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: 3784
Wildfires: Firestorms, smoke, and unintended consequences Wildfires: Firestorms, smoke, and unintended consequences
In the last decade, incredible images of wildfires have increasingly appeared across TV screens, in news feeds, and from the windows of many homes in fire-prone communities. In 2018, a wildfire consumed an entire town in California, with nearly 19,000 houses destroyed and 85 deaths. Then a grass fire in the middle of a Colorado winter killed two people and destroyed more than 1,000...
Authors
Alexandra D. Syphard, Ayesha Islam, Alex Greer, Jon E. Keeley
Do watershed conditions or local climate play a larger role in determining regional stream salamander distributions? Do watershed conditions or local climate play a larger role in determining regional stream salamander distributions?
Anthropogenic influences like land use and climate variability interact with natural heterogeneity to influence the persistence of stream salamanders. Using occupancy modeling in the southern Appalachian Mountains, we investigated the influence of land use, climate, and physical context (e.g., drainage area, elevation) on stream salamander occupancy, noting species, and life stage...
Authors
Kristen K. Cecala, Brian J. Halstead, James S. McGrory, John C. Maerz
Effects of invasive American bullfrogs and their removal on Northwestern pond turtles Effects of invasive American bullfrogs and their removal on Northwestern pond turtles
The American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) is an invasive species globally significant for its role as a generalist predator in freshwater systems. Native turtles are among the species eaten by bullfrogs, and turtle populations are slow to recover from this impact. We examined the effects of bullfrogs and their removal on Northwestern pond turtles (Actinemys marmorata) at four sites in...
Authors
Sidney M. Woodruff, Robert L. Grasso, Brian J. Halstead, Brian D. Todd
Blue carbon stocks along the Pacific Coast of North America are mainly driven by local rather than regional factors Blue carbon stocks along the Pacific Coast of North America are mainly driven by local rather than regional factors
Coastal wetlands, including seagrass meadows, emergent marshes, mangroves, and temperate tidal swamps, can efficiently sequester and store large quantities of sediment organic carbon (SOC). However, SOC stocks may vary by ecosystem type and along environmental or climate gradients at different scales. Quantifying such variability is needed to improve blue carbon accounting, conservation...
Authors
Christopher N. Janousek, Johannes Krause, Judith Z. Drexler, Kevin J. Buffington, Katrina L. Poppe, Erin K. Peck, Fernanda Adame, Elizabeth Watson, James Holmquist, Scott D. Bridgham, Scott F. Jones, Melissa Ward, Cheryl A. Brown, Lisa Beers, Matthew T. Costa, Heida L. Diefenderfer, Amy B. Borde, Lindsey Sheehan, John M Rybczyk, Carolyn Prentice, Andrew Gray, Alejandro Hinojosa-Corona, Ana Carolina Ruiz-Fernandez, Joan-Albert Sanchez-Cabeza, Karen E. Kohfeld, Paula Ezcurra, Jonathan Ochoa-Gomez, Karen M. Thorne, Marlow G. Pellatt, Aurora M. Ricart, Amanda M. Nahlik, Laura S. Brophy, Richard F. Ambrose, Mira Lutz, Craig Cornu, Steve Crooks, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Margot Hessing-Lewis, Fred Short, Stephen Chastain, Trevor Williams, Tristan Douglas, Elizabeth Fard, Lauren N. Brown, Michelle F. Goman
Biodiversity surveys of Wake Atoll—Featuring field guides for plants, arthropods, and herpetofauna Biodiversity surveys of Wake Atoll—Featuring field guides for plants, arthropods, and herpetofauna
Authors
Stacie A. Hathaway, James D. Jacobi, Robert Peck, Adam R. Backlin, Cynthia J. Hitchcock, Robert N. Fisher
Climate and dispersal ability limit future habitats for Gila monsters in the Mojave Desert Climate and dispersal ability limit future habitats for Gila monsters in the Mojave Desert
Describing future habitat for sensitive species can be helpful in planning conservation efforts to ensure species persistence under new climatic conditions. The Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) is an iconic lizard of the southwestern United States. The northernmost range of Gila monsters is the Mojave Desert, an area experiencing rapid human population growth and urban sprawl. To...
