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: 42871
Juvenile salmonid monitoring in the White Salmon River, Washington, post-Condit Dam removal, 2016 Juvenile salmonid monitoring in the White Salmon River, Washington, post-Condit Dam removal, 2016
Condit Dam, at river kilometer 5.3 on the White Salmon River, Washington, was breached in 2011 and removed completely in 2012, allowing anadromous salmonids access to habitat that had been blocked for nearly 100 years. A multi-agency workgroup concluded that the preferred salmonid restoration alternative was natural recolonization with monitoring to assess efficacy, followed by a...
Authors
Ian G. Jezorek, Jill M. Hardiman
Evidence of fuels management and fire weather influencing fire severity in an extreme fire event Evidence of fuels management and fire weather influencing fire severity in an extreme fire event
Following changes in vegetation structure and pattern, along with a changing climate, large wildfire incidence has increased in forests throughout the western U.S. Given this increase there is great interest in whether fuels treatments and previous wildfire can alter fire severity patterns in large wildfires. We assessed the relative influence of previous fuels treatments (including...
Authors
Jamie M Lydersen, Brandon M. Collins, Matthew L. Brooks, John R. Matchett, Kristen L. Shive, Nicholas A. Povak, Van R. Kane, Douglas F. Smith
Prevalence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and B. salamandrivorans in the Gulf Coast Waterdog, Necturus beyeri, from Southeast Louisiana, USA Prevalence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and B. salamandrivorans in the Gulf Coast Waterdog, Necturus beyeri, from Southeast Louisiana, USA
The globally widespread amphibian fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has been linked to amphibian declines worldwide (Lips et al. 2006; Skerratt et al. 2007). In Louisiana, USA, Bd has been found in several amphibian species (Chatfield et al. 2012; Rothermel et al. 2008), but to our knowledge no population-level die-offs have been observed. Published literature on Bd...
Authors
Brad M. Glorioso, J. Hardin Waddle, Corinne L. Richards-Zawacki
RNA sequencing analysis of transcriptional change in the freshwater mussel Elliptio complanata after environmentally relevant sodium chloride exposure RNA sequencing analysis of transcriptional change in the freshwater mussel Elliptio complanata after environmentally relevant sodium chloride exposure
To identify potential biomarkers of salt stress in a freshwater sentinel species, we examined transcriptional responses of the common mussel Elliptio complanata to controlled sodium chloride (NaCl) exposures. Ribonucleic acid sequencing (RNA-Seq) of mantle tissue identified 481 transcripts differentially expressed in adult mussels exposed to 2 ppt NaCl (1.2 ppt chloride) for 7 d, of...
Authors
Laura S. Robertson, Heather S. Galbraith, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Carrie J. Blakeslee, Robert S. Cornman
Can we save large carnivores without losing large carnivore science? Can we save large carnivores without losing large carnivore science?
Large carnivores are depicted to shape entire ecosystems through top-down processes. Studies describing these processes are often used to support interventionist wildlife management practices, including carnivore reintroduction or lethal control programs. Unfortunately, there is an increasing tendency to ignore, disregard or devalue fundamental principles of the scientific method when
Authors
Benjamin L. Allen, Lee R. Allen, Henrik Andren, Guy Ballard, Luigi Boitani, Richard M. Engeman, Peter J.S. Fleming, Peter M. Haswell, Adam T. Ford, Rafal Kowalczyk, L. David Mech, John Linnell, Daniel M. Parker
Structured decision making for conservation of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) in Long Creek, Klamath River Basin, south-central Oregon Structured decision making for conservation of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) in Long Creek, Klamath River Basin, south-central Oregon
With the decline of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), managers face multiple, and sometimes contradictory, management alternatives for species recovery. Moreover, effective decision-making involves all stakeholders influenced by the decisions (such as Tribal, State, Federal, private, and non-governmental organizations) because they represent diverse objectives, jurisdictions, policy...
