The use of baited remote underwater video surveys (BRUVS) has become increasingly prevalent in temperate ecosystems in recent years as this technique provides data on ecosystem structure and species composition. To date, no BRUVS have been performed in the Saco Bay due to natural obstacles within the region. Our modified BRUVS resulted in 66 hours of video recorded over 2 sampling periods with 17 different species of various taxa observed. A total of 623 individuals was observed based on MaxN. These baited remote underwater video surveys successfully provided ecosystem data; therefore, we suggest that it would be an ideal complementary sampling method for this region.

Pinus rigida (Pitch Pine)–Quercus ilicifolia (Scrub Oak) barrens require active management to maintain, but the effects of forest management on snakes and game birds is poorly understood. We conducted vegetation surveys and examined incidental encounter data of a variety of snake and game bird species on a managed pine barren in Montague, MA, from 2008 to 2018. We recorded 73 observations, including 44 Coluber constrictor constrictor (Northern Black Racer) and 7 Meleagris gallopavo (Wild Turkey) nests. All of our observations were in managed habitats (Scrub Oak, treated Pitch Pine, and powerline corridors) which had low (<30%) tree canopy cover. Observed densities of Northern Black Racers did not significantly vary among these open-canopy habitats, or with time since treatment between 2 to 8 years since initial harvest in treated Pitch Pine. We did not conduct extensive surveys in unmanaged, closed-canopy Pitch Pine forests; thus, we were unable to determine the relative use by racers and game birds of unmanaged versus managed habitats. Nevertheless, snakes and game birds were using and nesting in the managed habitats at least to some extent. Our findings on racers and game birds from this study are preliminary, but combined with results from other studies, they suggest that ecosystem management in pine barrens can benefit snakes and game birds, along with a wide variety of other taxa.

We conducted observational and experimental studies of the endangered hemiparasitic plant species Schwalbea americana (American Chaffseed, hereafter Schwalbea) in the New Jersey pine barrens to better understand its association with fine-scale environmental conditions. Spatial analyses of Schwalbea coordinates revealed a clustered distribution and analyses of environmental variables found clear associations of Schwalbea clusters with various soil, water, and plant community conditions, including several grass and composite (Asteraceae) species, especially Chrysopsis mariana (Maryland Golden-aster) and Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem). Subsequent experiments found soil from adjacent areas completely inhibited Schwalbea germination, and greater growth and survival occurred when planted with composites than with grass or woody host species. These factors appeared to explain the failures of past propagation and restoration efforts, which did not reflect these microhabitat preferences.

Bombus spp. (Bumble bees) face population declines, in part due to habitat loss. Roadside rights-of-way (ROWs) are potential habitats; however, they are highly disturbed due to roadside mowing and on-road traffic. We investigated whether these factors are associated with variation in abundance of bumble bees in highway roadside ROWs across New York State. We used sweep netting and photography along 30 highways with different mowing pattern (control, reduced) and traffic level (low, medium, high) treatments in 2019 and 2020. Very few bumble bees were observed (98% of n = 916 observations found 0). This result was potentially due to insufficient foraging plants or nesting areas. Further investigation is needed to understand how highway roadside ROWs can be high quality habitat for bumble bees.

We examined aspects of the ecology of an isolated population of critically imperiled Enneacanthus chaetodon (Blackbanded Sunfish) in the only known extant locality in Maryland and made comparisons with an abundant and widespread sympatric congener, E. gloriosus (Bluespotted Sunfish). For Blackbanded Sunfish, we found population sizes were small, with abundance and age structure fluctuating throughout the course of the 9 years of observation, very low genetic diversity, and elevated levels of inbreeding. Habitat associations revealed a strong association of Blackbanded Sunfish with aquatic vegetation. We estimated a lifespan of 3–4 years for Blackbanded Sunfish, based on modal decomposition of length–frequency histograms. Bluespotted Sunfish exhibited much more stable population dynamics, larger population size, and a longer lifespan of 4–5 years. Our results indicate isolated Blackbanded Sunfish populations exhibit a clear susceptibility to environmental stochasticity and are unlikely to persist without intervention. More broadly, our results suggest that the long-term persistence of this species in much of its range is likely dependent on increasing connectivity between existing populations, (re)establishing populations in viable localities, maintaining suitable habitat, and reducing pressures from introduced centrarchids.

Restoration of degraded ecosystems requires assessing the status of the recovery and identifying key factors limiting the recovery. Nearly 4 decades of the reduction in smelter emissions, soil amelioration, and planting of ∼10 million trees and shrubs have led to extensive revegetation of emission-denuded landscapes in the Sudbury area, ON, Canada. To evaluate the state of recovery and identify factors affecting it, we surveyed woody plants and environmental correlates (soil pH, soil nutrient content, and soil metal content) along gradients of historical smelting impacts. Species richness declined from reference sites to high-impact sites, with impact sites having 23–33% fewer species compared to reference sites. Species composition varied along gradients of historical smelting impacts, with the difference attributable to low abundances or absences of one third of the 43 species found in the reference sites. Species richness and composition were associated with soil toxicity (as measured by metal content and pH) but not soil nutrients. However, the negative relationships between soil toxicity and plant community were attributable to the mediation effect of canopy cover, rather than the direct effect of soil toxicity. Sixty three percent of species that were uncommon or absent in impact sites (Abies balsamea [Balsam Fir], Acer pensylvanicum [Striped Maple], Acer spicatum [Mountain Maple], Betula alleghaniensis [Swamp Birch], Fraxinus nigra [Black Ash], Gaultheria procumbens [American Wintergreen], Linnaea borealis [Twinflower], Lonicera canadensis [Fly Honeysuckle], Lonicera hirsute [Hairy Honeysuckle], and Ostrya virginiana [American Hophornbeam]) were shade-tolerant and declined with declining canopy cover. These species were reported to be absent or uncommon in impact sites nearly 4 decades ago. Together, these results suggest that woody plant community has undergone limited recovery and that the recovery is hampered by poorly developed canopy cover rather than direct soil toxicity or nutrient deficiency. Accordingly, strategic interventions of canopy cover-mediated processes (e.g., shading and soil moisture) is needed to facilitate the recovery of the woody plant community in the smelter-denuded landscapes.

