic section for North American fossil snakes has allowed recognition of two extinctions of fossil snakes …

Role Of Shelf Morphology In Grounding-Line Stability: A Numerical Approach, Rhonika Robinson

LSU Master's Theses

The main concern of this study is to discover how the transition from a shallow to an overdeepened, foredeepened shelf might affect grounding-line translation of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). Deep shelves permit a larger influx of relatively warm Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW), which melts the ice at grounding lines, and thereby, create a potentially unstable situation in which ice retreat may accelerate. Numerical analysis of the responses of marine ice sheets on various shelf profiles confirmed that a change in shelf morphology changes ice sheet dynamics. Ice sheet retreat on an overdeepened, foredeepened shelf is, at least, 3 …

Western Australian Natural Resource Management Plan 09, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

The purpose of the State Natural Resource Management [NRM] Plan is to communicate the direction for sustainably managing Western Australia's natural resources.

This direction has been informed by previous initiatives such as the 'Decade of Landcare', several programs focused on salinity, the Western Australian State Sustainability Strategy (2009), and more recently a report commissioned by the State entitled The delivery of Natural Resources Management in Western Australia - a review (2006), which recommended preparation of an NRM Plan. The review noted that the most important issue for the State to clarify first was the outcome it seeks rather than how …

Soil Acidity : A Guide For Wa Farmers And Consultants, Chris Gazey, Stephen Davies

Bulletins 4000 -

Soil acidity: a guide for WA farmers and consultants provides all the necessary information for effective management and understanding of soil acidity in a user-friendly handbook including many examples, diagrams and photographs.

Soil Moisture And Water Stage Estimation Using Precipitation Radar, Sumit Puri

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In south-western United States, soil moisture data is important for drought studies in the region which is experiencing a drought for many years, whereas in South Florida, water stage data is required by hydrologists to monitor the hydrological flow in wetlands. Soil moisture data and water stage data are not sufficiently available due to sparse monitoring stations. Installation of dense measuring stations over an extended area is costly and labor intensive. Therefore, there is a need to develop an alternative method of measuring soil moisture and water stage. Microwave remote sensing has proven to be a useful tool in the …

Desert Varnish As An Indicator Of Modern-Day Air Pollution In Southern Nevada, Piotr Nowinski

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Rock varnish, often called desert varnish, is a slow-growing, manganese-rich coating that accumulates on exposed rock surfaces. The mechanism of varnish formation is not fully understood, however, most authors agree that varnishes derive their components from the atmosphere. The main goal of this study was to demonstrate the potential use of desert varnish as a passive environmental monitor of present and past atmospheric pollution. Analysis of varnishes is a new field that can potentially provide records of pre-anthropogenic levels of atmospheric metals and other environmental pollutants. To evaluate the potential of desert varnish as an environmental monitoring tool, the following …

Using Morphometrics, Phylogenetic Systematics And Parsimony Analysis To Gain Insight Into The Evolutionary Affinities Of The Calymenidae Trilobita, Alex J. Chestnut

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The most common trilobite in the Silurian carbonates of Ohio - especially the Springfield Dolomite - is a species that has been assigned to at least five genera over the past 100 years. This trilobite has been variously referred to as Calymene celebra, Apocalymene celebra, Flexicalymene celebra, Gravicalymene celebra, and Sthenarocalymene celebra. Reexamination of the species "Calymene" celebra through parsimony and morphometric analysis was conducted to properly place this calymenid species within the correct genus. What compounds the confusion is that the characters used to seperate the genera within the family Calymenidae, and therefore create the basis for the argument …

Long-Legged Pursuit Carnivorans (Amphicyonidae, Daphoeninae) From The Earlymiocene Of North America, Robert M. Hunt Jr.

