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: 3743
Common raven occurrence in relation to energy transmission line corridors transiting human-altered sagebrush steppe Common raven occurrence in relation to energy transmission line corridors transiting human-altered sagebrush steppe
Energy-related infrastructure and other human enterprises within sagebrush steppe of the American West often results in changes that promote common raven (Corvus corax; hereafter, raven) populations. Ravens, a generalist predator capable of behavioral innovation, present a threat to many species of conservation concern. We evaluate the effects of detailed features of an altered landscape...
Authors
Peter S. Coates, Kristy B. Howe, Michael L. Casazza, David J. Delehanty
Dietary mercury exposure to endangered California Clapper Rails in San Francisco Bay Dietary mercury exposure to endangered California Clapper Rails in San Francisco Bay
California Clapper Rails (Rallus longirostris obsoletus) are an endangered waterbird that forage in tidal-marsh habitats that pose risks from mercury exposure. We analyzed total mercury (Hg) in six macro-invertebrate and one fish species representing Clapper Rail diets from four tidal-marshes in San Francisco Bay, California. Mercury concentrations among individual taxa ranged from...
Authors
Michael L. Casazza, Mark A. Ricca, Cory T. Overton, John Y. Takekawa, Angela Merritt, Joshua T. Ackerman
Bird migration and avian influenza: a comparison of hydrogen stable isotopes and satellite tracking methods Bird migration and avian influenza: a comparison of hydrogen stable isotopes and satellite tracking methods
Satellite-based tracking of migratory waterfowl is an important tool for understanding the potential role of wild birds in the long-distance transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza. However, employing this technique on a continental scale is prohibitively expensive. This study explores the utility of stable isotope ratios in feathers in examining both the distances traveled by...
Authors
Eli S. Bridge, Jeffrey F. Kelly, Xiangming Xiao, John Y. Takekawa, Nichola J. Hill, Mat Yamage, Enam Ul Haque, Mohammad Anwarul Islam, Taej Mundkur, Kiraz Erciyas Yavuz, Paul Leader, Connie Y.H. Leung, Bena Smith, Kyle A. Spragens, Kurt J. Vandegrift, Parviez R. Hosseini, Samia Saif, Samiul Mohsanin, Andrea Mikolon, Ausrafal Islam, Acty George, Balachandran Sivananinthaperumal, Peter Daszak, Scott H. Newman
Evolutionary ecology of resprouting and seeding in fire-prone ecosystems Evolutionary ecology of resprouting and seeding in fire-prone ecosystems
There are two broad mechanisms by which plant populations persist under recurrent disturbances: resprouting from surviving tissues, and seedling recruitment. Species can have one of these mechanisms or both. However, a coherent framework explaining the differential evolutionary pressures driving these regeneration mechanisms is lacking. We propose a bottom-up approach in addressing this...
Authors
Juli G. Pausas, Jon E. Keeley
Abrupt climate-independent fire regime changes Abrupt climate-independent fire regime changes
Wildfires have played a determining role in distribution, composition and structure of many ecosystems worldwide and climatic changes are widely considered to be a major driver of future fire regime changes. However, forecasting future climatic change induced impacts on fire regimes will require a clearer understanding of other drivers of abrupt fire regime changes. Here, we focus on...
Authors
Juli G. Pausas, Jon E. Keeley
Life-history traits predict perennial species response to fire in a desert ecosystem Life-history traits predict perennial species response to fire in a desert ecosystem
The Mojave Desert of North America has become fire-prone in recent decades due to invasive annual grasses that fuel wildfires following years of high rainfall. Perennial species are poorly adapted to fire in this system, and post-fire shifts in species composition have been substantial but variable across community types. To generalize across a range of conditions, we investigated...
Authors
Daniel F. Shryock, Lesley A. DeFalco, Todd C. Esque
Seedling ecology and restoration of blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) in the Mojave Desert, United States Seedling ecology and restoration of blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) in the Mojave Desert, United States
Increases in fire frequency are disrupting many ecological communities not historically subjected to fire. In the southwestern United States, the blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) community is among the most threatened, often replaced by invasive annual grasses after fire. This long-lived shrub is vulnerable because it recruits sporadically, partially due to mast seeding and the absence...
Authors
Lisa C. Jones, Susanne Schwinning, Todd C. Esque
Short-term vegetation response following mechanical control of saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) on the Virgin River, Nevada, USA Short-term vegetation response following mechanical control of saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) on the Virgin River, Nevada, USA
Tamarisk (a.k.a. saltcedar, Tamarix spp.) is an invasive plant species that occurs throughout western riparian and wetland ecosystems. It is implicated in alterations of ecosystem structure and function and is the subject of many local control projects, including removal using heavy equipment. We evaluated short-term vegetation responses to mechanical Tamarix spp. removal at sites...
Authors
Steven M. Ostoja, Matthew L. Brooks, Tom Dudley, Steven R. Lee
Synergistic interactions between leaf beetle herbivory and fire enhance tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) mortality Synergistic interactions between leaf beetle herbivory and fire enhance tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) mortality
The combined effects of herbivory and fire on plant mortality were investigated using prescribed burns of tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima Lebed) exposed to herbivory by the saltcedar leaf beetle (Chrysomelidae: Diorhabda carinulata Desbrocher). Tamarix stands in the Humboldt Sink (NV, USA) were divided into three treatments: summer burn (August 2006), fall burn (October 2006) and control...
Authors
Gail M. Drus, Tom L. Dudley, Carla M. Antonio, Thomas J. Even, Matt L. Brooks, J.R. Matchett
Assessing fire effects on forest spatial structure using a fusion of Landsat and airborne LiDAR data in Yosemite National Park Assessing fire effects on forest spatial structure using a fusion of Landsat and airborne LiDAR data in Yosemite National Park
Mosaics of tree clumps and openings are characteristic of forests dominated by frequent, low- and moderate-severity fires. When restoring these fire-suppressed forests, managers often try to reproduce these structures to increase ecosystem resilience. We examined unburned and burned forest structures for 1937 0.81 ha sample areas in Yosemite National Park, USA. We estimated severity for...
Authors
Van R. Kane, Malcolm P. North, James A. Lutz, Derek J. Churchill, Susan L. Roberts, Douglas F. Smith, Robert J. McGaughey, Jonathan T. Kane, Matthew L. Brooks
Comparative reproductive biology of sympatric species: Nest and chick survival of American avocets and black-necked stilts Comparative reproductive biology of sympatric species: Nest and chick survival of American avocets and black-necked stilts
Identifying differences in reproductive success rates of closely related and sympatrically breeding species can be useful for understanding limitations to population growth. We simultaneously examined the reproductive ecology of American avocets Recurvirostra americana and black-necked stilts Himantopus mexicanus using 1274 monitored nests and 240 radio-marked chicks in San Francisco Bay
Authors
Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, John Y. Takekawa, Christopher A. Hartman
Mycoplasmosis and upper respiratory tract disease of tortoises: a review and update Mycoplasmosis and upper respiratory tract disease of tortoises: a review and update
Tortoise mycoplasmosis is one of the most extensively characterized infectious diseases of chelonians. A 1989 outbreak of upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) in free-ranging Agassiz's desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) brought together an investigative team of researchers, diagnosticians, pathologists, immunologists and clinicians from multiple institutions and agencies. Electron...
Authors
Elliott R. Jacobson, Mary B. Brown, Lori Wendland, Daniel R. Brown, Paul A. Klein, Mary M. Christopher, Kristin H. Berry