Publications
FORT scientists have produced more than 2000 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: 2379
Impact of "non-lethal" tarsal clipping on bumble bees (Bombus vosnesenskii) may depend on queen stage and worker size Impact of "non-lethal" tarsal clipping on bumble bees (Bombus vosnesenskii) may depend on queen stage and worker size
Recent bumble bee declines have prompted the development of novel population monitoring tools, including the use of putatively non-lethal tarsal clipping to obtain genetic material. However, the potential side effects of tarsal clipping have only been tested in the worker caste of a single domesticated species, prompting the need to more broadly test whether tarsal clipping negatively...
Authors
John Michael Mola, Clara Stuligross, Maureen L. Page, Danielle Rutkowski, Neal M. Williams
Using enclosed Y-mazes to assess chemosensory behavior in reptiles Using enclosed Y-mazes to assess chemosensory behavior in reptiles
Reptiles utilize a variety of environmental cues to inform and drive animal behavior such as chemical scent trails produced by food or conspecifics. Decrypting the scent-trailing behavior of vertebrates, particularly invasive species, enables the discovery of cues that induce exploratory behavior and can aid in the development of valuable basic and applied biological tools. However...
Authors
M. Rockwell Parker, Andrea Faye Currylow, Eric A. Tillman, Charlotte J. Robinson, Jillian Maureen Josimovich, Isabella M.G. Bukovich, Lauren A. Nazarian, Melia G. Nafus, Bryan M. Kluever, Amy A. Yackel Adams
The transformation of dryland rivers: The future of introduced tamarisk in the U.S. The transformation of dryland rivers: The future of introduced tamarisk in the U.S.
Tamarix spp. (tamarisk or saltcedar), a shrub-like tree, was intentionally introduced to the U.S. from Asia in the mid-1800s. Tamarisk thrives in today’s human-altered streamside (riparian) habitats and can be found along wetlands, rivers, lakes, and streams across the western U.S. In 2001, a biological control agent, Diorhabda spp. (tamarisk leaf beetle), was released in six states, and...
Authors
Pamela L. Nagler, Julia B. Hull, Charles van Riper, Patrick B. Shafroth, Charles B. Yackulic
Plague transforms positive effects of precipitation on prairie dogs to negative effects Plague transforms positive effects of precipitation on prairie dogs to negative effects
Rodents characteristically benefit from increased precipitation, especially in typically dry habitats; “good years” of high precipitation improve their forage and water balance. However, Yersinia pestis (plague), a flea-borne pathogen of mammals that was introduced to western North America, has the greatest negative impact on at least some species of rodents during years of above-average
Authors
Dean E. Biggins, David A. Eads, Jerry L. Godbey
Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund for National Parks: Economic impacts of fiscal year 2021 funding Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund for National Parks: Economic impacts of fiscal year 2021 funding
The Great American Outdoors Act of 2020 (GAOA), P.L. 116-152, established the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) to address priority deferred maintenance projects on National Park Service (NPS) and other federal lands. For the NPS, the LRF equates to receiving a maximum of $1.33 billion per year for fiscal years 2021 through 2025. Funding of this magnitude...
Authors
Catherine Cullinane Thomas, Lynne Koontz
Biofluorescence in tiger salamanders documented in Rocky Mountain National Park for the first time Biofluorescence in tiger salamanders documented in Rocky Mountain National Park for the first time
No abstract available.
Authors
Benjamin Lafrance, Andrew M. Ray, Amanda M. Kissel, Erin L. Muths
First record and diet of the tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) from Guadalupe National Park and Culberson County, Texas First record and diet of the tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) from Guadalupe National Park and Culberson County, Texas
The tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) occurs throughout the eastern United States, from Canada to south Florida and westward to eastern New Mexico, central Colorado, and western Texas. In this study, we document the first record of P. subflavus for both Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Culberson County, Texas. Our record extends the range of P. subflavus into the Trans-Pecos...
