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
Mitigating risk: Predicting H5N1 avian influenza spread with an empirical model of bird movement Mitigating risk: Predicting H5N1 avian influenza spread with an empirical model of bird movement
Understanding timing and distribution of virus spread is critical to global commercial and wildlife biosecurity management. A highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIv) global panzootic, affecting ~600 bird and mammal species globally and over 83 million birds across North America (Dec 2023), poses a serious global threat to animals and public health. We combined a large, long-term...
Authors
Fiona McDuie, Cory T. Overton, Austen Lorenz, Elliott Matchett, Andrea Mott, Desmond Alexander Mackell, Joshua T. Ackerman, Susan E.W. De La Cruz, Vijay P. Patil, Diann Prosser, John Y. Takekawa, Dennis L. Orthmeyer, Maurice E. Pitesky, Samuel L. Diaz-Munoz, Brock M. Riggs, Joseph Gendreau, Eric T. Reed, Mark J. Petrie, Chris K. Williams, Jeffrey J. Buler, Matthew J. Hardy, Brian S. Ladman, Pierre Legagneux, Joel Bety, Philippe J. Thomas, Jean Rodrigue, Josee Lefebvre, Michael L. Casazza
Challenges of implementing a multi-agency monitoring and adaptive management strategy for federally threatened Chinook salmon and steelhead trout during and after dam removal in the Elwha River Challenges of implementing a multi-agency monitoring and adaptive management strategy for federally threatened Chinook salmon and steelhead trout during and after dam removal in the Elwha River
Adaptive management, a process of planning, implementing, and evaluating management strategies, is often recommended for monitoring ecological systems. However, few examples of successful implementation and retrospective case studies exist. We provide a case study of adaptively managing hatchery-assisted protection and recovery for Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and winter...
Authors
Roger J. Peters, Joseph H. Anderson, Jeffrey J. Duda, Michael L. McHenry, George Pess, Samuel J. Brenkman, Jeffery R. Johnson, Martin C. Liermann, Keith Denton, Matthew M. Beirne, Patrick Crain, Heidi A. Connor
Biodiversity promotes urban ecosystem functioning Biodiversity promotes urban ecosystem functioning
The proportion of people living in urban areas is growing globally. Understanding how to manage urban biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and ecosystem services is becoming more important. Biodiversity can increase ecosystem functioning in non-urban systems. However, few studies have reviewed the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in urban areas, which differ in...
Authors
Sarah R. Weiskopf, Susannah B. Lerman, Forest Isbell, Toni Lyn Morelli
Smallmouth buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus Rafinesque) population trends and demographics in the Upper Mississippi River System Smallmouth buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus Rafinesque) population trends and demographics in the Upper Mississippi River System
Smallmouth buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus Rafinesque) are a large-bodied fish highly valued and commercially exploited across most of their range. Despite this, relatively little is known of their population demographics compared to other exploited species. To fill these knowledge gaps, we analyzed two independent long-term datasets (30 and 57 years, respectively) and population demographic...
Authors
Kristopher A. Maxson, Levi E. Solomon, Taylor A. Bookout, Steven A. DeLain, Andrew Bartels, Melvin C. Bowler, Eric J. Gittinger, Eric N. Ratcliff, John L. West, Seth A. Love, Jason A. DeBoer, Andrya L. Whitten-Harris, Michael J. Spear, Brian Ickes, Andrew F. Casper, James T. Lamer
Spatial and seasonal variability in trophic relationships and carbon sources of two key invertebrate species in Lake Ontario Spatial and seasonal variability in trophic relationships and carbon sources of two key invertebrate species in Lake Ontario
Mysids (Mysis diluviana) and dreissenids (Dreissena polymorpha and mostly D. bugensis) are important invertebrate taxa in the food webs of the Laurentian Great Lakes but there are uncertainties about the seasonal and spatial variability in their stable isotope signatures. We quantified δ13C and δ15N in 304 mysid and 366 dreissenid samples across five spatial ecoregions, varying site...
