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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

Influences of supplemental feeding on winter elk calf:cow ratios in the southern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Influences of supplemental feeding on winter elk calf:cow ratios in the southern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Several elk herds in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are fed during winter to alleviate interactions with livestock, reduce damage to stored crops, and to manage for high elk numbers. The effects of supplemental feeding on ungulate population dynamics has rarely been examined, despite the fact that supplemental feeding is partially justified as necessary for maintaining or enhancing...
Authors
Aaron M. Foley, Paul C. Cross, David A Christianson, Brandon M. Scurlock, Scott Creely

Spatial sorting promotes the spread of maladaptive hybridization Spatial sorting promotes the spread of maladaptive hybridization

Invasive hybridization is causing loss of biodiversity worldwide. The spread of such introgression can occur even when hybrids have reduced Darwinian fitness, which decreases the frequency of hybrids due to low survival or reproduction through time. This paradox can be partially explained by spatial sorting, where genotypes associated with dispersal increase in frequency at the edge of...
Authors
Winsor H. Lowe, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Fred W. Allendorf

Impact of experimental habitat manipulation on northern bobwhite survival Impact of experimental habitat manipulation on northern bobwhite survival

Habitat management for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) should affect vital rates, but direct linkages with survival are not well documented; therefore, we implemented an experiment to evaluate those responses. We conducted our experiment on a reclaimed surface mine, a novel landscape where conditions were considered sub-optimal because of the dominance of non-native vegetation...
Authors
David C. Peters, Jarred M. Brooke, Evan P. Tanner, Ashley M. Unger, Patrick D. Keyser, Craig A. Harper, Joseph D. Clark, John J. Morgan

Space use and habitat selection by resident and transient coyotes (Canis latrans) Space use and habitat selection by resident and transient coyotes (Canis latrans)

Little information exists on coyote (Canis latrans) space use and habitat selection in the southeastern United States and most studies conducted in the Southeast have been carried out within small study areas (e.g., ≤1,000 km2). Therefore, studying the placement, size, and habitat composition of coyote home ranges over broad geographic areas could provide relevant insights regarding how...
Authors
Joseph W Hinton, Frank T. van Manen, Michael J Chamberlain

Social living mitigates the costs of a chronic illness in a cooperative carnivore Social living mitigates the costs of a chronic illness in a cooperative carnivore

Infection risk is assumed to increase with social group size, and thus be a cost of group living. We assess infection risk and costs with respect to group size using data from an epidemic of sarcoptic mange (Sarcoptes scabiei) among grey wolves (Canis lupus). We demonstrate that group size does not predict infection risk and that individual costs of infection, in terms of reduced...
Authors
Emily S. Almberg, Paul C. Cross, Andrew P. Dobson, Douglas W. Smith, Matthew C Metz, Daniel R. Stahler, Peter J. Hudson

Genetic diversity is related to climatic variation and vulnerability in threatened bull trout Genetic diversity is related to climatic variation and vulnerability in threatened bull trout

Understanding how climatic variation influences ecological and evolutionary processes is crucial for informed conservation decision-making. Nevertheless, few studies have measured how climatic variation influences genetic diversity within populations or how genetic diversity is distributed across space relative to future climatic stress. Here, we tested whether patterns of genetic...
Authors
Ryan Kovach, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Alisa A. Wade, Brian K. Hand, Diane C. Whited, Patrick W. DeHaan, Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Gordon Luikart

Life history diversity of Snake River finespotted cutthroat trout: managing for persistence in a rapidly changing environment Life history diversity of Snake River finespotted cutthroat trout: managing for persistence in a rapidly changing environment

Over the last century, native trout have experienced dramatic population declines, particularly in larger river systems where habitats associated with different spawning life history forms have been lost through habitat degradation and fragmentation. The resulting decrease in life history diversity has affected the capacity of populations to respond to environmental variability and...
Authors
Kristen M. Homel, Robert E. Gresswell, Jeffrey L. Kershner

Context-dependent survival, fecundity and predicted population-level consequences of brucellosis in African buffalo Context-dependent survival, fecundity and predicted population-level consequences of brucellosis in African buffalo

Chronic infections may have negative impacts on wildlife populations, yet their effects are difficult to detect in the absence of long-term population monitoring. Brucella abortus, the bacteria responsible for bovine brucellosis, causes chronic infections and abortions in wild and domestic ungulates, but its impact on population dynamics is not well understood. We report infection...
Authors
Erin E. Gorsich, Vanessa O. Ezenwa, Paul C. Cross, Roy G. Bengis, Anna E. Jolles

Book Reivew: A chance for lasting survival: Ecology and behavior of wild giant pandas Book Reivew: A chance for lasting survival: Ecology and behavior of wild giant pandas

“If we watch species going extinct in front of us, how useful is that we publish 100 or even 1,000 papers by studying them?” (p. 330). This quote from senior author Pan Wenshi captures an important essence of this book. A translation of a 2001 monograph originally published in Chinese, this volume details the findings of a 15-year research program in the Qinling Mountains by Wenshi and...
Authors
Frank T. van Manen

Monitoring Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem wetlands: Can long-term monitoring help us understand their future? Monitoring Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem wetlands: Can long-term monitoring help us understand their future?

In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), changes in the drying cycles of wetlands have been documented. Wetlands are areas where the water table is at or near the land surface and standing shallow water is present for much or all of the growing season. We discuss how monitoring data can be used to document variation in annual flooding and drying patterns of wetlands monitored across...
Authors
Andrew M. Ray, Adam J. Sepulveda, Blake R. Hossack, Debra Patla, David Thoma, Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Andrea R. Litt

Temporal patterns in adult salmon migration timing across southeast Alaska Temporal patterns in adult salmon migration timing across southeast Alaska

Pacific salmon migration timing can drive population productivity, ecosystem dynamics, and human harvest. Nevertheless, little is known about long-term variation in salmon migration timing for multiple species across broad regions. We used long-term data for five Pacific salmon species throughout rapidly warming southeast Alaska to describe long-term changes in salmon migration timing...
Authors
Ryan P. Kovach, Stephen Ellison, Sanjay Pyare, David Tallmon
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