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: 42781
The effects of unpaved roads on instream sediment: Patterns and challenges for monitoring The effects of unpaved roads on instream sediment: Patterns and challenges for monitoring
Despite > 700,000 km of unpaved roads in the western United States, our knowledge of how roads impact instream sediment is unclear. We combined two studies, including (1) a regional analysis linking stream habitat data from a large-scale monitoring program with road density data to identify generalizable relationships between roads and streambed sediment distributions and (2) a targeted...
Authors
Robert Al-Chokhachy, Geoffrey C. Poole, Cameron Thomas, Carl Saunders, Brett B. Roper, Shane Hendrickson, Cory Davis, Kyle Crapster, Eric Archer
Effectiveness of stewardship and management strategies to conserve coastal bird populations in the northern Gulf of Mexico: A literature review Effectiveness of stewardship and management strategies to conserve coastal bird populations in the northern Gulf of Mexico: A literature review
Shorebirds, seabirds, and wading birds (hereafter coastal birds) have experienced considerable losses over the last century and require proactive conservation management to stabilize or grow populations. Habitat loss and/or degradation and human disturbance are among the most urgent threats faced by coastal bird populations. Identifying effective conservation management techniques to...
Authors
Jennifer L. Fuller, Nicole L. Michel, Evan M. Adams, Abigail J. Darrah, Auriel Fournier, Jacquelyn K. Grace, Lianne Koczur, Bethany A.C. Kraft, Terri J. Maness, Sarah P. Saunders, Caz M. Taylor, Kiara L. Valentine, Theodore J. Zenzal
Fisheries research and monitoring activities of the Lake Erie Biological Station, 2024 Fisheries research and monitoring activities of the Lake Erie Biological Station, 2024
A comprehensive understanding of fish populations and their interactions is the cornerstone of modern fishery management and the basis for Lake Erie’s Fish Community Objectives (FCOs) developed in 2020 (Francis et al. 2020). The 2024 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Lake Erie Biological Station Annual Report is responsive to these FCOs and the USGS obligations via a Memorandum of...
Authors
Mark Richard Dufour, Francesco Guzzo, Corbin David Hilling, Kevin R. Keretz, Richard Kraus, Richard Cole Oldham, James Roberts, Joseph Schmitt
Flow cytometric detection of waterborne bacteria metabolic response to anthropogenic chemical inputs to aquatic ecosystems Flow cytometric detection of waterborne bacteria metabolic response to anthropogenic chemical inputs to aquatic ecosystems
Typical investigations into the biological consequences of suspected xenobiotics or nutrients introduced in watersheds include analytical chemistry screens of environmental samples—such as periphyton responses or studies of fish condition—which are all costly in terms of equipment, reagents, time, and human resources. An alternative is to assess pollutant effects on waterborne bacteria...
Authors
Jill Jenkins, Scott Mize, Darren Johnson, Bonnie L. Brown
A practical decision tool for marine bird mortality assessments A practical decision tool for marine bird mortality assessments
Given the rise in anthropogenic, environmental, and disease events contributing to marine bird mortality, there is a critical need to improve the rigor of mortality assessments. Deficits in data collection and mortality estimation can hinder a manager’s ability to document event scales and inform population level impacts. Therefore, to inform decisions required during activities such as
Authors
Johanna Alexandra Harvey, Andrew M. Ramey, Stephanie Avery-Gomm, Gregory Robertson, Marc Romano, Jennifer M. Mullinax, Megan Boldenow, Philip W. Atkinson, Diann J. Prosser
Survival, travel time, and use of migration routes by juvenile steelhead in a modified river estuary Survival, travel time, and use of migration routes by juvenile steelhead in a modified river estuary
Greater understanding of the survival, travel time, and spatial distribution of juvenile salmonids among migration routes between their natal streams and the ocean is critical to the recovery of these threatened species. In the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta (Delta), a highly modified estuary in central California, USA, there is a critical need to evaluate how water management (e.g...
Authors
Adam Pope, Russell Perry, Dalton Hance, Rebecca A. Buchanan
Practitioners’ perceived risks to biodiversity from renewable energy expansion through 2050 Practitioners’ perceived risks to biodiversity from renewable energy expansion through 2050
Large-scale (e.g., > 1 megawatt capacity) wind and solar energy (hereafter, LSWS) developments are increasing to aid decarbonization. However, LSWS can also negatively affect biodiversity. Planners and other interested parties’ perceptions about the impact of LSWS on biodiversity will thus affect how trade-offs are managed during planning and buildout. We present a survey of...
