Publications
This list of publications includes peer-review journal articles, official USGS publications series, reports and more authored by scientists in the Ecosystems Mission Area. A database of all USGS publications, with advanced search features, can be accessed at the USGS Publications Warehouse.
Filter Total Items: 42871
Can grazing by elk and bison stimulate herbaceous plant productivity in semiarid ecosystems? Can grazing by elk and bison stimulate herbaceous plant productivity in semiarid ecosystems?
Plant communities in rangeland ecosystems vary widely in the degree to which they can compensate for losses to herbivores. Ecosystem-level factors have been proposed to affect this compensatory capacity, including timing and intensity of grazing, and availability of soil moisture and nutrients. Arid ecosystems are particularly challenging to predict because of their high degree of...
Authors
Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Linda Zeigenfuss, David J. Augustine
Results of the collaborative Lake Ontario bloater restoration stocking and assessment, 2012–2020 Results of the collaborative Lake Ontario bloater restoration stocking and assessment, 2012–2020
Bloater, Coregonus hoyi, are deepwater planktivores native to the Laurentian Great Lakes and Lake Nipigon. Interpretations of commercial fishery time series suggest they were common in Lake Ontario through the early 1900s but by the 1950s were no longer captured by commercial fishers. Annual bottom trawl surveys that began in 1978 and sampled extensively across putative bloater habitat...
Authors
Brian Weidel, Amanda Susanne Ackiss, Marc Chalupnicki, Michael Connerton, Steve Davis, John M. Dettmers, Timothy Drew, Aaron T. Fisk, Roger Gordon, S. Dale Hanson, Jeremy Holden, Mark E. Holey, James H. Johnson, Timothy B. Johnson, Colin Lake, Brian F. Lantry, Kevin Loftus, Gregg Mackey, James E. McKenna, Michael J. Millard, Scott P. Minihkeim, Brian O’Malley, Adam Rupnik, Andrew C. Todd, Steven Lapan
Elevating human dimensions of amphibian and reptile conservation, a USA perspective Elevating human dimensions of amphibian and reptile conservation, a USA perspective
Increasing threats to amphibian and reptile species raise the urgency of their conservation. However, relative to other vertebrate groups at risk, amphibians and reptiles have low and more variable social capital; they are not generally high-priority natural goods and services valued by people. Consequently, relative to other groups such as birds, mammals, and economically important fish...
Authors
Deanna H. Olson, David S. Pilliod
To catch a (marsh) predator: Modified trapping methods for breeding and wintering Northern Harriers (Circus hudsonius) To catch a (marsh) predator: Modified trapping methods for breeding and wintering Northern Harriers (Circus hudsonius)
Although there are a variety of methods available for trapping raptors, some species, such as Northern Harriers (Circus hudsonius), are not easily captured with standard methods. We tested several existing trapping methods and modified two of them based on Northern Harrier ecology and behavior across seasons in a study population in California. No previously successful methods described...
Authors
Shannon Skalos, Michael L. Casazza, Matthew J. Falcon, William Thein, Joshua M. Hull
Science and innovation for battling invasive carp Science and innovation for battling invasive carp
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is the Federal Government’s independent research agency that conducts research to inform management of invasive species. Bighead, black, grass, and silver carp, which are native to China, were originally stocked in aquaculture facilities to control algae, snails, and vegetation. These species have invaded the Mississippi River and are now established...
Authors
Patrick M. Kocovsky
2021 Lake Michigan lake trout working group report 2021 Lake Michigan lake trout working group report
No abstract available.
Authors
Charles P. Madenjian, Charles R. Bronte, Rick Clark, Ben Dickinson, Kevin Donner, Roger Gordon, Dale Hanson, John Janssen, Jory Jonas, Matthew Kornis, Steve Lenart, Dan Makauskas, Erik Olsen, Becky Redman, Jason Smith, Laura Schmidt, Ted Treska
Resisting ecosystem transformation through an intensive whole-lake fish removal experiment Resisting ecosystem transformation through an intensive whole-lake fish removal experiment
Lake ecosystems are shifting due to many drivers including climate change and landscape-scale habitat disturbance, diminishing their potential to support some fisheries. Walleye Sander vitreus (Mitchill) populations, which support recreational and tribal fisheries across North America, have declined in some lakes. Climate change, harvest, invasive species and concurrent increases in warm...
