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: 42975
Assessing the population impacts and cost‐effectiveness of a conservation translocation Assessing the population impacts and cost‐effectiveness of a conservation translocation
Managers often move, or translocate, organisms into habitats that are assumed to be suitable, however the consequences of these translocations are usually not rigorously assessed. Robust assessment of these management experiments should consider impacts to both donor and recipient populations and compare the cost‐effectiveness of translocations to other actions.Here we evaluate...
Authors
Charles B. Yackulic, David R. Van Haverbeke, Maria C. Dzul, Lucas S. Bair, Kirk L. Young
Climate drivers of large magnitude snow avalanche years in the U.S. northern Rocky Mountains Climate drivers of large magnitude snow avalanche years in the U.S. northern Rocky Mountains
Large magnitude snow avalanches pose a hazard to humans and infrastructure worldwide. Analyzing the spatiotemporal behavior of avalanches and the contributory climate factors is important for understanding historical variability in climate-avalanche relationships as well as improving avalanche forecasting. We used established dendrochronological methods to develop a long-term (1867–2019)...
Authors
Erich H. Peitzsch, Gregory T. Pederson, Karl W. Birkeland, Jordy Hendrikx, Daniel B. Fagre
Seasonal activity and diets of bats at uranium mines and adjacent areas near the Grand Canyon Seasonal activity and diets of bats at uranium mines and adjacent areas near the Grand Canyon
Little information exists on the habitat use and feeding ecology of insectivorous bats in arid ecosystems, especially at and near uranium mines in northern Arizona, within the Grand Canyon watershed. In 2015–2016, we conducted mist-netting, nightly acoustic monitoring (>1 year), and diet analyses of bats, as well as insect sampling, at 2 uranium mines (Pinenut and Arizona 1) with water...
Authors
Ernest W. Valdez, Mollie K Hanttula, Jo Ellen Hinck
Using fecal DNA and closed-capture models to estimate feral horse population size Using fecal DNA and closed-capture models to estimate feral horse population size
Accurate population estimates provide the foundation for managing feral horses (Equus caballus ferus) across the western United States. Certain feral horse populations are protected by the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 and managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or the United States Forest Service on designated herd management areas (HMAs) or wild horse...
Authors
Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Sarah R. B. King, L. Stefan Ekernas, Sara J. Oyler-McCance
Large-scale wildfire reduces population growth in a peripheral population of sage-grouse Large-scale wildfire reduces population growth in a peripheral population of sage-grouse
Drastic increases in wildfire size and frequency threaten western North American sagebrush (Artemisia L. spp.) ecosystems. At relatively large spatial scales, wildfire facilitates type conversion of sagebrush-dominated plant communities to monocultures of invasive annual grasses (e.g., Bromus tectorum L.). Annual grasses provide fine fuels that promote fire spread, contributing to a...
Authors
Ian F Dudley, Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Shawn T. O’Neil, Scott C. Gardner, David J. Delehanty
Efficacy of fenbendazole and ivermectin against Trichuris spp. in African green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus) in Barbados West Indies Efficacy of fenbendazole and ivermectin against Trichuris spp. in African green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus) in Barbados West Indies
Trichuris spp. are common helminths in NHP, and benzimidazoles and avermectins have both been used to treat these intestinal parasites. The current study compared the efficacy of fenbendazole and ivermectin against natural infection of Trichuris spp. in African green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus). Anthelmintic-naive animals (n = 65) were randomly assigned to 4 groups: an untreated...
Authors
Kamara J. R. Rhynd, Daniel P. Walsh, Linnell C. M. Arthur-Banfield
Endangered Australian top predator is frequently exposed to anticoagulant rodenticides Endangered Australian top predator is frequently exposed to anticoagulant rodenticides
Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) used to control mammalian pest populations cause secondary exposure of predatory species throughout much of the world. It is important to understand the drivers of non-target AR exposure patterns as context for assessing long-term effects and developing effective mitigation for these toxicants. In Australia, however, little is known about exposure and...
Authors
James M. Pay, Todd E. Katzner, Clare E. Hawkins, Leon A. Barmuta, William E. Brown, Amelia J. Koch, Nick J. Mooney, Elissa Z. Cameron
Virus shedding kinetics and unconventional virulence tradeoffs Virus shedding kinetics and unconventional virulence tradeoffs
Tradeoff theory, which postulates that virulence provides both transmission costs and benefits for pathogens, has become widely adopted by the scientific community. Although theoretical literature exploring virulence-tradeoffs is vast, empirical studies validating various assumptions still remain sparse. In particular, truncation of transmission duration as a cost of virulence has been...
Authors
Andrew R. Wargo, Gael Kurath, Robert J. Scott, Benjamin Kerr
A customized framework for regional classification of conifers using automated feature extraction A customized framework for regional classification of conifers using automated feature extraction
Pinyon and juniper expansion into sagebrush ecosystems is one of the major challenges facing land managers in the Great Basin. Effective pinyon and juniper treatment requires maps that accurately and precisely depict tree location and degree of woodland development so managers can target restoration efforts for early stages of pinyon and juniper expansion. However, available remotely...
Authors
Cali L. Roth, Peter S. Coates, K. Benjamin Gustafson, Michael P. Chenaille, Mark A. Ricca, Erika Sanchez-Chopitea, Michael L. Casazza
Bridging the research-implementation gap in avian conservation with translational ecology Bridging the research-implementation gap in avian conservation with translational ecology
The recognized gap between research and implementation in avian conservation can be overcome with translational ecology, an intentional approach in which science producers and users from multiple disciplines work collaboratively to co-develop and deliver ecological research that addresses management and conservation issues. Avian conservation naturally lends itself to translational...
Authors
Sarah P. Saunders, Joanna X. Wu, Elizabeth A. Gow, Evan A. Adams, Brooke L. Bateman, Trina Bayard, Stephanie Beilke, Ashley A. Dayer, Auriel Fournier, Kara Fox, Christoper Hamilton, Patricia J. Heglund, Susannah B. Lerman, Nicole L. Michel, Eben H. Paxton, Cagan H. Sekercioglu, Melanie A. Smith, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Mark S Woodrey, Charles van Riper
Plasma metabolite indices are robust to extrinsic variation and useful indicators of foraging habitat quality in Lesser Scaup Plasma metabolite indices are robust to extrinsic variation and useful indicators of foraging habitat quality in Lesser Scaup
Energy acquisition and storage are important for survival and fecundity of birds during resource-limited periods such as spring migration. Plasma-lipid metabolites (i.e. triglyceride [TRIG], β-hydroxybutyrate [BOHB]) have been used to index changes in lipid stores and, thus, have utility for assessing foraging habitat quality during migration. However, such an index may be affected by...
Authors
Eric J. Smith, Michael J. Anteau, Heath M. Hagy, Christopher N. Jacques
Understanding constraints on submersed vegetation distribution in a large, floodplain river: The role of water level fluctuations, water clarity and river geomorphology Understanding constraints on submersed vegetation distribution in a large, floodplain river: The role of water level fluctuations, water clarity and river geomorphology
Aquatic vegetation is a key component of large floodplain river ecosystems. In the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS), there is a long-standing interest in restoring aquatic vegetation in areas where it has declined or disappeared. To better understand what constrains vegetation distribution in large river ecosystems and inform ongoing efforts to restore submersed aquatic vegetation...
Authors
Alicia Carhart, John Kalas, James T. Rogala, Jason J. Rohweder, Deanne C. Drake, Jeffrey N. Houser