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
Global political responsibility for the conservation of albatrosses and large petrels Global political responsibility for the conservation of albatrosses and large petrels
Migratory marine species cross political borders and enter the high seas, where the lack of an effective global management framework for biodiversity leaves them vulnerable to threats. Here, we combine 10,108 tracks from 5775 individual birds at 87 sites with data on breeding population sizes to estimate the relative year-round importance of national jurisdictions and high seas areas for...
Authors
Martin Beal, Maria P. Dias, Richard A. Phillips, Steffen Oppel, Carolina Hazin, Elizabeth J. Pearmin, Josh Adams, David J Anderson, Michelle Antolos, Javier A Arata, Jose Manuel Arcos, John P. Y. Arnould, Jill Awkerman, Elizabeth Bell, Mike Bell, Mark Carey, Ryan Carle, Thomas A Clay, Jaimie Cleeland, Valentina Colodro, Melinda G. Conners, Marta Cruz-Flores, Richard Cuthbert, Karine Delord, Lorna Deppe, Ben J Dilley, Herculano A. Dinis, Graeme Elliot, Fernanda de Felipe, Jonathan J. Felis, Manuela G. Forero, Amanda Freeman, Akira Fukuda, Jacob Gonzalez-Solis, Jose Pedro Granadeiro, April Hedd, Peter Hodum, Jose Manuel Igual, Audrey Jaeger, Todd J Landers, Le Corre Matthieu, Azwianewi Makhado, Benjamin Metzger, Teresa Militao, William A Montevecchi, Virginia Morera-Pujol, Leia Navarro-Herrero, Deon Nel, David Nicholls, Daniel Oro, Ridha Ouni, Kiyoaki Ozaki, Flavio Quintana, Raul Ramos, Tim Reid, Jose Manuel Reyes-Gonzalez, Christopher Robertson, Graham Robertson, Mohamed Salah Romdhane, Peter G. Ryan, Paul Sagar, Fumio Sato, Stefan Schoombie, R. Paul Scofield, Scott A. Shaffer, Nirmal Jivan Shah, Kim L Stevens, Christopher Surman, Robert M. Suryan, Akinori Takahashi, Vikash Tatayah, Graeme Taylor, David R. Thompson, Leigh Torres, Kath Walker, Ross M. Wanless, Susan M. Waugh, Henri Weimerskirch, Takashi Yamamoto, Zuzana Zajkova, Laura Zango, Paulo Catry
Why is tree drought mortality so hard to predict? Why is tree drought mortality so hard to predict?
Widespread tree mortality following droughts has emerged as an environmentally and economically devastating ‘ecological surprise’. It is well established that tree physiology is important in understanding drought-driven mortality; however, the accuracy of predictions based on physiology alone has been limited. We propose that complicating factors at two levels stymie predictions of...
Authors
Anna T Trugman, Leander D.L. Anderegg, William RL Anderegg, Adrian Das, Nathan L. Stephenson
Egg morphometrics and egg shape coefficients for White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) Egg morphometrics and egg shape coefficients for White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi)
Egg size is a useful metric for maternal investment, offspring quality, and contaminant studies. Yet these values and the egg shape coefficients required to estimate egg size are not available for many species, including White-faced-Ibis (Plegadis chihi). We provide egg morphometrics derived from 319 White-faced Ibis eggs sampled at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Great Salt Lake, Utah...
Authors
Mark P. Herzog, Joshua T. Ackerman, C. Alex Hartman
Tarentola annularis (white-spotted wall gecko) Tarentola annularis (white-spotted wall gecko)
USA: CALIFORNIA: Orange Co.: San Juan Capistrano (33.51°N,117.66°W; WGS 84). 25 August 2020. Samuel Fisher, Chelsea Martin, Robert Fisher. Verified by Gregory B. Pauly. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (LACM 191974). New county record. One juvenile (33 mm SVL) was collected, and another juvenile was seen 40 m away. Another juvenile was also observed during a second visit to...
Authors
Samuel R Fisher, Chelsea E Martin, Robert N. Fisher
The influence of species life history and distribution characteristics on species responses to habitat fragmentation in an urban landscape The influence of species life history and distribution characteristics on species responses to habitat fragmentation in an urban landscape
Fragmentation within urbanized environments often leads to a loss of native species diversity; however, variation exists in responses among-species and among-populations within species.We aimed to identify patterns in species biogeography in an urbanized landscape to understand anthropogenic effects on vertebrate communities and identify species that are more sensitive or resilient to...
