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: 42702
Contrasting geographic patterns of ignition probability and burn severity in the Mojave Desert Contrasting geographic patterns of ignition probability and burn severity in the Mojave Desert
The extent and frequency of fire has increased in many arid systems over the last century, with a large proportion of area in some regions undergoing transitions to novel conditions. Portions of the Mojave Desert in southwestern North America have undergone such transitions, most often from woody to herbaceous-dominated systems. These transitions have often been attributed to the...
Authors
Robert C. Klinger, Emma C Underwood, Randy McKinley, Matthew L. Brooks
Identifying dominant environmental predictors of freshwater wetland methane fluxes across diurnal to seasonal time scales Identifying dominant environmental predictors of freshwater wetland methane fluxes across diurnal to seasonal time scales
While wetlands are the largest natural source of methane (CH4) to the atmosphere, they represent a large source of uncertainty in the global CH4 budget due to the complex biogeochemical controls on CH4 dynamics. Here we present, to our knowledge, the first multi-site synthesis of how predictors of CH4 fluxes (FCH4) in freshwater wetlands vary across wetland types at diel, multiday...
Authors
Sarah Knox, Sheel Bansal, Gavin McNicol, Karina Schafer, Cove Sturtevant, Masahito Ueyama, Alex Valach, Dennis Baldocchi, Kyle B. Delwiche, Ankur R. Desai, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Jinxun Liu, Annalea Lohila, Avni Malhotra, Lulie Melling, William Riley, Benjamin R. K. Runkle, Jessica Turner, Rodrigo Vargas, Qing Zhu, Tuula Alto, Etienne Fluet-Chouinard, Mathias Goeckede, Joe Melton, Oliver Sonnentag, Timo Vesala, Eric Ward, Zhen Zhang, Sarah Feron, Zutao Ouyang, Angela C I Tang, Pavel Alekseychik, Mika Aurela, Gil Bohrer, David I. Campbell, Jiquan Chen, Housen Chu, Higo Dalmagro, Jordan P. Goodrich, Pia Gottschalk, Takashi Hirano, Hiroki Iwata, Gerald Jurasinski, Minseok Kang, Franziska Koebsch, Ivan Mammarella, Mats B. Nilsson, Keisuke Ono, Matthias Peichl, Olli Peltola, Youngryel Ryu, Torsten Sachs, Ayaka Sakabe, Jed Sparks, Eeva-Stiina Tuittila, George Vourlitis, Guan X Wong, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Benjamin Poulter, Robert B. Jackson
Aquatic ecosystem metabolism as a tool in environmental management Aquatic ecosystem metabolism as a tool in environmental management
Recent advances in high-frequency environmental sensing and statistical approaches have greatly expanded the breadth of knowledge regarding aquatic ecosystem metabolism - the measurement and interpretation of gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER). Aquatic scientists are poised to take advantage of widely available datasets and freely-available modeling tools to...
Authors
Kathi Jo Jankowski, Francine H. Mejia, Joanna Blaszczak, Gordon W. Holtgrieve
Brood provisioning rates and fledgling behavior of Cordilleran Flycatchers in southwestern Colorado Brood provisioning rates and fledgling behavior of Cordilleran Flycatchers in southwestern Colorado
The behavior of young songbirds after fledging is one of the least understood phases of the breeding cycle, although parental provisioning rates and movement of fledglings are key to understanding life history evolution. We studied Cordilleran Flycatchers (Empidonax occidentalis) at two sites in southwestern Colorado, USA, from 2012 to 2017. We banded and sexed breeding adults to...
Authors
Abigail J. Darrah, Charles van Riper
Transcriptome assembly and differential gene expression of the invasive avian malaria parasite Plasmodium relictum in Hawaiʻi Transcriptome assembly and differential gene expression of the invasive avian malaria parasite Plasmodium relictum in Hawaiʻi
The malaria parasite Plasmodium relictum (lineage GRW4) was introduced less than a century ago to the native avifauna of Hawaiʻi, where it has since caused major declines of endemic bird populations. One of the native bird species that is frequently infected with GRW4 is the Hawaiʻi ʻamakihi (Chlorodrepanis virens). To achieve a better understanding of the transcriptional activities of...
