Assessment of physical, chemical, and hydrologic factors affecting the infiltration of treated wastewater in the New Jersey Coastal Plain, with emphasis on the Hammonton Land Application Facility

This report describes the results of a study, conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Pinelands Commission and the Town of Hammonton, New Jersey, to identify reasons for reduced infiltration in the infiltration trenches at the Hammonton LAF and to assess the potential for similar conditions to exist elsewhere in the New Jersey Coastal Plain (particularly within the PNR)

Identifying migratory pathways used by Rusty Blackbirds breeding in Southcentral Alaska

We placed light-level geolocators on 17 Rusty Blackbirds (Euphagus carolinus) in 2009 to track their migrations from nest sites near Anchorage, Alaska to wintering areas and back. We recaptured three of these birds in 2010 and found they departed breeding areas during the first half of September, spent 72–84 days migrating to overwintering areas, but only 16–30 days on their northward migration to Alaska. Birds took similar Central Flyway routes on southward and northward migrations, which were not previously described for this species. The birds used a series of stopover sites across the prairie region from southern Saskatchewan to Iowa over a 4 to 5 week period on their southward migration to wintering areas that spanned from South Dakota to northern Louisiana. We found upon recapture in 2010, the geolocator attachment harnesses had abraded the surrounding feathers on all three birds. This coupled with the low return rate (18%) for instrumented birds indicates a better harness method must be developed before this technology is more widely used on Rusty Blackbird

Atypus karschi Dönitz, 1887 (Araneae: Atypidae): An Asian purse-web spider established in Pennsylvania, USA.

The mygalomorph spiders of the family Atypidae are among the most archaic spiders. The genus Atypus Latreille, 1804 occurs in Eurasia and northern Africa, with a single enigmatic species, Atypus snetsingeri Sarno, 1973, known only from a small area in southeastern Pennsylvania in eastern USA. A close relationship to European species could be assumed based on geographic proximity, but A. snetsingeri more closely resembled Asian species. This study was undertaken to learn more about the genetics of A. snetsingeri, its habitat requirements and natural history. Molecular markers (CO1 sequences) were compared to available data for other atypids and showed that A. snetsingeri is identical with A. karschi Dönitz, 1887 native to East Asia. Natural history parameters in Pennsylvania were also similar in every respect to A. karschi in Japan, therefore, we propose that the spider is an introduced species and the specific epithet snetsingeri is relegated to a junior synonym of A. karschi. Cytogenetic analysis showed an X0 sex chromosome system (42 chromosomes in females, 41 in males) and we also detected nucleolus organizing regions and heterochromatin, the latter for the first time in the Atypoidea. In Pennsylvania the spider is found in a variety of habitats, from forests to suburban shrubbery, where the above-ground webs are usually attached vertically to trees, shrubs, or walls, although other webs are oriented horizontally near the ground. Prey include millipedes, snails, woodlice, carabid beetles and earthworms. Atypus karschi is the first known case of an introduced purse-web spider. It is rarely noticed but well-established within its range in southeastern Pennsylvania

Data from: Integrating molecular, phenotypic and environmental data to elucidate patterns of crocodile hybridization in Belize

The genus Crocodylus comprises 12 currently recognized species, many of which can be difficult to differentiate phenotypically. Interspecific hybridization among crocodiles is known to occur in captivity and has been documented between some species in the wild. The identification of hybrid individuals is of importance for management and monitoring of crocodilians, many of which are Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) listed. In this study, both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers were evaluated for their use in confirming a suspected hybrid zone between American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) and Morelet’s crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii) populations in southern Belize where individuals and nests exhibiting atypical phenotypic features had previously been observed. Patterns observed in both phenotypic and molecular data indicate possible behavioural and ecological characteristics associated with hybridization events. The results of the combined analyses found that the majority of suspected hybrid samples represent crosses between female C. acutus and male C. moreletii. Phenotypic data could statistically identify hybrids, although morphological overlap between hybrids and C. moreletii reduced reliability of identification based solely on field characters. Ecologically, C. acutus was exclusively found in saline waters, whereas hybrids and C. moreletii were largely absent in these conditions. A hypothesized correlation between unidirectional hybridization and destruction of C. acutus breeding habitats warrants additional research

CaribDloopInterleaved

CaribDloopInterleave

Carib16sInterleaved

Carib16sInterleave

microsatellite alleles for hybrid C. acutus and C. moreletii

Microsatellite data set for 7 loci used for STRUCTURE and NewHybrids analyses

bioclim_and_salinity

Bioclim data and salinity data for localities in southern Belize where parental C. acutus, C. moreletii and hybrids samples were collected