Authors
Staci M. Amburgey, David A. W. Miller, Carlton J. Rochester, Katy S. Delaney, Seth P. D. Riley, Cheryl S. Brehme, Stacie A. Hathaway, Robert N. Fisher
Broadening the ecology of fear: Non-lethal effects arise from diverse responses to predation and parasitism Broadening the ecology of fear: Non-lethal effects arise from diverse responses to predation and parasitism
Research on the ‘ecology of fear’ posits that defensive prey responses to avoid predation can cause non-lethal effects across ecological scales. Parasites also elicit defensive responses in hosts with associated non-lethal effects, which raises the longstanding, yet unresolved question of how non-lethal effects of parasites compare with those of predators. We developed a framework for
Authors
D R Daversa, Ryan F. Hechinger, E Madin, A Fenton, A I Dell, E G Ritchie, Timothy J. Rohrbacher, V H W Rudolf, Kevin D. Lafferty
Interrupted incubation: How dabbling ducks respond when flushed from the nest Interrupted incubation: How dabbling ducks respond when flushed from the nest
Nesting birds must provide a thermal environment sufficient for egg development while also meeting self‐maintenance needs. Many birds, particularly those with uniparental incubation, achieve this balance through periodic incubation recesses, during which foraging and other self‐maintenance activities can occur. However, incubating birds may experience disturbances such as predator or...
Authors
Rebecca Croston, C. Alex Hartman, Mark P. Herzog, Sarah H. Peterson, Jeffrey Kohl, Cory T. Overton, Cliff L. Feldheim, Michael L. Casazza, Joshua T. Ackerman
Mangrove species’ response to sea-level rise across Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia Mangrove species’ response to sea-level rise across Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia
Mangrove forests are likely vulnerable to accelerating sea-level rise; however, we lack the tools necessary to understand their future resilience. On the Pacific island of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, mangroves are habitat to endangered species and provide critical ecosystem services that support local communities. We developed a generalizable modeling framework for mangroves...
Authors
Kevin Buffington, Richard A. MacKenzie, Joel A. Carr, Maybeleen Apwong, Ken W. Krauss, Karen M. Thorne
Nesting, brood rearing, and summer habitat selection by translocated greater sage‐grouse in North Dakota, USA Nesting, brood rearing, and summer habitat selection by translocated greater sage‐grouse in North Dakota, USA
Human enterprise has led to large‐scale changes in landscapes and altered wildlife population distribution and abundance, necessitating efficient and effective conservation strategies for impacted species. Greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage‐grouse) are a widespread sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) obligate species that has experienced population declines since the...
Authors
Kade D. Lazenby, Peter S. Coates, Shawn T. O’Neil, Michel T. Kohl, David K. Dahlgren
Patterns of conifer invasion following prescribed fire in grasslands and oak woodlands of Redwood National Park, California Patterns of conifer invasion following prescribed fire in grasslands and oak woodlands of Redwood National Park, California
The invasion, or “encroachment”, of native conifers commonly occurs in the absence of frequent fire in deciduous woodlands and grasslands of the Pacific Northwest, USA. To effectively target restoration activities, managers require a better understanding of the outcomes of prescribed fire and the spatial patterns of conifer invasions. We examined the duration of prescribed fire...
Authors
Phillip J. van Mantgem, Micah C. Wright, Eamon A. Engber
Improving the ability of a BACI design to detect impacts within a kelp‐forest community Improving the ability of a BACI design to detect impacts within a kelp‐forest community
Distinguishing between human impacts and natural variation in abundance remains difficult because most species exhibit complex patterns of variation in space and time. When ecological monitoring data are available, a before‐after‐control‐impact (BACI) analysis can control natural spatial and temporal variation to better identify an impact and estimate its magnitude. However, populations...
Authors
Andrew Rassweiler, Daniel K Okamoto, Daniel C. Reed, David J Kushner, Donna M Schroeder, Kevin D. Lafferty
Estimating the survival of unobservable life stages for a declining frog with a complex life-history Estimating the survival of unobservable life stages for a declining frog with a complex life-history
Demographic models enhance understanding of drivers of population growth and inform conservation efforts to prevent population declines and extinction. For species with complex life histories, however, parameterizing demographic models is challenging because some life stages can be difficult to study directly. Integrated population models (IPMs) empower researchers to estimate vital...
Authors
Jonathan P. Rose, Sarah Kupferberg, Clara A Wheeler, Patrick M. Kleeman, Brian J. Halstead