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: 42878
Identifying conservation introduction sites for endangered birds through the integration of lidar-based habitat suitability models and population viability analyses Identifying conservation introduction sites for endangered birds through the integration of lidar-based habitat suitability models and population viability analyses
Similar to other single-island endemic Hawaiian honeycreepers, the critically endangered ‘ākohekohe (Palmeria dolei) is threatened by climate-driven disease spread. To avert the imminent risk of extinction, managers are considering novel measures, including the conservation introduction (CI) of ‘ākohekohe from Maui to higher elevation habitats on the Island of Hawai’i. This study...
Authors
Lucas Berio Fortini, Erica Gallerani, Christopher C Warren, Eben H. Paxton
Environmental variation structures reproduction and recruitment in long-lived mega-herbivores: Galapagos giant tortoises Environmental variation structures reproduction and recruitment in long-lived mega-herbivores: Galapagos giant tortoises
Migratory, long-lived animals are an important focus for life-history theory because they manifest extreme trade-offs in life-history traits: delayed maturity, low fecundity, variable recruitment rates, long generation times, and vital rates that respond to variation across environments. Galapagos tortoises are an iconic example: they are long-lived, migrate seasonally, face multiple...
Authors
Stephen Blake, Fredy Cabrera, Sebastian Cruz, Diego Ellis-Soto, Charles B. Yackulic, Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau, Martin Wikelski, Franz Kuemmeth, James P. Gibbs, Sharon L. Deem
Establishing fluvial silicon regimes and their stability across the Northern Hemisphere Establishing fluvial silicon regimes and their stability across the Northern Hemisphere
Fluvial silicon (Si) plays a critical role in controlling primary production, water quality, and carbon sequestration through supporting freshwater and marine diatom communities. Geological, biogeochemical, and hydrological processes, as well as climate and land use, dictate the amount of Si exported by streams. Understanding Si regimes—the seasonal patterns of Si concentrations—can help...
Authors
Keira Johnson, Kathi Jo Jankowski, Joanna C. Carey, Nicholas Lyon, William H. McDowell, Arial J. Shogren, Adam S. Wymore, Lienne R. Sethna, Wilfred M. Wollheim, Amanda Poste, Pirkko Kortelainen, Ruth C. Heindel, Hjalmar Laudon, Antti Raike, Jeremy B. Jones, Diane M. McKnight, Paul Julian, Sidney A. Bush, Pamela L. Sullivan
Vegetation responses to large dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA Vegetation responses to large dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA
Large dam removal can trigger changes to physical and biological processes that influence vegetation dynamics in former reservoirs, along river corridors downstream of former dams, and at a river’s terminus in deltas and estuaries. We present the first comprehensive review of vegetation response to major fluvial disturbance caused by the world’s largest dam removal. After being in place...
Authors
Patrick B. Shafroth, Laura G. Perry, James M. Helfield, Joshua Chenoweth, Rebecca L. Brown
Population genetics of museum specimens indicate decreasing genetic resiliency: The case of two bumble bees of conservation concern Population genetics of museum specimens indicate decreasing genetic resiliency: The case of two bumble bees of conservation concern
Genetic resiliency is the likelihood that populations retain sufficient genetic diversity to respond to environmental change. It is rarely examined through time in conservation genetic studies due to challenges of acquiring and sequencing historical specimens. Focusing on populations of two sibling bumble bee species of conservation concern with different recent patterns of decline, we...
Authors
Ashley Rhode, Michael Branstetter, Karen E. Mock, Joyce Knoblett, David Pilliod, Jeffrey Everett, Paul Galpern, James P. Strange
Ecology of an insular snake assemblage in coastal Maine Ecology of an insular snake assemblage in coastal Maine
Wildlife populations at the peripheries of their distributions or on isolated islands often display divergent and poorly understood morphological or life-history characteristics compared to core populations. We used a capture–mark–recapture dataset collected over a 19-year period to characterize a northern, insular snake assemblage in coastal Maine. We captured 611 individual snakes of 4...
