Publications
Below is a list of available NOROCK peer reviewed and published science. If you are in search of a specific publication and cannot find it below or through a search, please contact twojtowicz@usgs.gov.
Filter Total Items: 1308
Inferring presence of the western toad (Anaxyrus boreas) species complex using environmental DNA Inferring presence of the western toad (Anaxyrus boreas) species complex using environmental DNA
Western toads (species complex comprised of Anaxyrus boreas, A. canorus, A. exsul, and A. nelsoni) are widely distributed in the western United States but are declining, particularly in the southeastern extent of their range. The subspecies A. b. boreas is listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Reliable and sensitive methods for...
Authors
Thomas W. Franklin, Joseph C. Dysthe, Michael Golden, Kevin S. McKelvey, Blake R. Hossack, Kellie J. Carim, Cynthia Tait, Michael K. Young, Michael K. Schwartz
Local topography increasingly influences the mass balance of a retreating cirque glacier Local topography increasingly influences the mass balance of a retreating cirque glacier
Local topographically driven processes – such as wind drifting, avalanching, and shading – are known to alter the relationship between the mass balance of small cirque glaciers and regional climate. Yet partitioning such local effects from regional climate influence has proven difficult, creating uncertainty in the climate representativeness of some glaciers. We address this problem for...
Authors
Caitlyn Florentine, Joel T. Harper, Daniel B. Fagre, Johnnie Moore, Erich H. Peitzsch
Scale dependence of diversity in alpine tundra, Rocky Mountains, USA Scale dependence of diversity in alpine tundra, Rocky Mountains, USA
Drivers of alpine plant community composition have been observed to vary with scale. Diversity of alpine tundra across four regions of the Rocky Mountains and among plots within one region was examined relative to temperature and precipitation variables. For regional scale analyses, averages of three metrics of plot-level species diversity relative to environmental variables and regional...
Authors
George P. Malanson, Daniel B. Fagre, Dale L. Zimmerman
A portfolio framework for prioritizing conservation efforts for Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout populations A portfolio framework for prioritizing conservation efforts for Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout populations
Managing and conserving native taxa are becoming increasingly challenging because of mounting threats and limited resources, predicating the need for frameworks to prioritize conservation actions. We integrated attributes of population persistence, genetic status, threats from nonnative species, and threats from climatic shifts to prioritize conservation actions for Yellowstone Cutthroat...
Authors
Robert Al-Chokhachy, Bradley B. Shepard, Jason C. Burckhardt, Dan Garren, Scott Opitz, Todd M. Koel, Lee M. Nelson, Robert E. Gresswell
Improved conventional PCR assay for detecting Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae DNA in fish tissues Improved conventional PCR assay for detecting Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae DNA in fish tissues
Conventional PCR is an established method to detect Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonaeDNA in fish tissues and to confirm diagnosis of proliferative kidney disease (PKD) caused by T. bryosalmonae. However, the commonly used PKX5f‐6r primers were designed with the intention of obtaining sequence information and are suboptimal for determining parasite DNA presence. A new PCR assay to detect T
Authors
Patrick R. Hutchins, Adam J. Sepulveda, Renee M. Martin, Lacey R. Hopper
Book review: BILL SHIPLEY. Cause and correlation in biology: A user's guide to path analysis, structural equations and causal inference with R, 2nd ed. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. Book review: BILL SHIPLEY. Cause and correlation in biology: A user's guide to path analysis, structural equations and causal inference with R, 2nd ed. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
No abstract available.
Authors
Kathryn M. Irvine
Improving geographically extensive acoustic survey designs for modeling species occurrence with imperfect detection and misidentification Improving geographically extensive acoustic survey designs for modeling species occurrence with imperfect detection and misidentification
Acoustic recording units (ARUs) enable geographically extensive surveys of sensitive and elusive species. However, a hidden cost of using ARU data for modeling species occupancy is that prohibitive amounts of human verification may be required to correct species identifications made from automated software. Bat acoustic studies exemplify this challenge because large volumes of...