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

In the early Miocene, endemic North American amphicyonids of the subfamily Daphoeninae evolved a lineage of large beardogs adapted for prey pursuit over open terrain. Three species comprise this lineage, here placed in the genus Daphoenodon, subgenus Borocyon Peterson, 1910, the sister subgenus to the daphoenine beardog Daphoenodon (Daphoenodon). These species (Borocyon robustum, B. niobrarensis, B. neomexicanus, n. sp.) are distinguished by limbs modified for fore–aft motion and parasagittal alignment contributing to a lengthened stride. These adaptive features are most evident in the terminal species, B. robustum, where the forelimb is conspicuously …

Prevalence Of West Nile Virus In Migratory Birds During Spring And Fall Migration, Robert J. Dusek, Robert G. Mclean, Laura D. Kramer, Sonya R. Ubico, Alan P. Dupuis Ii, Gregory D. Ebel, Stephen C. Guptill

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

To investigate the role of migratory birds in the dissemination of West Nile virus (WNV), we measured the prevalence of infectious WNV and specific WNV neutralizing antibodies in birds, principally Passeriformes, during spring and fall migrations in the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways from 2001–2003. Blood samples were obtained from 13,403 birds, representing 133 species. Specific WNV neutralizing antibody was detected in 254 resident and migratory birds, representing 39 species, and was most commonly detected in northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis ) (9.8%, N = 762) and gray catbirds ( Dumetella carolinensis ) (3.2%, N = 3188). West Nile virus viremias …

History Of Wildlife Toxicology, Barnett A. Rattner

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The field of wildlife toxicology can be traced to

the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Initial

reports included unintentional poisoning of birds from

ingestion of spent lead shot and predator control agents,

alkali poisoning of waterbirds, and die-offs from maritime

oil spills. With the advent of synthetic pesticides in the

1930s and 1940s, effects of DDT and other pesticides were

investigated in free-ranging and captive wildlife. In

response to research findings in the US and UK, and the

publication of Silent Spring in 1962, public debate on the

hazards of pollutants arose and national contaminant

monitoring programs were initiated. …

Climate Trends Of The North American Prairie Pothole Region 1906–2000, Bruce Millett, W. Carter Johnson, Glenn Guntenspergen

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) is unique to North America. Its millions of wetlands and abundant ecosystem goods and services are highly sensitive to wide variations of temperature and precipitation in time and space characteristic of a strongly continental climate. Precipitation and temperature gradients across the PPR are orthogonal to each other. Precipitation nearly triples from west to east from approximately 300 mm/year to 900 mm/year, while mean annual temperature ranges from approximately 1°C in the north to nearly 10°C in the south. Twentieth-century weather records for 18 PPR weather stations representing 6 ecoregions revealed several trends. The climate generally …

Climate Trends Of The North American Prairie Pothole Region 1906–2000, Bruce Millett, W. Carter Johnson, Glenn R. Guntenspergen

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) is unique to North America. Its millions of wetlands and abundant ecosystem goods and services are highly sensitive to wide variations of temperature and precipitation in time and space characteristic of a strongly continental climate. Precipitation and temperature gradients across the PPR are orthogonal to each other. Precipitation nearly triples from west to east from approximately 300 mm/year to 900 mm/year, while mean annual temperature ranges from approximately 1◦C in the north to nearly 10◦C in the south. Twentieth-century weather records for 18 PPR weather stations representing 6 ecoregions revealed several trends. The climate generally …

The Influence Of Fallback Foods On Great Ape Tooth Enamel, Paul J. Constantino, Peter W. Lucas, James J.-W. Lee, Brian R. Lawn

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Lucas and colleagues recently proposed a model based on fracture and deformation concepts to describe how mammalian tooth enamel may be adapted to the mechanical demands of diet (Lucas et al.: Bioessays 30[2008] 374-385). Here we review the applicability of that model by examining existing data on the food mechanical properties and enamel morphology of great apes (Pan, Pongo, and Gorilla). Particular attention is paid to whether the consumption of fallback foods is likely to play a key role in influencing great ape enamel morphology. Our results suggest that this is indeed the case. We also consider the implications of …

Mineralogy And Micromorphology Of An Atacama Desert Soil, Chile: A Model For Hyperarid Pedogenesis, Michael S. Howell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Atacama Desert is the oldest and driest desert on Earth. Hyperarid soils in this desert are dominated by rare (or exclusive) salt minerals and assemblages. Previous research details salt origins and abundance, however pedogenic processes involved in salt distribution are not adequately explained. Therefore, the main goal of this investigation was to identify and document evidence for hyperarid pedogenesis (via salt mineralogy and soil micromorphology) at a field site, Oficina Ercilla, located ~80 km northeast of Antofagasta, Chile within the Central Depression and hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert. This study presents an interpretational model for hyperarid pedogenesis, which …

