Colinus virginianus (Northern Bobwhite) populations showed signs of decline beginning in the early 1900s and are part of a growing list of wildlife species dependent on early successional habitat whose populations are suffering similar fates. Among the numerous factors that contributed to these range-wide declines, most significant are habitat loss and fragmentation due to changes in land use and land cover. In an effort to document landscape composition and cover-type changes, we mapped and analyzed landscape features along 7 breeding bird survey routes on Maryland's Eastern Shore in 2 different years spaced 55 years apart, 1964 and 2019. We calculated total patch area and conducted a randomization test for paired study design to test for differences in land cover after 55 years between the 5 landscape attributes that influence populations dependent on early successional vegetation within an agriculture-dominated landscape. The 5 landscape attributes were agriculture, forest cover, hedgerow length, early successional habitat, and development. In the 55-year span, agricultural land declined from 58.4% to 48.8% and had the largest change in cover area across the 5 landscape attributes. Developed land increased from 7.5% to 12.2%, while forested land remained the same at 24.4%.

The outer Bay of Fundy supports 6 baleen whale species seasonally and year–round, but multi-species passive acoustic monitoring efforts are lacking in this region. This area also experiences significant activity from fishing, commercial shipping, and tourism, all of which contribute to underwater anthropogenic noise. We report on the minimum acoustic occurrence of baleen whales and ambient sound levels in the Bay of Fundy from a multi-year passive acoustic dataset. We took acoustic recordings opportunistically at 5 sites from 2015 to 2022 using a single archival bottom-mounted hydrophone and the bottom hydrophone from a 3-channel vertical array. We processed the data with automated detectors and manual validation to identify and confirm baleen whale vocalizations and calculated average ambient sound pressure levels as broadband and within the 100-Hz band level. Balaenoptera physalus (Fin Whale), Megaptera novaeangliae (Humpback Whale), and Eubalaena glacialis (North Atlantic Right Whale) were the predominant baleen whale species detected. Fin Whales were detected year–round, Humpback Whale detections peaked from July to October, and Right Whales were detected from July into October. Balaenoptera borealis (Sei Whale) were detected in June, July, and August in 2015, Balaenoptera acutorostrata (Minke Whale) were detected only minimally despite numerous visual sightings in this region, and no Balaenoptera musculus (Blue Whale) were detected. The Grand Manan site had the highest average broadband and band-level ambient sound-pressure levels. These observations highlight the area's importance for baleen whales and contribute underwater soundscape data for past and future monitoring comparisons.

Automated plant-identification applications serve as tools in the hands of both enthusiasts and professional botanists, potentially revolutionizing the way we interact with the botanical world. These applications use machine-learning algorithms and image-recognition technology to identify plant species from a simple snapshot. Their utility could extend across various domains, aiding gardeners in identifying and caring for plants, assisting researchers in field surveys for biodiversity assessments, and empowering nature lovers to deepen their understanding of flora. For AI applications to be useful, however, their reliability must be confirmed across diverse species and regions, and in taxa whose identification is challenging. I tested 4 popular and widely available plant-identification applications using images of 518 professionally identified species, representing 174 genera in 36 orders, growing in New York State. Approximately 51% of species were correctly identified by the primary suggestion across all 4 applications. Species indigeneity status (i.e., native vs non-native), local genus representation, and order designation were all found to have significant impacts on identification accuracy for some or all applications. All applications performed reasonably well at identifying plant specimens to genus with the 2 best-performing applications correctly suggesting generic-level identifications for at least 95% of the species. I conclude that automated plant identification applications are useful tools for identifying species at the familial or generic level but require further examination for species-level identification, especially if the species belongs to a species-rich genus or challenging order (e.g., Aquifoliales, Fagales, Gentiales, Sapindales).

Canis lupus (Gray Wolf) use olfactory and auditory cues to alert conspecifics of territory occupancy. This study aimed to determine if conspecific response levels to perceived territorial intrusions varied with pack density. During 2013–2014, we collected data on conspecific response to simulated olfactory and auditory intrusions over 2 winters and 1 summer in areas with high and low density of Gray Wolf territories. We simulated a territorial intrusion by a non-resident Gray Wolf using commercial Gray Wolf urine or howl surveys. We monitored resident Gray Wolves' responses with camera traps for olfactory intrusions and in situ for auditory intrusions. Results suggest that Gray Wolves in low-density areas spent more time investigating the commercial Gray Wolf urine than those in high-density areas. These findings highlight that the number of packs in an area influences territorial behavior, with Gray Wolves in low-density areas exhibiting heightened investigative response to olfactory cues. This result suggests that Gray Wolves perceive a greater need to assess potential intrusions in less-crowded areas.

Hydrobates leucorhous (Leach's Storm-Petrel) is a small seabird that has undergone significant population declines across its North Atlantic breeding range. Threat assessments have identified predation as an important contributing factor, with most predation studies describing significant mortalities at colonies or when recently fledged Leach's Storm-Petrels strand on land during their maiden voyage in the fall. Through a combination of nighttime observations and weekly systematic searches for wings from June to October in 2022 and 2023, we documented chronic mortality of Leach's Storm-Petrels transiting over Southern Bill, the most eastern point of land at Cape Freels, in northeastern Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), Canada. We observed Vulpes vulpes (Red Fox) leaping into the air to predate on flying birds and estimated this predatory behavior to kill a minimum of 320–850 individuals each year, with nightly mortality rates highest in June and lowest in September and October and impacting only adult birds. Long-lived species with a delayed breeding strategy, such as Leach's Storm-Petrels, are inherently resilient to juvenile mortality, but are sensitive to small increases in adult mortality leading to population declines. Considering recent population declines, regular monitoring of major Leach's Storm-Petrel colonies on NL's northeast coast should be prioritized, as should surveying islands that are known to host Leach's Storm-Petrels but have not been formally censused.

