Herein we present evidence of the first observation of YOY Paralichthys dentatus (Summer Flounder) in the Saco River estuary, ME, in June of 2012. A possible explanation for the occurrence of YOY summer flounder in this region could be range expansion, which may have destructive effects on southern Maine estuary systems. As active predators, Summer Flounder have the potential to exploit locally abundant fishes, including Pseudopleuronectes americanus (Winter Flounder) and Ammodytes americanus (American Sand Lance).

Scolopax minor (American Woodcock) is well-known for its crepuscular foraging, nuptial sky dance, and concealment by both cryptic coloration and immobility. It occasionally engages in a highly conspicuous rocking motion that has been interpreted by some as a strategy for worm-hunting. However, the literature on this behavior, combined with current observations and theory, can instead more plausibly be interpreted as an advertisement of unprofitability.

Gambusia affinis (Western Mosquitofish) is one of the most widespread and invasive freshwater fish. Herein we describe and compare the body size and reproduction of female Western Mosquitofish from 2 small ponds in central Ohio: Wood Duck (WD) and Olde Minnow (OM). This population is one of the most northern populations of Western Mosquitofish to be studied to date. The 2 ponds differed in water temperature (OM > WD), dissolved oxygen (OM » WD), and depth (OM > WD). Body size and body condition of Western Mosquitofish collected was similar in the 2 ponds. Litter size averaged 15.2, increased with female size, and did not differ between ponds. This mean litter size is substantially smaller than that reported for other populations at a similar latitude. Females contained embryos or follicles throughout the study (May–July), but the proportion declined over time, especially in WD. Simultaneous presence of embryos and follicles suggests multiple broods per season, and was more common in OM than in WD. Our results indicate that while females from both ponds were similar in size and had similar litter size, there were potential differences in the frequency of reproduction between the ponds.

A population of Channa argus (Northern Snakehead) was discovered in the Meadow/Willow lakes system in Queens, NY, in 2005 and monitored annually by electrofishing through 2013. Despite apparently suitable habitat, a variety of forage fish species, and rapid early growth by Snakeheads, the Meadow/Willow Snakehead population has not rapidly increased, as seen in many other areas, nor is there any evidence of negative impact on local species. Catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) of Snakeheads remained relatively constant during the study period, as did CPUE for most other fish species observed, and Snakehead length—weight relationship was nearly identical to that previously reported from the Potomac Basin Northern Snakehead population. Potential causal factors in this lack of (or delay in) population increase include water quality, the presence of other fish species, and angling pressure, although the exact reasons for slow population growth are unknown.

Within the temperate, deciduous forests of the eastern US, diverse soil-fauna communities are structured by a combination of environmental gradients and interactions with other biota. The introduction of non-native soil taxa has altered communities and soil processes, and adds another degree of variability to these systems. We sampled soil macroinvertebrate abundance from forested sites in Missouri (MO), Michigan (MI), Massachusetts (MA), and New Hampshire (NH), with the objective of comparing community assemblages and evaluating the role of invasive earthworms along the temperature—productivity gradient represented by the sites. The primary detritivores encountered were earthworms and millipedes. Earthworms were collected only in MO and MI, and at much greater density in MO. Millipedes were found at every site except in MO, and at their highest mean density in NH. Warmer temperatures, higher litter productivity, and low Oa horizon depth (as found in MO) were correlated with high earthworm activity. Oa horizon depth was the greatest in NH, where the macroinvertebrate community was dominated (in terms of abundance) by predators and herbivores, not detritivores. Our results are suggestive of, and congruent with, the concept of earthworms as ecosystem engineers, as we found that the presence of non-native earthworm species was associated with significant differences in soil characteristics such as apparent rapid decomposition rates and reduced carbon storage in the Oa horizon.

The Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area has an extensive intertidal zone, with 47% of the area composed of mixed-coarse substrate. Given anticipated climate-change impacts such as sea-level rise and ocean warming, and other stressors associated with the urban environment, the critical ecosystem functions (i.e., species habitat, food-web support) provided by this dominant mixed-coarse habitat of Boston Harbor, and elsewhere throughout the Northeast, have been and will likely be further altered. To evaluate the present-day epibenthic invertebrate communities and to determine what environmental factors of the mixed-coarse substrate affect community structure, we used a stratified random design to sample epibenthic macroinvertebrates along with various physical and environmental variables from the intertidal zone. Epibenthic macroinvertebrate species assemblages and diversity differed significantly between wave-exposed and wave-protected sites, with higher diversity present at protected sites. We also found that environmental variables collectively explained up to 67% of the variation in species assemblages, with elevation, organic content, water content, and sediment type individually explaining up to 56%, 30%, 42%, and 33% of the variation, respectively. This study provides a baseline for long-term monitoring aimed at understanding the response of cobble and mixed-coarse intertidal communities to multiple disturbances, and a foundation to support habitat restoration or other management actions.

