Ecosystems

Alaska Science Center Ecosystems data releases are grouped by topic: Terrestrial Ecosystems, Aquatic Ecosystems, Wildlife Health and Genetics, Environmental Health and eDNA, Habitat and Landscape Change, and Ecosystem Analytics.

Understanding the short- and long-distance movements of wildlife is critical for a wide variety of ecological research questions and management decisions. Since the mid-1980s, the USGS Alaska Science Center has used information from telemetry devices on wildlife species to determine locations of animals throughout their annual cycles, understand patterns of habitat use, quantify time spent on...

The USGS Alaska Science Center has had a focus on addressing science questions related to geese in Alaska for decades. Information on these species is critical because all are important resources for subsistence and sport hunters in the state and outside of Alaska where these birds spend the winter. The large majority of goose populations in Alaska breed on national wildlife refuges (managed by...

The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area is the only program within the Department of Interior (DOI) focused on generating science to inform the management of the nation’s lands, fish, and wildlife. The Ecosystems Mission Area is also the only entity with the specific role of meeting the information needs of DOI agencies (e.g., Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, National Park...

Over the past 26 years, Alaskans have witnessed a startling increase of beak deformities among Black-capped Chickadees and other species of resident birds. This disease, called avian keratin disorder (AKD), is characterized by debilitating beak overgrowth and other abnormalities of keratinized tissues. Affected birds have difficulty feeding and preening and may suffer high rates of mortality. If...

Scientists at the USGS Alaska Science Center have conducted research on Alaska’s three loon species since the late 1970s. Loons rely on freshwater lakes for nesting habitat and fish and invertebrates inhabiting lakes and marine ecosystems for food. All three loon species in Alaska occur within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) on Alaska’s northern coast. Research by the USGS is...

Environmental health is defined by connections between the physical environment, ecological health, and human health. Current research within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recognizes the importance of this integrated research philosophy, which includes study of disease and pollutants as they pertain to both wildlife and humans. Due to its key geographic location and significant wildlife...

The North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (NPPSD) contains survey transect data designed and conducted by numerous partners primarily to census seabirds at sea. The NPPSD includes more than 486,000 transect segments and includes observations of over 20 million birds of 258 species collected over the span of 50 years (from 1973 to 2022).

Dabbling and diving ducks, such as mallards, pintails and scaup, are widespread species throughout North America. Additionally, their migratory flyways pass through Asia and North America overlap in Alaska. Population trends of these species are closely tracked through aerial surveys by management agencies. Results from these and other surveys are then used to formulate management actions to...

USGS research on swans in Alaska has focused on pathogens, contaminants, and demographic rates in each of the different breeding areas of Alaska. The vastly different migration patterns of swans in Alaska means that there are multiple factors on the wintering grounds and during migration that may influence population size and trends.

Eelgrass is the predominant aquatic plant within embayments of southwestern Alaska and provides an important habitat for birds, fish, and invertebrates. The USGS has conducted extensive research on the status, trends, and use of eelgrass by migratory birds in southwestern Alaska primarily at the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.

USGS research on sea ducks is designed to anticipate and address priority information needs of management agencies. Additionally, work is focused on individual species biology, migration and population status and trends because until recently, very little was known about sea ducks in Alaska.