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: 42768
Comparative life history of mud turtles (genus: Kinosternon) from the North American deserts Comparative life history of mud turtles (genus: Kinosternon) from the North American deserts
The warm deserts of North America are characterized by diverse environments that include the transition zone between tropical and temperate regions on the continent. This vast region includes the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, which have different precipitation regimes and are composed of different floras and faunas, separated by the Cochise Filter Barrier. Inhabiting these deserts are...
Authors
Rodrigo Macipríos, Jeffrey E. Lovich
Insight 4. Climate change and biodiversity loss amplify each other Insight 4. Climate change and biodiversity loss amplify each other
Key messages: • Climate change is impacting biodiversity from local to global scales, and growing evidence suggests that further loss of biodiversity can contribute to climate change, creating a destabilizing feedback. • Loss of plant diversity due to climate and land-use change can weaken ecosystem functioning, leading to a decrease in biomass accumulation and reduced carbon storage. •...
Authors
Luiz A. Domeignoz-Horta, Guilherme G. Mazzochini, Akira S. Mori, Estelle Razanatsoa, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Adrian Heilemann
Climatological effects on survival, recruitment, and possible extirpation of a Sierra Nevada anuran Climatological effects on survival, recruitment, and possible extirpation of a Sierra Nevada anuran
The drivers of population dynamics are a primary interest of ecologists, and predicting the consequences of climate variability on wildlife populations benefits from an understanding of how weather causes variation in the vital rates of populations. Given recent and projected extremes in annual precipitation in the Sierra Nevada of California, USA, including two severe droughts, we...
Authors
Brian Halstead, Patrick M. Kleeman, Jonathan P. Rose, Robert L. Grasso, Gary M. Fellers
Apparent annual survival of adult Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) may not differ by sex or region Apparent annual survival of adult Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) may not differ by sex or region
Understanding range-wide demographic, spatial, and temporal variation in annual survival is essential for managing species of conservation concern. Multi-population models are useful tools for integrating diverse datasets, reducing biases, and deriving survival estimates across differing spatial scales. We conducted a range-wide, multi-population apparent annual survival analysis for a...
Authors
Emily N. Filiberti, Amber M. Roth, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Ethan J. Royal, Kyle R. Aldinger, Ruth E. Bennett, David A. Buehler, Lesley P. Bulluck, Ronald A. Canterbury, Richard Chandler, Sarah J. Clements, Cameron J. Fiss, Keith A. Hobson, John Anthony Jones, David A. King, Gunnar R. Kramer, Jeffery L. Larkin, Darin J. McNeil, Jeffrey D. Ritterson, Anna Buckardt Thomas, Rachel Vallender, Steven L. Van Wilgenburg, Petra B. Wood
Movements and survival of hatchery reared juvenile cisco (Coregonus artedi) in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron Movements and survival of hatchery reared juvenile cisco (Coregonus artedi) in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron
Background Cisco (Coregonus artedi) were historically abundant throughout Lake Huron, including Saginaw Bay, but only a few remnant populations remain in northern Lake Huron today. Reestablishment of cisco is an important component of management plans to restore sustainable fisheries in Lake Huron. Cisco restoration efforts have focused on the release of hatchery-reared fish, but the...
Authors
Todd Hayden, Christopher Holbrook, Thomas R. Binder, Andrew Edgar Honsey, Roger Gordon, Kevin McDonnell, David G. Fielder, Aaron T. Fisk
Non-native bird populations respond differently to their environment and exhibit shifts in ecological niche limits across continents Non-native bird populations respond differently to their environment and exhibit shifts in ecological niche limits across continents
Aim The degree to which species' niches remain stable over space and time–the niche conservatism hypothesis–is critical for predicting species' responses to environmental change. Tests of this hypothesis typically focus on changes in niche centroids and boundaries. An outstanding question is whether species' environmental associations differ within the interior of their niche space–that...
Authors
Kristin P. Davis, Helen Sofaer, Henrik G. Smith, Henning Heldbjerg, Anna Gamero, Ainārs Auniņš, Lluís Brotons, Tomasz Chodkiewicz, Daniel Palm Eskildsen, Benoît Fontaine, John Atle Kålås, Primož Kmecl, Petras Kurlavičius, Aleksi Lehikoinen, Åke Lindström, Ingar Jostein Øien, Jiří Reif, Nicolas Strebel, Tibor Szép, Chris A.M. van Turnhout, Thomas Vikstrøm, Liba Pejchar
Seasonal increases in global dryland gross primary production are modulated by root soil moisture and temperature Seasonal increases in global dryland gross primary production are modulated by root soil moisture and temperature
Dryland ecosystems, which are highly sensitive to environmental variability across space and through time, play a critical role in the global carbon cycle. To understand the carbon sink role of drylands, this study used different sources of global dryland gross primary productivity (GPP) and evaluated the spatiotemporal variations in seasonal GPP in response to climatic and soil water...
