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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: 42892

Evaluating riparian vegetation change in canyon-bound reaches of the Colorado River using spatially extensive matched photo sets Evaluating riparian vegetation change in canyon-bound reaches of the Colorado River using spatially extensive matched photo sets

Much of what we know about the functional ecology of aquatic and riparian ecosystems comes from work on regulated rivers (Johnson et al. 2012). What little we know about unregulated conditions on many of our larger rivers is often inferred from recollections of individuals, personal diaries, notes, maps, and collections from early scientific surveys (Webb et al. 2007) and from repeat...
Authors
Michael L. Scott, Robert H. Webb, R. Roy Johnson, Raymond M. Turner, Jonathan M. Friedman, Helen C. Fairley

Ontogenetic changes in swimming speed of silver carp, bighead carp, and grass carp larvae: implications for larval dispersal Ontogenetic changes in swimming speed of silver carp, bighead carp, and grass carp larvae: implications for larval dispersal

Bighead, silver, and grass carps are invasive in the waterways of central North America, and grass carp reproduction in tributaries of the Great Lakes has now been documented. Questions about recruitment potential motivate a need for accurate models of egg and larval dispersal. Quantitative data on swimming behaviors and capabilities during early ontogeny are needed to improve these...
Authors
Amy E. George, Tatiana Garcia, Benjamin H. Stahlschmidt, Duane Chapman

Accounting for surveyor effort in large-scale monitoring programs Accounting for surveyor effort in large-scale monitoring programs

Accounting for errors in wildlife surveys is necessary for reliable status assessments and quantification of uncertainty in estimates of population size. We apply a hierarchical log-linear Poisson regression model that accounts for multiple sources of variability in count data collected for the Integrated Waterbird Management and Monitoring Program during 2010–2014. In some large-scale...
Authors
Kevin Aagaard, James E. Lyons, Wayne E. Thogmartin

Navigating the field of decision analysis Navigating the field of decision analysis

Managers, policy makers, and decision makers with responsibility for environmental decisions have an extraordinarily difficult job. The systems they manage are complex (coupled human-natural systems), with many dimensions and complicated dynamics. Our knowledge of how those systems respond to management actions is often limited, so many of the decisions have to be made in the face of...
Authors
Michael C. Runge, Eve McDonald-Madden

Remote sensing vegetation index methods to evaluate changes in greenness and evapotranspiration in riparian vegetation in response to the Minute 319 environmental pulse flow to Mexico Remote sensing vegetation index methods to evaluate changes in greenness and evapotranspiration in riparian vegetation in response to the Minute 319 environmental pulse flow to Mexico

During the spring of 2014, 130 million m3 of water were released from the United States' Morelos Dam on the lower Colorado River to Mexico, allowing water to reach the Gulf of California for the first time in 13 years. Our study assessed the effects of water transfer or ecological environmental flows from one nation to another, using remote sensing. Spatial applications for water...
Authors
Pamela L. Nagler, Christopher J. Jarchow, Edward P. Glenn

The Introduced Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) on the California Channel Islands: Distribution and Patterns of Spread The Introduced Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) on the California Channel Islands: Distribution and Patterns of Spread

The Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) is a widespread and abundant introduced species that disrupts ecosystems throughout its introduced range. This invader was inadvertently introduced to Santa Catalina, San Clemente, Santa Cruz, and San Nicolas Islands at various points during the past century but currently appears to be absent from the remaining Channel Islands. Multiple spatially...
Authors
Christina L. Boser, Korie Merrell, Robert N. Fisher, Ida Naughton, David A Holway

Biodiversity of amphibians and reptiles at the Camp Cady Wildlife Area, Mojave Desert, California and comparisons with other desert locations Biodiversity of amphibians and reptiles at the Camp Cady Wildlife Area, Mojave Desert, California and comparisons with other desert locations

We examined the biodiversity of amphibian and reptile species living in and near constructed ponds in the riparian area at the Camp Cady Wildlife Area (CCWA) in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, based on field work from 1998-1999, 2016-2017, review of the literature, and searches for museum specimens using VertNet.org. A total of 11 species (201 captures), including...
Authors
Kristy L. Cummings, Shellie R. Puffer, Jenny B. Holmen, Jason K. Wallace, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Kathie Meyer-Wilkins, Chris Petersen, Robert E. Lovich

Executive summary. In Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2): A Sustained Assessment Report Executive summary. In Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2): A Sustained Assessment Report

Central to life on Earth, carbon is essential to the molecular makeup of all living things and plays a key role in regulating global climate. To understand carbon’s role in these processes, researchers measure and evaluate carbon stocks and fluxes. A stock is the quantity of carbon contained in a pool or reservoir in the Earth system (e.g., carbon in forest trees), and a flux is the...
Authors
Richard Birdsey, Melanie A. Mayes, Patricia Romero-Lankao, Raymond G. Najjar, Sasha C. Reed, Nancy Cavallaro, Gyami Shrestha, Daniel J. Hayes, Laura Lorenzoni, Anne Marsh, Kathy Tedesco, Tom Wirth, Zhiliang Zhu

Analysis of population change and movement using robust design removal data Analysis of population change and movement using robust design removal data

In capture-mark-reencounter studies, Pollock’s robust design combines methods for open populations with methods for closed populations. Open population features of the robust design allow for estimation of rates of death or permanent emigration, and closed population features enhance estimation of population sizes. We describe a similar design, but for use with removal data. Data...
Authors
William A. Link, Sarah J. Converse, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Nathan J. Hostetter

Where have all the turtles gone, and why does it matter? Where have all the turtles gone, and why does it matter?

No abstract available.
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen, Mickey Agha, J. Whitfield Gibbons

Natural resource condition assessment: Olympic National Park Natural resource condition assessment: Olympic National Park

The Natural Resource Assessment Program aims to document condition and trends of selected park resources while identifying emerging issues and information needs. This information is intended to serve as a platform for natural resource managers to use in developing future resource stewardship priorities and planning. Olympic National Park (OLYM) on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula protects...

California gull (Larus californicus) space use and timing of movements in relation to landfills and breeding colonies California gull (Larus californicus) space use and timing of movements in relation to landfills and breeding colonies

Expanding gull (Laridae) populations throughout the world have been attributed to the availability of anthropogenic food subsidies. The influence of landfills on California Gull (Larus californicus) space use and the timing of their movements was evaluated in San Francisco Bay, California, USA. Using radio telemetry, 108 California Gulls were tracked, > 7,000 locations were recorded, and...
Authors
Joshua T. Ackerman, Sarah H. Peterson, Danika C Tsao, John Y. Takekawa
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