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: 2376
The transformative impact of genomics on sage-grouse conservation and management The transformative impact of genomics on sage-grouse conservation and management
For over two decades, genetic studies have been used to assist in the conservation and management of both Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and Gunnison Sage-grouse (C. minimus), addressing a wide variety of topics including taxonomy, parentage, population connectivity, and demography. The field of conservation genetics has been transformed by dramatic improvements in...
Authors
Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Kevin P Oh, Shawna J Zimmerman, Cameron L. Aldridge
Use of visual surveys and radiotelemetry reveals sources of detection bias for a cryptic snake at low densities Use of visual surveys and radiotelemetry reveals sources of detection bias for a cryptic snake at low densities
Transect surveys are frequently used to estimate distribution and abundance of species across a landscape, yet a proportion of individuals present will be missed because either they were out of view and unavailable for detection or they were available but not detected because the surveyors missed them. These situations lead to availability and perception bias, respectively, and can...
Authors
SM Boback, Melia G. Nafus, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Robert Reed
Co-occurence of Chiricahua leopard frogs (Lithobates chiricahuensis) with sunfish (Lepomis) Co-occurence of Chiricahua leopard frogs (Lithobates chiricahuensis) with sunfish (Lepomis)
Invasive species are a major threat to the persistence of native species, particularly in systems where ephemeral aquatic habitats have been replaced by permanent water and predators, such as fish, have been introduced. Within the Altar Valley, Arizona, the invasive American bullfrog, Lithobates catesbeianus (formerly Rana catesbeianus), has been successfully eradicated to help recover...
Authors
Paige E. Howell, Brent H. Sigafus, Blake R. Hossack, Erin L. Muths
Economic impacts of Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative Conservation projects in Wyoming Economic impacts of Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative Conservation projects in Wyoming
Executive Summary This report estimates the economic impacts on the Wyoming economy from investments made by the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) on conservation and restoration projects. The WLCI has been working in southwestern Wyoming since 2007 to coordinate science and management decisions among government and private entities that invest in conservation projects...
Authors
Christopher Huber, Matthew Flyr, Catherine Cullinane Thomas
Sustaining Environmental Capital Initiative summary report Sustaining Environmental Capital Initiative summary report
Federal agencies need credible scientific information to determine the production and value of ecosystem services in an efficient and timely manner. The U.S. Geological Survey addresses this scientific information need through the Sustaining Environmental Capital Initiative project. The project has relied on U.S. Geological Survey expertise related to water, fisheries, advanced modeling...
Authors
Christopher Huber, James Meldrum, Rudy Schuster, Zachary H. Ancona, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Scott M. Beck, Daren M. Carlisle, Peter R. Claggett, Fabiano Franco, Heather S. Galbraith, Michelle Haefele, Kristin R Hoelting, Dianna M. Hogan, Kristina G. Hopkins, Tim Kern, Collin B. Lawrence, Stacy Lischka, John B. Loomis, Julie M. Mueller, Gregory E. Noe, Emily Pindilli, Brian Quay, Darius J. Semmens, Wilson Sinclair, Daniel E. Spooner, Brian Voigt, Barabara St. John White
Juvenile Coho and Chinook salmon growth, size, and condition linked to watershed-scale salmon spawner abundance Juvenile Coho and Chinook salmon growth, size, and condition linked to watershed-scale salmon spawner abundance
Anadromous Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. are semelparous, and resource subsidies from spawning adult salmon (marine-derived nutrients [MDN]) benefit juvenile salmonids while they rear in freshwater. However, it is unclear if juvenile salmon populations respond predictably to the abundance of spawning salmon at the watershed scale. To address whether hypothesized benefits to rearing...
Authors
Philip J. Joy, Craig A. Stricker, Renae Ivanoff, Shiao Y. Wang, Mark S. Wipfli, Andrew C. Seitz, Jiaqi Huang, Mathew B. Tyers
Identifying characteristics of actionable science for drought planning and adaptation: Final report to the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center Identifying characteristics of actionable science for drought planning and adaptation: Final report to the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center
Changing climate conditions can make water management planning and drought preparedness decisions more complicated than ever before. Resource managers can no longer rely solely on historical data and trends to base their actions, and are in need of science that is relevant to their specific needs and can directly inform important planning decisions. Questions remain, however, regarding...
Authors
Adam Wilke, Amanda E. Cravens
Economic effects of wildfire risk reduction and source water protection projects in the Rio Grande River Basin in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado Economic effects of wildfire risk reduction and source water protection projects in the Rio Grande River Basin in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado
Investments in landscape-scale restoration and fuels management projects can protect publicly managed trusts, enhance public health and safety, and help to preserve the many environmental goods and services enjoyed by the public. These investments can also support jobs and generate business sales activities within nearby local economies. This report investigates how investments made by...
Authors
Christopher Huber, Catherine Cullinane Thomas, James Meldrum, Rachel Meier, Steven Bassett
Aridity drives spatiotemporal patterns of masting across the latitudinal range of a dryland conifer Aridity drives spatiotemporal patterns of masting across the latitudinal range of a dryland conifer
Masting, or the synchronous and irregular production of seed crops, is controlled by environmental conditions and resource budgets. Increasing temperatures and shifting precipitation regimes may alter the frequency and magnitude of masting, especially in species that experience chronic resource stress. Yet the effects of a changing climate on seed production are unlikely to be uniform...
Authors
Andreas Wion, Peter Weisberg, Ian Pearse, Miranda Redmond
From theory to experiments for testing the proximate mechanisms of mast seeding: An agenda for an experimental ecology From theory to experiments for testing the proximate mechanisms of mast seeding: An agenda for an experimental ecology
Highly variable and synchronised production of seeds by plant populations is called masting and is implicated in many important ecological processes, but how it arises remains poorly understood. The lack of experimental studies prevents underlying mechanisms from being explicitly tested, and thereby precludes meaningful predictions on the consequences of changing environments for plant
Authors
M. Bogdziewicz, Davide Ascoli, Andrew Hacket-Pain, W. D. Koenig, Ian Pearse, Mario B. Pesendorfer, A. Satake, P. Thomas, Giorgio Vacchiano, T. Wohlgemuth, A. Tanentzap
Using incidental mark-encounter data to improve survival estimation Using incidental mark-encounter data to improve survival estimation
Obtaining robust survival estimates is critical, but sample size limitations often result in imprecise estimates or the failure to obtain estimates for population subgroups. Concurrently, data are often recorded on incidental reencounters of marked individuals, but these incidental data are often unused in survival analyses.We evaluated the utility of supplementing a traditional survival...
Authors
Seth M. Harju, SM Cambrin, R.C. Averill-Murray, Melia G. Nafus, Kimberleigh J Field, Linda J. Allison