Geological evidence for modeled Younger Dryas ice expansion in northern Maine is assessed in conjunction with temperature and precipitation estimates from chironomids and pollen, and plant macrofossil and lake-level analyses from lake sediment. Pollen and chironomid temperature and precipitation transfer-function estimates for the Allerød warming period indicate colder winters, precipitation levels half that of modern times, and summer temperatures near modern levels. The combination of cold winters and low precipitation prevented forest establishment in northern Maine along the Maine/New Brunswick border. While winter temperatures and precipitation remained stable, summer temperatures decreased as much as 7.5 °C during the Younger Dryas stadial, forcing a shift from shrub-dominated to sedge-dominated tundra. Summer and winter temperatures, as well as annual precipitation, increased rapidly at the Holocene onset.

The recovery of ecosystems affected by anthropogenic acidification is often a slow process, and one that is not always achievable through natural means. Application of carbonate materials to forest soils is being used more frequently to aid in the recovery of acidified ecosystems. However, few studies have addressed how the application of carbonate materials affects amphibians. We sampled field sites undergoing long-term application of high-calcium lime to investigate the effects of increases in soil pH on body condition and population demography of Plethodon cinereus (Eastern Red-backed Salamander). We found no effect of soil liming on body condition, population demographics, or density of surface-active Eastern Red-backed Salamanders. Our results are consistent with previous studies regarding the response of this species to soil liming, but unique in that they arise from an investigation of the long-term effects of liming exposure on density and demography in a wild population of Eastern Red-backed Salamander.

Little information exists with regard to suitable summer habitat of Myotis sodalis (Indiana Bat) in West Virginia. Our research objectives were to use ultrasonic acoustic equipment and automated identification software to collect presence data for Indiana Bats and to examine habitat characteristics and availability across the local landscape. We used a maximum entropy (MAXENT) approach to determine if the distribution of various ecological factors such as landuse/landcover, forest fragmentation, aspect, area solar radiation, slope, proximity to permanent water, and elevation influenced foraging-habitat suitability of Indiana Bats. We sampled across the 1160-ha Camp Dawson Collective Training Area in Preston County, WV, to determine Indiana Bat presence. We employed the collected presence data to examine habitat suitability within a 16,151-ha study area encompassing the training facility. Based on MAXENT results, we characterized highly suitable Indiana Bat habitat as including large tracts of contiguous forest cover (>200 ha) associated with low to modest slopes (<20°), road corridors, and areas of high solar radiation (≥5.5 × 10⁵ WH/m²). High (81–100%) and medium-high (61–80%) suitability classes were uncommon across the landscape (0.6% and 2.7%, respectively), with the broad medium-to-high suitability classes (41–100%) collectively comprising only 11.4% of the study area. Elevation (m) and aspect contributed little to the model and displayed low permutation importance that did not vary notably from the corresponding percent contribution. These variables, along with close proximity to permanent water (≤200 m away), are likely not limiting ecological factors. The results of this study supplement current knowledge of summer habitat of the Indiana Bat and provide land and wildlife managers localized guidance on conservation priorities within the region.

The marine fish fauna of New York represents a highly diverse species assemblage, composed of both migratory and resident taxa that utilize a wide variety of habitats. Recently, the New York State Museum took possession of Dr. Howard Reisman's personal ichthyology collection, which included many specimens from Shinnecock Bay, Long Island. Examinations of these specimens has provided evidence to suggest that an additional 4 species should be added to previously compiled lists of marine species known to occur in the vicinity of New York. The prior lack of recognition of the presence of these species in Shinnecock Bay is apparently attributable to a number of factors, including historical taxonomic confusion, actual range expansion, aquarium releases, and simple lack of historical documentation of rare or transient species.

