Presence-absence surveys are frequently used to monitor populations of rare and elusive species. Such data may also be used as a proxy for breeding activity, but links between presence-absence data and higher-order processes must be validated to determine their reliability. The Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) is a threatened seabird that nests in older-aged forests along the Pacific Coast.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnderstanding how habitat fragmentation affects individual species is complicated by challenges associated with quantifying species-specific habitat and spatial variability in fragmentation effects within a species' range. We aggregated a 29-year breeding survey data set for the endangered marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) from >42,000 forest sites throughout the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, and northern California) of the United States. We built a species distribution model (SDM) in which occupied sites were linked with Landsat imagery to quantify murrelet-specific habitat and then used occupancy models to test the hypotheses that fragmentation negatively affects murrelet breeding distribution and that these effects are amplified with distance from the marine foraging habitat toward the edge of the species' nesting range.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe prevalence of pediatric nephrolithiasis has increased dramatically in the past two decades for reasons that have yet to be fully elucidated. Workup of pediatric kidney stones should include metabolic assessment to identify and address any risk factors predisposing patients to recurrent stone formation, and treatment should aim to facilitate stone clearance while minimizing complications, radiation and anesthetic exposure, and other risks. Treatment methods include observation and supportive therapy, medical expulsive therapy, and surgical intervention, with choice of treatment method determined by clinicians' assessments of stone size, location, anatomic factors, comorbidities, other risk factors, and preferences and goals of patients and their families.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical characteristics of men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) grouped by 24-h urine output determined from a bladder voiding diary.
Methods: An online database was queried to identify men who completed a 24-hour bladder diary (24HBD), and the Lower Urinary Tract Symptom Score (LUTSS) questionnaire from 2015 to 2019 using a mobile app. Data from the bladder diary and questionnaire were contemporaneously matched within a 2-week period.
We investigated the cumulative effects of predation by piscivorous colonial waterbirds on the survival of multiple salmonid (Oncorhynchus spp.) populations listed under the U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe degree to which predation is an additive vs. compensatory source of mortality is fundamental to understanding the effects of predation on prey populations and evaluating the efficacy of predator management actions. In the Columbia River basin, USA, predation by Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia) on U.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFManagers of marine protected areas (MPAs) must often seek ways to allow for visitation while minimizing impacts to the resources they are intended to protect. Using shipboard observers, we quantified the "zone of disturbance" for Kittlitz's and marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus brevirostris and B. marmoratus) exposed to large cruise ships traveling through Glacier Bay National Park, one of the largest MPAs in North America.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Marine environments are inherently dynamic, yet marine predators are often long-lived and employ strategies where consistency, individual specialization, routine migrations, and spatial memory are key components to their foraging and life-history strategies. Intrinsic determinates of animal movements are linked to physiological and life-history traits (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFForaging and migration often require different energetic and movement strategies. Though not readily apparent, constraints during one phase might influence the foraging strategies observed in another. For marine birds that fly and dive, body size constraints likely present a trade-off between foraging ability and migration as smaller bodies reduce flight costs, whereas larger bodies are advantageous for diving deeper.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe health condition of out-migrating juvenile salmonids can influence migration success. Physical damage, pathogenic infection, contaminant exposure, and immune system status can affect survival probability. The present study is part of a wider investigation of out-migration success in juvenile steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and focuses on the application of molecular profiling to assess sublethal effects of environmental stressors in field-collected fish.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLethal control, which has been used to reduce local abundances of animals in conflict with humans or with endangered species, may not achieve management goals if animal movement is not considered. In populations with emigration and immigration, lethal control may induce compensatory immigration, if the source of attraction remains unchanged. Within the Columbia River Basin (Washington, U.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmong the varied adaptations for avian flight, the morphological traits allowing large-bodied albatrosses to capitalize on wind and wave energy for efficient long-distance flight are unparalleled. Consequently, the biogeographic distribution of most albatrosses is limited to the windiest oceanic regions on earth; however, exceptions exist. Species breeding in the North and Central Pacific Ocean (Phoebastria spp.
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