Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

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: 42874

A scaled Denil fishway for upstream passage of Arctic Grayling A scaled Denil fishway for upstream passage of Arctic Grayling

Denil fishways have been used with varying success to help fish pass impediments to upstream passage such as low head dams or irrigation diversion structures. They have been tested for hydraulic and fish passage performance in laboratory and field settings, usually with only minor modifications to the fishway geometry or dimensions. We tested a reduced (0.6) scale prototype of the...
Authors
Katey Plymesser, Matt Blank, Megan Conley, Kevin Kappenman, Joel Cahoon, David Dockery, Alexander V. Zale

Do pharmaceuticals in the environment pose a risk to wildlife? Do pharmaceuticals in the environment pose a risk to wildlife?

The vast majority of knowledge related to the question of, “To what extent do pharmaceuticals in the environment pose a risk to wildlife?”, stems from the Asian vulture crisis (>99% decline of some species of old-world vultures on the Indian subcontinent related to the veterinary use of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac). The hazard of diclofenac and other...
Authors
Thomas G. Bean, Elizabeth A. Chadwick, Marta Herrero-Villar, Rafael Mateo, Vinny Naidoo, Barnett A. Rattner

U.S.-Mexico Borderland & vegetation community map U.S.-Mexico Borderland & vegetation community map

People on both sides of the United States-Mexico border need a high-resolution, binational vegetation community map that spans the entire United States-Mexico borderlands. Traditionally, mapping efforts in this region were impeded by complex logistics related to the international border, differing national needs and plans, and resource allocations and priorities. To address this need...
Authors
Pamela L. Nagler

Estimates of Southern White-tailed Ptarmigan daily nest survival from multiple sites in the Southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado Estimates of Southern White-tailed Ptarmigan daily nest survival from multiple sites in the Southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado

Estimating vital rates of avian species is important to understand population dynamics and develop potential conservation strategies that target rates for management. Avian species have reduced potential for high annual fecundity in alpine ecosystems due to a short breeding window and harsh weather conditions. We located nests from Southern White-tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura...
Authors
Gregory T. Wann, Amy E. Seglund, Phillip A. Street, Nicholas J. Parker, Shelley L. Nelson, Jonathan P. Runge, Clait E. Braun, Cameron L. Aldridge

Estimating occupancy of focal bee species Estimating occupancy of focal bee species

Current bee monitoring efforts have a limited capacity for understanding factors affecting wild bee population changes, including the effects of management. To improve the effectiveness of wild bee monitoring, we first discuss principles of biological monitoring and provide a framework to design monitoring projects to estimate species occupancy, where occupancy is defined as the...
Authors
Clint Otto, Larissa L. Bailey, Brianne Du Clos, Tamara Smith, Elaine Evans, Ian S. Pearse, Saff Killingsworth, Sarina Jepsen, Hollis Woodard

Individual-based ecological particle tracking model (ECO-PTM) for simulating juvenile chinook salmon migration and survival through the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta Individual-based ecological particle tracking model (ECO-PTM) for simulating juvenile chinook salmon migration and survival through the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta

Recovery of endangered salmon species in the Central Valley of California amidst prolonged drought and climate change necessitates innovative water management actions that balance species recovery and California's water demands. We describe an individual-based ecological particle tracking model (ECO-PTM) that can be used to assess the efficacy of proposed actions. Based on a random walk...
Authors
Xiaochun Wang, Russell W. Perry, Adam C. Pope, Doug Jackson, Dalton Hance

The vegetation dynamics of the monsoonal wetland of the Keoladeo National Park, India: A reassessment The vegetation dynamics of the monsoonal wetland of the Keoladeo National Park, India: A reassessment

As a result of a field trip in 1980 to the monsoonal wetland of the Keoladeo National Park, India, which was organized by Dr. Brij Gopal, a study of the vegetation dynamics of this wetland was initiated. The original hypothesis for this study was that the seasonal vegetation changes caused by the annual summer monsoon was a compressed habitat cycle. Habitat cycles are a characteristic of...
Authors
Arnold G. van der Valk, Beth Middleton

Efficient mammal biodiversity surveys for ecological restoration monitoring Efficient mammal biodiversity surveys for ecological restoration monitoring

Efficient biodiversity surveys are critical for successful restoration monitoring and management. We studied the effect of varying sampling effort on the observed species richness of surveys of small mammals (trapping transects), bats (passive acoustic detection), and medium to large mammals (trail cameras). Field studies provided mammalian biodiversity data for 4 bottomland hardwood...
Authors
Nicholas S. Green, Mark L. Wildhaber, Janice L. Albers, Thomas W. Pettit, Michael J. Hooper

Autonomous samplers and environmental DNA metabarcoding: Sampling day and primer choice have greatest impact on fish detection probabilities Autonomous samplers and environmental DNA metabarcoding: Sampling day and primer choice have greatest impact on fish detection probabilities

Unprecedented rates of biodiversity loss and ecosystem function necessitate the use of rapid, efficacious, and cost-effective biomonitoring tools. The combination of autonomous samplers and high throughput sequencing (i.e., “metabarcoding”) of environmental DNA (eDNA) samples enables characterization of entire communities at high frequency and can be an important tool for conservation...
Authors
Devin Nicole Jones-Slobodian, Ben Augustine, Patrick Ross Hutchins, James M. Birch, Kevan Yamahara, Scott L. Jensen, Rodney T. Richardson, Regina Trott, James Campbell, Elliott P. Barnhart, Adam Sepulveda

Glacier National Park bumble bee survey report 2023 Glacier National Park bumble bee survey report 2023

Glacier National Park's grasslands provide important contributions to the character and ecology of the park. In 1999-2001, Glacier National Park (hereafter, the park) established 155 permanent vegetation monitoring plots to inventory grassland vegetation communities east of the Continental Divide. In June of 2023, the Blackfeet Nation (Amskapi Piikuni) re-introduced a herd of free...
Authors
Lindsay Marie Dose, Erica Sanderleaf Sarro Gustilo, Tabitha A. Graves

Variable climate-growth relationships of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) among Sky Island mountain ranges in the Great Basin, Nevada, USA Variable climate-growth relationships of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) among Sky Island mountain ranges in the Great Basin, Nevada, USA

The Great Basin is an arid province located in the interior western United States. The region encompasses millions of hectares and quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) forests comprise a minor portion of the total area. However, montane aspen forests play a disproportionately large role in providing ecosystem services in the region, including water retention, biodiversity, wildlife...
Authors
Martin Senfeldr, Douglas J. Shinneman, Susan K. McIlroy, Paul Rogers, R. Justin DeRose
Was this page helpful?