Publications
This list of publications includes peer-review journal articles, official USGS publications series, reports and more authored by scientists in the Ecosystems Mission Area. A database of all USGS publications, with advanced search features, can be accessed at the USGS Publications Warehouse.
Filter Total Items: 42871
Predicting the spatial distribution of wintering golden eagles to inform full annual cycle conservation in western North America Predicting the spatial distribution of wintering golden eagles to inform full annual cycle conservation in western North America
Wildlife conservation strategies focused on one season or population segment may fail to adequately protect populations, especially when a species’ habitat preferences vary among seasons, age-classes, geographic regions, or other factors. Conservation of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) is an example of such a complex scenario, in which the distribution, habitat use, and migratory...
Authors
Z. Wallace, Bryan Bedrosian, J Dunk, David W. LaPlante, Brian Woodbridge, B. Simth, Jessi L. Brown, Todd Lickfett, Katherine Gura, D. Bittner, R. Crandall, Robert Domenech, Todd E. Katzner, K. Kritz, S. Lewis, M. Lockhart, T. Miller, K. Quint, A. Sheading, S. Slater, D. Stahlecker
Chytrid infections exhibit historical spread and contemporary seasonality in a declining stream-breeding frog Chytrid infections exhibit historical spread and contemporary seasonality in a declining stream-breeding frog
Species with extensive geographical ranges pose special challenges to assessing drivers of wildlife disease, necessitating collaborative and large-scale analyses. The imperilled foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii) inhabits a wide geographical range and variable conditions in rivers of California and Oregon (USA), and is considered threatened by the pathogen Batrachochytrium...
Authors
A.M. Belasen, R.A. Peek, A.J. Adams, I.D. Russell, M.E. De Leon, Michael J. Adams, J. Bettaso, K.G.H. Breedveld, A. Catenazzi, C.P. Dillingham, Daniel A. Grear, Brian J. Halstead, P.G. Johnson, Patrick M. Kleeman, M.S. Koo, C.W. Koppl, J.D. Lauder, G. Padgett-Flohr, J. Piovia-Scott, K.L. Pope, V. Vredenburg, M. Westphal, K. Wiseman, S.J. Kupferberg
Eggshell thickness and egg morphometrics in five songbird species from the Central Valley, California Eggshell thickness and egg morphometrics in five songbird species from the Central Valley, California
Avian eggshell thickness is an important life history metric in birds and has broad applications across disciplines ranging from animal behavior to toxicology. Empirical eggshell thickness values for songbirds (Order Passeriformes) are under-represented in the literature due to the difficulty of measuring smaller eggs using traditional methods. We used a Hall-effect thickness gauge to...
Authors
Carley R. Schacter, Sarah H. Peterson, C. Alex Hartman, Mark P. Herzog, Joshua T. Ackerman
Changes in sand storage in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park from July 2017 through June 2020 Changes in sand storage in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park from July 2017 through June 2020
Changes in the quantity of sand stored within river segments can affect aquatic and riparian habitat, archeological resources, and recreation. Since summer to fall of 2002, gaging stations on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park and on its major tributaries and selected lesser tributaries have measured the mass of sand transported past each station, which allows for changes...
Authors
Ronald E. Griffiths, David J. Topping, Joel A. Unema
Decomposition rates appear stable despite elevated shrimp abundances following hurricanes in montane streams, Puerto Rico Decomposition rates appear stable despite elevated shrimp abundances following hurricanes in montane streams, Puerto Rico
Leaf litter decomposition is a key ecosystem process in headwater streams, influenced by physical fragmentation, microbial degradation and feeding activity by stream biota. In some tropical streams, feeding by freshwater shrimps can exert strong top-down control on leaf litter decomposition, however, variation in shrimp macroconsumer effects across small spatial scales or among years is...
Authors
Max Kelly, Mary Freeman, Pablo E. Gutiérrez-Fonseca, Jesus E. Gomez, Rafael Perez, Lulu Lacey, Alonso Ramírez, Catherine M. Pringle
Hurricanes: An unexpected mechanism linking disturbance and seed production in trees Hurricanes: An unexpected mechanism linking disturbance and seed production in trees
This technical commentary provides insights into a recent paper by a non-USGS group of authors who link hurricanes to mast seed production in long-leaf pine.