Authors
Elin Videvall, Kristina L. Paxton, Michael G. Campana, Loren Cassin-Sackett, Carter T. Atkinson, Robert C. Fleischer
U.S. Geological Survey Arctic ecosystem assessments U.S. Geological Survey Arctic ecosystem assessments
The U.S Geological Survey (USGS) conducts natural hazard and resource assessments of the Earth’s ecosystems and the response of those ecosystems to environmental change, human activities, and land use. Arctic regions of Alaska are important for cultural and economic sustainability and host a wide variety of wildlife species, many of which are of conservation and management interest to...
Authors
John M. Pearce, Caroline R. Van Hemert
Mammal species composition and habitat associations in a commercial forest and mixed-plantation landscape Mammal species composition and habitat associations in a commercial forest and mixed-plantation landscape
Commercial forest plantations of fast-growing species have been established globally to meet increasing demands for timber, pulpwood, and other wood products. Industrial plantations may contribute to tropical forest conservation by reducing exploitation of primary and secondary natural forests. Whether such plantations can support critical elements of biodiversity, including provision of...
Authors
Wai Pak Ng, Frank T. van Manen, Stuart P. Sharp, Siew Te Wong, Shyamala Ratnayeke
Generic relationships of New World Jerusalem crickets (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatoidea: Stenopelmatinae), including all known species of Stenopelmatus Generic relationships of New World Jerusalem crickets (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatoidea: Stenopelmatinae), including all known species of Stenopelmatus
The New World Jerusalem crickets currently consist of 4 genera: Stenopelmatus Burmeister, 1838, with 33 named entities; Ammopelmatus Tinkham, 1965, with 2 described species; Viscainopelmatus Tinkham, 1970, with 1 described species, and Stenopelmatopterus Gorochov, 1988, with 3 described species. We redefine the generic boundaries of these 4 genera, synonymize Stenopelmatopterus under...
Authors
David B Weissman, Amy G. Vandergast, Hojun Song, Seunggwan Shin, Duane D McKenna, Norihiro Ueshima
The changes in species composition mediate direct effects of climate change on future fire regimes of boreal forests in northeastern China The changes in species composition mediate direct effects of climate change on future fire regimes of boreal forests in northeastern China
Direct effects of climate change (i.e. temperature rise, changes in seasonal precipitation, wind patterns and atmospheric stability) affect fire regimes of boreal forests by altering fire behaviour, fire seasons and fuel moisture. Climate change also alters species composition and fuel characteristics, which subsequently alter fire regimes. However, indirect effects of climate change are...
Authors
Chao Huang, Hong S. He, Yu Liang, Todd Hawbaker, Paul D. Henne, Wenru Xu, Peng Gong, Zhiliang Zhu
Gut microbial ecology of the Critically Endangered Fijian crested iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis): Effects of captivity status and host reintroduction on endogenous microbiomes Gut microbial ecology of the Critically Endangered Fijian crested iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis): Effects of captivity status and host reintroduction on endogenous microbiomes
Animals often exhibit distinct microbial communities when maintained in captivity as compared to when in the wild. Such differentiation may be significant in headstart and reintroduction programs where individuals spend some time in captivity before release into native habitats. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we (i) assessed differences in gut microbial communities between captive and...
Authors
Samuel J. Eliades, Josehp C. Brown, Timothy J. Colston, Robert N. Fisher, Jone B. Niukula, Kim Gray, Jhabar Vadada, Sia Rasalato, Cameron D. Siler
Comparing sample bias correction methods for species distribution modeling using virtual species Comparing sample bias correction methods for species distribution modeling using virtual species
A key assumption in species distribution modeling (SDM) with presence‐background (PB) methods is that sampling of occurrence localities is unbiased and that any sampling bias is proportional to the background distribution of environmental covariates. This assumption is rarely met when SDM practitioners rely on federated museum records from natural history collections for geo‐located...
Authors
Richard D. Inman, Janet Franklin, Todd Esque, Kenneth E. Nussear
The species–area relationship for a highly fragmented temperate river system The species–area relationship for a highly fragmented temperate river system
Despite the importance of species–area relationships (SARs) to conservation, SARs in human‐fragmented rivers have received little attention. Our aim was to test for the presence and strength of SARs for littoral fish assemblages of an extensively dammed river in south‐central Ontario, Canada, and to examine long‐running hypotheses for the drivers of SARs. Twenty‐six navigational dams...
Authors
Leon M. Carl, Peter C. Esselman, Beth L Sparks-Jackson, Christopher C. Wilson