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: 42784
Summer roost site suitability analyses for 4 special status bat species in the Eastern United States Summer roost site suitability analyses for 4 special status bat species in the Eastern United States
Data describing habitat suitability are crucial for implementing effective conservation planning but are often lacking at regional and continental scales. We address this gap for 4 bat species that are listed, proposed for listing, or under Endangered Species Act listing review by highlighting a framework for estimating summer roost suitability with a presence-background approach to aid
Authors
Richard D. Inman, Andrea Nichole Schuhmann, Sarah Sawyer, Sarah Mccrimmon Gaulke, Frank Charles Tousley, Helen Trice Davis, Bradley James Udell, Bethany R. Straw, Jonathan D. Reichard, Brian E. Reichert
Does tidal marsh restoration lead to the recovery of trophic pathways that support estuarine fishes? Does tidal marsh restoration lead to the recovery of trophic pathways that support estuarine fishes?
Evaluation of tidal marsh restoration success is typically based on the recovery of habitat size and target species. However, food-web structure may provide valuable insight into ecosystem functioning trajectories. Here, we studied restored tidal marshes of different ages (new, young, old; spanning 1–150 years) in comparison with nearby reference sites along the San Francisco Estuary. We...
Authors
Megan D. Pagliaro, Susan E.W. De La Cruz, Isa Woo, Jake Sousa, Natalie Rich, Lenny Grimaldo, Denise Colombano, Albert Ruhí
Non-native prey availability and over-compensatory density dependence drive population dynamics of a native fish predator Non-native prey availability and over-compensatory density dependence drive population dynamics of a native fish predator
Understanding the factors that regulate population dynamics is crucial for conserving imperiled species. Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), a piscivorous salmonid and one of North America's most threatened cold-water species, has declined significantly due to habitat loss, overfishing, invasive species, and climate change. While recovery efforts have primarily targeted these threats...
Authors
Madaline Cochrane, Timothy Cline, Travis S. Schmidt, James Dunnigan, Will Warnock, Clint C. Muhlfeld
Agronomic practices vs. natural soil factors: Influences on nitrous oxide emissions from corn and soybean fields. Agronomic practices vs. natural soil factors: Influences on nitrous oxide emissions from corn and soybean fields.
Nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) and major contributor to climate change, is primarily released through agricultural activities. To better understand and quantify how land management practices, local climate conditions, and soil physicochemical properties affect these agricultural N2O emissions, we conducted a review of the peer-reviewed literature on N2O emission from...
Authors
Jamshid Ansari, Morgan Davis, Chenhui Li, Sheel Bansal
Initial responses of songbird communities to forest reclamation on legacy surface mines Initial responses of songbird communities to forest reclamation on legacy surface mines
Surface coal mining and subsequent reclamation efforts in the Appalachian Mountains, USA, transform the ecological characteristics of natural landscapes. The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) is a mine reclamation method that emphasizes best management practices in forestry. FRA practices have demonstrated success in establishing native forests and accelerating natural succession on...
Authors
Rebecca N. Davenport, Christopher D. Barton, John J. Cox, Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Lauren Sherman, Jeffery L. Larkin, Todd Fearer, Steven J. Price
Longevity, age-specific survival, and mean generation time of Rana muscosa: Implications for conservation of possibly the longest lived Ranid frog Longevity, age-specific survival, and mean generation time of Rana muscosa: Implications for conservation of possibly the longest lived Ranid frog
Life history strategies vary widely among species and play a vital role in extinction risk, especially in a rapidly changing environment. For many taxa, information on life history such as longevity, lifespan, and generation time is incomplete. This is especially true for amphibians, which have experienced large-scale declines in recent decades. The mountain yellow-legged frog (Rana...
Authors
Cynthia Joan Hitchcock, Adam R. Backlin, Amanda Renee Goldberg, Sarah Kay Thomsen, Erin L. Muths, Elizabeth Gallegos, Robert D. Fisher
Tree swallows as indicators of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance exposure and effects at select Department of Defense sites along the East Coast and at sites with different sources in the Upper Midwest, United States Tree swallows as indicators of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance exposure and effects at select Department of Defense sites along the East Coast and at sites with different sources in the Upper Midwest, United States
Questions remain about the distribution of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment, the sources and movement within and between ecosystems, and whether there are effects from such exposure. Information from the Upper Midwest and the mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, which have different PFAS sources, were investigated. Concentrations of Total40 (sum of 40...