Authors
Holly Susan Embke, Stephen R. Carpenter, Daniel A. Isermann, Giancarlo Coppola, T. Douglas Beard, Abigail J. Lynch, Greg. G Sass, Zachary S. Feiner, M. Jake Vander Zanden
A flexible movement model for partially migrating species A flexible movement model for partially migrating species
We propose a flexible model for a partially migrating species, which we demonstrate using yearly paths for golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos). Our model relies on a smoothly time-varying potential surface defined by a number of attractors. We compare our proposed approach using varying coefficients to a latent-state model, which we define differently for migrating, dispersing, and local...
Authors
Elizabeth Eisenhauer, Ephraim M. Hanks, Matthew Beckman, Robert Murphy, Tricia A. Miller, Todd E. Katzner
Pesticide exposure of wild bees and honey bees foraging from field border flowers in intensively managed agriculture areas Pesticide exposure of wild bees and honey bees foraging from field border flowers in intensively managed agriculture areas
Bees are critical for food crop pollination, yet their populations are declining as agricultural practices intensify. Pollinator-attractive field border plantings (e.g. hedgerows and forb strips) can increase bee diversity and abundance in agricultural areas, however recent studies suggest these plants may contain pesticides. Pesticide exposure for wild bees in agricultural areas remains...
Authors
Laura T. Ward, Michelle L. Hladik, Aidee Guzman, Sara Winsemius, Ariana Bautista, Claire Kremen, Nicholas Mills
Evaluation of MPA designs that protect highly mobile megafauna now and under climate change scenarios Evaluation of MPA designs that protect highly mobile megafauna now and under climate change scenarios
Marine protected area (MPA) designs, including large-scale MPAs (LSMPAs; >150,000 km2), mobile MPAs (fluid spatiotemporal boundaries), and MPA networks, may offer different benefits to species and could enhance protection by encompassing spatiotemporal scales of animal movement. We sought to understand how well LSMPAs could benefit nine highly-mobile marine species in the tropics now and...
Authors
Morgan Elizabeth Gilmour, Josh Adams, Barbara A. Block, Jennifer E. Caselle, A. M. Friedlander, Edward T. Game, E. L. Hazen, Nick D. Holmes, Kevin D. Lafferty, S. M. Maxwell, Douglas J. McCauley, E. M. Oleson, Kenneth H. Pollock, S. A. Shaffer, N. H. Wolff, Alex Wegmann
Looking ahead, guided by the past: The role of U.S. national parks in amphibian research and conservation Looking ahead, guided by the past: The role of U.S. national parks in amphibian research and conservation
Protected areas like national parks are essential elements of conservation because they limit human influence on the landscape, which protects biodiversity and ecosystem function. The role of national parks in conservation, however, often goes far beyond limiting human influence. The U.S. National Park Service and its system of land units contribute substantively to conservation by...
Authors
Brian J. Halstead, Andrew M. Ray, Erin L. Muths, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Rob Grasso, Michael J. Adams, Kathleen Semple Delaney, Jane Carlson, Blake R. Hossack
Vulnerability of avian populations to renewable energy production Vulnerability of avian populations to renewable energy production
Renewable energy production can kill individual birds, but little is known about how it affects avian populations. We assessed the vulnerability of populations for 23 priority bird species killed at wind and solar facilities in California, USA. Bayesian hierarchical models suggested that 48% of these species were vulnerable to population-level effects from added fatalities caused by...
Authors
Tara Conkling, Hannah B. Vander Zanden, Taber D Allison, James E. Diffendorfer, Thomas V Dietsch, A. Duerr, Amy L Fesnock, Rebecca R. Hernandez, S. R. Loss, David M. Nelson, Peter M. Sanzenbacher, Julie L. Yee, Todd E. Katzner