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
Fire in California ecosystems Fire in California ecosystems
No abstract available at this time
Authors
N. G. Sugihara, J. W. van Wagtendonk, J. Fites-Kaufman, K. E. Shaffer, A. E. Thode
Sierra Nevada bioregion Sierra Nevada bioregion
This chapter addresses the immediately south of the Cascades in the Sierra Nevada bioregion, extending nearly half the length of the state of California. This bioregion is one of the most striking features of the state of California, extending from the southern Cascade Mountains in the north to the Tehachapi Mountains and Mojave Desert 700 km to the south. Moreover, the fire responses of...
Authors
J. W. van Wagtendonk, J. Fites-Kaufman
Lessons from the 2003 wildfires in southern California Lessons from the 2003 wildfires in southern California
The Southern California fires of late Oct. 2003 burned 742,000 ac and destroyed 3,361 homes and 26 lives. Factors leading up to this event were very different between forests, which comprised about 5% of the area burned, and shrublands. Three lessons are (1) although these fires were massive, they were not unprecedented, and future fires of this magnitude are to be expected; (2) the...
Authors
Jon E. Keeley, C. J. Fotheringham, M. A. Moritz
Is predation on waterfowl nests density dependent? Tests at three spatial scales Is predation on waterfowl nests density dependent? Tests at three spatial scales
We tested whether predation on duck nests (Anas spp.) was density dependent at three spatial scales using artificial and natural nests in the Suisun Marsh, California, USA. At the largest spatial scale, we used 5 years (1998–2002) of data to examine the natural variation in duck nest success and nest densities among 8–16 fields per year, each 5–33 ha in size (n=62 fields). At an...
Authors
Joshua T. Ackerman, Alexis L. Blackmer, John M. Eadie
Inventory of Terrestrial Vertebrates at John Muir National Historic Site and Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site Inventory of Terrestrial Vertebrates at John Muir National Historic Site and Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site
No abstract available at this time
Authors
Gary M. Fellers, Leslie Wood, Greg Guscio, David Pratt
Evolution of trophic transmission in parasites: Why add intermediate hosts? Evolution of trophic transmission in parasites: Why add intermediate hosts?
Although multihost complex life cycles (CLCs) are common in several distantly related groups of parasites, their evolution remains poorly understood. In this article, we argue that under particular circumstances, adding a second host to a single-host life cycle is likely to enhance transmission (i.e., reaching the target host). For instance, in several situations, the propagules of a...
Authors
Marc Choisy, Sam P. Brown, Kevin D. Lafferty, Frederic Thomas
Fire and invasive plants in California ecosystems Fire and invasive plants in California ecosystems
No abstract available.
Authors
Jon E. Keeley
Sonoran Desert: Fragile Land of Extremes Sonoran Desert: Fragile Land of Extremes
'Sonoran Desert: Fragile Land of Extremes' shows how biologists with the U.S. Geological Survey work with other scientists in an effort to better understand native plants and animals such as desert tortoises, saguaro cacti, and Gila monsters. Much of the program was shot in and around Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Arizona. Genetic detective work, using DNA, focuses on understanding...
Authors
Stephen Produced and Directed by Wessells
Rare male aggression directed toward females in a female-dominated society: Baiting behavior in the spotted hyena Rare male aggression directed toward females in a female-dominated society: Baiting behavior in the spotted hyena
Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) are gregarious carnivores. The females are socially dominant to males, and adult males rarely direct aggression toward adult females. This study analyzed all cases in which adult immigrant males behaved aggressively toward adult females in a large population of free-living hyenas in Kenya, observed for 11 years. Our goals were to describe the conditions...
Authors
Micaela Szykman, Anne L. Engh, Russell C. Van Horn, Erin E. Boydston, Kim T. Scribner, Kay E. Holekamp
How should environmental stress affect the population dynamics of disease? How should environmental stress affect the population dynamics of disease?
We modelled how stress affects the population dynamics of infectious disease. We were specifically concerned with stress that increased susceptibility of uninfected hosts when exposed to infection. If such stresses also reduced resources, fecundity and/or survivorship, there was a reduction in the host carrying capacity. This lowered the contact between infected and uninfected hosts...
Authors
Kevin D. Lafferty, Robert D. Holt
Use of radio telemetry in studies of shorebirds: past contributions and future directions Use of radio telemetry in studies of shorebirds: past contributions and future directions
No abstract available.
Authors
N. Warnock, John Y. Takekawa
Montioring Giant Garter Snakes at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge: 2002 Progress Report Montioring Giant Garter Snakes at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge: 2002 Progress Report
No abstract available at this time
Authors
Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. Casazza, Lisa L. Martin