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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

Current limitations and recommendations to improve testing for the environmental assessment of endocrine active substances Current limitations and recommendations to improve testing for the environmental assessment of endocrine active substances

In the present study, existing regulatory frameworks and test systems for assessing potential endocrine active chemicals are described, and associated challenges are discussed, along with proposed approaches to address these challenges. Regulatory frameworks vary somewhat across geographies, but all basically evaluate whether a chemical possesses endocrine activity and whether this...
Authors
Katherine K. Coady, Ronald C. Biever, Nancy D. Denslow, Melanie Gross, Patrick D. Guiney, Henrik Holbech, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier, Ioanna Katsiadaki, Hank Krueger, Steven L. Levine, Gerd Maack, Mike Williams, Jeffrey C. Wolf, Gerald T. Ankley

Mercury exposure may influence fluctuating asymmetry in waterbirds Mercury exposure may influence fluctuating asymmetry in waterbirds

Variation in avian bilateral symmetry can be an indicator of developmental instability in response to a variety of stressors, including environmental contaminants. The authors used composite measures of fluctuating asymmetry to examine the influence of mercury concentrations in 2 tissues on fluctuating asymmetry within 4 waterbird species. Fluctuating asymmetry increased with mercury
Authors
Garth Herring, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Joshua T. Ackerman

Nocturnal insect availability in bottomland hardwood forests managed for wildlife in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley Nocturnal insect availability in bottomland hardwood forests managed for wildlife in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley

Silviculture used to alter forest structure and thereby enhance wildlife habitat has been advocated for bottomland hardwood forest management on public conservation lands in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Although some songbirds respond positively to these management actions to attain desired forest conditions for wildlife, the response of other species, is largely unknown. Nocturnal...
Authors
Loraine P. Ketzler, Christopher Comer, Daniel J. Twedt

Biota: Providing often-overlooked connections among freshwater systems Biota: Providing often-overlooked connections among freshwater systems

When we think about connections in and among aquatic systems, we typically envision clear headwater streams flowing into downstream rivers, river floodwaters spilling out onto adjacent floodplains, or groundwater connecting wetlands to lakes and streams. However, there is another layer of connectivity moving materials among freshwater systems, one with connections that are not always...
Authors
David M. Mushet, Jay R. Christensen, Michah Bennett, Laurie C. Alexander

Spatial and temporal genetic analysis of Walleyes in the Ohio River Spatial and temporal genetic analysis of Walleyes in the Ohio River

Previous genetic analyses have shown that Walleyes Sander vitreus in the upper Ohio River comprise two distinct genetic strains: (1) fish of Great Lakes origin that were stocked into the Ohio River basin and (2) a remnant native strain (Highlands strain). Resource agencies are developing management strategies to conserve and restore the native strain within the upper reaches of the Ohio...
Authors
Kevin S. Page, Richard D. Zweifela, Wendylee Stott

Conservation status of the American horseshoe crab, (Limulus polyphemus): A regional assessment Conservation status of the American horseshoe crab, (Limulus polyphemus): A regional assessment

Horseshoe crabs have persisted for more than 200 million years, and fossil forms date to 450 million years ago. The American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus), one of four extant horseshoe crab species, is found along the Atlantic coastline of North America ranging from Alabama to Maine, USA with another distinct population on the coasts of Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo in the...
Authors
David R. Smith, H. Jane Brockmann, Mark A. Beekey, Tim L. King, Mike Millard, Jaime Zaldivar-Rae

Isotopic niches support the resource breadth hypothesis Isotopic niches support the resource breadth hypothesis

Because a broad spectrum of resource use allows species to persist in a wide range of habitat types, and thus permits them to occupy large geographical areas, and because broadly distributed species have access to more diverse resource bases, the resource breadth hypothesis posits that the diversity of resources used by organisms should be positively related with the extent of their...
Authors
Jonathan A. Rader, Seth D. Newsome, Pablo Sabat, R. Terry Chesser, Michael E. Dillon, Carlos Martinez del Rio

Relations of alpine plant communities across environmental gradients: Multilevel versus multiscale analyses Relations of alpine plant communities across environmental gradients: Multilevel versus multiscale analyses

Alpine plant communities vary, and their environmental covariates could influence their response to climate change. A single multilevel model of how alpine plant community composition is determined by hierarchical relations is compared to a separate examination of those relations at different scales. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling of species cover for plots in four regions across the...
Authors
George P. Malanson, Dale L. Zimmerman, Mitch Kinney, Daniel B. Fagre

Assessment of contemporary genetic diversity and inter-taxa/inter-region exchange of avian paramyxovirus serotype 1 in wild birds sampled in North America Assessment of contemporary genetic diversity and inter-taxa/inter-region exchange of avian paramyxovirus serotype 1 in wild birds sampled in North America

Background Avian paramyxovirus serotype 1 (APMV-1) viruses are globally distributed, infect wild, peridomestic, and domestic birds, and sometimes lead to outbreaks of disease. Thus, the maintenance, evolution, and spread of APMV-1 viruses are relevant to avian health. Methods In this study we sequenced the fusion gene from 58 APMV-1 isolates recovered from thirteen species of wild birds...
Authors
Andrew M. Ramey, Iryna V. Goraichuk, Joseph T. Hicks, Kiril M. Dimitrov, Rebecca L. Poulson, David E. Stallknecht, Justin Bahl, Claudio L. Afonso

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) mortality and recovery rates vary by wing molt status at time of banding Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) mortality and recovery rates vary by wing molt status at time of banding

Recovery (i.e., shot, retrieved, and reported) rates and daily mortality risk of 52,330 adult Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) leg-banded during pre-molt, in-molt, or post-molt during 1985–2011 were evaluated to better understand mortality during wing molt in dynamics of the Mallard population in California, USA. Recovery rates and non-hunting mortality risk varied by molt status at time of...
Authors
Joseph P. Fleskes, Brian J. Halstead, Jeffrey D. Kohl, Gregory S. Yarris

Trawl-based assessment of Lake Ontario pelagic prey fishes including Alewife and Rainbow Smelt Trawl-based assessment of Lake Ontario pelagic prey fishes including Alewife and Rainbow Smelt

Managing Lake Ontario fisheries in an ecosystem-context, requires reliable data on the status and trends of prey fishes that support predator populations. We report on the community and population dynamics of Lake Ontario pelagic prey fishes, based on bottom trawl surveys. We emphasize information that supports the international Lake Ontario Committee’s Fish Community Objectives. In 2016...
Authors
Brian Weidel, Maureen Walsh, Michael J. Connerton, Jeremy P. Holden

Five-year external reviews of the eight department of interior climate science centers Five-year external reviews of the eight department of interior climate science centers

No abstract available.
Authors
Jill B. Rolland, P. B. Duffy, Clifford Duke, David Helweg, Stephen L. Katz, Olivia E. LeDee, Steven Quiring
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