Authors
Donald R. Uzarski, Aaron T. Fisk, Cecilia E. Heuvel, Brian O’Malley, Brian Weidel, Sarah M. Larocque, Timothy B. Johnson
Infection–nutrition feedbacks: Fat supports pathogen clearance but pathogens reduce fat in a wild mammal Infection–nutrition feedbacks: Fat supports pathogen clearance but pathogens reduce fat in a wild mammal
Though far less obvious than direct effects (clinical disease or mortality), the indirect influences of pathogens are difficult to estimate but may hold fitness consequences. Here, we disentangle the directional relationships between infection and energetic reserves, evaluating the hypotheses that energetic reserves influence infection status of the host and that infection elicits costs...
Authors
Rachel A. Smiley, Brittany L. Wagler, William H. Edwards, Jessica Jennings-Gaines, Katie Luukkonen, Kara Robbins, Marguerite Johnson, Alyson B. Courtemanch, Tony W. Mong, Daryl Lutz, Douglas E. McWhirter, Jennifer L. Malmberg, Blake Lowrey, Kevin L. Monteith
Predicting Lake Huron Dreissena spp. spatial distribution patterns from environmental characteristics Predicting Lake Huron Dreissena spp. spatial distribution patterns from environmental characteristics
Invasive dreissenid mussels (Dreissena polymorpha and Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) have altered Great Lakes ecosystems through a multitude of effects on benthic habitats, food web structure, and nutrient cycling. This study explores whether spatially continuous geographic data of environmental factors can be utilized to predict Dreissena spp. spatial distributions on a lake-wide...
Authors
Jennifer M. Morrison, Peter C. Esselman, Catherine M. Riseng, Ashley K. Elgin, Mark D. Rowe
The dynamic feasibility of resisting (R), accepting (A), or directing (D) ecological change The dynamic feasibility of resisting (R), accepting (A), or directing (D) ecological change
Ecological transformations are occurring as a result of climate change, challenging traditional approaches to land management decision-making. The resist–accept–direct (RAD) framework helps managers consider how to respond to this challenge. We examined how the feasibility of the choices to resist, accept, and direct shifts in complex and dynamic ways through time. We considered 4...
Authors
Amanda E. Cravens, Katherine R. Clifford, Corrine N. Knapp, William Travis
Paramyxoviruses of fish Paramyxoviruses of fish
The first fish paramyxovirus was isolated from normal adult Chinook salmon returning to a coastal hatchery in Oregon in the fall of 1982. Subsequently, the virus was isolated from other stocks of adult Chinook salmon and one stock of adult coho salmon in California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, leading to its designation as the Pacific salmon paramyxovirus (PsaPV). The slow-growing...
Authors
Ted R. Meyers, William N. Batts
Hepeviruses of aquatic organisms Hepeviruses of aquatic organisms
Originally reported in California, the cutthroat trout virus (CTV) has now been isolated from nine species of salmonids in North America. Early work focused on the replication and physical characteristics of the virus, but 20 years later was determined to be most closely related to the hepatitis E virus. The small genome is positive-sense, single-stranded RNA similar to other members of...
Authors
William N. Batts
Using integrated step selection to determine effects of predation risk on bison habitat selection and movement Using integrated step selection to determine effects of predation risk on bison habitat selection and movement
Animal movement is a fundamental mechanism that shapes communities and ecosystems. Ungulates alter the ecosystems they inhabit and understanding their movements and distribution is critical for linking habitat with population dynamics. Predation risk has been shown to strongly influence ungulate movement patterns, such that ungulates may select habitat where predation risk is lower...
Authors
Skye Salganek, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Miranda L.N. Terwilliger
Modeling the potential habitat gained by planting sagebrush in burned landscapes Modeling the potential habitat gained by planting sagebrush in burned landscapes
Many revegetation projects are intended to benefit wildlife species. Yet, there are few a priori evaluations that assess the potential efficiency of restoration actions in recovering wildlife habitats. We developed a spatial vegetation–habitat recovery model to gauge the degree to which field planting strategies could be expected to recover multi-factor habitat conditions for wildlife...
Authors
Julie A. Heinrichs, Michael S. O’Donnell, Elizabeth Kari Orning, David A. Pyke, Mark A. Ricca, Peter S. Coates, Cameron L. Aldridge