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: 3723
Impacts of upper respiratory tract disease on olfactory behavior of the Mojave desert tortoise Impacts of upper respiratory tract disease on olfactory behavior of the Mojave desert tortoise
Upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) caused by Mycoplasma agassizii is considered a threat to desert tortoise populations that should be addressed as part of the recovery of the species. Clinical signs can be intermittent and include serous or mucoid nasal discharge and respiratory difficulty when nares are occluded. This nasal congestion may result in a loss of the olfactory sense...
Authors
Jennifer Germano, Vanessa E. Van Zerr, Todd C. Esque, Ken E. Nussear, Nadine Lamberski
Population declines lead to replicate patterns of internal range structure at the tips of the distribution of the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) Population declines lead to replicate patterns of internal range structure at the tips of the distribution of the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii)
Demographic declines and increased isolation of peripheral populations of the threatened California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) have led to the formation of internal range boundaries at opposite ends of the species’ distribution. While the population genetics of the southern internal boundary has been studied in some detail, similar information is lacking for the northern part of...
Authors
Jonathan Q. Richmond, Adam R. Backlin, Patricia J. Tatarian, Ben G. Solvesky, Robert N. Fisher
Ghost of habitat past: historic habitat affects the contemporary distribution of giant garter snakes in a modified landscape. Ghost of habitat past: historic habitat affects the contemporary distribution of giant garter snakes in a modified landscape.
Historic habitat conditions can affect contemporary communities and populations, but most studies of historic habitat are based on the reduction in habitat extent or connectivity. Little is known about the effects of historic habitat on contemporary species distributions when historic habitat has been nearly completely removed, but species persist in a highly altered landscape. More than...
Authors
Brian J. Halstead, Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. Casazza
Behavioural cues surpass habitat factors in explaining prebreeding resource selection by a migratory diving duck Behavioural cues surpass habitat factors in explaining prebreeding resource selection by a migratory diving duck
Prebreeding habitat selection in birds can often be explained in part by habitat characteristics. However, females may also select habitats on the basis of fidelity to areas of previous reproductive success or use by conspecifics. The relative influences of sociobehavioural attributes versus habitat characteristics in habitat selection has been primarily investigated in songbirds, while...
Authors
Shawn T. O’Neil, Jeffrey M. Warren, John Y. Takekawa, Susan E. W. De La Cruz, Kyle A. Cutting, Michael W. Parker, Julie L. Yee
Vocal activity as a low cost and scalable index of seabird colony size Vocal activity as a low cost and scalable index of seabird colony size
Although wildlife conservation actions have increased globally in number and complexity, the lack of scalable, cost-effective monitoring methods limits adaptive management and the evaluation of conservation efficacy. Automated sensors and computer-aided analyses provide a scalable and increasingly cost-effective tool for conservation monitoring. A key assumption of automated acoustic...
Authors
Abraham L. Borker, Matthew W. McKown, Joshua T. Ackerman, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Bernie R. Tershy, Donald A. Croll
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