Authors
Christine M. Custer, Paul M. Dummer, Sandra L. Schultz, Natalie Karouna-Renier, Cole W. Matson
Experimental warming alters free-living nitrogen fixation in a humid tropical forest Experimental warming alters free-living nitrogen fixation in a humid tropical forest
Microbial nitrogen (N) fixation accounts for c. 97% of natural N inputs to terrestrial ecosystems. These microbes can be free-living in the soil and leaf litter (asymbiotic) or in symbiosis with plants. Warming is expected to increase N-fixation rates because warmer temperatures favor the growth and activity of N-fixing microbes. We investigated the effects of warming on asymbiotic...
Authors
Parker M. Bartz, Iana F. Grullón-Penkova, Molly A. Cavaleri, Sasha C. Reed, Saima Shahid, Tana E. Wood, Benedicte Bachelot
Genetic and environmental factors associated with survival of a rare songbird in a fragmented urban landscape Genetic and environmental factors associated with survival of a rare songbird in a fragmented urban landscape
The coastal Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) persists in small and fragmented populations throughout southern California that are subject to genetic drift and inbreeding. We combined individual banding and resighting data and genotyped individuals at 22 microsatellite loci to assess whether heterozygosity was associated with survival across three regional Cactus Wren...
Authors
Amy G. Vandergast, Anna Mitelberg, Barbara E. Kus, Kristine L. Preston, Suellen Lynn, Alexandra Houston, Robert C. Klinger
Synthesis of observed field salinity ranges for oyster and seagrass species in the U.S. Synthesis of observed field salinity ranges for oyster and seagrass species in the U.S.
Oyster and seagrass are important sessile, habitat-forming species that may be impacted by changes in salinity regimes from anthropogenic or climatic drivers. While salinity tolerance literature is focused on controlled experiments, observed field salinity ranges of species are more disparate. The salinity ranges in which organisms are observed in the field may not align exactly with...
Authors
Charlotte I. Lee, Simeon Yurek, David B. Eggleston, Natalie G. Nelson
INMS guidance document on nitrogen impact assessment methods INMS guidance document on nitrogen impact assessment methods
This document provides guidance for assessing nitrogen (N) impacts on the environment and humans at all scales from local to regional to global and was compiled with input from scientists worldwide.
Authors
Hideaki Shibata, Jill Baron, Allison Leach, Daniel Liptzin, Azusa Oita, Timothy Weinmann, Tapan Adhya, Icarus Allen, Rocío Alonso, Yuri Artioli, W. Troy Baisden, Bill Bealey, Victoria Bermejo, Jorn Bruggeman, Tom Bruulsema, Juergen Burkhardt, Christopher Clark, Jana E. Compton, Tommy Dalgaard, Wim de Vries, Elizabeth Dukes, Sadeo Eguchi, Jan Willem Erisman, James Galloway, Mekonnen Hailemariam Giweta, I. Gonzalez-Fernandez, Hans van Grinsven, Peter M. Groffman, Baojing Gu, Steven Hall, Kentaro Hayashi , Erik Hobbie, Jason Holt, Laurence Jones, Kiwami Katagiri, Luis Lassaletta, Xia Liang, Erik Lilleskov, Cargele Masso, Kazuyo Matsubae, Miguel Quemada, Mohammad Riaz, Bret Schichtel, Junko Shindo, Ming-Chien Su, Pamela Templer, Johan Tidblad, Alicia Zheng
Fall 2025 Fall 2025
In this newsletter, we are excited to share our recent publication, Bridging theory and practice to inform seed selection for restoration, which is part of an ongoing collaborative effort with land managers and restoration practitioners to synthesize lessons learned and identify future research directions for native seed development and use in the U.S. We would also like to say thank you...
Authors
Laura Cecilia Shriver