Authors
Joseph R. Benjamin, Kevin McDonnell, Jason B. Dunham, William R. Brignon, James T. Peterson
Movements of four native Hawaiian birds across a naturally fragmented landscape Movements of four native Hawaiian birds across a naturally fragmented landscape
Animals often increase their fitness by moving across space in response to temporal variation in habitat quality and resource availability, and as a result of intra and inter-specific interactions. The long-term persistence of populations and even whole species depends on the collective patterns of individual movements, yet animal movements have been poorly studied at the landscape level...
Authors
Jessie L. Knowlton, David J. Flaspohler, Eben H. Paxton, Tadashi Fukami, Christian P. Giardina, Daniel S. Gruner, Erin E. Wilson Rankin
Global hotspots and correlates of alien species richness across taxonomic groups Global hotspots and correlates of alien species richness across taxonomic groups
Human-mediated transport beyond biogeographic barriers has led to the introduction and establishment of alien species in new regions worldwide. However, we lack a global picture of established alien species richness for multiple taxonomic groups. Here, we assess global patterns and potential drivers of established alien species richness across eight taxonomic groups (amphibians, ants...
Authors
Wayne Dawson, Dietmar Moser, Mark van Kleunen, Holger Kreft, Jan Pergl, Petr Pysek, Patrick Weigelt, Marten Winter, Bernd Lenzner, Tim M. Blackburn, Ellie Dyer, Phillip Cassey, Sally-Louise Scrivens, Evan P. Economo, Benoit Guenard, Cesar Capinha, Hanno Seebens, Pablo Garcia-Diaz, Wolfgang Nentwig, Emili Garcia-Berthou, Christine Casal, Nicholas E. Mandrak, Pam Fuller, Carsten Meyer, Franz Essl
Comparison of size, terminal fall velocity, and density of bighead carp, silver carp, and grass carp eggs for use in drift modeling Comparison of size, terminal fall velocity, and density of bighead carp, silver carp, and grass carp eggs for use in drift modeling
Invasive Asian carp established in the United States spawn in the turbulent water of rivers, and their eggs and early larvae develop while drifting in the current. The eggs, which are believed to perish if they settle before hatching, are slightly denser than water and are held in suspension by water turbulence. It is possible to use egg drift modeling to assess the capability of a river...
Authors
Amy E. George, Tatiana Garcia, Duane Chapman
The deep chlorophyll layer in Lake Ontario: Extent, mechanisms of formation, and abiotic predictors The deep chlorophyll layer in Lake Ontario: Extent, mechanisms of formation, and abiotic predictors
Epilimnetic production has declined in Lake Ontario, but increased production in metalimnetic deep chlorophyll layers (DCLs) may compensate for these losses. We investigated the spatial and temporal extent of DCLs, the mechanisms driving DCL formation, and the use of physical variables for predicting the depth and concentration of the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) during April–September...
Authors
Anne E. Scofield, James M. Watkins, Brian Weidel, Frederick J. Luckey, Lars G. Rudstam
Spatial and temporal variability in the effects of wildfire and drought on thermal habitat for a desert trout Spatial and temporal variability in the effects of wildfire and drought on thermal habitat for a desert trout
We studied how drought and an associated stressor, wildfire, influenced stream flow permanence and thermal regimes in a Great Basin stream network. We quantified these responses by collecting information with a spatially extensive network of data loggers. To understand the effects of wildfire specifically, we used data from 4 additional sites that were installed prior to a 2012 fire that...
Authors
Luke Schultz, Michael Heck, David Hockman-Wert, T Allai, Seth J. Wenger, Cook, Jason B. Dunham
Biological soil crusts: Diminutive communities of potential global importance Biological soil crusts: Diminutive communities of potential global importance
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are widespread, diverse communities of cyanobacteria, fungi, lichens, and mosses living on soil surfaces, primarily in drylands. Biocrusts can locally govern primary production, soil fertility, hydrology, and surface energy balance, with considerable variation in these functions across alternate community states. Further, these communities have been...
Authors
Scott Ferrenberg, Colin Tucker, Sasha C. Reed