This collection of files is a supplement to a submitted manuscript. The collection contains a text file of the seismicity catalog, as well as vertical cross sections.

This collection of files is a supplement to a submitted manuscript. The collection contains a text file of the seismicity catalog, as well as vertical cross sections.

Understanding how riverscape features influence gene flow is crucial for managing population connectivity in freshwater species. We examined the spatial genetic structure of non-native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in a headwater stream network proposed for the reintroduction of federally threatened greenback cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus virginalis stomias). Brook trout were used as a surrogate species to evaluate the suitability of this habitat for supporting a native trout metapopulation. Using 12 microsatellite loci, we genotyped 757 individual brook trout from 22 sampling sites and modelled the effects of physical riverscape features on gene flow. Genetic clustering analysis identified four distinct tributary groups, while pairwise genetic differentiation (mean FST = 0.04; mean Jost’s D = 0.06) indicated some genetic connectivity across the network. Vertical barriers and steep stream gradients impeded gene flow, whereas high-order mainstem streams facilitated trout movement. Gene flow was stronger in the downstream direction, and streams with barriers and steeper gradients showed increased asymmetry between upstream and downstream movement. Results suggest that this stream network provides sufficient genetic connectivity to support a metapopulation of native trout. Managers should prioritize habitats with gradual stream gradients and fewer barriers to promote genetic connectivity in reintroduced native trout.

Activities of dissolved radium (Ra-223, Ra-224, Ra-226, Ra-228), Th-228, and Ac-227, collected on two cruises in the Gulf of Mexico. STING I cruise AE2305 on R/V Atlantic Explorer was deployed from February to March 2023. STING II consisted of EN704 on R/V Endeavor and U.S. Geological Survey small boat surveys and took place from June to July 2023. This project investigates how boundary sources, including rivers and submarine groundwater discharge, deliver important nutrients and metals to the coastal ecosystems of the West Florida Shelf. Here, dissolved radium and parent isotopes have been measured to trace boundary sources of nutrients and metals entering the West Florida Shelf.

Behavioral plasticity, the alteration of behavior in response to stimuli, is becoming increasingly important in the context of human-induced rapid environmental change. Theoretical and empirical studies suggest that the expression and magnitude of behavioral plasticity are likely facilitated or constrained primarily by two factors: environmental variation and endogenous traits such as body size. The contextual role of these factors on behavioral plasticity, however, is poorly understood; there are relatively few studies that have compared the magnitude and potential drivers of behavioral plasticity at different levels (i.e., population and individual) across species, especially in free-ranging animals with diverse behavioral traits such as large mammals. Here, we quantify and test potential hypotheses for the mechanisms underpinning behavioral plasticity at the individual and population level in response to variation in summer temperatures for 1,068 animal years in 17 populations across 9 species of large mammals. All populations displayed behavioral plasticity in response to increased temperatures, modifying their relative selection for heat-relieving habitat attributes (e.g., elevation) and heat-generating behavior (i.e., movement speed). We found strong support for the hypothesis that the variability of the physical environment is an important driver of behavioral plasticity—both mean population behavioral plasticity and variation among individuals within each population in plasticity were lower with increased heterogeneity of habitat attributes such as tree cover. Yet, the variability in environmental conditions (i.e., the magnitude of the temperature increase) had no effect on behavioral plasticity within and among populations. We did not detect an effect of endogenous traits on the expression of behavioral plasticity; however, we note that data availability limited our tests of this hypothesis to a select few endogenous traits (body size, feeding guild, and sex of the tracked individuals) that predominantly vary at the species level, for which we had 1-3 replicate populations per species. Our results provide an integrative and generalizable understanding of the expression of behavioral plasticity among populations of large mammals in temperate environments and emphasize the important but nuanced role of environmental variation in determining the scope of behavioral plasticity in these populations.

We used these data to analyze direct effects of prescribed fire and mechanical thinning on oak savanna groundlayer plant diversity, indirect effects via changes to ecosystem structure (canopy openness and litter depth), and how these effects depended on soil productivity context and the spatial scale at with diversity was analyzed (mean 1-m2 plant species richness vs. total plot 1000-m2 plant species richness). The dataset is comprised of those two scales of richness, which are the primary response variables. We analyzed the effects of three primary management variables: fire frequency (number of fires since 2000), canopy thinning (the proportion of woody stems > 5 cm DBH removed), and shrub/sapling thinning (the proportion of woody stems < 5 cm DBH removed). Indirect effects via management effects on ecosystem structure (% canopy openness and mean litter depth) were modeled using structural equation modeling, and context-dependence was analyzed using interaction terms between soil productivity (in the form of a PCA axis) and each management variable in mixed models.

