Papers by Matthew E Hopton
Southwestern Naturalist, Jun 1, 2001
Small mammal disturbances can alter habitat characteristics that can then affect species composit... more Small mammal disturbances can alter habitat characteristics that can then affect species composition and dispersion throughout the landscape. Pocket gophers (Geomyidae) may have this affect on dispersing ants. The mechanisms and requirements for dispersal in harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex occidentalis) have been studied, but how and where nest selection occurs is not fully understood. The study site was the Central Plains Experimental Range (CPER), a short-grass steppe, in Weld Co., Colorado. Two pastures at the CPER, representing two grazing regimes (heavily grazed and lightly grazed), were used for comparison. Existing ant and pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides) mounds were surveyed and permanently marked on each pasture. New ant nest-mounds were surveyed the following year and their proximity to pocket gopher mounds was recorded. No differences were noted between grazing regimes. Seventy-three percent of new ant nest-mounds were located on old pocket gopher mounds. Harvester ants were selecting old pocket gopher mounds for establishing new colonies during dispersal. These results warrant further study to determine exactly what factors influence nest-mound selection by harvester ants and the success rate of colonies selecting old pocket gopher mounds.
Journal of Environmental Management, Nov 1, 2012
The views expressed herein are strictly the opinions of the authors and in no manner represent or... more The views expressed herein are strictly the opinions of the authors and in no manner represent or reflect current or planned policy by the federal agencies. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. The information and data presented in this product were obtained from sources that are believed to be reliable. However, in many cases the quality of the information or data was not documented by those sources; therefore, no claim is made regarding their quality.
Environmental Science & Technology, Aug 21, 2019
Increasing global reliance on stormwater control measures to reduce discharge to surface water, i... more Increasing global reliance on stormwater control measures to reduce discharge to surface water, increase groundwater recharge, and minimize contaminant delivery to receiving waterbodies necessitates improved understanding of stormwater−contaminant profiles. A multiagency study of organic and inorganic chemicals in urban stormwater from 50 runoff events at 21 sites across the United States demonstrated that stormwater transports substantial mixtures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, bioactive contaminants (pesticides and pharmaceuticals), and other organic chemicals known or suspected to pose environmental health concern. Numerous organic-chemical detections per site (median number of chemicals detected = 73), individual concentrations exceeding 10 000 ng/L, and cumulative concentrations up to 263 000 ng/L suggested concern for potential environmental effects during runoff events. Organic concentrations, loads, and yields were positively correlated with impervious surfaces and highly developed urban catchments. Episodic storm-event organic concentrations and loads were comparable to and often exceeded those of daily wastewater plant discharges. Inorganic chemical concentrations were generally dilute in concentration and did not exceed chronic aquatic life criteria. Methylmercury was measured in 90% of samples with concentrations that ranged from 0.05 to 1.0 ng/L. ■ INTRODUCTION Urban stormwater runoff is a recognized contributor to surface water impairment in the United States. 1,2 Nutrients, heavy metals, bacteria, chlorophenols, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are commonly reported in stormwater runoff. 3−12 Limited research has shown that stormwater also can contain contaminants such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, alkyphenol surfactants, and phtha-lates. 13−16 Stormwater runoff is often collected in retention ponds and constructed wetlands where additional contaminants, such as methylmercury (MeHg), can be produced at rates
Journal of Mammalogy, May 18, 2023
The American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) currently has 13 Restricted Funds intended to make fin... more The American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) currently has 13 Restricted Funds intended to make financial resources available to support the mission of the Society by providing grants and awards to students, early-career mammalogists, and members who perform activities relevant to ASM. Restricted Funds are specified to support a Society objective or area of research. When initially established, the originator(s) defined the use of a Restricted Fund. However, descriptions and requirements of each Restricted Fund are not often stored in a readily available location or format making it difficult for potential applicants to determine how to proceed. We collected information on each Fund from journal articles, book chapters, minutes of ASM Board of Directors meetings, and personal communications from ASM members. Then we compiled information relevant to each Restricted Fund to centralize this information and make available the intended purpose of each Restricted Fund. Several of the Funds have reached a level to be self-sustaining at the current award amounts, but others remain in desperate need of funding to be able to support the intentions of the originators. Mammalogists recognize through their establishment of Restricted Funds that allocations from these Funds are instrumental in supporting the development of students and junior colleagues as they hone their science and contribute to the science of mammalogy.
