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: 1316
Social–ecological mismatches create conservation challenges in introduced species management Social–ecological mismatches create conservation challenges in introduced species management
Introduced species can have important effects on the component species and processes of native ecosystems. However, effective introduced species management can be complicated by technical and social challenges. We identify “social–ecological mismatches” (that is, differences between the scales and functioning of interacting social and ecological systems) as one such challenge. We present...
Authors
Erik A. Beever, Daniel Simberloff, Sarah L. Crowley, Robert Al-Chokhachy, Hazel A. Jackson, Steven L. Petersen
Modeling elk‐to‐livestock transmission risk to predict hotspots of brucellosis spillover Modeling elk‐to‐livestock transmission risk to predict hotspots of brucellosis spillover
Wildlife reservoirs of infectious disease are a major source of human‐wildlife conflict because of the risk of potential spillover associated with commingling of wildlife and livestock. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the presence of brucellosis (Brucella abortus) in free‐ranging elk (Cervus canadensis) populations is of significant management concern because of the risk of disease
Authors
Nathaniel D. Rayl, Kelly Proffitt, Emily S. Almberg, Jennifer D. Jones, Jerod Merkle, Justin A. Gude, Paul C. Cross
Louisiana black bear post-delisting monitoring: 3rd annual report Louisiana black bear post-delisting monitoring: 3rd annual report
This report details population and habitat monitoring results as required for post-delisting monitoring under the US Endangered Species Act.
Authors
Joseph D. Clark, Maria Davidson, Robert Greco, D.M. Soileau
Mapping a keystone shrub species, huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum), using seasonal colour change in the Rocky Mountains Mapping a keystone shrub species, huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum), using seasonal colour change in the Rocky Mountains
Black huckleberries (Vaccinium membranaceum) provide a critical food resource to many wildlife species, including apex omnivores such as the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), and play an important socioeconomic role for many communities in western North America, especially indigenous peoples. Remote sensing imagery offers the potential for accurate landscape-level mapping of huckleberries...
Authors
Carolyn R. Shores, Nathaniel Mikle, Tabitha A. Graves
Application of multistate modeling to estimate salmonid survival and movement in relation to spatial and temporal variation in metal exposure in a large mining-impacted river Application of multistate modeling to estimate salmonid survival and movement in relation to spatial and temporal variation in metal exposure in a large mining-impacted river
We used telemetry and multistate modeling to estimate survival and movement of brown trout Salmo trutta and westslope cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi in relation to dissolved copper concentrations in 189 km of the upper Clark Fork River, Montana, a mining-impacted river in western Montana. Annual survival estimates for both brown trout (range, 0.27-0.53) and westslope...
Authors
Mariah P. Mayfield, Thomas E. McMahon, Jay J. Rotella, Robert E. Gresswell, Trevor M. Selch, Patrick Saffle, Jason Lindstrom, Brad Liermann
In situ evaluation of benthic suffocation methods for suppression of invasive Lake Trout embryos in Yellowstone Lake In situ evaluation of benthic suffocation methods for suppression of invasive Lake Trout embryos in Yellowstone Lake
Suppression of invasive Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush is an important management tool to use in native fish and ecosystem conservation throughout the U.S. Intermountain West. Lake Trout suppression, primarily by gill netting, has been ongoing in Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, since 1995. Additional methods that cause mortality of Lake Trout embryos could be used
Authors
Nathan A. Thomas, Christopher S. Guy, Todd M. Koel, Alexander V. Zale
Ecological consequences of anomalies in atmospheric moisture and snowpack Ecological consequences of anomalies in atmospheric moisture and snowpack
Although increased frequency of extreme‐weather events is one of the most secure predictions associated with contemporary climate change, effects of such events on distribution and abundance of climate‐sensitive species remain poorly understood. Montane ecosystems may be especially sensitive to extreme weather because of complex abiotic and biotic interactions that propagate from climate...
Authors
Aaron N. Johnston, Jason E. Bruggeman, Roger Christophersen, Aidan Beers, Erik A. Beever, Jason I. Ransom
Comparing clustered sampling designs for spatially explicit estimation of population density Comparing clustered sampling designs for spatially explicit estimation of population density
Spatially explicit capture–recapture methods do not assume that animals have equal access to sampling devices (e.g., detectors), which allows for gaps in the sampling extent and nonuniform (e.g., clustered) sampling designs. However, the performance (i.e., relative root mean squared error [RRMSE], confidence interval coverage, relative bias and relative standard error) of clustered...
Authors
Joseph D. Clark
Challenges in Columbia River fisheries conservation: Response to Duda et al. Challenges in Columbia River fisheries conservation: Response to Duda et al.
The salmonid fisheries of the Columbia River Basin (CRB) have enormous socioeconomic, cultural, and ecological importance to numerous diverse stakeholders (e.g., state, federal, tribal, nonprofit), and there are a wide array of opinions and perspectives on how these fisheries should be managed. Although we appreciate Duda et al.’s commentary, it offers only one perspective of many in...
Authors
Brian K. Hand, Courtney G. Flint, Chris A. Frissell, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Shawn P. Devlin, Brian P. Kennedy, Robert L. Crabtree, Arthur McKee, Gordon Luikart, Jack A. Stanford
Forecasting for dry and wet avalanches during mixed rain and snow storm events Forecasting for dry and wet avalanches during mixed rain and snow storm events
Professionals in coastal and some inland mountain ranges regularly face mixed rain-snow events. Professionals in inland ranges frequently deal with persistent slab avalanches failing on old faceted layers buried deep within the snowpack. What happens when you combine these snowpack and weather events? Widespread avalanching involving faceted layers during mixed rain-snow events is rarely...
Authors
Scott Savage, Erich H. Peitzsch, Simon Trautman, Benjamin VandenBos
Trophic plasticity and the invasion of a renowned piscivore: A diet synthesis of northern pike (Esox lucius) from the native and introduced ranges in Alaska, U.S.A. Trophic plasticity and the invasion of a renowned piscivore: A diet synthesis of northern pike (Esox lucius) from the native and introduced ranges in Alaska, U.S.A.
The invasion of non-native fishes is a leading cause of extinction and imperilment of native freshwater fishes. Evidence suggests that introduced species with generalist diets have the potential for greatest impacts through competition and predation even though populations are often comprised of specialist individuals. The northern pike (Esox lucius), a predatory fish, has been widely...
Authors
C. Nathan Cathcart, Kristine J. Dunker, Thomas P. Quinn, Adam J. Sepulveda, Frank A. von Hippel, Andrew Wizik, Daniel Young, Peter A.H. Westley
Yellowstone’s birds are vital Yellowstone’s birds are vital
Traveling through Yellowstone National Park (YNP), visitors frequently stop to enjoy the park’s birds: small songbirds flitting about the willows, sandhill cranes engaged in their ritual mating dances, or myriad species of waterfowl loafing in one of the park's many wetlands. Typically while driving the roads of YNP, a majority of visitors consider a stopped car and raised binoculars a...
Authors
Robert H. Diehl, Douglas W. Smith