Authors
Daphne Condon, Tyler Scott, Adam B. Smith, Toni Lyn Morelli, Uzma Ashraf, Alex Mojica, Hrithika Chittanuru, Rachel Luu, Rae Bear, Rebecca R. Hernandez
Pan-amphibia distribution of the fungal parasite Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis varies with species and temperature Pan-amphibia distribution of the fungal parasite Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis varies with species and temperature
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a globally distributed fungal pathogen of amphibians that has contributed to one of the largest disease-related biodiversity losses in wildlife. Bd is regularly viewed through the lens of a global wildlife epizootic because the spread of highly virulent genetic lineages has resulted in well-documented declines and extinctions of multiple amphibian...
Authors
Daniel A. Grear, Michael J. Adams, Adam R. Backlin, William Barichivich, Adrianne Brand, Gary M. Bucciarelli, Daniel L. Calhoun, Tara Chestnut, Jon D Davenport, Andrew E Dietrich, Graziella V. DiRenzo, Robert N. Fisher, Brad Glorioso, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Brian J. Halstead, Marc P Hayes, Blake R. Hossack, Morgan Kain, Patrick M. Kleeman, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Brome McCreary, David A.W. Miller, Brittany A. Mosher, Erin L. Muths, Christopher Pearl, Charles H. Robinson, Mark Roth, Jennifer Rowe, Walter Sadinski, Brent H. Sigafus, Iga Stasiak, Samuel Sweet, Hardin Waddle, Susan Walls, Gregory J Watkins-Colwell, Lori A Williams, Megan Winzeler
Reproductive biology of invasive grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) in two North American systems Reproductive biology of invasive grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) in two North American systems
Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) are nonnative, herbivorous freshwater fish that represent an ecological threat in North American waters. However, data are limited on reproductive biology specific to wild populations in midwestern North America, despite recent concern for grass carp establishment within the Great Lakes. Basic information on reproductive traits could be useful to...
Authors
Tammy Michelle Wilson, Matthew Ross Acre, Fred Williams, Robin D. Calfee, Christine M. Mayer, Robert L. Mapes, Chris M. Kemp, Ryan T. Young, Michael E. Byrne
Freshwater gastropod (Mollusca: Gastropoda) assemblages, habitat, and the first detection of an invasive gastropod species in two large, dreissenid-influenced, connecting rivers Freshwater gastropod (Mollusca: Gastropoda) assemblages, habitat, and the first detection of an invasive gastropod species in two large, dreissenid-influenced, connecting rivers
Native freshwater gastropods are a highly diverse and imperiled group of mollusks in North America and are influenced by a growing number of problematic invasive species. Consequently, there has been an increased need for understanding aquatic gastropod assemblages throughout North America to implement conservation and management strategies. In the Laurentian Great Lakes, gastropod...
Authors
S. Keretz, D. Woolnough, N.M. VanTassel, D. Powell, G. Sanfilippo, A.L. Wright, T.J. Morris, A. Elgin, Edward F. Roseman, D.T. Zanatta
Integrating data to assess occupancy patterns of an endangered bumble bee Integrating data to assess occupancy patterns of an endangered bumble bee
There is growing interest in integrating community science data with structured monitoring data to estimate changes in distribution patterns of imperiled species, including pollinators. However, significant challenges remain in determining how unstructured community science data should be incorporated into formal analyses of species distributions. We developed a dynamic framework for...
Authors
Kristen S. Ellis, Clint Otto, Larissa L. Bailey, Tamara A. Smith, Steven J. Choy, Lauren Hatch
Management and natural regeneration in multiple ponderosa pine forests of the southwestern United States Management and natural regeneration in multiple ponderosa pine forests of the southwestern United States
Management treatments in ponderosa pine forests of the southwestern United States (SWUS) are largely done for wildfire mitigation and restoration to lower tree densities. However, lack of natural ponderosa pine regeneration in undisturbed forests (i.e., no occurrence of stand-replacing events) may require management treatments to promote regeneration. We conducted a field and modeling...
Authors
Matthew D. Petrie, Robert M. Hubbard, John B. Bradford, Tom E. Kolb, Adam Roy Noel, Daniel Rodolphe Schlaepfer, M.A. Bowen, L.R. Fuller, W. Keith Moser