Integrative Zoology, Nov 1, 2014
Ecological stoichiometry provides a framework to investigate an organism&... more Ecological stoichiometry provides a framework to investigate an organism's relationship to nutrient cycles. An organism's stoichiometry is thought to constrain its contribution to nutrient cycles (recycling or storage), and to limit its growth and reproduction. Factors that influence the stoichiometry of a consumer are largely unstudied, but what is known is that consumer stoichiometry is influenced by the elemental requirements of the consumer (e.g. for growth, reproduction and cell maintenance) and the availability of elements. We examined whole-body stoichiometry of larval southern two-lined salamanders (Eurycea cirrigera) and described the influence of location, body size, stoichiometry of diet items, and environmental nutrient supply on whole-body stoichiometry. Mean composition of phosphorous was 2.6%, nitrogen was 11.3%, and carbon was 39.6%, which are similar for other aquatic vertebrate taxa. The most significant predictor of whole-body stoichiometry was the site where the samples were collected, which was significant for each nutrient and nutrient ratio. Body size and stoichiometry of diet items were also predictors of Eurycea cirrigera stoichiometry. Our study suggests that spatial differences in environmental nutrient supply have a stronger influence on consumer whole-body stoichiometry among similar-sized larvae compared to life history traits, such as body size or diet.
Journal of Freshwater Ecology, Jul 1, 2014
Anthropogenic land use affects aquatic landscapes. For example, landscape-level conversion to urb... more Anthropogenic land use affects aquatic landscapes. For example, landscape-level conversion to urban or agricultural land can heavily influence nutrient cycles in headwater streams via increased nutrient loading and altered hydrologic patterns. Recent studies in headwater streams have found that the stoichiometry and stable isotope compositions of basal resources and consumers can vary as a result of landscape-level change. To this end, we examined the stoichiometry and stable isotope compositions (d 13 C and d 15 N) of headwater stream flora and fauna in 16 streams located within forested, agricultural, urban, and mixed (urban, forested, and agricultural) catchments. Our results suggest basal resource stoichiometry varied across streams, with leaf litter being the most variable basal resource. Macroinvertebrate consumers maintained stoichiometric homeostasis across stream groups, but consumer stoichiometry differed across families. Values of d 13 C did not vary across stream groups for basal resources; however, consumer d 13 C did. Although d 15 N did not differ among basal resources across stream groups, macroinvertebrate consumer d 15 N differed because of the interaction between stream group and family. Our results show catchment land cover did not predictably alter the stoichiometry or stable isotope compositions of basal resources or consumers in headwater streams. The quality of basal resources in headwater streams could differ across catchments with varying land cover, but it is evident that differences in stoichiometry of basal resources did not lead to differences in stoichiometry of consumers in our study. Given the variability of stable isotope compositions, additional effort should be made to improve our understanding of the landscape factors that might influence isotopic data.
Sustainability, Mar 2, 2018
Many cities are experiencing long-term declines in population and economic activity. As a result,... more Many cities are experiencing long-term declines in population and economic activity. As a result, frameworks for urban sustainability need to address the unique challenges and opportunities of such shrinking cities. Shrinking, particularly in the U.S., has led to extensive vacant land. The abundance of vacant land reflects a loss of traditional urban amenities, economic opportunity, neighbors, businesses, and even basic city services and often occurs in neighborhoods with socially and economically vulnerable or underserved populations. However, vacant land also provides opportunities, including the space to invest in green infrastructure that can provide ecosystem services and support urban sustainability. Achieving desirable amenities that provide ecosystem services from vacant land is the central tenet of a recent urban sustainability framework termed ecology for the shrinking city. An agroecological approach could operationalize ecology for the shrinking city to both manage vacancy and address ecosystem service goals. Developing an agroecology in shrinking cities not only secures provisioning services that use an active and participatory approach of vacant land management but also transforms and enhances regulating and supporting services. The human and cultural dimensions of agroecology create the potential for social-ecological innovations that can support sustainable transformations in shrinking cities. Overall, the strength of agroecological principles guiding a green infrastructure strategy stems from its explicit focus on how individuals and communities can shape their environment at multiple scales to produce outcomes that reflect their social and cultural context. Specifically, the shaping of the environment provides a pathway for communities to build agency and manage for resilience in urban social-ecological systems. Agroecology for the shrinking city can support desirable transformations, but to be meaningful, we recognize that it must be part of a greater strategy that addresses larger systemic issues facing shrinking cities and their residents.
