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: 3708
Avian eggshell thickness in relation to egg morphometrics, embryonic development, and mercury contamination Avian eggshell thickness in relation to egg morphometrics, embryonic development, and mercury contamination
Eggshell thickness is important for physiological, ecological, and ecotoxicological studies on birds; however, empirical eggshell thickness measurements for many species and regions are limited. We measured eggshell thickness at the equator and the egg poles for 12 avian species and related eggshell thickness to egg morphometrics, embryonic development, egg status, and mercury...
Authors
Sarah H. Peterson, Josh T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, Matthew Toney, Breanne Cooney, C. Alex Hartman
Linking nest microhabitat selection to nest survival within declining pheasant populations in the Central Valley of California Linking nest microhabitat selection to nest survival within declining pheasant populations in the Central Valley of California
Context: The ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) has experienced considerable population declines in recent decades, especially in agricultural environments of the Central Valley of California. Although large-scale changes in land cover have been reported as an important driver of population dynamics, the effects of microhabitat conditions on specific demographic rates (e.g...
Authors
Ian Dwight, Jessica H Vogt, Peter S. Coates, Joseph P. Fleskes, Daniel P. Connelly, Scott C. Gardner
Robust age estimation of southern sea otters from multiple morphometrics Robust age estimation of southern sea otters from multiple morphometrics
Reliable age estimation is an essential tool to assess the status of wildlife populations and inform successful management. Aging methods, however, are often limited by too few data, skewed demographic representation, and by single or uncertain morphometric relationships. In this study, we synthesize age estimates in southern sea otters Enhydra lutris nereis from 761 individuals across...
Authors
Teri E. Nicholson, Karl A. Mayer, Michelle M. Staedler, Tyler O Gagne, Michael J. Murray, Marissa A Young, Joseph A. Tomoleoni, M. Tim Tinker, Kyle S. Van Houtan
A national-scale assessment of mercury bioaccumulation in United States National Parks using dragonfly larvae as biosentinels through a citizen-science framework A national-scale assessment of mercury bioaccumulation in United States National Parks using dragonfly larvae as biosentinels through a citizen-science framework
We conducted a national-scale assessment of mercury (Hg) bioaccumulation in aquatic ecosystems using dragonfly larvae as biosentinels, by developing a citizen science network to facilitate biological sampling. Implementing a carefully designed sampling methodology for citizen scientists, we developed an effective framework for landscape-level inquiry that might otherwise be resource...
Authors
Collin A. Eagles-Smith, James Willacker, Sarah J. Nelson, Collen M Flanagan Pritz, David P. Krabbenhoft, Celia Y. Chen, Joshua T. Ackerman, Evan H. Campbell Grant, David S. Pilliod
Height-related changes in forest composition, not tree vulnerability, explain increasing mortality with height during an extreme drought Height-related changes in forest composition, not tree vulnerability, explain increasing mortality with height during an extreme drought
Recently, Stovall et al.1 (hereafter SSY) showed that during an extreme drought, remotely sensed mortality of tall trees was more than double that of short trees. They interpreted this to be a consequence of inherently greater hydraulic vulnerability of tall trees, and suggested that tall-tree vulnerability should thus generalize more broadly. Here we reassess their conclusions using
Authors
Nathan L. Stephenson, Adrian Das
Gambel’s quail survey variability and implications for survey design in the Mohave Desert Gambel’s quail survey variability and implications for survey design in the Mohave Desert
Careful design of a wildlife population monitoring strategy is necessary to obtain accurate and precise results whether the purpose of the survey is development of habitat suitability models, to estimate abundance, or assess site occupancy. Important characteristics to consider in survey design are sources of elevated variability, particularly within‐subject variability, which increases...
Authors
Cory T. Overton, Michael L. Casazza, Daniel Connelley, Scott C. Gardner
A science business model for answering important questions A science business model for answering important questions
Perhaps the biggest question in science is how to do better science. Many ecologists, including this book’s editors and authors, have succeeded under the current science “business model” and, from our perspective, the status quo works well enough. But science business models are under increased scrutiny. For instance, since 2012, at least nine papers have critiqued government-sponsored...
Authors
Kevin D. Lafferty
Changes in capture rates and body size among vertebrate species occupying an insular urban habitat reserve Changes in capture rates and body size among vertebrate species occupying an insular urban habitat reserve
Long‐term ecological monitoring provides valuable and objective scientific information to inform management and decision‐making. In this article, we analyze 22 years of herpetofauna monitoring data from the Point Loma Ecological Conservation Area (PLECA), an insular urban reserve near San Diego, CA. Our analysis showed that counts of individuals for one of the four most common...
