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
Long-term video surveillance and automated analyses reveal arousal patterns in groups of hibernating bats Long-term video surveillance and automated analyses reveal arousal patterns in groups of hibernating bats
Understanding natural behaviours is essential to determining how animals deal with new threats (e.g. emerging diseases). However, natural behaviours of animals with cryptic lifestyles, like hibernating bats, are often poorly characterized. White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an unprecedented disease threatening multiple species of hibernating bats, and pathogen-induced changes to host behaviour...
Authors
David T. S. Hayman, Paul M. Cryan, Paul D. Fricker, Nicholas G. Dannemiller
A 184-year record of river meander migration from tree rings, aerial imagery, and cross sections A 184-year record of river meander migration from tree rings, aerial imagery, and cross sections
Channel migration is the primary mechanism of floodplain turnover in meandering rivers and is essential to the persistence of riparian ecosystems. Channel migration is driven by river flows, but short-term records cannot disentangle the effects of land use, flow diversion, past floods, and climate change. We used three data sets to quantify nearly two centuries of channel migration on...
Authors
Derek M. Schook, Sara L. Rathburn, Jonathan M. Friedman, J. Marshall Wolf
Adding a nitrogen footprint to Colorado State University’s sustainability plan Adding a nitrogen footprint to Colorado State University’s sustainability plan
As a large land grant university with more than 32,000 students, Colorado State University has both on-campus non-agricultural and agricultural sources of nitrogen (N) released to the environment. We used the Nitrogen Footprint Tool to estimate the amount of N released from different sectors of the university for the CSU 2014 academic year. The largest on campus sources were food...
Authors
Jacob Kimiecik, Jill Baron, Timothy Weinmann, Emily Taylor
Life history attributes of Arizona Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum ammolegus) and comparisons with other North American subspecies Life history attributes of Arizona Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum ammolegus) and comparisons with other North American subspecies
Ammodramus savannarum ammolegus—commonly referred to as the Arizona Grasshopper Sparrow—occurs in the desert and plains grasslands of southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northern Sonora, Mexico. Although a subspecies of conservation concern, this is the first intensive study of its life history and breeding ecology, providing baseline data and facilitating comparisons with...
Authors
Janet M. Ruth
Land before water: The relative temporal sequence of human alteration of freshwater ecosystems in the conterminous United States Land before water: The relative temporal sequence of human alteration of freshwater ecosystems in the conterminous United States
Human alteration of ecosystems prior to Euro-American contact in the area that became the conterminous United States disproportionately affected terrestrial systems compared to freshwater ecosystems, primarily through the use of fire and agriculture in some regions of the United States. After circa 1600 AD, trapping of beaver, along with intensive modification of rivers and wetlands for...
Authors
Ellen Wohl, Katherine B. Lininger, Jill Baron
Using dynamic population simulations to extend resource selection analyses and prioritize habitats for conservation Using dynamic population simulations to extend resource selection analyses and prioritize habitats for conservation
Prioritizing habitats for conservation is a challenging task, particularly for species with fluctuating populations and seasonally dynamic habitat needs. Although the use of resource selection models to identify and prioritize habitat for conservation is increasingly common, their ability to characterize important long-term habitats for dynamic populations are variable. To examine how...
Authors
Julie A. Heinrichs, Cameron L. Aldridge, Michael S. O’Donnell, Nathan Schumaker
Synthesis centers as critical research infrastructure Synthesis centers as critical research infrastructure
Demand for the opportunity to participate in a synthesis-center activity has increased in the years since the US National Science Foundation (NSF)–funded National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) opened its doors in 1995 and as more scientists across a diversity of scientific disciplines have become aware of what synthesis centers provide. The NSF has funded four...
