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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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National COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance

Man in full protective gear working on many samples under the vacuum hood in a lab.

In September 2021, wastewater sampling for COVID-19 was carried out by USGS across six states as part of the National Wastewater Surveillance System. Results of this work include the development of an effective high-frequency sampling approach to support rapid wastewater-based epidemiology and provided important and timely data to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). 

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EESC Quick Links

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

News

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Diverse Aging Rates in Ectotherms Provide Insights for the Evolution of Aging and Longevity

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Pollinator Research Highlights at Eastern Ecological Science Center

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Staff Spotlight: Stephanie Egger

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Publications

Maintenance and dissemination of avian-origin influenza A virus within the northern Atlantic Flyway of North America

Wild waterbirds, the natural reservoirs for avian influenza viruses, undergo migratory movements each year, connecting breeding and wintering grounds within broad corridors known as flyways. In a continental or global view, the study of virus movements within and across flyways is important to understanding virus diversity, evolution, and movement. From 2015 to 2017, we sampled waterfowl from bree
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Ecosystems, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Variability in marsh migration potential determined by topographic rather than anthropogenic constraints in the Chesapeake Bay region

Sea level rise (SLR) and saltwater intrusion are driving inland shifts in coastal ecosystems. Here, we make high-resolution (1 m) predictions of land conversion under future SLR scenarios in 81 watersheds surrounding Chesapeake Bay, United States, a hotspot for accelerated SLR and saltwater intrusion. We find that 1050–3748 km2 of marsh could be created by 2100, largely at the expense of forested
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Ecosystems, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Estimating occupancy from autonomous recording unit data in the presence of misclassifications and detection heterogeneity

1. Autonomous Recording Units (ARUs) are now widely used to survey communities of species. These surveys generate spatially and temporally replicated counts of unmarked animals, but such data typically include false negatives and misclassified detections, both of which may vary across sites in proportion to abundance. These data challenges can bias estimates of occupancy, and the typical approach
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Ecosystems, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center
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Science

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Blue catfish specimen

Invasive Blue Catfish Science to Support Conservation and Fisheries Management

Dietary analyses, health, and reproduction of blue catfish in tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay inform ecosystem impacts and mitigation strategies for this aquatic nuisance species.
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Ecosystems, Invasive Species Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center
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Invasive Blue Catfish Science to Support Conservation and Fisheries Management

Dietary analyses, health, and reproduction of blue catfish in tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay inform ecosystem impacts and mitigation strategies for this aquatic nuisance species.
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Image: Red Knots at Delaware Bay

Red Knot Migration and Population Ecology

Eastern Ecological Science Center biologists are studying migration and population ecology of the rufa red knot, a bird species that is dependent on horseshoe crab eggs to complete its trans-hemispheric migration. The birds' spring migration is timed with spawning of horseshoe crabs because the eggs are the perfect food for a migrating red knot.
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Ecosystems, Wildlife Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center
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Red Knot Migration and Population Ecology

Eastern Ecological Science Center biologists are studying migration and population ecology of the rufa red knot, a bird species that is dependent on horseshoe crab eggs to complete its trans-hemispheric migration. The birds' spring migration is timed with spawning of horseshoe crabs because the eggs are the perfect food for a migrating red knot.
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Map of the Chesapeake Bay watershed with location of community samples identified by habitat size and aggregated ecoregions

Assessing the habitat conditions to support freshwater fisheries in the Chesapeake Watershed

Issue: The Chesapeake Bay Program partners are striving to improve habitat conditions for recreational fisheries and other native fishes in the Bay and its watershed. While national fish habitat assessments have been conducted, resource managers need more local information to focus restoration and protection efforts in Chesapeake Bay watershed. Conducting the fish-habitat assessments are...
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Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center
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Assessing the habitat conditions to support freshwater fisheries in the Chesapeake Watershed

Issue: The Chesapeake Bay Program partners are striving to improve habitat conditions for recreational fisheries and other native fishes in the Bay and its watershed. While national fish habitat assessments have been conducted, resource managers need more local information to focus restoration and protection efforts in Chesapeake Bay watershed. Conducting the fish-habitat assessments are...
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