Authors
Ian S. Pearse, Andreas Paul Wion
Resource-driven pattern formation in consumer-resource systems with asymmetric dispersal on a plane Resource-driven pattern formation in consumer-resource systems with asymmetric dispersal on a plane
This paper considers resource-driven pattern formation in consumer-resource systems. Here, a planar pattern consists of many big patches, and a big patch can be regarded as combination of many patches on the plane. The consumer moves between patches asymmetrically, while the asymmetry is driven by the resource abundance. Based on experimental models with linearly-linked patches, we...
Authors
Weiting Song, Shikun Wang, Yuanshi Wang, Don DeAngelis
Validation of a molecular sex marker in three sturgeons from eastern North America Validation of a molecular sex marker in three sturgeons from eastern North America
Despite the importance of sex-specific information for sturgeon conservation and management, sex identification has been a major challenge outside of mature adults on spawning grounds. Recent work identified a sex-specific locus (AllWSex2) that appears to be broadly conserved across many Acipenserids, but the assay was not validated for all species within the family. We tested the...
Authors
Nicholas M Sard, Brian R Krieser, Richard M. Pendleton, Barbara A. Lubinski, Robin L. Johnson, Dewayne A. Fox, Joel P Van Eenennaam, Jason E Kahn, Chris H Hager, Amanda L. Higgs, David C. Kazyak
U.S. Geological Survey Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center: Proceedings of the fiscal year 2023 annual reporting meeting to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program U.S. Geological Survey Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center: Proceedings of the fiscal year 2023 annual reporting meeting to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program
This proceedings is prepared for the USBR and Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP) to account for work conducted and products delivered in FY 2023 by SBSC's Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC) and to inform the Technical Work Group of science conducted by GCMRC and its cooperators in support of the GCDAMP. It includes a summary of accomplishments...
Authors
Andrew Alan Schultz, Gregory Mark Anderson, David J. Topping, Ronald E. Griffiths, David J. Dean, Paul E. Grams, Keith Kohl, Gerard Lewis Salter, Matthew A. Kaplinski, Katherine Chapman, Erich R. Mueller, Emily C. Palmquist, Bradley J. Butterfield, Joel B. Sankey, Bridget R. Deemer, Charles B. Yackulic, Lindsay Erika Hansen, Drew Elliot Eppehimer, Theodore Kennedy, Anya Metcalfe, Jeffrey Muehlbauer, Morgan Ford, Michael J. Dodrill, Maria C. Dzul, Pilar Rinker, Michael J. Pillow, David Ward, Josh Korman, Molly A.H. Webb, James A. Crossman, Eric J Frye, David L. Rogowski, Kimberley Dibble, Lucas Bair, Joshua Abbott, Thomas M. Gushue, Erica Paige Byerley, Joseph E Thomas, Thomas A. Sabol, Bryce Anthony Mihalevich
Demography with drones: Detecting growth and survival of shrubs with unoccupied aerial systems Demography with drones: Detecting growth and survival of shrubs with unoccupied aerial systems
Large-scale disturbances, such as megafires, motivate restoration at equally large extents. Measuring the survival and growth of individual plants plays a key role in current efforts to monitor restoration success. However, the scale of modern restoration (e.g., >10,000 ha) challenges measurements of demographic rates with field data. In this study, we demonstrate how unoccupied aerial...
Authors
Peter J. Olsoy, Andrii Zaiats, Donna M. Delparte, Matthew J. Germino, Bryce Richardson, Anna V. Roser, Jennifer S. Forbey, Megan E Cattau, Trevor Caughlin
The addition of 144Nd atomic mass to routine ICP-MS analysis as a Quick Screening Tool for Approximating Rare Earth Elements (Q-STAR) in natural waters The addition of 144Nd atomic mass to routine ICP-MS analysis as a Quick Screening Tool for Approximating Rare Earth Elements (Q-STAR) in natural waters
Rare earth elements (REEs) are a class of critical minerals, all of which can have supply chain vulnerability that impacts economic security. These elements are widely measured in environmental matrices via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS); however, successful quantification can require time-consuming, sample-specific optimization. While a sample-by-sample approach...
Authors
Elizabeth J. Tomaszewski, Zhouming Sun, Anthony J. Bednar