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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: 1197

Evaluation of remote site incubators to incubate wild- and hatchery-origin Westslope Cutthroat Trout embryos

Fish managers must weigh trade-offs among cost, speed, efficiency, and ecological adaptation when deciding how to translocate native salmonids to either establish or genetically augment populations. Remote site incubators (RSIs) appear to be a reasonable strategy, but large-scale evaluations of this method have been limited. We used 129 RSIs to incubate >35,700 eyed embryos of Westslope Cutthroat
Authors
Bradley B. Shepard, Patrick Clancey, Lee M. Nelson, Carter Kruse, Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Daniel Drinan, Alexander V. Zale

Integrating ecological impacts: Perspectives on drought in the Upper Missouri Headwaters, Montana, United States

Drought is a complex challenge experienced in specific locations through diverse impacts, including ecological impacts. Different professionals involved in drought preparedness and response approach the problem from different points of view, which means they may or may not recognize ecological impacts. This study examines the extent to which interviewees perceive ecological drought in the Upper Mi
Authors
Amanda E. Cravens, Jamie McEvoy, Dionne Zoanni, Shelley Crausbay, Aaron R. Ramirez, Ashley E. Cooper

Evaluation of connectivity among black bear populations in Georgia

Habitat fragmentation and loss contribute to isolation of wildlife populations and increased extinction risks for various species, including many large carnivores. We studied a small and isolated population of American black bears (Ursus americanus) that is of conservation concern in central Georgia, USA (i.e., central Georgia bear population [CGBP]). Our goal was to evaluate the potential for dem
Authors
Michael J. Hooker, Joseph D. Clark, Bobby T Bond, Michael J Chamberlain

Effects of supplemental feeding on the fecal bacterial communities of Rocky Mountain elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Supplemental feeding of wildlife is a common practice often undertaken for recreational or management purposes, but it may have unintended consequences for animal health. Understanding cryptic effects of diet supplementation on the gut microbiomes of wild mammals is important to inform conservation and management strategies. Multiple laboratory studies have demonstrated the importance of the gut m
Authors
Claire E Couch, Benjamin Wise, Brandon Scurlock, Jared D. Rogerson, Rebecca K. Fuda, Eric K Cole, Kimberly E Szcodronski, Adam J. Sepulveda, Patrick R. Hutchins, Paul C. Cross

A reassessment of Chao2 estimates for population monitoring of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

The Yellowstone Ecosystem Subcommittee (YES) asked the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) to re-assess a technique used in annual population estimation and trend monitoring of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). This technique is referred to as the Chao2 approach and estimates the number of females with cubs-of-the-year (hereafter, females with cubs) and, in associat
Authors
Frank T. van Manen, Michael R. Ebinger, Mark A. Haroldson, Daniel D. Bjornlie, Justin Clapp, Daniel J. Thompson, Kevin L. Frey, Cecily M. Costello, Curtis Hendricks, Jeremy M. Nicholson, Kerry A. Gunther, Katharine R. Wilmot, Hilary Cooley, Jennifer Fortin-Noreus, Pat Hnilicka, Daniel B. Tyers

Advancements in analytical approaches improve whitebark pine monitoring results

Long-term monitoring programs track the status and trends of species in increasingly vulnerable environments. These monitoring results provide critical information for evaluating, understanding, and managing natural resources. To accurately interpret if and how conditions may be changing for select ecological indicators, it is essential that monitoring programs adopt methods to ensure exceptional
Authors
Erin Shanahan, Kathryn M. Irvine

Water reliability in the west -- SECURE Water Act Section 9503(C)

No abstract available.
Authors
Marketa McGuire, Subhrendu Gangopadhyay, Justin Martin, Gregory T. Pederson, Connie A. Woodhouse, Jeremy Littell

Quantifying energetic costs and defining energy landscapes experienced by grizzly bears

Animal movements are major determinants of energy expenditure and ultimately the cost–benefit of landscape use. Thus, we sought to understand those costs and how grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) move in mountainous landscapes. We trained captive grizzly bears to walk on a horizontal treadmill and up and down 10% and 20% slopes. The cost of moving upslope increased linearly with speed and slope angle,
Authors
Anthony M. Carnahan, Frank T. van Manen, Mark A. Haroldson, Gordon Stenhouse, Charles T. Robbins

Mammal species composition and habitat associations in a commercial forest and mixed-plantation landscape

Commercial forest plantations of fast-growing species have been established globally to meet increasing demands for timber, pulpwood, and other wood products. Industrial plantations may contribute to tropical forest conservation by reducing exploitation of primary and secondary natural forests. Whether such plantations can support critical elements of biodiversity, including provision of habitat a
Authors
Wai Pak Ng, Frank T. van Manen, Stuart P. Sharp, Siew Te Wong, Shyamala Ratnayeke

Exploration of the 2016 Yellowstone River fish kill and proliferative kidney disease in wild fish populations

Proliferative kidney disease (PKD) is an emerging disease that recently resulted in a large mortality event of salmonids in the Yellowstone River (Montana, USA). Total PKD fish mortalities in the Yellowstone River were estimated in the tens of thousands, which resulted in a multi‐week river closure and an estimated economic loss of US$500,000. This event shocked scientists, managers, and the publi
Authors
Patrick Ross Hutchins, Adam J. Sepulveda, Hanna Hartikainen, Ken D. Staigmiller, Scott T. Opitz, Renee M. Yamamoto, Amberly Huttinger, Rick J. Cordes, Tammy Weiss, Lacey R. Hopper, Maureen K. Purcell, Beth Okamura

Sarcoptic mange: An emerging panzootic in wildlife

Sarcoptic mange, a skin infestation caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, is an emerging disease for some species of wildlife, potentially jeopardizing their welfare and conservation. Sarcoptes scabiei has a near-global distribution facilitated by its forms of transmission and use of a large diversity of host species (many of those with broad geographic distribution). In this review, we synthesize
Authors
L. E. Escobar, Scott Carver, Paul C. Cross, Luca Rossi, E. S. Almberg, M. J. Yabsley, K D Niedringhaus, Peach Van Wick, Ernesto Dominguez-Villegas, F.F. Gakuya, Yue Xie, Samer Angelone, Christian Gortázar, Francisca Astorga

Enumerating white-tailed deer using unmanned aerial vehicles

The white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is an ecologically important species in forests of North America. Effective management of forests requires accurate, precise estimates of deer population abundance to plan and justify management actions. Spotlight surveys in combination with distance sampling are a common method of estimating deer population abundance; however, spotlight surveys are k
Authors
Todd M. Preston, Mark L. Wildhaber, Nicholas S. Green, Janice L. Albers, Geoffrey P. Debenedetto