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Bird and Terrestrial Species Conservation

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Fish and Aquatic Species Conservation

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Pollinator Conservation

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Fish and Wildlife Disease Investigation and Surveillance

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Freshwater and Coastal Ecology

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Eastern Ecological Science Center

In 2020, the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and Leetown Science Center merged to create the Eastern Ecological Science Center (EESC). Our goals are to align our scientific capabilities with the most pressing conservation and management challenges; establish an engaged workforce that fosters high relationship trust with employees, partners and the public.

EESC Cooperative Science with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

Image: Eastern Shore of Maryland Coastal Wetland

From “blue water” rivers and streams to “green water” marine environments and brackish estuaries in between, EESC and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission are collaborating to bring together local, regional, and national expertise to provide the science that modern fisheries management demands.

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EESC Upcoming Events

Science Images in a circle around USGS logo

Join the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center for a free family friendly Earth Day Open House event in Kearneysville, West Virginia! The event will include hands-on-exhibits, crafts, demonstrations and touring the experimental stream laboratory.

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EESC Quick Links

Enjoy these quick links to the most requested information about EESC!

News

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New insight on sea duck hearing could help protect them from fishing nets

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From Analog to Digital: Eight Decades of Tracking Box Turtles on Patuxent Research Refuge

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Chance Encounters of a Northern Saw-whet Owl

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Publications

Low estradiol production of non-laying whooping cranes (Grus americana) is associated with the failure of small follicles to enter follicular hierarchy

For endangered species managed ex situ, production of offspring is a key factor to ensure healthy and self-sustaining populations. However, current breeding goals for the whooping crane (Grus americana) are impeded by poor reproduction. Our study sought to better understand mechanisms regulating ovarian function in ex situ managed whooping cranes and the regulatory function of the hypothalamic-pit
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center

The pathogenesis of a 2022 North American highly pathogenic clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 avian influenza virus in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos)

Highly pathogenic (HP) avian influenza viruses (AIVs) of the clade 2.3.4.4 goose/Guangdong/1996 H5 lineage continue to be a problem in poultry and wild birds in much of the world. The recent incursion of a H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b HP AIV from this lineage into North America has resulted in widespread outbreaks in poultry and consistent detections of the virus across diverse families of birds and occasi
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Assessing arthropod diversity metrics derived from stream environmental DNA: Spatiotemporal variation and paired comparisons with manual sampling

BackgroundBenthic invertebrate (BI) surveys have been widely used to characterize freshwater environmental quality but can be challenging to implement at desired spatial scales and frequency. Environmental DNA (eDNA) allows an alternative BI survey approach, one that can potentially be implemented more rapidly and cheaply than traditional methods.MethodsWe evaluated eDNA analogs of BI metrics in t
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center
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Science

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A Red Knot standing on the beach.

Population Ecology of Red Knots (C. c. roselaari) in the Pacific-Americas Flyway

The Red Knot (Calidris canutus roselaari) is long-distance migrant in the Pacific-Americas Flyway. The subspecies relies on a small number of stopover sites between Mexico and Alaska during migration. Extreme site fidelity and small population size make it vulnerable to environmental impacts and the effects of climate change.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center
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Population Ecology of Red Knots (C. c. roselaari) in the Pacific-Americas Flyway

The Red Knot (Calidris canutus roselaari) is long-distance migrant in the Pacific-Americas Flyway. The subspecies relies on a small number of stopover sites between Mexico and Alaska during migration. Extreme site fidelity and small population size make it vulnerable to environmental impacts and the effects of climate change.
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A green sunfish

Study reveals importance of groundwater for stability of freshwater fish populations and resilience to climate change

Issue: Climate change is warming streams and rivers of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and this is a critical concern for fisheries management and conservation. To address this issue, the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) recently identified four actions: • address the threats of climate change in all aspects of the partnership’s work; • prioritize communities, working lands, and most vulnerable habitats...
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Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center
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Study reveals importance of groundwater for stability of freshwater fish populations and resilience to climate change

Issue: Climate change is warming streams and rivers of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and this is a critical concern for fisheries management and conservation. To address this issue, the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) recently identified four actions: • address the threats of climate change in all aspects of the partnership’s work; • prioritize communities, working lands, and most vulnerable habitats...
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Geese on a small pond, poultry house in background

Avian Influenza Dynamics in the Chesapeake Bay Region

This project focuses on understanding the forces driving the risk of avian influenza transmission from wild waterfowl to domestic poultry within the Chesapeake Bay region.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center
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Avian Influenza Dynamics in the Chesapeake Bay Region

This project focuses on understanding the forces driving the risk of avian influenza transmission from wild waterfowl to domestic poultry within the Chesapeake Bay region.
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