The current framework for understanding large-scale animal movement strategies (i.e., migration, nomadism, or residency) suggests that each strategy is associated with specific combinations of resource spatial heterogeneity and temporal predictability. While there is support for this framework across ecosystems, modern tracking data has revealed that all three strategies can occur in a single population. Using 21 years of GPS data from seven populations (n = 239) of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) and twelve populations (n = 283) of elk (Cervus canadensis) across Wyoming, USA, we examined the support for resource-based hypotheses in predicting the occurrence of migrants, nomads, and residents. Using model selection, we found support for the hypothesis that greater spatial homogeneity and less temporal predictability are associated with residency, and vice versa for migration or nomadism. However, spatiotemporal heterogeneity did not explain the differentiation between nomadic and migratory individuals. We found that climate and anthropogenic features influenced individual movements: elk were more likely residents if they experienced more mild winters, and pronghorn were more likely residents if they resided closer to roads. Our findings demonstrate that ungulate movement strategies are consistently linked to spatiotemporal resource variation across scales and identify additional mechanisms for localized behavioral differences.

The world in which birds evolved to migrate has been drastically altered in the Anthropocene by artificial light. Sources of light such as urban centers or bright upward-facing lights attract migrants, altering their behavior, especially during inclement weather, often leading to mortality. Seemingly less extreme sources, such as pole-mounted floodlighting ubiquitous throughout much of the world, have received comparatively less study, and migrant responses to such sources are poorly understood. We studied migrant behavior in relation to light at White Sands Missile Range (New Mexico, USA) by recording nocturnal flight calls at sites with and without lights during non-inclement weather. We collected 103,424 h of recordings and detected 2,851,863 calls over three fall migration seasons. We assessed how temporal, weather, and lighting variables explain variability in call rates between light and dark sites, and examined how different taxonomic groups behave in relation to light. Contrary to predictions, call rates were higher at dark sites than at light sites, and this difference was strongest early in the migration season. We found illuminated sites with a greater proportion of shielded lights, or with lights of higher dominant wavelengths (warmer color temperatures), had higher call rates (closely resembling dark sites) than other light sites, indicating that these factors may reduce impact to migrants. Our taxonomic analyses revealed consistent differences in call rate between light and dark sites for warblers, but no difference for most sparrows. Our findings indicate that lights alter behavior, but the use of “bird-friendly” lighting strategies may reduce this impact. The code and datasets found herein correspond to the manuscript "Nocturnal flight call monitoring reveals in-flight behavioral alteration by avian migrants in response to artificial light at night" published in Biological Conservation. The code file (written in R Markdown) accesses each of the datasets included herein to reproduce the analyses of the related manuscript.

Abundance and distribution are critical metrics of population status and foundational information for conservation. However, even these basic metrics have been difficult to obtain for birds in the Canadian Arctic, where costs are high and access is difficult. Here, we present estimates of population size and distribution for 24 species of shorebirds and 37 other species of birds across the Canadian Arctic, using ground-based surveys of 2,528 plots surveyed between 1994 and 2018. Plot locations were selected by stratified random sampling, within wet, moist, or dry habitat categories defined based on satellite remote sensing. Double-sampling was used to determine detection rates and correct the estimates to reflect birds breeding within the plots. Because this was the first large-scale survey effort across Arctic Canada, many of the results provide new insights with conservation implications. Nearly all estimated population sizes for shorebird species exceed prior estimates, many by several-fold. The six most abundant shorebird species were Calidris pusilla (Semipalmated Sandpiper), Phalaropus fulicarius (Red Phalarope), Calidris fuscicollis (White-rumped Sandpiper), Calidris melanotos (Pectoral Sandpiper), Pluvialis dominica (American Golden-Plover), and Phalaropus lobatus (Red-necked Phalarope), all with estimated population sizes exceeding 3 million (CVs for these species ranged from 0.12 to 0.24). Although shorebird densities were much higher in wet and moist habitats, the large areal extent of dry habitats meant that 42% of all shorebirds were estimated to occupy these dry areas, previously considered to be of marginal importance. The estimates of abundance and distribution for the 37 non-shorebird species are, in many cases, the first ever estimates of population size from the Arctic breeding grounds. This new understanding of population sizes will have important implications for several current conservation programs, such as those where areas are identified as key habitat on the basis of the percentage of populations using them.

This repository contains the data and annotated R script supporting the analyses in the manuscript “Decomposing Shadow Prices under Climate-Driven Growth Scenarios: Insights from an Elk Herd Case Study”Contents include:- data/: processed datasets used in the analyses.- NatCap_annotated_script_for_NRM.R: an annotated R script to reproduce the main results/figures.- README.md: documentation describing the dataset structure, variables, and instructions for running the analysis.- LICENSE: terms of use for the dataset and code.Users can load the datasets and script directly in R to replicate study outputs.