Energy development, in combination with other environmental stressors, poses a persistent threat to rare species endemic to energy-producing regions of the western United States. Demographic analyses of monitored populations can provide key information on the natural dynamics of threatened plant and animal populations and how these dynamics might be affected by present and future development. In the Uinta Basin in Utah and Colorado, Graham's beardtongue (Penstemon grahamii) and White River beardtongue (Penstemon scariosus var. albifluvis) are 2 rare endemic wildflowers that persist on oil shale habitats that are heavily impacted by current energy exploration and development and are slated for expanded traditional drilling and oil shale development. We described demographic characteristics and population viability for 2 populations of each species that have been monitored since 2004. First, we measured population size, survival rates, transitions between life stages, and recruitment by using individually marked plants at the 4 study areas. We then used matrix population models to determine stochastic population growth rates (λ) and the probability that each population would persist 50 years into the future, given current conditions. The 2 P. grahamii study plots had small populations, averaging 70 adult plants, and relatively constant and high survival in both vegetative and flowering plants. The 2 P. scariosus var. albifluvis study plots had populations that averaged 120 adult plants, with high and stable survival in flowering plants and variable survival in vegetative plants. Recruitment of new seedlings into all populations was low and variable, with most recruitment occurring in one or 2 years. Both P. grahamii populations had λ near 1.0 (stable). One P. scariosus var. albifluvis population appeared to be declining (λ = 0.97), whereas the other was increasing (λ = 1.16). Our analyses reveal populations that appear relatively stable, but that are susceptible to declines now and into the future. Increases in environmental variability, deterministic changes in habitat conditions or stressors, or a single catastrophic event could all have immediately deleterious impacts on the long-term growth trajectory of these populations.

The Arctic is currently experiencing changes in climate more rapid than in any other biome. This warming trend has resulted in significant abiotic changes to the seasonal patterns of freshwater ecosystems. Thorough inventories of freshwater insect communities are required to provide benchmarks for the detection of range shifts in response to a warming climate. Though statewide studies have been conducted for Trichoptera and Plecoptera, species accounts for these orders in Arctic Alaska have received relatively little attention. We surveyed Plecoptera and Trichoptera of Alaska's Arctic North Slope at a variety of habitat types over an 11-year period. We document new and historical collection records for 24 species of Plecoptera and 33 species of Trichoptera on Alaska's North Slope. Among these are 19 new North Slope records for Trichoptera (4 new state records) and 2 new North Slope records for Plecoptera. Our assessment of these taxa reveals communities of stoneflies and caddisflies that are distinct to Alaska's North Slope and should be of clear conservation concern. Two major factors contributing to these unique communities include the function of the North Slope as a Beringian refuge from continental ice sheets and the occurrence of spring streams as refuge from seasonal winter ice. The North Slope of Alaska is predicted to undergo changes in climate and industrialization in coming years, and this species list will aid our understanding of how aquatic insect communities may respond to future changes in Arctic Alaska.

The negative effects of equid grazers in semiarid ecosystems of the American West have been considered disproportionate to the influence of native ungulates in these systems because of equids' large body size, hoof shape, and short history on the landscape relative to native ungulates. Tools that can analyze the degree of influence of various ungulate herbivores in an ecosystem and separate effects of ungulates from effects of other variables (climate, anthropomorphic disturbances) can be useful to managers in determining the location of nonnative herbivore impacts and assessing the effect of management actions targeted at different ungulate populations. We used remotely sensed data to determine the influence of native and nonnative ungulates and climate on vegetation productivity at wildlife refuges in Oregon and Nevada. Our findings indicate that ungulate biomass density, particularly equid biomass density, and precipitation in winter and spring had the greatest influence on normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values. Our results concur with those of other researchers, who found that drought exacerbated the impacts of ungulate herbivores in arid systems.

Although mountain sucker Catostomus platyrhynchus is considered secure across its range, it has declined in parts of its range and is listed in South Dakota as a species of greatest conservation need. To our knowledge, no research has identified which calcified structure provides the most precise age estimates for mountain sucker, and little is known about mountain sucker population dynamics. To identify which structure provided the most precise age estimates, we compared age estimates from scales, sectioned pectoral fin rays, whole asteriscus otoliths, and polished asteriscus otoliths collected from 110 mountain sucker from 2 creeks in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Additionally, we quantified growth, age, and size at maturation for one population of mountain sucker in the Black Hills. Polished otoliths had the greatest precision of the 4 structures used, followed by sectioned pectoral fin rays. Mountain sucker reached an average size of 100 mm total length (TL) during their fourth growing season and reached an average maximum attainable size of 219 mm TL. Mountain sucker began to mature at age 3, with nearly all being mature by age 5. In the Black Hills, the shortest mature male was 95 mm TL and the shortest mature female was 101 mm TL. We recommend using polished otoliths to estimate the ages of mountain sucker. If a nonlethal structure is desired to estimate the ages of mountain sucker, we recommend using sectioned pectoral fin rays. Future research should be directed to fill the many knowledge gaps in the biology and ecology of mountain sucker (e.g., juvenile habitat use in the Black Hills). As these knowledge gaps are addressed, management actions could be taken to conserve this species in the parts of its range where it is declining.

