We explain a new method of detecting non point source fecal contamination using a PCR based method called Touchdown Polymerase Chain Reaction (TD-PCR). Using genetic markers particular to general, ruminant and human Bacteroides- Prevotella genes, we identified presence in both fresh and salt water environments. Water samples from four sites...
Grassland prairies of western Oregon and Washington are among the most endangered ecosystems in the United States.
Active management and restoration are needed to promote biodiversity in the region. To support plant production for use
in habitat restoration, we developed germination protocols for greenhouse propagation of Iris tenax (Oregon iris)....
An estuary, unlike the open ocean, is a dynamic system that is continuously undergoing changes in its physical and chemical properties. Marked fluctuations in the levels and kinds of nutrients, temperature, and salinity are normally found in estuarine environments. These changes occur principally as a result of freshwater intrusions, tidal...
Predicting biodiversity responses to climate change remains a difficult challenge, especially in climatically complex regions where precipitation is a limiting factor. Though statistical climatic envelope models are frequently used to project future scenarios for species distributions under climate change, these models are rarely tested using empirical data. We used long-term...
Observations during the Coastal Transition Zone (CTZ) experiment in summer 1988 reveal the
presence of deep phytoplankton layers in a coastal upwelling system. The layers occur throughout the
CTZ study area, including a strong baroclinic jet which was present over the period of the experiment.
On the basis of a...
The Paisley Caves in Oregon record the oldest directly dated human remains (DNA) in the Western Hemisphere. More than 100 high-precision radiocarbon dates show that deposits containing artifacts and coprolites ranging in age from 12,450 to 2295 ¹⁴C years ago are well stratified. Western Stemmed projectile points were recovered in...
Resolving the debate surrounding the nature and controls of seasonal variation in the structure and metabolism of Amazonian rainforests is critical to understanding their response to climate change. In situ studies have observed higher photosynthetic and evapotranspiration rates, increased litterfall and leaf flushing during the Sunlight-rich dry season. Satellite data...
The ecologically and socio-economically important marine ecosystems of Europe are facing severe threats from a variety of human impacts. To mitigate and potentially reverse some of these impacts, the European Union (EU) has mandated the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) in order to achieve Good Environmental Status...
It is well established that individual organisms can acclimate and adapt to temperature to optimize their functioning. However, thermal optimization of ecosystems, as an assemblage of organisms, has not been examined at broad spatial and temporal scales. Here, we compiled data from 169 globally distributed sites of eddy covariance and...