Authors
John D. Willson, Ethan J. Royal, Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Meredith C. Swartwout, Chelsea S. Kross
Protocol for monitoring and analyzing pheromone-mediated behavioral response of sea lamprey in a natural system Protocol for monitoring and analyzing pheromone-mediated behavioral response of sea lamprey in a natural system
Olfactory-mediated behaviors in fish are often examined in artificial microcosms that enable well-controlled treatments but fail to replicate environmental and social contexts. However, observing these behaviors in nature poses challenges. Here, we describe a protocol for recording sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) behaviors in a natural system. We describe steps for administering and...
Authors
Anne M Scott, Nicholas S. Johnson, Michael J. Siefkes, Weiming Li
Developing a photography-based harvest survey to estimate age and subspecies composition of midcontinent sandhill cranes Developing a photography-based harvest survey to estimate age and subspecies composition of midcontinent sandhill cranes
Midcontinent sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) are managed as a single population, but hunting regulations are structured so harvest is targeted towards the more numerous lesser sandhill cranes (A. c. canadensis). However, research indicates that greater sandhill cranes (A. c. tabida) have been disproportionally exposed to harvest at a rate exceeding their proportion within the...
Authors
Andrew J. Dinges, Jay Alan VonBank, Aaron T. Pearse, David A. Brandt
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on Taeniatherum caput-medusae published from January 2010 to January 2022 Annotated bibliography of scientific research on Taeniatherum caput-medusae published from January 2010 to January 2022
Integrating recent scientific knowledge into management decisions supports effective natural resource management and can lead to better resource outcomes. However, finding and accessing scientific knowledge can be time consuming and costly. To assist in this process, the U.S. Geological Survey is creating a series of annotated bibliographies on topics of management concern for western...
Authors
Jennifer K. Meineke, Logan M. Maxwell, Alison C. Foster, Laine E. McCall, Tait K. Rutherford, Ella M. Samuel, Lea B. Selby, Joshua S Willems, Nathan J. Kleist, Samuel E. Jordan
Working with people to create and apply science in bull trout conservation Working with people to create and apply science in bull trout conservation
No abstract available.
Authors
Jason Dunham, Joseph R. Benjamin
A conserved interdomain microbial network underpins cadaver decomposition despite environmental variables A conserved interdomain microbial network underpins cadaver decomposition despite environmental variables
Microbial breakdown of organic matter is one of the most important processes on Earth, yet the controls of decomposition are poorly understood. Here we track 36 terrestrial human cadavers in three locations and show that a phylogenetically distinct, interdomain microbial network assembles during decomposition despite selection effects of location, climate and season. We generated a...
Authors
Zachary M. Burcham, Aeriel D. Belk, Bridget B. McGivern, Amina Bouslimani, Parsa Ghadermazi, Cameron Martino, Liat Shenhav, Anru R. Zhang, Pixu Shi, Alexandra Emmons, Heather Deel, Zhenjiang Zech Xu, Victoria Nieciecki, Qiyun Zhu, Michael Shaffer, Morgan Panitchpakdi, Kelly Weldon, Kalen Cantrell, Asa Ben-Hur, Sasha C. Reed, Greg C. Humphry, Gail Ackermann, Daniel McDonald, Siu Hung Joshua Chan, Melissa Connor, Derek Boyd, Jake Smith, Jenna Watson, Giovanna Vidoli, Dawnie Steadman, Aaron M. Lynne, Sibyl Bucheli, Pieter C. Dorrestein, Kelly C. Wrighton, David O. Carter, Rob Knight, Jessica L. Metcalf
Trajectories and tipping points of piñon–juniper woodlands after fire and thinning Trajectories and tipping points of piñon–juniper woodlands after fire and thinning
Piñon–juniper (PJ) woodlands are a dominant community type across the Intermountain West, comprising over a million acres and experiencing critical effects from increasing wildfire. Large PJ mortality and regeneration failure after catastrophic wildfire have elevated concerns about the long-term viability of PJ woodlands. Thinning is increasingly used to safeguard forests from fire and...
Authors
Michala Lee Phillips, Cara Marie Lauria, Tova Spector, John B. Bradford, Catherine A. Gehring, Brooke B. Osborne, Armin J. Howell, Edmund E. Grote, Renee Rondeau, Gillian Trimber, Benjamin Robinson, Sasha C. Reed