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
Space matters: Host spatial structure and the dynamics of plague transmission Space matters: Host spatial structure and the dynamics of plague transmission
The development of models to elucidate the transmission pathways and dynamics of wildlife diseases remains challenging. Sylvatic plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis (Yp), is an infectious zoonotic disease that primarily affects wild rodents, including prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) in North America. Proposed transmission pathways for Yp include flea bites, direct contacts...
Authors
Robin E. Russell, Daniel P. Walsh, Michael D. Samuel, Martin S. Grunnill, Tonie E. Rocke
Linking field and laboratory studies: Reproductive effects of perfluorinated substances on avian populations Linking field and laboratory studies: Reproductive effects of perfluorinated substances on avian populations
Although both laboratory and field studies are needed to effectively assess effects and risk of contaminants to free-living organisms, the limitations of each must be understood. The objectives of this paper are to examine information on field studies of reproductive effects of perfluorinated substances (PFASs) on bird populations, discuss the differences among field studies, and then...
Authors
Christine M. Custer
Neither microcystin, nor nodularin, nor cylindrospermopsin directly interact with human toll-like receptors Neither microcystin, nor nodularin, nor cylindrospermopsin directly interact with human toll-like receptors
Various stressors including temperature, environmental chemicals, and toxins can have profound impacts on immunity to pathogens. Increased eutrophication near rivers and lakes coupled with climate change are predicted to lead to increased algal blooms. Currently, the effects of cyanobacterial toxins on disease resistance in mammals is a largely unexplored area of research. Recent studies...
Authors
John Hansen, Keith A. Loftin, Zachary R. Laughrey, Ondrei Adamovsky
Eagle fatalities are reduced by automated curtailment of wind turbines Eagle fatalities are reduced by automated curtailment of wind turbines
Collision‐caused fatalities of animals at wind power facilities create a ‘green versus green’ conflict between wildlife conservation and renewable energy. These fatalities can be mitigated via informed curtailment whereby turbines are slowed or stopped when wildlife are considered at increased risk of collision. Automated monitoring systems could improve efficacy of informed curtailment...
Authors
Christopher J W McClure, Brian W Roleck, Leah Dunn, Jennifer D McCabe, Luke Martinson, Todd E. Katzner
Age‐ and sex‐related dietary specialization facilitate seasonal resource partitioning in a migratory shorebird Age‐ and sex‐related dietary specialization facilitate seasonal resource partitioning in a migratory shorebird
Dietary specialization is common in animals and has important implications for individual fitness, inter‐ and intraspecific competition, and the adaptive potential of a species. Diet composition can be influenced by age‐ and sex‐related factors including an individual's morphology, social status, and acquired skills; however, specialization may only be necessary when competition is...
Authors
Laurie Anne Hall, Susan E.W. De La Cruz, Isa Woo, Tomohiro Kuwae, John Y. Takekawa
Variation in metal concentrations across a large contamination gradient is reflected in stream but not linked riparian food webs Variation in metal concentrations across a large contamination gradient is reflected in stream but not linked riparian food webs
Aquatic insects link food web dynamics across freshwater-terrestrial boundaries and subsidize terrestrial consumer populations. Contaminants that accumulate in larval aquatic insects and are retained across metamorphosis can increase dietary exposure for riparian insectivores. To better understand potential exposure of terrestrial insectivores to aquatically-derived trace metals, metal
Authors
Johanna M. Kraus, Richard Wanty, Travis S. Schmidt, David Walters, Ruth E. Wolf
Using expert knowledge to support Endangered Species Act decision‐making for data‐deficient species Using expert knowledge to support Endangered Species Act decision‐making for data‐deficient species
Many questions relevant to conservation decision making are characterized by extreme uncertainty due to lack of empirical data and complexity of the underlying ecological processes, leading to a rapid increase in the use of structured protocols to elicit expert knowledge. Published ecological applications often employ a modified Delphi method, where experts provide judgments anonymously...