Authors
Katharine M. Banner, Kathryn M. Irvine, Thomas J. Rodhouse, Wilson J. Wright, Rogelio M. Rodriguez, Andrea R. Litt
Adaptive population divergence and directional gene flow across steep elevational gradients in a climate‐sensitive mammal Adaptive population divergence and directional gene flow across steep elevational gradients in a climate‐sensitive mammal
The American pika is a thermally sensitive, alpine lagomorph species. Recent climate-associated population extirpations and genetic signatures of reduced population sizes range-wide indicate the viability of this species is sensitive to climate change. To test for potential adaptive responses to climate stress, we sampled pikas along two elevational gradients (each ~470 to 1640 m) and...
Authors
Matthew D. Waterhouse, Liesl P. Erb, Erik A. Beever, Michael A. Russello
Placing the Common Era in a Holocene context: Millennial to centennial patterns and trends in the hydroclimate of North America over the past 2000 years Placing the Common Era in a Holocene context: Millennial to centennial patterns and trends in the hydroclimate of North America over the past 2000 years
A synthesis of 93 hydrologic records from across North and Central America, and adjacent tropical and Arctic islands, reveals centennial to millennial trends in the regional hydroclimates of the Common Era (CE; past 2000 years). The hydrological records derive from materials stored in lakes, bogs, caves, and ice from extant glaciers, which have the continuity through time to preserve low...
Authors
Bryan Shuman, Cody C. Routson, Nicholas P. McKay, Sherilyn Fritz, Darrell S. Kaufman, Matthew Kirby, Connor Nolan, Gregory T. Pederson, Jeannine-Marie St. Jacques
Trout in hot water: A call for global action Trout in hot water: A call for global action
Trout are one of the most culturally, economically, and ecologically important taxonomic groups of freshwater fishes worldwide (1). Native to all continents in the Northern Hemisphere, trout are a taxonomically diverse group of fishes belonging to 7 genera (Oncorhynchus, Salvelinus, Salmo, Hucho, Parahucho, Brachymystax, and Salvethymus) distributed across 52 countries. These coldwater...
Authors
Clint C. Muhlfeld, Daniel C. Dauwalter, Ryan Kovach, Jeffrey L. Kershner, Jack E. Williams, John Epifanio
Examining speed versus selection in connectivity models using elk migration as an example Examining speed versus selection in connectivity models using elk migration as an example
Context Landscape resistance is vital to connectivity modeling and frequently derived from resource selection functions (RSFs). RSFs estimate relative probability of use and tend to focus on understanding habitat preferences during slow, routine animal movements (e.g., foraging). Dispersal and migration, however, can produce rarer, faster movements, in which case models of movement speed...
Authors
Angela Brennan, Ephraim M. Hanks, Jerod Merkle, Eric K. Cole, Sarah Dewey, Alyson B. Courtemanch, Paul C. Cross
U.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2016 annual report U.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2016 annual report
This is the ninth annual report highlighting U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) science and decision-support activities conducted for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI). The activities address specific management needs identified by WLCI partner agencies. In fiscal year (FY) 2016, there were 26 active USGS WLCI science-based projects. Of these 26 projects, one project was...
Authors
Zachary H. Bowen, Ellen Aikens, Cameron L. Aldridge, Patrick J. Anderson, Timothy J. Assal, Anna D. Chalfoun, Geneva W. Chong, Cheryl A. Eddy-Miller, Steven L. Garman, Steve Germaine, Collin G. Homer, Aaron N. Johnston, Matthew J. Kauffman, Daniel J. Manier, Cynthia P. Melcher, Kirk A. Miller, Annika W. Walters, Jerrod D. Wheeler, Daniel J. Wieferich, Anna B. Wilson, Teal B. Wyckoff, Linda Zeigenfuss
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Science Synthesis, Analysis, and Research Program, Land Management Research Program, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, Species Management Research Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Fort Collins Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center