Authors
Lihua Lan, Seth M. Munson, Kailiang Yu, Zhongxiang Fang, Xiuzhi Chen, Weiguang Zhao, Siao Sun, Zhenbo Wang, Fei He, Yuan Liang
Precipitation timing mediates life-stage and population-level associations with climate for an indicator species Precipitation timing mediates life-stage and population-level associations with climate for an indicator species
Global climate change is contributing to declines in biodiversity, although changes vary across geographic regions and species. The iconic greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) is central to conservation within the North American sagebrush ecosystem, yet its vulnerability to climate effects remains poorly understood. We used hierarchical models to explore weather...
Authors
Shawn T. O’Neil, Carl Gregory Lundblad, Brianne E. Brussee, John Christopher Tull, Michael L. Casazza, Justin R. Small, Cameron L. Aldridge, Peter S. Coates
Linking bathythermal habitat selection to management of a migratory freshwater fish Linking bathythermal habitat selection to management of a migratory freshwater fish
Background For migratory fishes, habitat selection in dimensions of temperature and depth may be jointly used to define the bathythermal niche. Seasonal and long-term changes in the availability of bathythermal habitat can cause behavioral responses that have consequences for managing interjurisdictional fisheries that target migratory fishes. Management of such fisheries typically...
Authors
Richard Kraus, Matthew Faust, Scott F. Colborne, Christopher Vandergoot
Greenhouse gas emissions from ditches in oil palm plantations on tropical peatlands in Malaysia Greenhouse gas emissions from ditches in oil palm plantations on tropical peatlands in Malaysia
Tropical peatlands, which store 20% of global peat carbon, are increasingly threatened by conversion to alternative land-uses such as oil palm plantations, pulp wood plantations, crop growth or other economic activities. This transformation involves peatland drainage, which lowers water tables, exposes peat to oxygen, and alters greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: increasing carbon dioxide...
Authors
Kuno Kasak, Iryna Dronova, Kaido Soosaar, Lulie Melling, Wong Guan Xhuan, Faustina Sangok, Reti Ranniku, Jorge A. Villa, Sheel Bansal, Michael Peacock, Ülo Mander
Toward a shared vision for climate-informed resource stewardship Toward a shared vision for climate-informed resource stewardship
Climate-change adaptation planning processes and tools are increasing in number and evolving rapidly. During times of innovation and proliferation, a potential danger is incoherence, when well-intended contributions can overwhelm, create confusion, or mask complementarities. A shared vision is needed to avoid duplication, reduce misunderstandings, and facilitate work across jurisdictions...
Authors
Brian W. Miller, Gregor W. Schuurman, Wylie Carr, David J. Lawrence, Lindsey Thurman, Aparna Bamzai-Dodson, Leslie A. Brandt, Shelley D. Crausbay, Molly Elizabeth Smith Cross, Mitchell J. Eaton, Maria K. Janowiak, D. Todd Jones-Farrand, Julian Reyes
Expression and mechanisms of behavioral plasticity in large mammals Expression and mechanisms of behavioral plasticity in large mammals
Behavioral plasticity, the alteration of behavior in response to stimuli, is becoming increasingly important in the context of human-induced rapid environmental change. Theoretical and empirical studies suggest that the expression and magnitude of behavioral plasticity are likely facilitated or constrained primarily by two factors: environmental variation and endogenous traits such as...
Authors
Rebecca R. Thomas-Kuzilik, Justine A. Becker, Jeffrey L. Beck, Justin G. Clapp, Alyson B. Courtemanch, Gary L. Fralick, Chris Geremia, L. Embere Hall, Matthew J. Kauffman, Blake Lowrey, Matthew C. Metz, Hollie M. Miyasaki, Kevin L. Monteith, Anna C. Ortega, Hall Sawyer, Douglas W. Smith, Erin E. Stahler, Daniel R. Stahler, Tana L. Verzuh, Jerod A. Merkle