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: 2382
Not to put too fine a point on it - does increasing precision of geographic referencing improve species distribution models for a wide-ranging migratory bat? Not to put too fine a point on it - does increasing precision of geographic referencing improve species distribution models for a wide-ranging migratory bat?
Bat specimens held in natural history museum collections can provide insights into the distribution of species. However, there are several important sources of spatial error associated with natural history specimens that may influence the analysis and mapping of bat species distributions. We analyzed the importance of geographic referencing and error correction in species distribution...
Authors
Mark A. Hayes, Katharine Ozenberger, Paul M. Cryan, Michael B. Wunder
Model averaging and muddled multimodel inferences Model averaging and muddled multimodel inferences
Three flawed practices associated with model averaging coefficients for predictor variables in regression models commonly occur when making multimodel inferences in analyses of ecological data. Model-averaged regression coefficients based on Akaike information criterion (AIC) weights have been recommended for addressing model uncertainty but they are not valid, interpretable estimates of...
Authors
Brian S. Cade
Tree mortality from drought, insects, and their interactions in a changing climate Tree mortality from drought, insects, and their interactions in a changing climate
Climate change is expected to drive increased tree mortality through drought, heat stress, and insect attacks, with manifold impacts on forest ecosystems. Yet, climate-induced tree mortality and biotic disturbance agents are largely absent from process-based ecosystem models. Using data sets from the western USA and associated studies, we present a framework for determining the relative
Authors
William R.L. Anderegg, Jeffrey A. Hicke, Rosie A. Fisher, Craig D. Allen, Juliann E. Aukema, Barbara Bentz, Sharon Hood, Jeremy W. Lichstein, Alison K. Macalady, Nate G. McDowell, Yude Pan, Kenneth Raffa, Anna Sala, John D. Shaw, Nathan L. Stephenson, Christina L. Tague, Melanie Zeppel
Mercury and selenium accumulation in the Colorado River food web, Grand Canyon, USA Mercury and selenium accumulation in the Colorado River food web, Grand Canyon, USA
Mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) biomagnify in aquatic food webs and are toxic to fish and wildlife. The authors measured Hg and Se in organic matter, invertebrates, and fishes in the Colorado River food web at sites spanning 387 river km downstream of Glen Canyon Dam (AZ, USA). Concentrations were relatively high among sites compared with other large rivers (mean wet wt for 6 fishes was 0...
Authors
David M. Walters, E.J. Rosi-Marshall, Theodore A. Kennedy, W.F. Cross, C.V. Baxter
Landscapes for energy and wildlife: conservation prioritization for golden eagles across large spatial scales Landscapes for energy and wildlife: conservation prioritization for golden eagles across large spatial scales
Proactive conservation planning for species requires the identification of important spatial attributes across ecologically relevant scales in a model-based framework. However, it is often difficult to develop predictive models, as the explanatory data required for model development across regional management scales is rarely available. Golden eagles are a large-ranging predator of...
Authors
Jason D. Tack, Bradley C. Fedy
Development of a grazing monitoring program for Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado Development of a grazing monitoring program for Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
National parks in the United States face the difficult task of managing natural resources within park boundaries that are influenced to a large degree by historical land uses or by forces outside of the park’s protection and mandate. Among the many challenges faced by parks is management of wildlife populations that occupy larger landscapes than individual park units but that concentrate...
Authors
Linda Zeigenfuss, Kathryn A. Schoenecker
Selection of vegetation types and density of bison in an arid ecosystem Selection of vegetation types and density of bison in an arid ecosystem
Understanding species habitat selection and factors that drive selection are key components for conservation. We report the first resource selection functions (RSFs) for bison inhabiting an arid ecosystem and use them with density estimates of bison to estimate the number of bison that could be supported if the bison range were expanded to federal lands in the San Luis Valley of Colorado...
Authors
Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Linda Zeigenfuss, Scott E. Nielsen, Chris Pague
Tree mortality in mature riparian forest: Implications for Fremont cottonwood conservation in the American southwest Tree mortality in mature riparian forest: Implications for Fremont cottonwood conservation in the American southwest
Mature tree mortality rates are poorly documented in desert riparian woodlands. I monitored deaths and calculated annual survivorship probability (Ps) in 2 groups of large (27–114 cm DBH), old (≥40 years old) Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii Wats.) in a stand along the free-flowing Yampa River in semiarid northwestern Colorado. Ps = 0.993 year-1 in a group (n = 126) monitored over...
Authors
Douglas Andersen
On underestimation of global vulnerability to tree mortality and forest die-off from hotter drought in the Anthropocene On underestimation of global vulnerability to tree mortality and forest die-off from hotter drought in the Anthropocene
Patterns, mechanisms, projections, and consequences of tree mortality and associated broad-scale forest die-off due to drought accompanied by warmer temperatures—“hotter drought”, an emerging characteristic of the Anthropocene—are the focus of rapidly expanding literature. Despite recent observational, experimental, and modeling studies suggesting increased vulnerability of trees to...
Authors
Craig D. Allen, David D. Breshears, Nathan G. McDowell
Valuing geospatial information: Using the contingent valuation method to estimate the economic benefits of Landsat satellite imagery Valuing geospatial information: Using the contingent valuation method to estimate the economic benefits of Landsat satellite imagery
While the U.S. government does not charge for downloading Landsat images, the images have value to users. This paper demonstrates a method that can value Landsat and other imagery to users. A survey of downloaders of Landsat images found: (a) established US users have a mean value of $912 USD per scene; (b) new US users and users returning when imagery became free have a mean value of...
Authors
John B. Loomis, Steve Koontz, Holly M. Miller, Leslie A. Richardson
U.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2014 annual report U.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2014 annual report
This is the seventh report produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) to detail annual activities conducted by the USGS for addressing specific management needs identified by WLCI partners. In FY2014, there were 26 projects, including a new one that was completed, two others that were also completed, and several that entered new...
Authors
Zachary H. Bowen, Cameron L. Aldridge, Patrick J. Anderson, Timothy J. Assal, Timothy T. Bartos, Laura R Biewick, Gregory K. Boughton, Anna D. Chalfoun, Geneva W. Chong, Marie K. Dematatis, Cheryl A. Eddy-Miller, Steven L. Garman, Steve Germaine, Collin G. Homer, Christopher Huber, Matthew J. Kauffman, Natalie Latysh, Daniel J. Manier, Cynthia P. Melcher, Alexander Miller, Kirk A. Miller, Edward M. Olexa, Spencer Schell, Annika W. Walters, Anna B. Wilson, Teal B. Wyckoff
An assessment of the impact of the pet trade on five CITES-Appendix II case studies - Boa constrictor imperator An assessment of the impact of the pet trade on five CITES-Appendix II case studies - Boa constrictor imperator
Boa constrictor is a wide ranging snake species that is common in the pet trade and is currently listed in CITES Appendix II. Hog Island boas, or Cayos Cochinos boas, are a dwarf, insular race of Boa constrictor imperator endemic to the Cayos Cochinos Archipelago, Honduras. Cayos Cochinos boas are prized in the international pet trade for their light pink dorsal coloration, as well as...
Authors
Chad E. Montgomery, Scott M. Boback, Robert N. Reed, Julius A. Frazier