Sustainability, May 30, 2014
The loss of resilience in social-ecological systems has the capacity to decrease essential ecosys... more The loss of resilience in social-ecological systems has the capacity to decrease essential ecosystem services, posing threats to human survival. To achieve sustainability, we must not only understand the ecological dynamics of a system, such as coral reefs, but must also promulgate regulations that promote beneficial behavior to address ecological stressors throughout the system. Furthermore, laws should reflect that systems operate at multiple spatial and temporal scales, thus requiring management across traditional legal jurisdictions. In this paper, we conducted a multi-scalar examination of law for sustainable ecosystems and how law pertains to coral reef ecosystems in particular. Findings indicate that, in order to achieve sustainability, we must develop new or reform existing legal mechanisms to protect ecosystems.
Landscape and Urban Planning, Jun 1, 2017
Urban impervious surfaces convert precipitation to stormwater runoff, which causes water quality ... more Urban impervious surfaces convert precipitation to stormwater runoff, which causes water quality and quantity problems. While traditional stormwater management has relied on gray infrastructure such as piped conveyances to collect and convey stormwater to wastewater treatment facilities or into surface waters, cities are exploring green infrastructure to manage stormwater at its source. Decentralized green infrastructure leverages the capabilities of soil and vegetation to infiltrate, redistribute, and otherwise store stormwater volume, with the potential to realize ancillary environmental, social, and economic benefits. To date, green infrastructure science and practice have largely focused on infiltration-based technologies that include rain gardens, bioswales, and permeable pavements. However, a narrow focus on infiltration overlooks other losses from the hydrologic cycle, and we propose that arboriculture-the cultivation of trees and other woody plants-deserves additional consideration as a stormwater control measure. Trees interact with the urban hydrologic cycle by intercepting incoming precipitation, removing water from the soil via transpiration, enhancing infiltration, and bolstering the performance of other green infrastructure technologies. However, many of these interactions are inadequately understood, particularly at spatial and temporal scales relevant to stormwater management. As such, the reliable use of trees for stormwater control depends on improved understanding of how and to what extent trees *
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, Oct 1, 2020
Green infrastructure (GI), practices consisting of using vegetation and soil to manage stormwater... more Green infrastructure (GI), practices consisting of using vegetation and soil to manage stormwater runoff (e.g., rain gardens, vegetated roofs, bioswales, etc.), has been adopted by cities across the world to help address aging water infrastructure, water quality, excess water quantity, and urban planning needs. Although GI's contribution to stormwater control and management has been extensively studied, the economic value of its benefits is less known. In Omaha, NE, GI projects have been completed in several public parks. Using a repeat-sales model based on 2000-2018 housing data, we examined the effect of GI on the value of single-family homes within various buffer distances of parks where GI was installed. After controlling for changes associated with home deterioration and renovation, non-stationary location effects, and time-invariant characteristics, we did not find any statistically significant relationships between housing values and GI. This finding is consistent with the notion that homeowners place little value on modifications to existing greenspace, but may also stem from homeowners' lack of familiarity with GI practices or data limitations.