Hirundo rustica (Barn Swallow) belongs to a suite of aerial insectivores that are showing serious population declines in northeastern North America. Various causes of these declines have been postulated, especially including agricultural intensification, declining insect populations, and/or increased mortality associated with climate changes. In this study, we examined foraging behavior of Barn Swallows nesting in a large breeding colony located in western Massachusetts. Swallows foraged primarily within 1 km of their nesting site. Most of the nearby agricultural areas used by foraging swallows were broadly characterized as pasture/hay or cultivated land uses; we found no significant difference in foraging activity levels between these habitat categories. In addition to the availability of suitable nesting structures, successful conservation of Barn Swallows likely requires that breeding colonies have access to nearby fields which provide foraging opportunities. Further study is needed to clarify specific habitat management that will enhance populations of flying insects preyed upon by swallows and other aerial insectivores.

Vincetoxicum nigrum (Black Swallow-wort) and V. rossicum (Pale Swallowwort) are non-native, perennial vines that are spreading across North America. We collected soil samples from invaded sites in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. We also performed GIS analyses using the site locations, locations from iMapInvasives, and soil data from SSURGO. We found that Black Swallow-wort tended to occupy Inceptisols while Pale Swallow-wort occupied soils with more silt and clay, including Alfisols. Mean soil pH was lower at Black Swallow-wort sites compared to Pale Swallow-wort sites. However, both species colonized soils that varied widely in pH, fertility, texture, and taxonomy. We conclude that abiotic soil characteristics do not strongly constrain swallow-wort distributions in North America.

Chemical treatments are used to protect Tsuga canadensis (Eastern Hemlock) from Adelges tsugae (Hemlock Woolly Adelgid), yet little is known about how avian communities respond. We tested the efficacy of imidacloprid soil drenches on hemlocks and its impact on avian indicator species in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky at 65 sites (37 treated) in 2009 and 2018. Percent dead hemlock increased 11%, regardless of chemical treatment. Hemlock had higher vigor in treated sites, but a hemlock-decline index did not differ by treatment. None of 6 indicator bird species showed a significant population response to chemical treatments. Setophaga virens (Black-throated Green Warbler) declined between years across treated and untreated sites, whereas Contopus virens (Eastern Wood-Pewee) increased between years. Treatments positively affected individual hemlocks, but this did not carry over to influence avian species. Hemlock health may need to decline below some threshold before avian species respond.

We report the first breeding record of Coragyps atratus (Black Vulture) in Vermont. The birds nested in a dilapidated barn in downtown Burlington, and successfully reared a single chick despite the barn's partial demolition shortly after the chick hatched. This record represents the northernmost breeding record in the US for the species, whose US range has extended steadily northwards in the past century.

We report the observation of a male Setophaga kirtlandii (Kirtland's Warbler) feeding nestlings in a Setophaga coronata (Yellow-rumped Warbler) nest in Vilas County, WI. To our knowledge, this is the first documented report of interspecific feeding in Kirtland's Warbler, adding to the list of species known to have exhibited this behavior.

Along the river–ocean transition, few freshwater species persist into polyhaline zones. Among those insect species capable of living in estuaries, it is unclear which Odonata, Trichoptera, and Coleoptera species can occur at intermittent or average salinities above 18 PSU. During surveys of fish and crustaceans in Prince Edward Island (PEI), we noted 3 unexpected insect species from within subtidal-channels. Multiple instars of Coenagrionidae n. det. and Enallagma civile (Familiar Bluet) were collected around marine macroalgae at 5 localities with 6-26 PSU salinities and observed emerging atop macroalgae. Also, collections of the larvae of the caddisfly Limnephilus externus (Limniphilidae), and adult Haliplus cribrarius (Haliplidae) beetles at sites with maxima of 23 and 20 PSU, respectively, suggest rare occurrences of these species within estuarine ecotones.

Canis lupus (Gray Wolf or Wolf) have killed subordinate canids that scavenge on Wolf-killed prey, but little evidence is available for antagonistic behavior of Wolves toward other canids at interspecific den sites. We investigated clusters of locations from a global positioning system (GPS)collared male Wolf, translocated to Isle Royale National Park, MI, on 23 March 2019. On 17 May 2019, we investigated a GPS cluster of the Wolf and observed 3 Vulpes vulpes (Red Fox) kit carcasses at an excavated Red Fox den site. We report details from this event and evidence for interspecific aggression and implications for Wolf–Red Fox interactions. To our knowledge, this represents the first reported killing of Red Fox kits at their den by a Wolf. Limited reports of interspecific killings by Wolves of Red Foxes suggests this interaction was opportunistic and rare.