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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

Durable terrestrial bedrock predicts submarine canyon formation Durable terrestrial bedrock predicts submarine canyon formation

Though submarine canyons are first-order topographic features of Earth, the processes responsible for their occurrence remain poorly understood. Potentially analogous studies of terrestrial rivers show that the flux and caliber of transported bedload are significant controls on bedrock incision. Here we hypothesize that coarse sediment load could exert a similar role in the formation of...
Authors
Elliot Smith, Noah J. Finnegan, Erich R. Mueller, Rebecca J. Best

Salvator merianae (Argentine Tegu). Attempted Predation. Salvator merianae (Argentine Tegu). Attempted Predation.

No abstract available.
Authors
Emma Hanslowe, Charles V. Calafiore, Kathryn N. Sykes, Noah Van Ee, Bryan Falk, Amy Yackel, Robert Reed

Age, year‐class strength variability, and partial age validation of Kiyis from Lake Superior Age, year‐class strength variability, and partial age validation of Kiyis from Lake Superior

ge estimates of Lake Superior Kiyis Coregonus kiyi from scales and otoliths were compared and 12 years (2003–2014) of length frequency data were examined to assess year‐class strength and validate age estimates. Ages estimated from otoliths were precise and were consistently older than ages estimated from scales. Maximum otolith‐derived ages were 20 years for females and 12 years for...
Authors
Taylor A. Lepak, Derek H. Ogle, Mark R. Vinson

The pathogenesis of clade 2.3.4.4 H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) and Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) The pathogenesis of clade 2.3.4.4 H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) and Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)

Waterfowl are the natural hosts of avian influenza virus (AIV) and disseminate the virus worldwide through migration. Historically, surveillance and research efforts for AIV in waterfowl have focused on dabbling ducks. The role of diving ducks in AIV ecology has not been well characterized. In this study, we examined the relative susceptibility and pathogenicity of clade 2.3.4.4 H5...
Authors
Erica Spackman, Diann J. Prosser, Mary J. Pantin-Jackwood, Alicia Berlin, Christopher B. Stephens

The lethality of hot water and ozone to aquatic invasive species The lethality of hot water and ozone to aquatic invasive species

The spread of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basin by way of the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) is a pressing concern to resource managers in the Midwest region. Augmenting this spread are watercrafts traveling through the CAWS locks and dams. AIS are able to attach to boat hulls, equipment, or are present in the surrounding water during...
Authors
Riley Buley

Experimental landscape reduction of wild rodents increases movements in the invasive brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) Experimental landscape reduction of wild rodents increases movements in the invasive brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis)

Experimental studies evaluating the effects of food availability on the movement of free-ranging animals generally involve food supplementation rather than suppression. Both approaches can yield similar insights, but we were interested in the potential for using food suppression for the management and control of invasive predators, in particular, the brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis)...
Authors
Michelle Christy, Julie A. Savidge, Amy A. Yackel Adams, James E. Gragg, Gordon H. Rodda

Harvesting wildlife affected by climate change: a modelling and management approach for polar bears Harvesting wildlife affected by climate change: a modelling and management approach for polar bears

The conservation of many wildlife species requires understanding the demographic effects of climate change, including interactions between climate change and harvest, which can provide cultural, nutritional or economic value to humans.We present a demographic model that is based on the polar bear Ursus maritimus life cycle and includes density-dependent relationships linking vital rates...
Authors
Eric V. Regehr, Ryan H. Wilson, Karyn D. Rode, Michael C. Runge, Harry Stern

Taxonomic and compositional differences of ground-dwelling arthropods in riparian habitats in Glen Canyon, Arizona, USA Taxonomic and compositional differences of ground-dwelling arthropods in riparian habitats in Glen Canyon, Arizona, USA

The disturbance history, plant species composition, productivity, and structural complexity of a site can exert bottom-up controls on arthropod diversity, abundance, and trophic structure. Regulation alters the hydrology and disturbance regimes of rivers and affects riparian habitats by changing plant quality parameters. Fifty years of regulation along the Colorado River downstream of...
Authors
Barbara Ralston, Neil S. Cobb, Sandra L. Brantley, Jacob Higgins, Charles B. Yackulic

Relative abundance of deformed wing virus, Varroa destructor virus 1, and their recombinants in honey bees (Apis mellifera) assessed by kmer analysis of public RNA-Seq data Relative abundance of deformed wing virus, Varroa destructor virus 1, and their recombinants in honey bees (Apis mellifera) assessed by kmer analysis of public RNA-Seq data

Deformed wing virus (DWV) is a major pathogen of concern to apiculture, and recent reports have indicated the local predominance and potential virulence of recombinants between DWV and a related virus, Varroa destructor virus 1 (VDV). However, little is known about the frequency and titer of VDV and recombinants relative to DWV generally. In this study, I assessed the relative occurrence...
Authors
Robert S. Cornman

Nearshore fish community Nearshore fish community

Lake Ontario’s nearshore fish community consists of a diverse assemblage of warm- and cool-water species. The “nearshore zone,” loosely separated from the “offshore zones” by the 15-m depth contour, consists of complex habitats spanning a gamut from vast open-coastal areas to sheltered embayments and wetlands. Lake Ontario’s nearshore habitat has been affected to varying degrees by human
Authors
James A. Hoyle, Michael J. Connerton, Dawn E. Dittman, Dimitry Gorsky, Jana R. Lantry, Alastair Mathers, Scott L. Schlueter, Maureen Walsh, Brian Weidel, Michael J. Yuille

Using dissolved carbon dioxide to alter the behavior of invasive round goby Using dissolved carbon dioxide to alter the behavior of invasive round goby

Fisheries managers need effective methods to limit the spread of invasive round goby Neogobius melanostomus in North America. Elevating carbon dioxide (CO2) in water at pinch points of rivers (e.g., inside locks) is one approach showing potential to deter the passage of invasive fishes, such as bigheaded carps Hypophthalmichthys spp., but the effectiveness of this method to alter round...
Authors
Aaron R. Cupp, John Tix, Justin R. Smerud, Richard A. Erickson, Kim T. Fredricks, Jon Amberg, C. D. Suski, Robert Wakeman

Surveillance for highly pathogenic influenza A viruses in California during 2014–2015 provides insights into viral evolutionary pathways and the spatiotemporal extent of viruses in the Pacific Americas Flyway Surveillance for highly pathogenic influenza A viruses in California during 2014–2015 provides insights into viral evolutionary pathways and the spatiotemporal extent of viruses in the Pacific Americas Flyway

We used surveillance data collected in California before, concurrent with, and subsequent to an outbreak of highly pathogenic (HP) clade 2.3.4.4 influenza A viruses (IAVs) in 2014–2015 to (i) evaluate IAV prevalence in waterfowl, (ii) assess the evidence for spill-over infections in marine mammals and (iii) genetically characterize low-pathogenic (LP) and HP IAVs to refine inference on...
Authors
Andrew M. Ramey, Nichola J. Hill, Troy Cline, Magdalena Plancarte, Susan De La Cruz, Michael L. Casazza, Joshua T. Ackerman, Joseph P. Fleskes, T. Winston Vickers, Andrew B. Reeves, Frances Gulland, Christine Fontaine, Diann J. Prosser, Jonathan Runstadler, Walter M. Boyce
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