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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: 43179

Environment and science Environment and science

Alaska is part of an international circumpolar North, which makes the United States an Arctic nation. Alaska is a place of Indigenous ingenuity and adaptation, a place where environmental extremes challenge the ways of living. In its more recent history, Alaska has been a place of resources and influx-a land known best for what it provides. This frontier persona, with its sourdoughs and
Authors
John M. Pearce, Sandra L. Talbot

Distribution and status of five non-native fish species in the Tampa Bay drainage (USA), a hot spot for fish introductions Distribution and status of five non-native fish species in the Tampa Bay drainage (USA), a hot spot for fish introductions

The Tampa Bay region of Florida (USA) is a hot spot for non-native freshwater fishes. However, published information on most non-native fishes in the basin is not current. Systematic sampling efforts targeting non-native fishes in the region were conducted from 2013–2015 by the University of Florida Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory. Data from these recent surveys were analyzed, along with...
Authors
Katelyn M. Lawson, Quenton M. Tuckett, Jared L. Ritch, Leo Nico, Pam Fuller, Richard E. Matheson, Jeffrey E. Hill

Timelines and mechanisms of wildlife population recovery following the Exxon Valdez oil spill Timelines and mechanisms of wildlife population recovery following the Exxon Valdez oil spill

Research and monitoring activities over the 28 years since the T/V Exxon Valdez ran aground and spilled oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska have led to an improved understanding of how wildlife populations were damaged, as well as the mechanisms and timelines of recovery. A key finding was that for some species, such as harlequin ducks and sea otters, chronic oil spill effects...
Authors
Daniel Esler, Brenda E. Ballachey, Craig O. Matkin, Daniel Cushing, Robert Kaler, James L. Bodkin, Daniel Monson, George G. Esslinger, Kimberly A. Kloecker

Variation in abundance of Pacific Blue Mussel (Mytilus trossulus) in the Northern Gulf of Alaska, 2006–2015 Variation in abundance of Pacific Blue Mussel (Mytilus trossulus) in the Northern Gulf of Alaska, 2006–2015

Mussels are conspicuous and ecologically important components of nearshore marine communities around the globe. Pacific blue mussels (Mytilus trossulus) are common residents of intertidal habitats in protected waters of the North Pacific, serving as a conduit of primary production to a wide range of nearshore consumers including predatory invertebrates, sea ducks, shorebirds, sea otters...
Authors
James L. Bodkin, Heather A. Coletti, Brenda E. Ballachey, Daniel Monson, Daniel Esler, Thomas A. Dean

Concepts: Assessing tiger population dynamics using capture–recapture sampling Concepts: Assessing tiger population dynamics using capture–recapture sampling

Capture-recapture can be viewed as an animal survey method in which the count statistic is the total number of animals caught, and the associated detection probability is the probability of capture.
Authors
J. Andrew Royle, Arjun M. Gopalaswamy, Robert Dorazio, James D. Nichols, Devcharan Jathanna, Ravishankar Parameshwaran

The gold tegu, Tupinambis teguixin (Linnaeus, 1758) sensu lato (Squamata: Teiidae): evidence for an established population in Florida The gold tegu, Tupinambis teguixin (Linnaeus, 1758) sensu lato (Squamata: Teiidae): evidence for an established population in Florida

Gold tegus, Tupinambis teguixin (Linnaeus, 1758), are generalist predators from South America and are ecologically similar to Argentine black and white tegus (Salvator merianae), a successful invader in Florida. We trapped gold tegus in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, Florida, USA. In Miami-Dade County, collection occurred from 2008 through 2016. We combined new trapping records with...
Authors
Jake R. Edwards, Jennifer K. Ketterlin, Michael R. Rochford, Rodney Irwin, Kenneth L. Krysko, James G. Duquesnel, Frank J. Mazzotti, Robert Reed

Identity, reproductive potential, distribution, ecology and management of invasive Pomacea maculata in the southern United States Identity, reproductive potential, distribution, ecology and management of invasive Pomacea maculata in the southern United States

Established populations of introduced Pomacea maculata, a highly fecund, large species of apple snail native to South America, now occur throughout southeast Asia, in Spain and extensively across the southern United States. Substantial research on nonnative apple snails takes place in Southeast Asia and has frequently identified apple snails as P. canaliculata. That these Asian...
Authors
Romi L. Burks, Jennifer Bernatis, James E. Byers, Jacoby Carter, Charles M. Martin, William G. McDowell, Jess Van Dyke

Changes in movements of Chinook Salmon between lakes Huron and Michigan after Alewife population collapse Changes in movements of Chinook Salmon between lakes Huron and Michigan after Alewife population collapse

Alewives Alosa pseudoharengus are the preferred food of Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Alewife populations collapsed in Lake Huron in 2003 but remained comparatively abundant in Lake Michigan. We analyzed capture locations of coded-wire-tagged Chinook Salmon before, during, and after Alewife collapse (1993–2014). We contrasted the pattern of tag...
Authors
Richard D. Clark, James R. Bence, Randall M. Claramunt, John A. Clevenger, Matthew S. Kornis, Charles R. Bronte, Charles P. Madenjian, Edward F. Roseman

Alternative pathways to landscape transformation: Invasive grasses, burn severity and fire frequency in arid ecosystems Alternative pathways to landscape transformation: Invasive grasses, burn severity and fire frequency in arid ecosystems

Arid ecosystems are often vulnerable to transformation to invasive-dominated states following fire, but data on persistence of these states are sparse. The grass/fire cycle is a feedback process between invasive annual grasses and fire frequency that often leads to the formation of alternative vegetation states dominated by the invasive grasses. However, other components of fire regimes...
Authors
Robert C. Klinger, Matthew L. Brooks

Candoia Bibroni (Pacific Boa). Diet Candoia Bibroni (Pacific Boa). Diet

No abstract available.
Authors
Adam G. Clause, Mark J. Fraser, Sarah Pene, Nunia Thomas-Moko, Robert N. Fisher

High altitude flights by ruddy shelduck Tadorna ferruginea during trans-Himalayan migrations High altitude flights by ruddy shelduck Tadorna ferruginea during trans-Himalayan migrations

Birds that migrate across high altitude mountain ranges are faced with the challenge of maintaining vigorous exercise in environments with limited oxygen. Ruddy shelducks are known to use wintering grounds south of the Tibetan Plateau at sea level and breeding grounds north of Himalayan mountain range. Therefore, it is likely these shelducks are preforming high altitude migrations. In...
Authors
N. Parr, S. Bearhop, David C. Douglas, J.Y. Takekawa, Diann J. Prosser, S.H. Newman, W.M. Perry, S. Balachandran, M.J. Witt, Y. Hou, Z. Lu, L.A. Hawkes
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