Authors
Daniel Bruce Fitzgerald, David R. Smith, David C. Culver, Daniel Feller, Daniel W. Fong, Jeff Hajenga, Matthew L. Niemiller, Daniel C. Nolfi, Wil D. Orndorff, Barbara Douglas, Kelly O. Maloney, John A. Young
Stoichiometric ecotoxicology for a multisubstance world Stoichiometric ecotoxicology for a multisubstance world
Nutritional and contaminant stressors influence organismal physiology, trophic interactions, community structure, and ecosystem-level processes; however, the interactions between toxicity and elemental imbalance in food resources have been examined in only a few ecotoxicity studies. Integrating well-developed ecological theories that cross all levels of biological organization can...
Authors
Angela Peace, Paul C. Frost, Nicole D. Wagner, Michael Danger, Chiara Accolla, Philipp Antczak, Bryan W. Brooks, David M. Costello, Rebecca A. Everett, Kevin B. Flores, Christopher M. Heggerud, Roxanne Karimi, Yun Kang, Yang Kuang, James H. Larson, Teresa Mathews, Gregory D. Mayer, Justin N. Murdock, Cheryl A. Murphy, Roger M. Nisbet, Laure Pecquerie, Nathan Pollesch, Erica M. Rutter, Kimberly L. Schultz, J. Thad Scott, Louise Stevenson, Hao Wang
Freezing temperatures restrict woody plant recruitment and restoration efforts in abandoned montane pastures Freezing temperatures restrict woody plant recruitment and restoration efforts in abandoned montane pastures
Tropical montane forests are being lost at an alarming rate but harbor some of the globe’s most unique biodiversity. The Hawaiian archipelago is a prime example of the importance of high elevation forests to species conservation and persistence as they serve as the last refugia for Hawaiian birds. Yet these forests have been converted to invasive dominated pastures, and efforts to...
Authors
Evan M Rehm, Stephanie G. Yelenik, Carla M. D’Antonio
The Coyote Mountains’ desert snail (Sonorelix harperi carrizoensis), a lazarus species With the first documentation of live individuals The Coyote Mountains’ desert snail (Sonorelix harperi carrizoensis), a lazarus species With the first documentation of live individuals
The Coyote Mountain desert snail (Sonorelix harperi carrizoensis) was described in 1937 from 30 dry shells collected the previous year. We reviewed the literature and museum records and found two additional shell collections for this subspecies from the type locality one from 1958, and one from an adjacent mountain range in 1938. There is no evidence previously of any live snails being...
Authors
Robert N. Fisher, Samuel Rosen Fisher
Status of endemic reed-warblers of the Mariana Islands, with emphasis on conservation strategies for the endangered Nightingale Reed-warbler Status of endemic reed-warblers of the Mariana Islands, with emphasis on conservation strategies for the endangered Nightingale Reed-warbler
Insular species, particularly birds, experience high levels of speciation and endemism. Similarly, island birds experience extreme levels of extinction. Based on a 2012 taxonomic assessment, historically there were four reed-warbler species in the Mariana Islands, the Guam Reed-warbler Acrocephalus luscinia (Guam), the Nightingale Reed-warbler Acrocephalus hiwae (Saipan and Alamagan)...
Authors
Ann P. Marshall, Fred A Amidon, Richard J. Camp, P. Marcos Gorresen, Paul Radley
Poecivirus is present in individuals with beak deformities in seven species of North American birds Poecivirus is present in individuals with beak deformities in seven species of North American birds
Avian keratin disorder (AKD), a disease of unknown etiology characterized by debilitating beak overgrowth, has increasingly affected wild bird populations since the 1990s. A novel picornavirus, poecivirus, is closely correlated with disease status in Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in Alaska. However, our knowledge of the relationship between poecivirus and beak...
Authors
Maxine Zylberberg, Caroline R. Van Hemert, Colleen M. Handel, Rachel Liu, Joseph L. DeRisi