An ongoing invasion of Neogobius melanostomus (Round Goby) is threatening the unique biodiversity of the French Creek watershed (FCW), a tributary to the Allegheny River located primarily in northwestern Pennsylvania. Management strategies depend on knowledge of dispersal mechanisms. Juvenile drift is an important mechanism of Round Goby dispersal in other populations that is currently unexamined in this system. Our objective was to document the presence of juvenile Round Goby drift, describe temporal drift patterns, and describe the community of drifting fish families in the presence and absence of Round Goby within the FCW. We collected drifting larval fishes with drift nets twice a month from June to August 2021 at 3 sites in the FCW: 1 with an established Round Goby population in LeBoeuf Creek (LC), 1 at the invasion front in the French Creek main stem (FCI), and 1 not currently known to be colonized by Round Goby in the French Creek main stem (FCII). Across all sampling dates and sites, we collected 2689 fishes from 9 families, with 71.5% of drift occurring in June. We captured a total of 172 Round Goby, representing 17.5% of drift (163 individuals) at LC and 1.7% of drift (9 individuals) at FCI. No drifting Round Goby were captured at the currently uninvaded FCII site. All Round Goby drift occurred entirely after sunset. Goby total length was consistent from June to early August with a mean of 7.8 mm. This study presents the first documented evidence of Round Goby juvenile drift in the FCW, which may inform management strategies to limit the spread of this invasive species to larger waterways downstream.

Pectenia plumbea (Blue Felt Lichen) is a cyanolichen considered rare and at-risk in eastern North America. Most of the North American distribution is in the Canadian Atlantic provinces. More than 60% of the previously documented individual thalli were from the province of Nova Scotia. Here, we document a new location for this species on the island of Newfoundland and test whether number of thalli per tree is related to tree size and extent of coverage on the bole, and whether size of largest thallus on each tree is related to thalli abundance. Unique to other Newfoundland localities with P. plumbea, this site is inland in the central region of the province. We found over 1000 thalli on 102 trees. Unlike previous occurrences throughout Atlantic Canada, most of the individuals are on Populus tremuloides (Trembling Aspen). We found statistically significant relationships between tree diameter and number of thalli, and the length of the bole covered by P. plumbea and the number of thalli per tree. Trees with more thalli also had larger thalli, which suggests ideal growing conditions that could be further examined to delineate critical habitat for this species-at-risk. Finally, we document threats and identify future research needs to better understand this species' habitat requirements.

Temperate evergreen species may gain a physiological advantage through the ability of evergreen leaves to carry out photosynthesis for more than 1 growing season and during the winter season. I tested this hypothesis experimentally using Pinus strobus (Eastern White Pine) saplings, which produce needle-shaped leaves in late spring that typically last 3 growing seasons. Plants with leaves removed each winter (experimentally deciduous saplings) grew much slower after 1–2 years, and 100% died after 3 years, in contrast to only 5% of control plants dying. Plants with leaves lasting 2 years (shortened leaf lifespan) survived similarly to control plants and had intermediate growth rates. This experiment demonstrates that retention of evergreen leaves during the later years of their lifespan is critical to the survival and growth of evergreen Eastern White Pine saplings.

The decline of pollinators globally has been linked to habitat loss, pollution, and the use of herbicides and pesticides in agriculture. In the Appalachian Region of the US, forest maturation has resulted in fewer areas of early successional and young-forest habitat, which serve as important habitats for pollinators. Although powerline corridors have been shown to support pollinator populations, we investigated whether natural gas pipeline rights-of-way (ROW) could serve a similar ecological function. Our study assessed butterfly richness and density and bee species density across natural gas ROW varying in age, width, and vegetative composition. We discovered that the percentage of flowering plants on reclaimed ROW was the strongest predictor of butterfly richness and both bee and butterfly density. These findings indicate that reclaimed ROW can significantly enhance pollinator habitats, particularly when reclaimed with a diverse mixture of native flowering plants rather than a grass monoculture. Our research underscores the importance of prioritizing flower density in reclamation practices to support pollinator populations effectively.

Cryptobranchus alleganiensis (Hellbender) are large aquatic salamanders native to cool, high-quality streams and rivers in the eastern US. Hellbenders inhabit areas that have large, flat cover rocks with open space underneath for sheltering and breeding. Reports of Hellbenders sharing cover with conspecifics and fish are rare, suggesting Hellbenders will displace other organisms from shelter rocks. In a tributary of the North Branch Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, at least 17% (but possibly 26%) of Hellbenders we observed during surveys shared cover rocks with conspecifics, and 17% shared cover rocks with fish, including Cottus sp. (sculpin), Noturus sp. (madtom catfish), and Anguilla rostrata (American Eel). We suspect these observations may be attributable to a paucity of available cover rocks at this site and may increase the likelihood of ecological interactions among Hellbenders and with other organisms.