Seeing Shifts: Ecologists' Lived Experiences Of Climate Change In Mountains Of The American West, Kimberly Ford Langmaid

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study explores the lived experiences of field ecologists who research the effects of global climate change on mountain species and ecosystems in the American West. The purpose is to generate narrative descriptions of ecologists’ experiences in order to communicate about both the scientific ecology and human ecology of climate change. Twenty prominent field ecologists participated in this study. Interviews with ecologists were transcribed and analyzed using a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology. Eight experiential themes emerged through the process of data analysis, and these themes provide the structure for presenting narratives of ecologists’ experiences. The eight themes are: thinking ecologically, the …

Long-Period Ground Motions In The Upper Mississippi Embayment From Finite-Fault, Finite-Difference Simulations, Kenneth A. Macpherson

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

A 3D velocity model and 3D wave propagation code have been employed to simulate long-period ground motions in the upper Mississippi embayment. This region is exposed to seismic hazard in the form of large earthquakes in the New Madrid seismic zone and observational data are sparse, making simulation a valuable tool for predicting the effects of large events. These simulations were undertaken in order to estimate ground-motion characteristics and to investigate the influence of the 3D embayment structure and finite-fault mechanics. There are three primary fault zones in the New Madrid seismic zone, each of which was likely associated with …

The Cretaceous-Paleogene Transition In The Northern Mississippi Embayment, S.E. Missouri: Palynology, Micropaleontology, And Evidence Of A Mega-Tsunami Deposit, Tambra L. Eifert

Doctoral Dissertations

"Upper Cretaceous to lower Paleogene sedimentary rocks in Southeastern Missouri record the northwest extension of the Mississippi Embayment, yet very little information exists about them due to lack of exposures. Access to borehole and trench material and well logs provided an opportunity to study the sedimentology, palynology and micropaleontology of the three formations spanning the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary interval: Owl Creek (Cretaceous) and Clayton and Porters Creek (Paleocene). Lithologic features, palynomorphs (mainly spores, pollen, dinoflagellate cysts), dispersed organic matter, and foraminifera were used to interpret biostratigraphy, paleovegetation, paleoclimatic and depositional conditions, thereby creating a framework upon which further questions involving …

Geobiology: Evidence For Early Life On Earth And The Search For Life On Other Planets, Sherry L. Cady, Nora Noffke

OES Faculty Publications

Extensive research efforts in the subdisciplinary field of geobiology have focused on the interactions between Earth and life through time. As a consequence, gaps in our knowledge of Earth’s history are closing, and the search for life beyond Earth is expanding. A few examples of geobiology studies designed to advance our understanding of life on early Earth and to improve the chances of finding life on other planets are provided to highlight recent developments and research areas that are on the verge of new discoveries.

Early Neoproterozoic Origin Of The Metazoan Clade Recorded In Carbonate Rock Texture: Reply, Fritz Neuweiler, Elizabeth C. Turner, David J. Burdige

OES Faculty Publications

We (Neuweiler et al., 2009) used scanning electron microscopic, fluorescence spectroscopic, fluorescence microscopic, and thin-section analytical work from modern, Cretaceous, Silurian, and early Neoproterozoic reefal material to make a geological case for an early Neoproterozoic origin of animals. In a modern analogue for ancient petrographic textures, degradative calcification of the extracellular collagenous matrix (ECM) of a modern siliceous sponge can be directly observed (Neuweiler et al., 2007).

Zinc And Copper Isotopes As Tracers Of Anthropogenic Contamination In A Sediment Core From An Urban Lake, Anita Thapalia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Concentration data alone are often insufficient to resolve metal sources. This study applies stable Zn and Cu isotopes to fingerprint and track the sources of these metals in a sediment core from Lake Ballinger near Seattle, Washington, USA. The base of the Lake Ballinger core pre-dates settlement in the region, while the upper sections record the impact of atmospheric emissions from the nearby Tacoma smelter, as well as Cu and Zn inputs from urban sources. δ⁶⁶Zn and δ⁶⁵Cu varied by 0.42 / and 0.29 /, respectively, over the >300 year core record. Isotopic changes were correlated …