Authors
Thomas Stanley, Rulon W. Clark, Robert N. Fisher, Carlton J. Rochester, Stephanie A Root, Keith J Lombardo, Stacey D Ostermann-Kelm
The Fire and Tree Mortality Database, for empirical modeling of individual tree mortality after fire The Fire and Tree Mortality Database, for empirical modeling of individual tree mortality after fire
Wildland fires have a multitude of ecological effects in forests, woodlands, and savannas across the globe. A major focus of past research has been on tree mortality from fire, as trees provide a vast range of biological services. We assembled a database of individual-tree records from prescribed fires and wildfires in the United States. The Fire and Tree Mortality (FTM) database...
Authors
C. Alina Cansler, Sharon M. Hood, J. Morgan Varner, Phillip J. van Mantgem, Michelle C. Agne, Robert A. Andrus, Matthew P. Ayres, Bruce D. Ayres, Jonathan D. Bakker, Michael A. Battaglia, Barbara J. Bentz, Carolyn R. Breece, James K. Brown, Daniel R. Cluck, Tom W. Coleman, R. Gregory Corace, W. Wallace Covington, Douglas S. Cram, James B. Cronan, Joseph E. Crouse, Adrian Das, Ryan S. Davis, Darci M. Dickinson, Stephen A Fitzgerald, Peter Z. Fule, Lisa M. Ganio, Lindsay M. Grayson, Charles B. Halpern, Jim L. Hanula, Brian J. Harvey, J. Kevin Hiers, David W. Huffman, MaryBeth Keifer, Tara L. Keyser, Leda N. Kobziar, Thomas E. Kolb, Crystal A. Kolden, Karen E. Kopper, Jason R. Kreitler, Jesse K. Kreye, Andrew M. Latimer, Andrew P. Lerch, Maria J. Lombardero, Virginia L. McDaniel, Charles W. McHugh, Joel D. McMillin, Jason J. Moghaddas, Joseph J. O’Brien, Daniel D. B. Perrakis, David W. Peterson, Susan J. Pritchard, Robert A. Progar, Kenneth F. Raffa, Elizabeth D. Reinhardt, Joseph C. Restaino, John P. Roccaforte, Brendan M. Rogers, Kevin C. Ryan, Hugh D. Safford, Alyson E. Santoro, Timothy M. Shearman, Alice M. Shumate, Carolyn H. Sieg, Sheri L. Smith, Rebecca J. Smith, Nathan L. Stephenson, Mary Stuever, Jens Stevens, Michael T. Stoddard, Walter G. Thies, Nicole M. Vaillant, Shelby A. Weiss, Douglas J. Westlind, Travis J. Woolley, Micah Wright
Newly documented population extends geographic range and genetic diversity for the Leaf-toed Gecko (Phyllodactylus nocticolus) into the Transverse Ranges of southern California Newly documented population extends geographic range and genetic diversity for the Leaf-toed Gecko (Phyllodactylus nocticolus) into the Transverse Ranges of southern California
Between 19 – 30 May 2018, one of us [AW] discovered a disjunct population of Peninsula leaf-toed geckos, Phyllodactylus nocticolus (Phyllodactylidae) on the northern edge of the Coachella Valley in the Little San Bernardino Mountains of the Transverse Ranges (Fig. 1a). The previously northernmost location for the species is Tahquitz Canyon, Riverside Co. (MVZ 212205) in the Peninsular...
Authors
Dustin A. Wood, Alyssa Worrel-Black, Robert Black, Anna Mitelberg, Mark Fisher, Robert N. Fisher, Amy G. Vandergast, Cameron W. Barrows
Historical museum collections and contemporary population studies implicate roads and introduced predatory bullfrogs in the decline of western pond turtles Historical museum collections and contemporary population studies implicate roads and introduced predatory bullfrogs in the decline of western pond turtles
The western pond turtle (WPT), recently separated into two paripatrically distributed species (Emys pallida and Emys marmorata), is experiencing significant reductions in its range and population size. In addition to habitat loss, two potential causes of decline are female-biased road mortality and high juvenile mortality from non-native predatory bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana). However
Authors
E. Griffin Nicholson, Stephanie Manzo, Zachary Devereux, Thomas Morgan, Robert N. Fisher, Christopher W. Brown, Rosi Dagit, Peter A Scott, H. Bradley Shaffer
First recorded observations of conspecific egg and nestling consumption in common ravens (Corvus corax) First recorded observations of conspecific egg and nestling consumption in common ravens (Corvus corax)
We observed cannibalism, the act of consuming a conspecific, of eggs and nestlings by Common Ravens (Corvus corax; hereafter “raven”) by video-monitoring nests in Nevada and California. Specifically, within the sagebrush steppe of Nevada, adult ravens killed and consumed raven chicks from an active nest. Additionally, on the coast of California, we observed adult ravens consume inviable...
Authors
Joseph Atkinson, Peter S. Coates, Brianne E. Brussee, David J. Delehanty