Publications
Below is a list of WERC's peer-reviewed publications. If you are searching for a specific publication and cannot find it in this list, please contact werc_web@usgs.gov
Filter Total Items: 3707
Soil compaction vulnerability at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona Soil compaction vulnerability at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona
Compaction vulnerability of different types of soils by hikers and vehicles is poorly known, particularly for soils of arid and semiarid regions. Engineering analyses have long shown that poorly sorted soils (for example, sandy loams) compact to high densities, whereas well-sorted soils (for example, eolian sand) do not compact, and high gravel content may reduce compaction. Organ Pipe...
Authors
Robert H. Webb, Kenneth E. Nussear, Shinji Carmichael, Todd C. Esque
Rate of tree carbon accumulation increases continuously with tree size Rate of tree carbon accumulation increases continuously with tree size
Forests are major components of the global carbon cycle, providing substantial feedback to atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. Our ability to understand and predict changes in the forest carbon cycle—particularly net primary productivity and carbon storage - increasingly relies on models that represent biological processes across several scales of biological organization, from...
Authors
N.L. Stephenson, A.J. Das, R. Condit, S.E. Russo, P.J. Baker, N.G. Beckman, D.A. Coomes, E.R. Lines, W.K. Morris, N. Rüger, E. Alvarez, C. Blundo, S. Bunyavejchewin, G. Chuyong, S.J. Davies, A. Duque, C.N. Ewango, O. Flores, J.F. Franklin, H.R. Grau, Z. Hao, M. E. Harmon, S.P. Hubbell, D. Kenfack, Y. Lin, J.-R. Makana, A. Malizia, L.R. Malizia, R.J. Pabst, N. Pongpattananurak, S.-H. Su, I-F. Sun, S. Tan, D. Thomas, P. J. van Mantgem, X. Wang, S.K. Wiser, M.A. Zavala
Risks of avian influenza transmission in areas of intensive free-ranging duck production with wild waterfowl Risks of avian influenza transmission in areas of intensive free-ranging duck production with wild waterfowl
For decades, southern China has been considered to be an important source for emerging influenza viruses since key hosts live together in high densities in areas with intensive agriculture. However, the underlying conditions of emergence and spread of avian influenza viruses (AIV) have not been studied in detail, particularly the complex spatiotemporal interplay of viral transmission...
Authors
Julien Cappelle, Delong Zhao, Marius Gilbert, Scott H. Newman, John Y. Takekawa, Nicolas Gaidet, Diann J. Prosser, Ying Liu, Peng Li, Yuelong Shu, Xiangming Xiao
Pacific Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment (PaCSEA): aerial seabird and marine mammal surveys off northern California, Oregon, and Washington, 2011-2012 Pacific Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment (PaCSEA): aerial seabird and marine mammal surveys off northern California, Oregon, and Washington, 2011-2012
Marine birds and mammals comprise an important community of meso- and upper-trophic-level predators within the northern California Current System (NCCS). The NCCS is located within one of the world’s four major eastern boundary currents and is characterized by an abundant and diverse marine ecosystem fuelled seasonally by wind-driven upwelling which supplies nutrient-rich water to...
Authors
Josh Adams, Jonathan J. Felis, John W. Mason, John Y. Takekawa
Temperate and boreal forest mega-fires: characteristics and challenges Temperate and boreal forest mega-fires: characteristics and challenges
Mega-fires are often defined according to their size and intensity but are more accurately described by their socioeconomic impacts. Three factors – climate change, fire exclusion, and antecedent disturbance, collectively referred to as the “mega-fire triangle” – likely contribute to today's mega-fires. Some characteristics of mega-fires may emulate historical fire regimes and can...
Authors
Scott L. Stephens, Neil Burrows, Alexander Buyantuyev, Robert W. Gray, Robert E. Keane, Rick Kubian, Shirong Liu, Francisco Seijo, Lifu Shu, Kevin G. Tolhurst, Jan W. Van Wagtendonk
Effects of wetland management on carrying capacity of diving ducks and shorebirds in a coastal estuary Effects of wetland management on carrying capacity of diving ducks and shorebirds in a coastal estuary
With global loss of natural wetlands, managed wetlands increasingly support energy requirements for wintering shorebirds and waterfowl. Despite numerous studies of avian bioenergetics in freshwater systems, less is known of the energetic capacity of estuarine systems. In San Francisco Bay, managed saline ponds converted from former commercial salt evaporation ponds form part of the...
