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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: 1316

Quantifying climate sensitivity and climate-driven change in North American amphibian communities Quantifying climate sensitivity and climate-driven change in North American amphibian communities

Changing climate will impact species’ ranges only when environmental variability directly impacts the demography of local populations. However, measurement of demographic responses to climate change has largely been limited to single species and locations. Here we show that amphibian communities are responsive to climatic variability, using >500,000 time-series observations for 81...
Authors
David A.W. Miller, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Erin L. Muths, Staci M. Amburgey, M. J. Adams, Maxwell B. Joseph, J. Hardin Waddle, Pieter T.J. Johnson, Maureen E. Ryan, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Daniel L. Calhoun, Courtney L. Davis, Robert N. Fisher, David M. Green, Blake R. Hossack, Tracy A.G. Rittenhouse, Susan C. Walls, Larissa L. Bailey, Sam S. Cruickshank, Gary M. Fellers, Thomas A. Gorman, Carola A. Haas, Ward Hughson, David S. Pilliod, Steven J. Price, Andrew M. Ray, Walter Sadinski, Daniel Saenz, William J. Barichivich, Adrianne B. Brand, Cheryl S. Brehme, Rosi Dagit, Katy S. Delaney, Brad M. Glorioso, Lee B. Kats, Patrick M. Kleeman, Christopher Pearl, Carlton J. Rochester, Seth P. D. Riley, Mark F. Roth, Brent Sigafus

The ecology of movement and behaviour: a saturated tripartite network for describing animal contacts The ecology of movement and behaviour: a saturated tripartite network for describing animal contacts

Ecologists regularly use animal contact networks to describe interactions underlying pathogen transmission, gene flow, and information transfer. However, empirical descriptions of contact often overlook some features of individual movement, and decisions about what kind of network to use in a particular setting are commonly ad hoc. Here, we relate individual movement trajectories to...
Authors
Kezia R. Manlove, Christina M. Aiello, Pratha Sah, Bree Cummins, Peter J. Hudson, Paul C. Cross

Tradeoffs of a portable, field-based environmental DNA platform for detecting invasive northern pike (Esox lucius) in Alaska Tradeoffs of a portable, field-based environmental DNA platform for detecting invasive northern pike (Esox lucius) in Alaska

Environmental DNA (eDNA) has improved detection probabilities of aquatic invasive species but lab-based analytical platforms for eDNA analyses slow opportunities for rapid response. Effective approaches that address this analytical bottleneck and improve capacity for rapid response are urgently needed. We tested the sensitivity of a portable, field-based eDNA platform relative to widely...
Authors
Adam J. Sepulveda, Patrick R. Hutchins, Robert L. Massengill, Kristine J. Dunker

Estimating distemper virus dynamics among wolves and grizzly bears using serology and Bayesian state‐space models Estimating distemper virus dynamics among wolves and grizzly bears using serology and Bayesian state‐space models

Many parasites infect multiple hosts, but estimating the transmission across host species remains a key challenge in disease ecology. We investigated the within and across host species dynamics of canine distemper virus (CDV) in grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) and wolves (Canis lupus) of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). We hypothesized that grizzly bears may be more likely to be...
Authors
Paul C. Cross, Frank T. van Manen, Mafalda Viana, Emily S. Almberg, Daniel Bachen, Ellen E. Brandell, Mark A. Haroldson, Peter J. Hudson, Daniel R. Stahler, Douglas W. Smith

Using automated radio telemetry to quantify activity patterns of songbirds during stopover Using automated radio telemetry to quantify activity patterns of songbirds during stopover

During migration, birds require stopover habitat to rest and refuel before resuming flight. While long-distance migratory flights represent a large energy investment, stopover accounts for roughly two-thirds of a bird's total energy expenditure during migration. Therefore, birds should minimize energy expenditure while also minimizing time and predation risk during stopover. To...
Authors
Lynn N. Schofield, Jill L. Deppe, Theodore J. Zenzal, Michael P. Ward, Robert H. Diehl, Rachel T. Bolus, Frank R. Moore

International meeting on sarcoptic mange in wildlife, June 2018, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA International meeting on sarcoptic mange in wildlife, June 2018, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

Sarcoptic mange is a globally distributed disease caused by the burrowing mite Sarcoptes scabiei, which also causes scabies in humans. A wide and increasing number of wild mammal species are reported to be susceptible to mange; however, the impacts of the disease in wildlife populations, mechanisms involved in its eco-epidemiological dynamics, and risks to public and ecosystem health are...
Authors
Francisca Astorga, Scott Carver, Emily S. Almberg, Giovane R. Sousa, Kimberly Wingfield, Kevin D. Niedringhaus, Peach Van Wick, Luca Rossi, Yue Xie, Paul C. Cross, Samer Angelone, Christian Gortazar, Luis E. Escobar

Post-breeding movement and habitat use by wood frogs along an Arctic–Subarctic ecotone Post-breeding movement and habitat use by wood frogs along an Arctic–Subarctic ecotone

By altering essential micro- and macrohabitat conditions for many organisms, climate change is already causing disproportionately greater impacts on Arctic and Subarctic ecosystems. Yet there is a lack of basic information about many species in northern latitudes, including amphibians. We used radio telemetry to study the post-breeding movements and habitat use of wood frogs (Rana [...
Authors
Stephanie Bishir, Blake R. Hossack, LeeAnn Fishback, J. M. Davenport

Effects of land use on summer thermal regimes in critical salmonid habitats of the Pacific Northwest Effects of land use on summer thermal regimes in critical salmonid habitats of the Pacific Northwest

The effect of climate change on stream temperature regimes is of significant concern to natural resource managers focused on protecting cold-water-dependent species. Nevertheless, understanding of how human land-use activities may act to exacerbate the effects of climate change on stream temperature regimes is limited. Using extensive stream temperature data with high-resolution climate...
Authors
Ryan Kovach, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Robert Al-Chokhachy, Jeffrey V. Ojala, Eric Archer

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
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