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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: 42704

Evaluation of fisher (Pekania pennanti) restoration in Olympic National Park and the Olympic Recovery Area: 2015 final annual progress report Evaluation of fisher (Pekania pennanti) restoration in Olympic National Park and the Olympic Recovery Area: 2015 final annual progress report

With the translocation and release of 90 fishers (Pekania pennanti) from British Columbia to Olympic National Park during 2008–2010, the National Park Service (NPS) and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) accomplished the first phase of fisher restoration in Washington State. Beginning in 2013, we initiated a new research project to determine the current status of fishers...
Authors
Patricia J. Happe, Kurt J. Jenkins, Thomas J. Kay, Kristie Pilgrim, Michael K. Schwartz, Jeffrey C. Lewis, Keith B. Aubry

Chewing lice of swan geese (Anser cygnoides): New host-parasite associations Chewing lice of swan geese (Anser cygnoides): New host-parasite associations

Chewing lice (Phthiraptera) that parasitize the globally threatened swan goose Anser cygnoides have been long recognized since the early 19th century, but those records were probably biased towards sampling of captive or domestic geese due to the small population size and limited distribution of its wild hosts. To better understand the lice species parasitizing swan geese that are...
Authors
Chang-Yong Choi, John Y. Takekawa, Diann J. Prosser, Lacy M. Smith, Craig R. Ely, Anthony D. Fox, Lei Cao, Xin Wang, Nyambayar Batbayar, Tseveenmayadag Natsagdorj, Xiangming Xiao

Temperature and hydrology affect methane emissions from Prairie Pothole Wetlands Temperature and hydrology affect methane emissions from Prairie Pothole Wetlands

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) in central North America consists of millions of depressional wetlands that each have considerable potential to emit methane (CH4). Changes in temperature and hydrology in the PPR from climate change may affect methane fluxes from these wetlands. To assess the potential effects of changes in climate on methane emissions, we examined the relationships...
Authors
Sheel Bansal, Brian Tangen, Raymond Finocchiaro

The precision problem in conservation and restoration The precision problem in conservation and restoration

Within the varied contexts of environmental policy, conservation of imperilled species populations, and restoration of damaged habitats, an emphasis on idealized optimal conditions has led to increasingly specific targets for management. Overly-precise conservation targets can reduce habitat variability at multiple scales, with unintended consequences for future ecological resilience. We...
Authors
J. Kevin Hiers, Stephen T. Jackson, Richard J. Hobbs, Emily S. Bernhardt, Leonie E. Valentine

Effects of consumption-oriented versus trophy-oriented fisheries on Muskellunge population size structure in northern Wisconsin Effects of consumption-oriented versus trophy-oriented fisheries on Muskellunge population size structure in northern Wisconsin

To determine whether a consumption-oriented fishery was compatible with a trophy-oriented fishery for Muskellunge Esox masquinongy, we modeled effects of a spearing fishery and recreational angling fishery on population size structure (i.e., numbers of fish ≥ 102, 114, and 127 cm) in northern Wisconsin. An individual-based simulation model was used to quantify the effect of harvest...
Authors
Matthew D. Faust, Michael J. Hansen

Environmental drivers of differences in microbial community structure in crude oil reservoirs across a methanogenic gradient Environmental drivers of differences in microbial community structure in crude oil reservoirs across a methanogenic gradient

Stimulating in situ microbial communities in oil reservoirs to produce natural gas is a potentially viable strategy for recovering additional fossil fuel resources following traditional recovery operations. Little is known about what geochemical parameters drive microbial population dynamics in biodegraded, methanogenic oil reservoirs. We investigated if microbial community structure was
Authors
Jenna L. Shelton, Denise M. Akob, Jennifer C. McIntosh, Noah Fierer, John R. Spear, Peter D. Warwick, John E. McCray

Sagebrush, greater sage-grouse, and the occurrence and importance of forbs Sagebrush, greater sage-grouse, and the occurrence and importance of forbs

Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) ecosystems provide habitat for sagebrush-obligate wildlife species such as the Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). The understory of big sagebrush plant communities is composed of grasses and forbs that are important sources of cover and food for wildlife. The grass component is well described in the literature, but the composition...
Authors
Victoria E. Pennington, Daniel R. Schlaepfer, Jeffrey L. Beck, John B. Bradford, Kyle A. Palmquist, William K. Lauenroth

Application of decision science to resilience management in Jamaica Bay Application of decision science to resilience management in Jamaica Bay

This book highlights the growing interest in management interventions designed to enhance the resilience of the Jamaica Bay socio-ecological system. Effective management, whether the focus is on managing biological processes or human behavior or (most likely) both, requires decision makers to anticipate how the managed system will respond to interventions (i.e., via predictions or...
Authors
Mitchell J. Eaton, Angela K. Fuller, Fred A. Johnson, M. P. Hare, Richard C. Stedman

Direct photolysis rates and transformation pathways of the lampricides TFM and niclosamide in simulated sunlight Direct photolysis rates and transformation pathways of the lampricides TFM and niclosamide in simulated sunlight

The lampricides 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) and 2′,5-dichloro-4′-nitrosalicylanilide (niclosamide) are directly added to many tributaries of the Great Lakes that harbor the invasive parasitic sea lamprey. Despite their long history of use, the fate of lampricides is not well understood. This study evaluates the rate and pathway of direct photodegradation of both lampricides...
Authors
Megan B. McConville, Terrance D. Hubert, Christina K. Remucal

Metabarcoding of fecal samples to determine herbivore diets: A case study of the endangered Pacific pocket mouse Metabarcoding of fecal samples to determine herbivore diets: A case study of the endangered Pacific pocket mouse

Understanding the diet of an endangered species illuminates the animal’s ecology, habitat requirements, and conservation needs. However, direct observation of diet can be difficult, particularly for small, nocturnal animals such as the Pacific pocket mouse (Heteromyidae: Perognathus longimembris pacificus). Very little is known of the dietary habits of this federally endangered rodent...
Authors
Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Amy G. Vandergast, Robert S. Cornman, Cynthia R. Adams, Joshua R. Kohn, Robert N. Fisher, Cheryl S. Brehme

Water clarity of the Colorado River—Implications for food webs and fish communities Water clarity of the Colorado River—Implications for food webs and fish communities

The closure of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963 resulted in drastic changes to water clarity, temperature, and flow of the Colorado River in Glen, Marble, and Grand Canyons. The Colorado River is now much clearer, water temperature is less variable throughout the year, and the river is much colder in the summer months. The flow—regulated by the dam—is now less variable annually, but has larger...
Authors
Nicholas Voichick, Theodore A. Kennedy, David J. Topping, Ronald E. Griffiths, Kyrie Fry

Persistence and diversity of directional landscape connectivity improves biomass pulsing in expanding and contracting wetlands Persistence and diversity of directional landscape connectivity improves biomass pulsing in expanding and contracting wetlands

In flood-pulsed ecosystems, hydrology and landscape structure mediate transfers of energy up the food chain by expanding and contracting in area, enabling spatial expansion and growth of fish populations during rising water levels, and subsequent concentration during the drying phase. Connectivity of flooded areas is dynamic as waters rise and fall, and is largely determined by landscape
Authors
Simeon Yurek, Donald L. DeAngelis, Joel C. Trexler, Stephen Klassen, Laurel G. Larsen
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