Journal of Environmental Management, Nov 1, 2012
The regional energy ecological footprint is an important evaluation index which can reveal the en... more The regional energy ecological footprint is an important evaluation index which can reveal the energy consumption on regional environmental pressure and sustainable development. First, the study relied on EEF (energy ecological footprint) method to calculate the ecological footprint, the energy ecological footprint and the ecological capacity. While STIRPAT model was applied to examine the relationship between the regional populations scale, the economic level, the industrial structure, the energy utilization technology and the energy ecological footprint. Grey prediction model was used to predict the development tendency of the energy ecological footprint in the next 10 years. The data were elicited from statistical data of regional energy consumption. The energy ecological footprint was increased to 0.3437ghm 2 /person from 0.1234ghm 2 /person during 2006-2015 in Xiangtan region. Though the energy capacity per capita increased slightly, the energy ecological footprint was kept in deficit. The level was increased to 0.2504ghm 2 /person from 0.073ghm 2 /person. The ecological pressure of the energy ecological footprint was very large. Among the influencing factors, the industrial structure contributes the most to explain the energy ecological footprint, followed by the population scale and the GDP per capita. The influence of the energy strength was minimal. The indices of energy ecological footprint, energy capacity and ecological pressure increased to 1.1205, 0.1246 and 8.9013ghm 2 /person, respectively. The dynamic scale of energy ecological footprint and the analysis of the influencing factors can provide a theory for sustainable development of society-economy-resources and environment.
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 2014
BioScience, Jun 2, 2016
This article brings together the concepts of shrinking cities-the hundreds of cities worldwide ex... more This article brings together the concepts of shrinking cities-the hundreds of cities worldwide experiencing long-term population loss-and ecology for the city. Ecology for the city is the application of a social-ecological understanding to shaping urban form and function along sustainable trajectories. Ecology for the shrinking city therefore acknowledges that urban transformations to sustainable trajectories may be quite different in shrinking cities as compared with growing cities. Shrinking cities are well poised for transformations, because shrinking is perceived as a crisis and can mobilize the social capacity to change. Ecology is particularly well suited to contribute solutions because of the extent of vacant land in shrinking cities that can be leveraged for ecosystem-services provisioning. A crucial role of an ecology for the shrinking city is identifying innovative pathways that create locally desired amenities that provide ecosystem services and contribute to urban sustainability at multiple scales.
Southwestern Naturalist, Jun 1, 2002
... RAMiREZ-PULIDO, J., R. LOPEZ-WILCHIS, C. MUDESPACH-ER-ZIEHL, AND IE LIRA. 1983. ... EFFECTS O... more ... RAMiREZ-PULIDO, J., R. LOPEZ-WILCHIS, C. MUDESPACH-ER-ZIEHL, AND IE LIRA. 1983. ... EFFECTS OF HABITAT FRAGMENTATION ON MOVEMENT OF SMALL MAMMALS ALONG A KANSAS HIGHWAY MATTHEW E. HOPTON* AND JERRY R. CHOATE ...
Triangular habitat \islands\ at interchanges along interstates are utilized extensively by small ... more Triangular habitat \islands\ at interchanges along interstates are utilized extensively by small mammals. I attempted to monitor the movements of small mammals at the West Hays interchange, Exit 157, on Interstate Highway 70 in Ellis Co., Kansas. By doing so, I attempted to discover what factors (such as age, reproductive condition, sex, or population density) affect the movement of small mammals across roads, to determine which species are most apt to cross roads, to establish the degree to which roads act as barriers, and, finally, to ascertain which small mammals re-colonized trapped out triangles and at what rate. I found that roads acted as barriers of varying degrees to different species of small mammals. I was unable to attribute an increase in movement of an individual to anyone factor and assumed that the ability or tendency to cross roads may be a trait of individuals as much as a characteristic of species.
Columbia University Press eBooks, Dec 31, 2014
In « Projected future extinction rate is more than ten times higher than current rate Current ext... more In « Projected future extinction rate is more than ten times higher than current rate Current extinction rate is up toone thousand times higher than the fossil record Long-term average extintion rate FIGURE 2.1. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment on extinction rates. Source: Millenium Ecosystem Assessment.
Journal of Herpetology, Jul 27, 2021
Larval amphibians are important components of ephemeral wetland ecosystems, where they are abunda... more Larval amphibians are important components of ephemeral wetland ecosystems, where they are abundant and perform important ecological functions. Larval pond-breeding salamanders (genus Ambystoma) are the primary vertebrate predators in fishless, ephemeral wetland systems, where they consume large amounts of aquatic invertebrate prey. However, the mechanisms in which larval salamanders affect aquatic communities are poorly understood. We compared stomach contents of larval pond-breeding salamanders from two regions in the midwestern United States to assess their diets for evidence of prey selection. We found larval salamanders exhibited selective predation for certain taxa and functional feeding groups. Our results provide a possible mechanism in which larval pond-breeding salamanders affect aquatic invertebrate communities and shape ephemeral wetland ecosystem processes.
