Conceptual diagrams are effective tools in identifying resource condition trends and for communicating inventory and monitoring data back to national park management and the general public. This newsletter presents the project results from an IAN collaboration with four National Park Service (NPS) Northern Great Plains Network (NGPN) park units and the NGPN Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) Program.

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The relevance of the boundary concept to ecological processes has been recently questioned. Humans in the post-industrial era have created novel lateral transport fluxes that have not been sufficiently considered in watershed studies. We describe patterns of land-use change within the Potomac River basin and demonstrate how these changes have blurred traditional ecosystem boundaries by increasing the movement of people, materials, and energy into and within the basin.

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In an effort to better portray changing health conditions in Chesapeake Bay and support restoration efforts, a Bay Health Index (BHI) was developed to assess the ecological effects of nutrient and sediment loading on 15 regions of the estuary. Three water quality and three biological measures were combined to formulate the BHI.

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Ratios of nitrogen (N) isotopes in leaves could elucidate underlying patterns of N cycling across ecological gradients. To better understand global-scale patterns of N cycling, we compiled data on foliar N isotope ratios (delta N-15), foliar N concentrations, mycorrhizal type and climate for over 11 000 plants worldwide.

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This paper presents a multiple-pattern parameter identification and uncertainty analysis approach for robust water quality modeling using a neural network (NN) embedded genetic algorithm (GA). The modeling approach uses an adaptive NN-GA framework to inversely solve the governing equations in a water quality model for multiple parameter patterns. along with an alternating fitness method to maintain solution diversity.

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Seagrasses: biology, ecology and conservation, edited by Tony Larkum, Bob Orth and Carlos Duarte, and authored by 79 active seagrass researchers is the most comprehensive book about these unique flowering plants ever written. It is long, 691 pp, with an excess of 100 pages devoted to references, and it includes 26 chapters on evolution, anatomy, biology, physiology, biogeochemistry, remote sensing, grazing and predation, ecology, and management.

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The presence of 28 antibiotics in three hospital effluents, five wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), six rivers and a drinking water storage catchment were investigated within watersheds of South-East Queensland, Australia. All antibiotics were detected at least once, with the exception of the polypeptide bacitracin which was not detected at all. Antibiotics were found in hospital effluent ranging from 0.01-14.5 [mu]g L(-1), dominated by the beta-lactam, quinolone and sulphonamide groups.

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This report describes the health of the Mesoamerican Reef by identifying key indicators and calculating an Integrated Reef Health Index. Additionally, it evaluates the human footprint and social well-being of the local community. Finally, it provides recommendations for government, NGOs, private, and research sectors for future work.

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From both an economic and ecological standpoint, Atlantic menhaden are one of the most important fish species in Chesapeake Bay. Concerns over localized depletion and a need for improved understanding of the ecological role of menhaden in Chesapeake Bay led the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to identify research needed to improve menhaden fisheries management. This newsletter provides the status of some of the resulting projects.

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In 2007, Governor O'Malley asked a scientific team, chaired by UMCES President Dr. Donald F. Boesch, to assess the impacts of climate change in Maryland. The key points from this assessment are summarized in this poster created by IAN staff.

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