Publications
FORT scientists have produced more than 1,500 peer reviewed publications that are registered in the USGS Publications Warehouse, along with many others prior to their work at the USGS or in conjunction with other government agencies.
Filter Total Items: 2214
So, you want to build a decision-support tool? Assessing successes, barriers, and lessons learned for tool design and development
The purpose of this study is to increase understanding of how the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is developing decision-support tools (DSTs) by documenting successes and barriers across all levels of USGS scientific tool creation and outreach. These findings will help streamline future tool design and development processes. We provide a synthesis of lessons learned and best practices across a spect
Authors
Amanda D. Stoltz, Amanda E. Cravens, Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Chung Yi Hou
Priority research needs to inform amphibian conservation in the Anthropocene
The problem of global amphibian declines has prompted extensive research over the last three decades. Initially, the focus was on identifying and characterizing the extent of the problem, but more recently efforts have shifted to evidence-based research designed to identify best solutions and to improve conservation outcomes. Despite extensive accumulation of knowledge on amphibian declines, there
Authors
Evan H. Campbell Grant, Staci M. Amburgey, Brian Gratwicke, Victor Acosta Chaves, Anat M. Belasen, David Bickford, Carsten Brühl, Natalie E. Calatayud, Nick Clemann, Simon Clulow, Jelka Crnobrnja-Isailovic, Jeff Dawson, David A. De Angelis, C. Kenneth Dodd, Annette Evans, Gentile Francesco Ficetola, Mattia Falaschi, Sergio González-Mollinedo, David M. Green, Roseanna Gamlen-Greene, Richard A. Griffiths, Brian J. Halstead, Craig Hassapakis, Geoffrey Heard, Catharina Karlsson, Tom Kirschey, Blake Klocke, Tiffany A. Kosch, Sophia Kusterko Novaes, Luke Linhoff, John C. Maerz, Brittany A. Mosher, Katherine M O'Donnell, Leticia M. Ochoa-Ochoa, Deanna H. Olson, Kristiina Ovaska, J. Dale Roberts, Aimee J. Silla, Tariq Stark, Jeanne Tarrant, R. Upton, Judit Vörös, Erin L. Muths
Proximate factors affecting mortality and maternal abandonment of young free-roaming feral horse foals
The burgeoning population of feral horses in the American west is due to high population growth, resulting from low adult mortality and high foal survival. In two populations of feral horses in western Utah, USA only 15 foals died (5%; mean age <1 month) over a 4-year period. Seven additional foals (age <70 days) were observed separated from their dam, with no return to suckling or associating wit
Authors
Sarah R. B. King, Mary J. Cole, Christine Barton, Kathryn A. Schoenecker
Prioritizing science efforts to inform decision making on public lands
Public land management agencies in the US are committed to using science-informed decision making, but there has been little research on the types and topics of science that managers need most to inform their decisions. We used the National Environmental Policy Act to identify four types of science information needed for making decisions relevant to public lands: (1) data on resources of concern,
Authors
Sarah K. Carter, Travis Haby, Jennifer K. Meineke, Alison C. Foster, Laine E. McCall, Leigh Espy, Megan Gilbert, Jeffrey E. Herrick, Karen Prentice
Sage-grouse
In this chapter, we summarize the ecology and conservation issues affecting greater (Centrocercus urophasianus) and Gunnison (C. minimus) sage-grouse, iconic and obligate species of rangelands in the sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) biome in western North America. Greater sage-grouse are noted for their ability to migrate, whereas Gunnison sage-grouse localize near leks year-round. Seasonal habitats inc
Authors
Jeffrey L. Beck, Thomas J Christiansen, Kirk W. Davies, Jonathan B. Dinkins, Adrian P. Monroe, David E. Naugle, Michael A Schroeder
Support for management actions to protect night sky quality: Insights from visitors to state and national park units in the U.S.
Light pollution is a global phenomenon where anthropogenic light sources continue to grow unabated, affecting both social and ecological systems. This is leaving parks and protected areas as some of the last vestiges of naturally dark environments for protecting views of the night sky. Yet, even parks and protected areas have outdoor lighting. Alternative lighting practices are needed to reduce or
Authors
J. Adam Beeco, Emily J. Wilkins, Anna B. Miller, Chase C. Lamborn, Sharolyn Anderson, Zachary D. Miller, Jordan W. Smith
Macroscale analyses suggest invasive plant impacts depend more on the composition of invading plants than on environmental context
AimNative biodiversity is threatened by the spread of non-native invasive species. Many studies demonstrate that invasions reduce local biodiversity but we lack an understanding of how impacts vary across environments at the macroscale. Using ~11,500 vegetation surveys from ecosystems across the United States, we quantified how the relationship between non-native plant cover and native plant diver
Authors
Evelyn M. Beaury, Helen Sofaer, Regan Early, Ian Pearse, Dana M. Blumenthal, Jeffrey Corbin, Jeffrey M. Diez, Jeffrey Dukes, David Barnett, Ines Ibanez, Laís Petri, Montserrat Vilà, Bethany A. Bradley
Browsers or Grazers? New insights into feral burro diet using a non-invasive sampling and plant DNA metabarcoding approach
By selecting certain plants for consumption, ungulates (hoofed mammals) shape ecosystems and influence which plant species are present in their habitats. We investigated the summer diets of non-native feral burros in two ecosystems: a subtropical Sonoran Desert in Arizona and a temperate juniper shrubland in Utah, the United States. In June and July of 2019, we gathered 50 fecal samples from both
Authors
Saeideh Esmaeili, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Sarah King
Capsaicin-treated bait is ineffective in deterring non-target mammals from trap disturbance during invasive lizard control
Excluding non-target species from invasive species control efforts can be challenging due to non-target attraction to trap structure, baits, and lures. Various methods have been used to deter non-target species from entering or disturbing traps including altered features (e.g., mesh size, trip mechanism, or entrances), staking traps, and chemical deterrents. Invasive populations of Argentine Black
Authors
Lance D McBrayer, Daniel Haro, Michael Brennan, Bryan G. Falk, Amy A. Yackel Adams
A multi-ecosystem prioritization framework to balance competing habitat conservation needs of multiple species in decline
ContextIndividual species often drive habitat restoration action; however, management under this paradigm may negatively affect non-target species. Prioritization frameworks which explicitly consider benefits to target species while minimizing consequences for non-target species may improve management strategies and outcomes.ObjectivesWe examined extents to which conifer removal, an approach frequ
Authors
Nicholas J. Van Lanen, Jessica E. Shyvers, Courtney Duchardt, Cameron L. Aldridge
Becoming an actionable scientist: Challenges, competency, and the development of expertise
Demand has grown for actionable science to support real-world decision-making around climate change and related environmental management challenges. Producing actionable science requires scientists to hold a distinct set of competencies, yet relatively little is known about what these competencies are or how to train scientists to develop them. We conducted interviews with mid- and late-career sci
Authors
Julia B. Goolsby, Amanda E. Cravens, Mary Ann Rozance
Rangeland Ecosystem Services: Connecting nature and people
No abstract available.
Authors
Jeff Goodwin, Lauren M. Porensky, Paul Meiman, Hailey Wilmer, Justin D. Derner, Rich Iovanna, Anna Clare Monlezun, Mark W. Vandever, Jon Griggs, Frank Price, Sheri Spiegal, Nick Padilla, Dave Voth, Anna Maher, Rory O'Connor, David Hoover, Jenny Pluhar, Catherine Estep, William Fox