Arctomecon humilis, a rare gypsophile of the extreme northeastern Mojave Desert, is restricted to a few isolated populations in Washington County, Utah, USA. At several times in the past quarter century, we have studied the breeding system and reproductive success of this endangered species, recorded its pollinators, and tested the feasibility of human-assisted gene flow by performing reciprocal crosses between 2 isolated “populations” approximately 4 km apart. Arctomecon humilis possessed a mixed breeding system in the population studied (Beehive Dome in 1988); some plants exhibited self-compatibility but produced significantly fewer fruit/flowers and seeds/fruit for geitonogamous self-pollinations than for cross-pollinations. Few fruits and seeds were produced in the absence of pollinators. The results of cross-pollination treatments did not differ from unassisted open-pollinations (controls), suggesting that pollinators were not limiting reproductive success. Our more recent results (2012) suggest that some populations may be more at risk than others. Although all 7 populations surveyed produced ≥70% fruits/flower, they differed significantly in fruit set and in average seed number/fruit and seed weight. Possible reasons for these differences (i.e., inbreeding, genetic load, insufficient mating types, pollinator scarcity, etc.), are all potentially important for conservation management and should be investigated. Over the past 2 decades, the pollinator community appears to have changed dramatically from one composed of specialist and generalist bees to one where pollination is presently being accomplished by generalist foragers alone. The health of one of these generalists, the honey bee Apis mellifera, is a current global concern, and its future presence as a pollinator of A. humilis is unclear. Our reciprocal crosses between the White Dome and Webb Hill populations provide support for our proposal that human-mediated gene flow through interpopulation cross-pollinations be undertaken every 5 years to increase the genetic variability of populations. We make several other recommendations for research that would improve the ability of land managers to conserve this species.

The Baird's pocket gopher (Geomys breviceps) is a solitary, fossorial rodent found throughout areas of Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. These rodents are highly modified morphologically for an underground lifestyle, often resulting in limited vagility and isolated populations. Despite these unique characteristics, little is known about the population genetics of pocket gophers. We used mitochondrial and microsatellite data and performed a series of population genetic analyses to better understand the population structure and gene flow among a series of G. breviceps localities. Population genetic analyses supported high levels of gene flow among localities within 2 km of each other, with decreasing levels as distance between localities increased. Findings suggest that 2–3 localities function as one genetic cluster, resulting in a total of 3–4 total genetic clusters observed in this study. Results also suggest that the Baird's pocket gopher is capable of moving at least 2 km, but further analyses should be completed to better understand dispersal distance in this fossorial species.

Artificial artesian wells have existed in the San Luis Valley of south central Colorado for over 100 years, and they are an important source of water for livestock and wildlife. When Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (GRSA) expanded its boundaries in 2000, ten of these wells were within the new park boundary. Because the habitat surrounding the wells was so severely disturbed by cattle and wildlife trampling, the National Park Service capped the wells in 2010 to promote restoration of the areas to a more natural state. To study changes after well-capping, we compared the plant communities in 2011 and 2012. We measured and compared plant cover, species frequency, and species diversity at recently capped wells on GRSA, at flowing wells (i.e., with water) on adjacent private lands of The Nature Conservancy, and at reference sites. In general, there was little difference in percentage of plant cover and species diversity between well types. For percent cover, annual variation and distance from wellheads were the best predictors for the native and exotic plant species, respectively. Plant species composition varied by well type, with reference sites having the greatest frequency of native plants per site and capped well sites having the greatest frequency of exotic plants per site. For native plants, reference sites had the highest species diversity, while capped wells had the highest community evenness. Overall, our results suggest that in the short term, native plant populations have changed little after well-capping, but the frequency of exotic plants has increased at capped well sites relative to reference sites.

Knowledge of home-range size and subadult dispersal activity of American black bears (Ursus americanus) is essential for understanding the complexity of how bears interact within populations and the environment. During 1993–1998, we monitored 95 radio-collared black bears in the Cascade Range of western Oregon to estimate homerange sizes and dispersal movements. Composite fixed-kernel home ranges were calculated for 37 bears. Mean home-range size differed between genders (189.7 km² for males and 33.6 km² for females); however, there was no difference in mean home-range size between subadult and adult males or subadult and adult females. We monitored 40 subadult bears (29 M, 11 F) to detect dispersal activity. We did not detect any dispersal of subadult females. One subadult male dispersed as a 2 year old, one dispersed as a 3 year old, and one as a 4 year old. The greatest dispersal distance of any subadult was 34 km by a 2-year-old male.

The Idaho point-headed grasshopper, Acrolophitus pulchellus, is a rare endemic of the Sinks Drainages of east central Idaho. Past collections were infrequent and found few specimens. Searches by entomologists in 2002–2003 failed to find specimens, leading to speculation that A. pulchellus was extinct. I report rediscovered populations of A. pulchellus based on 55 capture records (10 collected) at 13 localities; describe distribution, habitat, possible host plant relationships, morphology, and life history; and present the first photos of live adult specimens.

Recent collections of vascular plants on the Crow Creek Indian Reservation in central South Dakota include 64 new county records for Hughes County, 72 for Buffalo County, and 1 for Hyde County. Additionally, 2 new county records are reported for Sioux County in southern North Dakota.

Three Heermann's kangaroo rats (Dipodomys heermanni LeConte 1853) from San Luis Obispo County, California, were examined for ectoparasites. Two species of fleas were found, Meringis cummingi (C. Fox 1926) and Hoplopsyllus anomalus (Baker 1904). While M. cummingi has been reported frequently from this host (Dorman 1969, Eads et al. 1987), occurrence of H. anomalus on D. heermanni has not been reported before and represents a new host record.

Leucism is a partial hypopigmentary congenital disorder previously recorded in several species of mammals. This abnormal coloration is unusual in the wild. In August 2013, in Baja California, México, we collected 2 Peromyscus fraterculus (one female and one male) exhibiting leucism. Leucism has not been previously reported in the genus Peromyscus; therefore, we documented the first known record. Leucism is expressed in natural populations having low genetic diversity and may increase selective pressure on affected individuals.