Authors
L. Arriana Brand, John Y. Takekawa, Joel Shinn, Tanya Graham, Kevin Buffington, K. Benjamin Gustafson, Lacy M. Smith, Sarah E. Spring, A. Keith Miles
Relative contribution of lipid sources to eggs of lesser scaup Relative contribution of lipid sources to eggs of lesser scaup
Studies of how birds mobilize nutrients to eggs have traditionally considered a continuum of possible allocation strategies ranging from income breeding (rely on food sources found on the breeding grounds) to capital breeding (rely on body reserves stored prior to the breeding season). For capital breeding, stored body reserves can be acquired either on or away from the breeding grounds...
Authors
Kyle A. Cutting, Keith A. Hobson, Jay J. Rotella, Jeffrey M. Warren, John Y. Takekawa, Susan E.W. De La Cruz, Michael Parker
Abalone farm discharges the withering syndrome pathogen into the wild Abalone farm discharges the withering syndrome pathogen into the wild
An intracellular bacterium Candidatus Xenohaliotis californiensis, also called Withering-Syndrome Rickettsia-Like Organism (WS-RLO), is the cause of mass mortalities that are the chief reason for endangerment of black abalone (Haliotis cracherodii). Using a real-time PCR assay, we found that a shore-based abalone farm (AF) in Santa Barbara, CA, USA discharged WS-RLO DNA into the ocean...
Authors
Kevin D. Lafferty, Tal Ben-Horin
Resource selection and space use by sea ducks during the non-breeding season: Implications for habitat conservation planning in urbanized estuaries Resource selection and space use by sea ducks during the non-breeding season: Implications for habitat conservation planning in urbanized estuaries
Wide-ranging marine birds rely on multiple habitats for wintering, breeding, and migrating, and their conservation may be dependent on protecting networks of key areas. Urbanized estuaries are critical wintering and stopover areas for many declining sea ducks in North America; however, conservation measures within estuaries are difficult to establish given lack of knowledge about habitat...
Authors
Susan E. W. De La Cruz, John M. Eadie, A. Keith Miles, Julie Yee, Kyle A. Spragens, Eric C. Palm, John Y. Takekawa
Habitat characteristics of North American tortoises Habitat characteristics of North American tortoises
North American tortoises are distributed in semi-arid and temperate deserts and coastal regions of the southern United States and Mexico. The five species currently recognized each have specific habitat requirements, which they fulfill through their selection of, and interaction with unique habitat constituents. In this chapter we discuss the physiographic and geological associations...
Authors
Kenneth E. Nussear, Tracey D. Tuberville
Potential environmental effects of pack stock on meadow ecosystems of the Sierra Nevada, USA Potential environmental effects of pack stock on meadow ecosystems of the Sierra Nevada, USA
Pack and saddle stock, including, but not limited to domesticated horses, mules, and burros, are used to support commercial, private and administrative activities in the Sierra Nevada. The use of pack stock has become a contentious and litigious issue for land management agencies in the region inter alia due to concerns over effects on the environment. The potential environmental effects...
Authors
Steven M. Ostoja, Matthew L. Brooks, Peggy E. Moore, Eric L. Berlow, Robert Blank, Jim Roche, Jennifer T. Chase, Sylvia Haultain
Protection benefits desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) abundance: the influence of three management strategies on a threatened species Protection benefits desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) abundance: the influence of three management strategies on a threatened species
We surveyed an area of ∼260 km2 in the western Mojave Desert to evaluate relationships between condition of Agassiz's Desert Tortoise populations (Gopherus agassizii) and habitat on lands that have experienced three different levels of management and protection. We established 240 1-ha plots using random sampling, with 80 plots on each of the three types of managed lands. We conducted...
Authors
Kristin H. Berry, Lisa M. Lyren, Julie L. Yee, Tracy Y. Bailey