The Carolinian habitats of Middle Island, ON, Canada, have been altered by Phalacocorax auritus (Double-crested Cormorant). On 8 September 2014, we recorded 14 bryophyte and 9 lichen taxa while sampling throughout the 18-ha island. Both bryophytes and lichens were concentrated in highly localized patches. Most species, including 2 provincially rare mosses—Hyophila involuta (Involute Hyophila Moss) and Fissidens obtusifolius (Blunt Pocket Moss)—and 1 rare lichen—Bacidia coprodes (Dotted Lichen)—were restricted to water-washed shoreline rocks. The paucity of historical data about the cryptogam populations on the island limit the ability to document changes that have occurred in community composition and to explain the current low level of species-richness. Many bryophytes and lichens that we expected to occur on Middle island appear to be intolerant of current conditions there.

Biological control of Adelges tsugae (Hemiptera: Adelgidae; Hemlock Woolly Adelgid [HWA]) is an essential component of a management plan for this non-native pest of Tsuga spp. native to eastern N. America. The predatory beetle Laricobius osakensis Montgomery and Shiyake (Coleoptera: Derodontidae) shows potential as a biological control agent because of its coevolved life-cycle with HWA in its native habitat and its voracious appetite for HWA. In the first releases ever made for this species, adult beetles were introduced at 4 sites in the eastern United States with 2 long-term objectives: (1) suppressing HWA populations, and (2) developing field insectaries for re-distribution of predators in the future. Our immediate objectives were to determine the predator's survival and colonization in eastern Tsuga forests following their introduction. In addition, L. osakensis eggs were set out at the 4 release sites. Results from the first year post-release of adult beetles indicated that reproduction occurred at these sites and that beetles survived the summer aestivation period and emerged the following fall. Second-year data were impacted by high HWA mortality due to periods of extreme low winter temperatures. No beetles have yet been collected from any of the 4 egg-release locations.

Dryopteris intermedia (Common Wood Fern) is more associated with coarse woody debris (CWD) than the surrounding forest floor. Along with microsite-based establishment benefits, dispersal vectors may facilitate this distribution. Some salamanders are associated with CWD and may serve as dispersal agents for spores of the Common Wood Fern. In a deciduous forest of south-central New York State, we assessed the ability of Plethodon cinereus (Red-backed Salamander) and Notophthalmus viridescens (Eastern Newt) to pick up and transport spores and sori fragments from the dorsal side of the frond, and rinsed salamanders to collect and germinate any viable spores from their bodies. We also measured the moisture content of soft CWD, soil beneath hard CWD, and background soil. Both salamander species picked up reproductive components of Common Wood Fern. Wild-caught salamanders of both species had viable spores on their bodies. Soft CWD held more moisture than soil beneath hard CWD and the forest-floor soil. Dispersal by salamanders and the provision of humid habitat by soft CWD may help to explain the abundance of Common Wood Fern near CWD.

Overwintering Morone saxatilis (Striped Bass) often aggregate in waters heated by the warm-water discharge of power plants. In these areas, fishes are susceptible to cold shock during winter disruptions of power generation when the water quickly drops in temperature. We collected 98 Striped Bass from a suspected cold-shock mortality event at a power plant in Pictou Harbour, NS, Canada, in January 2013 and herein describe their size, age structure, and diet. The specimens ranged from 11.8 to 60.2 cm TL and were 1–5 years of age. Fifteen percent of their stomachs contained food, and Striped Bass and Apeltes quadracus (Fourspine Stickleback) were the only prey species identified. The goal of this study was to report on the mortality event as a likely recurring source of overwintering mortality for Striped Bass in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, a population designated by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada to be of special concern.

Sigara mathesoni (Hemiptera: Corixidae), which predominantly inhabits the northern United States and Canada, has recently been found in carbonate streams with stable and cold temperature regimes in south-central Pennsylvania. The focus of this research was to determine if there is a difference in occurrence of S. mathesoni between carbonate and non-carbonate streams, and whether abiotic factors within these habitats can be used to explain or predict its regional distribution. Our results suggest that S. mathesoni predominantly occurs in carbonate spring habitats, and that parameters such as alkalinity and daytime summer water temperature may best predict occurrence. This work validates observations in other literature and supports the hypothesis that S. mathesoni is a rare species in Pennsylvania and possibly throughout its southern range.

Dentaries of 6 species of Myotis from eastern North America were analyzed, using landmark-based geometric morphometrics, and were distinguished with 83.3% accuracy, although sexes were poorly discriminated using this technique. Fossils of Myotis from Bat Cave, KY, were studied in an attempt to identify these specimens to species level. Southeastern Bats and endangered Indiana Bats dominated the fossil sample, with some Eastern Small-footed Bats and endangered Gray Bats. Such results demonstrate the ability to differentiate Myotis from historic and prehistoric sites and provide a tool for researchers to understand and potentially to conserve these species.