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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: 43176

A century of intermittent eco‐evolutionary feedbacks resulted in novel trait combinations in invasive Great Lakes alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) A century of intermittent eco‐evolutionary feedbacks resulted in novel trait combinations in invasive Great Lakes alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus)

Species introductions provide opportunities to quantify rates and patterns of evolutionary change in response to novel environments. Alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) are native to the East Coast of North America where they ascend coastal rivers to spawn in lakes and then return to the ocean. Some populations have become landlocked within the last 350 years and diverged phenotypically from...
Authors
Shelby Smith, Eric Palkovacs, Brian Weidel, David Bunnell, Andrew W. Jones, Devin Bloom

Robust geographical determinants of infection prevalence and a contrasting latitudinal diversity gradient for haemosporidian parasites in Western Palearctic birds Robust geographical determinants of infection prevalence and a contrasting latitudinal diversity gradient for haemosporidian parasites in Western Palearctic birds

Identifying robust environmental predictors of infection probability is central to forecasting and mitigating the ongoing impacts of climate change on vector‐borne disease threats. We applied phylogenetic hierarchical models to a data set of 2,171 Western Palearctic individual birds from 47 species to determine how climate and landscape variation influence infection probability for three...
Authors
Nicholas J. Clark, Sergei V. Drovetski, Gary Voelker

RestoreNet: An emerging restoration network reveals controls on seeding success across dryland ecosystems RestoreNet: An emerging restoration network reveals controls on seeding success across dryland ecosystems

Drylands are Earth's largest terrestrial biome and support one‐third of the global population. However, they are also highly vulnerable to land degradation. Despite widespread demand for dryland restoration and rehabilitation, little information is available to help land managers effectively re‐establish native perennial vegetation across drylands.RestoreNet is an emerging dryland...
Authors
Caroline Ann Havrilla, Seth M. Munson, Molly L. McCormick, Katherine M. Laushman, Kathleen R. Balazs, Bradley J. Butterfield

Gut contents from multiple morphs of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) at two offshore shoals in Lake Superior Gut contents from multiple morphs of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) at two offshore shoals in Lake Superior

Four lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, Walbaum 1792 morphs occur in Lake Superior: lean, siscowet, humper, and redfin. Diets of lean and siscowet have been relatively well described. However, less is known about diets of humper and redfin, and overall few studies have been conducted at offshore shoals. We compared gut content data among mature (357–867 mm) sympatric lake trout morphs...
Authors
Mark R. Vinson, John P. Hoffmann, A. M. Muir, Caroline Lynn Rosinski, C. C. Krueger, C.R. Bronte, M.J. Hansen, S. P. Sitar, Allen E. W., L.F. Baker, H. Swanson

Direct and indirect effects of fire on eastern box turtles Direct and indirect effects of fire on eastern box turtles

Prescribed fire is an increasingly important management tool for eastern deciduous forests, but relativity little is known about the direct effects of fire on the eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina). We used very high frequency (VHF) transmitters to monitor mortality, movement, and spatial ecology of 118 box turtles in response to 17 prescribed fires across 4 seasons and 3...
Authors
K. Harris, Joseph D. Clark, R. Elmore, C.A. Harper

Brackish tidal marsh management and the ecology of a declining freshwater turtle Brackish tidal marsh management and the ecology of a declining freshwater turtle

Water management practices in tidal marshes of the San Francisco Bay Estuary, California are often aimed at increasing suitable habitat for threatened fish species and sport fishes. However, little is known about how best to manage habitat for other sensitive status species like the semiaquatic freshwater Western Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata) that is declining throughout much of its...
Authors
Mickey Agha, Charles B. Yackulic, Melissa K. Riley, Blair Peterson, Brian D Todd

Estimating inundation of small waterbodies with sub-pixel analysis of Landsat imagery: Long-term trends in surface water area and evaluation of common drought indices Estimating inundation of small waterbodies with sub-pixel analysis of Landsat imagery: Long-term trends in surface water area and evaluation of common drought indices

Small waterbodies are numerically dominant in many landscapes and provide several important ecosystem services, but automated measurement of waterbodies smaller than a standard Landsat pixel (0.09 ha) remains challenging. To further evaluate sub‐Landsat pixel techniques for estimating inundation extent of small waterbodies (basin area: 0.06–1.79 ha), we used a partial spectral unmixing...
Authors
Ibrahima Sall, Christopher J. Jarchow, Brent H. Sigafus, Lisa A Eby, Michael James Forzley, Blake R. Hossack

Preserving connectivity under climate and land-use change: No one-size-fits-all approach for focal species in similar habitats Preserving connectivity under climate and land-use change: No one-size-fits-all approach for focal species in similar habitats

Habitat connectivity is essential for maintaining populations of wildlife species, especially as climate changes. Knowledge about the fate of existing habitat networks in a changing climate and in light of land-use change is critical for determining which types of conservation actions must be taken to maintain those networks. However, information is lacking about how multiple focal...
Authors
Jennifer K. Costanza, James I. Watling, Ron Sutherland, Curtis Belyea, Bistra Dilkina, Heather Cayton, David N. Bucklin, Stephanie Romanach, Nick M. Haddad

Linkages between temperature, macroinvertebrates, and young-of-year Coho Salmon growth in surface-water and groundwater streams Linkages between temperature, macroinvertebrates, and young-of-year Coho Salmon growth in surface-water and groundwater streams

Ecological resources for fishes in stream food webs shift over space and time, providing a complex template of available resources that can be used for growth. We tracked water temperature in conjunction with young-of-year Coho Salmon size, growth, and diet in 2 streams with contrasting thermal regimes: a groundwater stream with colder temperatures and lower thermal variability all year...
Authors
E. Y. Campbell, Jason B. Dunham, G H Reeves

Land-cover and climatic controls on water temperature, flow permanence, and fragmentation of Great Basin stream networks Land-cover and climatic controls on water temperature, flow permanence, and fragmentation of Great Basin stream networks

The seasonal and inter-annual variability of flow presence and water temperature within headwater streams of the Great Basin of the western United States limit the occurrence and distribution of coldwater fish and other aquatic species. To evaluate changes in flow presence and water temperature during seasonal dry periods, we developed spatial stream network (SSN) models from remotely...
Authors
Andrew S. Gendaszek, Jason B. Dunham, Christian E. Torgersen, David P Hockman-Wert, Michael Heck, Justin Martin Thorson, Jeffrey Michael Mintz, Todd Allai

Forage and habitat for pollinators in the northern Great Plains—Implications for U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation programs Forage and habitat for pollinators in the northern Great Plains—Implications for U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation programs

Managed and wild pollinators are critical components of agricultural and natural systems. Despite the well-known value of insect pollinators to U.S. agriculture, Apis mellifera (Linnaeus, 1758; honey bees) and wild bees currently face numerous stressors that have resulted in declining health. These declines have engendered support for pollinator conservation efforts across all levels of...
Authors
Clint Otto, Autumn H. Smart, Robert S. Cornman, Michael Simanonok, Deborah D. Iwanowicz

Shallow lake management enhanced habitat and attracted waterbirds during fall migration Shallow lake management enhanced habitat and attracted waterbirds during fall migration

Lake water levels are often managed in shallow lakes in order to improve water quality and promote aquatic vegetation that presumably benefits water birds. We aimed to understand whether waterbird abundance and species richness during fall migrations were positively influenced by managed lake water levels at 32 shallow lakes over 10 years. We conducted annual waterbird surveys that...
Authors
Danelle M. Larson, Steven D. Cordts, Nicole Hansel-Welch
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