Authors
Jill Baron, Alison Specht, Eric Garnier, Pamela Bishop, C. Andrew Campbell, Frank W. Davis, Bruno Fady, Dawn Field, Louis J. Gross, Siddeswara M. Guru, Benjamin S Halpern, Stephanie E. Hampton, Peter R. Leavitt, Thomas R. Meagher, Jean Ometto, John N. Parker, Richard Price, Casey H. Rawson, Allen Rodrigo, Laura A. Sheble, Marten Winter
Efficacy of SpayVac® as a contraceptive in feral horses Efficacy of SpayVac® as a contraceptive in feral horses
ABSTRACT We tested the efficacy of 2 formulations of the immunocontraceptive SpayVac1, which packages the immunogen porcine zona pellucida (PZP) and an adjuvant in multilamellar liposomes, as a contraceptive in captive feral horses (Equus caballus) for 3 consecutive breeding seasons (Pauls Valley, OK, USA; 2012–2014) following a single inoculation. Annual fertility rates in control adult...
Authors
James E. Roelle, Stephen S. Germaine, Albert J. Kane, Brian S. Cade
Western bats as a reservoir of novel Streptomyces species with antifungal activity Western bats as a reservoir of novel Streptomyces species with antifungal activity
At least two-thirds of commercial antibiotics today are derived from Actinobacteria, more specifically from the genus Streptomyces. Antibiotic resistance and new emerging diseases pose great challenges in the field of microbiology. Cave systems, in which actinobacteria are ubiquitous and abundant, represent new opportunities for the discovery of novel bacterial species and the study of...
Authors
Paris S. Hamm, Nicole A. Caimi, Diana E. Northup, Ernest W. Valdez, Debbie C. Buecher, Christopher A. Dunlap, David P. Labeda, Shiloh Lueschow, Andrea Porras-Alfaro
Quantile regression of microgeographic variation in population characteristics of an invasive vertebrate predator Quantile regression of microgeographic variation in population characteristics of an invasive vertebrate predator
Localized ecological conditions have the potential to induce variation in population characteristics such as size distributions and body conditions. The ability to generalize the influence of ecological characteristics on such population traits may be particularly meaningful when those traits influence prospects for successful management interventions. To characterize variability in...
Authors
Shane R. Siers, Julie A. Savidge, Robert Reed
Relationships between gas field development and the presence and abundance of pygmy rabbits in southwestern Wyoming Relationships between gas field development and the presence and abundance of pygmy rabbits in southwestern Wyoming
More than 5957 km2 in southwestern Wyoming is currently covered by operational gas fields, and further development is projected through 2030. Gas fields fragment landscapes through conversion of native vegetation to roads, well pads, pipeline corridors, and other infrastructure elements. The sagebrush steppe landscape where most of this development is occurring harbors 24 sagebrush...
Authors
Stephen S. Germaine, Sarah K. Carter, Drew A. Ignizio, Aaron T. Freeman
Using decision analysis to support proactive management of emerging infectious wildlife diseases Using decision analysis to support proactive management of emerging infectious wildlife diseases
Despite calls for improved responses to emerging infectious diseases in wildlife, management is seldom considered until a disease has been detected in affected populations. Reactive approaches may limit the potential for control and increase total response costs. An alternative, proactive management framework can identify immediate actions that reduce future impacts even before a disease...
Authors
Evan H. Campbell Grant, Erin L. Muths, Rachel A. Katz, Stefano Canessa, M. J. Adams, Jennifer R. Ballard, Lee Berger, Cheryl J. Briggs, Jeremy T. H. Coleman, Matthew J. Gray, M. Camille Harris, Reid N. Harris, Blake R. Hossack, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Jonathan E. Kolby, Karen R. Lips, Robert E. Lovich, Hamish I. McCallum, Joseph R. Mendelson, Priya Nanjappa, Deanna H. Olson, Jenny G. Powers, Katherine L. D. Richgels, Robin E. Russell, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Annemarieke Spitzen-van der Sluijs, Mary Kay Watry, Douglas C. Woodhams, C. LeAnn White