Authors
Mollie K Hanttula, Ernest W. Valdez
Range-wide greater sage-grouse hierarchical monitoring framework—Implications for defining population boundaries, trend estimation, and a targeted annual warning system Range-wide greater sage-grouse hierarchical monitoring framework—Implications for defining population boundaries, trend estimation, and a targeted annual warning system
Incorporating spatial and temporal scales into greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) population monitoring strategies is challenging and rarely implemented. Sage-grouse populations experience fluctuations in abundance that lead to temporal oscillations, making trend estimation difficult. Accounting for stochasticity is critical to reliably estimate population trends and...
Authors
Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Michael S. O’Donnell, Cameron L. Aldridge, David R. Edmunds, Adrian P. Monroe, Mark A. Ricca, Gregory T. Wann, Steve E. Hanser, Lief A. Wiechman, Michael P. Chenaille
Fipronil pellets reduce flea abundance on black-tailed prairie dogs: Potential tool for plague management and black-footed ferret conservation Fipronil pellets reduce flea abundance on black-tailed prairie dogs: Potential tool for plague management and black-footed ferret conservation
In western North America, sylvatic plague (a flea-borne disease) poses a significant risk to endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) and their primary prey, prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.). Pulicides (flea-killing agents) can be used to suppress fleas and thereby manage plague. In South Dakota, US, we tested edible “FipBit” pellets, each containing 0.84 mg fipronil, on free-living...
Authors
David A. Eads, Travis M. Livieri, Phillip Dobesh, Eddie Childers, Lauren Noble, Michele Vasquez, Dean E. Biggins
Behavioral patterns of bats at a wind turbine confirm seasonality of fatality risk Behavioral patterns of bats at a wind turbine confirm seasonality of fatality risk
Bat fatalities at wind energy facilities in North America are predominantly comprised of migratory, tree-dependent species, but it is unclear why these bats are at higher risk. Factors influencing bat susceptibility to wind turbines might be revealed by temporal patterns in their behaviors around these dynamic landscape structures. In northern temperate zones, fatalities occur mostly...
Authors
Shifra Z Goldenberg, Paul M. Cryan, P. Marcos Gorresen, Lee J Fingersh
Examining historical mercury sources in the Saint Louis River estuary: How legacy contamination influences biological mercury levels in Great Lakes coastal regions Examining historical mercury sources in the Saint Louis River estuary: How legacy contamination influences biological mercury levels in Great Lakes coastal regions
Industrial chemical contamination within coastal regions of the Great Lakes can pose serious risks to wetland habitat and offshore fisheries, often resulting in fish consumption advisories that directly affect human and wildlife health. Mercury (Hg) is a contaminant of concern in many of these highly urbanized and industrialized coastal regions, one of which is the Saint Louis River...
Authors
Sarah E. Janssen, Joel C. Hoffman, Ryan F. Lepak, David P. Krabbenhoft, David M. Walters, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Greg Peterson, Jacob M. Ogorek, John F. DeWild, Anne M Cotter, Mark Pearson, Michael T. Tate, Roger B. Yeardley, Marc A. Mills
Developing common protocols to measure tundra herbivory across spatial scales Developing common protocols to measure tundra herbivory across spatial scales
Understanding and predicting large-scale ecological responses to global environmental change requires comparative studies across geographic scales with coordinated efforts and standardized methodologies. We designed, applied and assessed standardized protocols to measure tundra herbivory at three spatial scales: plot, site (habitat), and study area (landscape). The plot and site-level...
Authors
Isabel C. Barrio, D. Ehrich, E. M. Soininen, V. T. Ravolainen, C. G. Bueno, O. Gilg, A. M. Koltz, J. D. M. Speed, D. S. Hik, M. Morsdorf, J. M. Alatalo, A. Angerbjörn, J. Bêty, L. Bollache, N. Boulanger-Lapointe, G. S. Brown, I. Eischeid, Marie-Andree Giroux, T. Hajek, B. B. Hansen, S. P. Hofhuis, Jean-François Lamarre, J. R. Lang, C. Latty, N. Lecomte, P. Macek, L. Mckinnon, Isla H. Myers-Smith, A. O. Pedersen, Janet S. Prevey, J. D. Roth, Sarah T. Saalfeld, N. M. Schmidt, P. Smith, A. Sokolov, N. Sokolova, C. Stolz, R. van Bemmelen, O Varpe, P. F. Woodard, I. S. Jonsdottir