Arboricultural Journal, Jan 2, 2016
Urban foresters routinely emphasise the importance of taxonomic diversity to reduce the vulnerabi... more Urban foresters routinely emphasise the importance of taxonomic diversity to reduce the vulnerability of tree assemblages to invasive pests, but it is unclear to what extent diversity reduces vulnerability to polyphagous (i.e. generalist) pests. Drawing on field data from seven communities in metropolitan Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, we tested the hypothesis that communities with higher diversity would exhibit lower vulnerability to the polyphagous Asian longhorned beetle, which currently threatens the region. Based on street tree compositions and the beetle’s host preferences, Asian longhorned beetle threatened up to 35.6% of individual street trees and 47.5% of the total basal area across the study area, but we did not see clear connections between taxonomic diversity and beetle vulnerability among study communities. For example, the city of Fairfield was among the least diverse communities but had the lowest proportion of trees vulnerable to Asian longhorned beetle, whereas the city of Wyoming exhibited high diversity and high vulnerability. On the other hand, Forest Park aligned with our original hypothesis, as it was characterised by low diversity and high vulnerability. Our results demonstrate that relatively high taxonomic diversity in street tree assemblages does not necessarily lead to reduced vulnerability to a polyphagous pest. Considering the threats posed by polyphagous pests, selecting a set of relatively pest resistant trees known to perform well in urban areas may promote long-term stability better than following simple heuristics for maximising taxonomic diversity, but further study is warranted.
Sustainability, Jul 16, 2015
Ecological Footprint Analysis (EFA) is appealing as a metric of sustainability because it is stra... more Ecological Footprint Analysis (EFA) is appealing as a metric of sustainability because it is straightforward in theory and easy to conceptualize. However, EFA is difficult to implement because it requires extensive data. A simplified approach to EFA that requires fewer data can serve as a perfunctory analysis allowing researchers to examine a system with relatively little cost and effort. We examined whether a simplified approach using freely available data could be applied to Puerto Rico, a densely populated island with limited land resources. Forty-one years of data were assembled to compute the ecological footprint from 1970 to 2010. According to EFA, individuals in Puerto Rico were moving toward sustainability over time, as the per capita ecological footprint decreased from 3.69 ha per capita (ha/ca) in 1970 to 3.05 ha/ca in 2010. However, due to population growth, the population's footprint rose from 1.00 × 10 7 ha in 1970 to 1.14 × 10 7 ha in 2010, indicating Puerto Rico as a whole was moving away from sustainability. Our findings demonstrate the promise for conducting EFA using a simplified approach with freely available data, and we discuss potential limitations on data quality and availability that should be addressed to further improve the science.
Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, Nov 19, 2013
The goal of this paper is to highlight the problem of time lags in data releases that are necessa... more The goal of this paper is to highlight the problem of time lags in data releases that are necessary for calculating sustainability metrics and its effect on making informed management decisions. We produced a methodology to assess whether a regional system is on a sustainable path and tested it in south-central Colorado. We identified key components of the system and selected four sustainability metrics that measure those components. Metrics included: (1) ecological footprint (i.e., environmental burden), (2) green net regional product (GNRP) (i.e., economic well-being), (3) emergy (i.e., energy flows), and (4) Fisher information (i.e., dynamic order). Having calculated these metrics, we identified future research recommendations and limitations. One limitation was the delay between when an event occurred and when data on the event were released. Given, the recent push in government agencies for calculating sustainability metrics, finding solutions for the time lag will be important. To address this limitation, we explore the potential of using both sustainability metrics and indicators that are available near-time to provide decision makers with better decision support. For the pilot study in Colorado, the metric calculations were 3 years behind present. Using near-time indicators that are publicly available before the metrics can be calculated might help to predict the path of the metric. As an example, we examine if specific near-time indicators are correlated with ecological balance (a component of ecological footprint) and GNRP. We use Spearman rank correlations and scatter plots to identify the relationship of the metrics and near-time indicators in an exploratory analysis. We offer research recommendations to consider.
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Papers by Matthew E Hopton