Decision Science and Quantitative Methods
Decision Science and Quantitative Methods
Science related to Decision Science and Quantitative Methods.
Filter Total Items: 56
Forest Structure Resulting from ‘Wildlife Forestry Silviculture’
Wildlife forestry is management of forest resources, within sites and across landscapes, to provide sustainable, desirable habitat conditions for all forest-dependent (silvicolous) fauna while concurrently yielding economically viable, quality timber products. In practice, however, management decisions associated with wildlife forestry often reflect a desire to provide suitable habitat for rare...
Adaptive Management of Black Rails
The Black Rail ( Laterallus jamaicensis ) is the most secretive of the secretive marsh birds and few aspects of its life history and ecology are well understood. The Eastern Black Rail subspecies ( L. j. jamaicensis ) is listed as endangered in five states along the Atlantic Coast and has been proposed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act and is under review for federal listing...
The response of coastal wetlands to sea-level rise: Understanding how macroscale drivers influence local processes and feedbacks
The purpose of this work is to advance our understanding of how coastal wetland responses to SLR within the conterminous United States are likely to vary as a function of local, regional, and macroscale drivers, including climate. Based on our interactions with managers and decision makers, as well as our knowledge of the current state of the science, we propose to (a) conduct a national synoptic...
Evaluating the Design of the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey
The Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey (WBPHS) is a primary source of waterfowl population status and trend information for management of ducks in North America. The survey has not been reviewed in several decades, and since the last review new analysis approaches and information needs have created a need to reassess the design, scope of inference, and analysis of the survey to...
Seagrass Vulnerability to Environmental Conditions Under Changing Temperature Regimes
Seagrasses are among the most productive ecosystems on the planet. Water quality degradation and direct human disturbance have caused loss of nearly a third of the seagrass habitat worldwide. These threats are exacerbated by stresses associated with a changing global climate. Predicting how seagrass distribution, abundance, and species composition will change in response to increased temperature...
Spatio-Temporal Statistical Models for Forecasting Climate Change Effects on Bird Distribution
Ecological indicators of climate change are needed to measure concurrent changes in ecological systems, inform management decisions, and forecast the consequences of climate change. We seek to develop robust bird-based, climate-change indicators using North American Breeding Bird Survey data.
Conservation Genetics and Genomics of the Narrowly Endemic Island Marble Butterfly Euchloe ausonides insulanus
The island marble butterfly ( Euchloe ausonides insulanus ) was first discovered on Vancouver Island, Canada in 1861. Based on morphological characteristics, it has been described as a subspecies of Euchloe ausonides . After a collection was made in 1908 on Gabriola Island, Canada, the island marble was not seen again until 1998 on San Juan Island, Washington, USA. Recent surveys have determined...
Novel approach using flocculation to concentrate edna to search for early invasions of specific aquatic invasive species
Early detection systems for aquatic nuisance species have been improved by the advancement of polymerase chain reactions that amplify DNA sequences for decoding.
Climate change forecasts for eastern salmonids
Small streams in forests are likely to see dramatic shifts as global climate change influences air temperature and rain patterns. We have already seen warmer stream temperatures as air temperatures increase in summer in the Northeastern US. The intensity and duration of floods and droughts are also expected to magnify as future rain patterns shift. This project will evaluate how stream temperature...
Metabarcoding of stomach contents from the Round Goby (Negobius melanostromus) in Pennsylvania
The Round Goby, Neogobius melanostomus , is a small benthic fish native to the Sea of Azov, the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara.
Development of fine-scale temperature models in the Delaware River: Application to predictive temperature modeling, decision support tools, and ecosystem services
Temperature is a primary driver of biological and ecological processes, and in rivers and streams influences distribution, reproduction, and behavior of aquatic species. USGS Northern Appalachian Laboratory (NARL) researchers are working with resource managers in the Delaware River Basin and collaborators at USGS Fort Collins Science Center to predict and model riverine temperature, particularly...
Population Ecology of Florida Manatees
USGS is working with partners to understand how the federally protected Florida manatee population changes over time and responds to threats.