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: 42704
Waterfowl use of wetland habitats informs wetland restoration designs for multi‐species benefits Waterfowl use of wetland habitats informs wetland restoration designs for multi‐species benefits
Extensive global estuarine wetland losses have prompted intensive focus on restoration of these habitats. In California, substantial tracts of freshwater, brackish and tidal wetlands have been lost. Given the anthropogenic footprint of development and urbanization in this region, wetland restoration must rely on conversion of existing habitat types rather than adding new wetlands. These
Authors
Michael L. Casazza, Fiona McDuie, Scott Jones, Austen Lorenz, Cory T. Overton, Julie L. Yee, Cliff L. Feldheim, Josh T. Ackerman, Karen M. Thorne
Body condition of wintering Pacific greater white-fronted geese Body condition of wintering Pacific greater white-fronted geese
Extreme changes to key waterfowl habitats in the Klamath Basin (KB) on the Oregon–California border and the Sacramento Valley (SV) in California, USA, have occurred since 1980. The spatial distribution of Pacific greater white‐fronted geese (Anser albifrons sponsa; geese) has likewise changed among these areas and population size has grown from 79,000 to >600,000 geese during the same...
Authors
Daniel A. Skalos, John M. Eadie, Daniel R. Yparraguirre, Melanie L. Weaver, Shaun L. Oldenburger, Craig R. Ely, Julie L. Yee, Joseph P. Fleskes
Acetylene-fueled trichloroethene reductive dechlorination in a groundwater enrichment culture Acetylene-fueled trichloroethene reductive dechlorination in a groundwater enrichment culture
In aquifers, acetylene (C2H2) is a product of abiotic degradation of trichloroethene (TCE) catalyzed by in situ minerals. C2H2 can, in turn, inhibit multiple microbial processes including TCE dechlorination and metabolisms that commonly support dechlorination, in addition to supporting the growth of acetylenotrophic microorganisms. Previously, C2H2 was shown to support TCE reductive...
Authors
Sara Gushgari-Doyle, Ronald S. Oremland, Ray Keren, Shaun Baesman, Denise M. Akob, Jillian F. Banfield, Lisa Alvarez-Cohen
Divergent species‐specific impacts of whole ecosystem warming and elevated CO2 on vegetation water relations in an ombrotrophic peatland Divergent species‐specific impacts of whole ecosystem warming and elevated CO2 on vegetation water relations in an ombrotrophic peatland
Boreal peatland forests have relatively low species diversity and thus impacts of climate change on one or more dominant species could shift ecosystem function. Despite abundant soil water availability, shallowly rooted vascular plants within peatlands may not be able to meet foliar demand for water under drought or heat events that increase vapor pressure deficits while reducing near...
Authors
Jeffrey M . Warren, Anna M Jensen, Eric Ward, Anirban Guha, Joanne Childs, Stan D. Wullschleger, Paul J Hanson
Summary of available data from the monarch overwintering colonies in central Mexico, 1976–1991 Summary of available data from the monarch overwintering colonies in central Mexico, 1976–1991
Historical estimates of the area occupied by overwintering Danaus plexippus (monarchs) in central Mexico (between winters of 1976 and 1991) were published in García-Serrano and others (2004) and more recently in Mawdsley and others (2020). Our primary objectives were to identify the specific data that informed those estimates and, importantly, determine the degree to which the reported...
Authors
Erin R Zylstra, Wayne E. Thogmartin, M. Isabel Ramirez, Elise F. Zipkin
Effectiveness of a distance sampling from roads program for white-tailed deer in the National Capital Region parks Effectiveness of a distance sampling from roads program for white-tailed deer in the National Capital Region parks
We evaluated the effectiveness of a distance sampling from roads program for estimating population sizes of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from 2001 to 2015 in parks of the National Capital Region (NCR), National Parks Service. Distance sampling is a method for estimating the density of organisms using a distribution of distances to observed individuals. Re-analysis of survey...
Authors
Nicholas S. Green, Mark L. Wildhaber, Janice L. Albers
Hybridization between historically allopatric Chinook salmon populations in the White Salmon River, WA Hybridization between historically allopatric Chinook salmon populations in the White Salmon River, WA
Chinook Salmon spawning in the White Salmon River consist of members of three historically distinct populations: spring Chinook Salmon, Tule fall Chinook Salmon and Upriver Bright (URB) fall Chinook Salmon. Previous work examined juveniles captured in 2006-2008 and reported hybridization between introduced URBs, and the native threatened Tules. Recent increases in nearby hatchery URB...
Authors
Christian A. Smith, Jennifer Von Bargen, Justin H. Bohling, David Hand, Ian Jezorek
Breeding at higher latitude is associated with higher photoperiodic threshold and delayed reproductive development in a songbird Breeding at higher latitude is associated with higher photoperiodic threshold and delayed reproductive development in a songbird
Many seasonally breeding animals exhibit a threshold day length (critical photoperiod; CPP) for gonadal growth, and populations breeding at higher latitudes typically have a higher CPP. Much less is known about latitudinal variation in CPP in migratory population that winter away from their breeding range and must time their reproduction to match favorable conditions at their destination...
Authors
Devraj Singh, S. M. Reed, A. A. Kimmitt, K. A. Alford, Craig A. Stricker, P. D. Polly, Ellen D. Ketterson
Sap flow evidence of chilling injury and recovery in mangroves following a spring cold spell Sap flow evidence of chilling injury and recovery in mangroves following a spring cold spell
Mangroves are periodically influenced in negative ways by non-freezing temperatures across their global sub-tropical range. However, physiological and morphological evidence of chilling influences to non-freezing chilling events has not been measured in field settings. In this study, we measured sap flow (Js) during such a chilling (but non-freezing) event in southern China and...
Authors
Xiaoxuan Gu, Chen Yang, Hewei Zhao, Naxu Hu, Ken Krauss, Chuanyuan Deng, Luzhen Chen
Seasonal precipitation and soil moisture relationships across forests and woodlands in the southwestern United States Seasonal precipitation and soil moisture relationships across forests and woodlands in the southwestern United States
Precipitation [P: mm] controls forest and woodland dynamics in the southwestern United States (SWUS) by altering soil moisture [θ: mm3 mm−3] availability, but the influence of P on θ is complex, varying across space and time. We evaluated seasonal P and θ relationships at shallow (0‐20 cm) and intermediate (50 cm) soil depths for 9 semiarid forest and woodland sites (56 total years)...
Authors
C.R. Koehn, M.D. Petrie, John B. Bradford, M.E. Litvak, S. Strachan
Extrinsically reinforced hybrid speciation within Holarctic ermine (Mustela spp.) produces an insular endemic Extrinsically reinforced hybrid speciation within Holarctic ermine (Mustela spp.) produces an insular endemic
Aim Refugial isolation during glaciation is an established driver of speciation; however, the opposing role of interglacial population expansion, secondary contact, and gene flow on the diversification process remains less understood. The consequences of glacial cycling on diversity are complex and especially so for archipelago species, which experience dramatic fluctuations in...
Authors
Jocelyn P. Colella, Lindsey Frederick, Sandra L. Talbot, Joe Cook
Modeling estrogenic activity in streams throughout the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay watersheds Modeling estrogenic activity in streams throughout the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay watersheds
Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), specifically estrogenic endocrine-disrupting compounds, vary in concentration and composition in surface waters under the influence of different landscape sources and landcover gradients. Estrogenic activity in surface waters may lead to adverse effects in aquatic species at both individual and population levels, often observed through the presence...
Authors
Stephanie E. Gordon, Daniel K. Jones, Vicki S. Blazer, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Brianna Williams, Kelly Smalling