Authors
Steven J. Hromada, Jason L. Jones, Jocelyn B. Stalker, Dustin A. Wood, Amy G. Vandergast, C. Richard Tracy, C.M. Gienger, Kenneth E. Nussear
Iguanas rafted more than 8,000 km from North America to Fiji Iguanas rafted more than 8,000 km from North America to Fiji
Founder-event speciation can occur when one or more organisms colonize a distant, unoccupied area via long-distance dispersal, leading to the evolution of a new species lineage. Species radiations established by long-distance, and especially transoceanic, dispersal can cause substantial shifts in regional biodiversity. Here, we investigate the occurrence and timing of the greatest known...
Authors
Simon G. Scarpetta, Robert D. Fisher, Benjamin R. Karin, Jone B. Niukula, Ammon Corl, Todd R. Jackman, Jimmy A. McGuire
Dynamic and context-dependent keystone species effects in kelp forests Dynamic and context-dependent keystone species effects in kelp forests
Sea otters are an iconic keystone predator that can maintain kelp forests by preying on grazing invertebrates such as sea urchins. However, the effects of sea otters on kelp forests vary over their geographic range. Here, we analyze two 30-y datasets on kelp forest communities during the reintroduction of sea otters along the west coast of Vancouver Island, BC, Canada, and around San...
Authors
Ryan E. Langendorf, James A. Estes, Jane C. Watson, Michael C. Kenner, Brian B. Hatfield, M. T. Tinker, Ellen Waddle, Megan L. DeMarche, Daniel F. Doak
Actinemys pallida (Southwestern Pond Turtle). Mechanical injury Actinemys pallida (Southwestern Pond Turtle). Mechanical injury
No abstract available.
Authors
Andrew John Louros, Spencer James Williams, Katherine L. Baumberger, Jared Nicholas Heath, Gage L. Hollingsworth, Elizabeth Gallegos, Adam R. Backlin, Robert D. Fisher
Aspidoscelis tigris (Tiger Whiptail). Diet Aspidoscelis tigris (Tiger Whiptail). Diet
No abstract available.
Authors
Spencer James Williams, Andrew John Louros, Robert D. Fisher
Conservation translocation immediately reverses decline in imperiled sage-grouse populations Conservation translocation immediately reverses decline in imperiled sage-grouse populations
Conservation translocation (hereafter translocation), the intentional movement of organisms from one location to another as a management tool, can be an extremely useful conservation action to increase the abundance of isolated populations following successful habitat restoration. However, managers seek to weigh the benefits against costs to the source population from which individuals...
Authors
Mary B. Meyerpeter, Peter S. Coates, Megan C. Milligan, Brian G. Prochazka, Kade D. Lazenby, Steve Abele, John C. Tull, Katherine Miller, Jesse L. Kolar, Steven R. Mathews, David K. Dehlgren, David J. Delehanty
Increased heterozygosity and body condition result from admixed translocation of the threatened Mogollon Narrow-headed Gartersnake (Thamnophis rufipunctatus) Increased heterozygosity and body condition result from admixed translocation of the threatened Mogollon Narrow-headed Gartersnake (Thamnophis rufipunctatus)
Enhancing gene flow through translocations can be a useful tool in recovering small and isolated populations. However, it is not devoid of genetic risks, such as outbreeding depression in future generations, that can have negative consequences in terms of the establishment and mean fitness of the population. Studies that monitor the long-term effects of genetic rescue on populations in...
Authors
Dustin A. Wood, Bruce L. Christman, Randy D. Jennings, Jonathan P. Rose, Erika M. Nowak, Justin Schofer, Amy G. Vandergast