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: 42836
Quantifying the relative importance of survival threats to a long-lived reptile using expert elicitation Quantifying the relative importance of survival threats to a long-lived reptile using expert elicitation
Long-term survival of a conservation-reliant species requires understanding the impact of threats on population growth rate and the management actions that can help mitigate these threats. We used a threat assessment with expert-elicited estimates to determine the relative effect of each stage-specific threat on the population growth rate of the wood turtle Glyptemys insculpta. In...
Authors
Jennifer F. Moore, J. Hardin Waddle, Fred Johnson, Julien Martin, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Jillian E. Fleming, Thomas S. Akre, Donald J. Brown, Yu Man Lee, Jonathon Drescher-Lehman, John Kleopfer, Jessica R. Meck, Kevin J. Oxenrider, Jeff Tamplin, Anthony Tur, Lisabeth L. Willey
Evaluation of juvenile salmon behavior to inform downstream fish passage development at a high head dam Evaluation of juvenile salmon behavior to inform downstream fish passage development at a high head dam
Fish passage development is a priority at Tieton Dam, on the Tieton River in Washington state, because passage options were not included when the dam was constructed nearly 100 years ago. To inform downstream passage design, we conducted a study to evaluate migration and near-dam behavior of juvenile salmon. The primary goal of the study was to determine how fish approached the dam and...
Authors
Tobias J. Kock, Joseph Mitchell Morse, Caitlin Louise Stockwell, Amy C. Hansen
Sequoia and Sequoiadendron: Two paleoendemic megatrees with markedly different adaptive responses to recent high-severity fires Sequoia and Sequoiadendron: Two paleoendemic megatrees with markedly different adaptive responses to recent high-severity fires
Premise Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) are two iconic paleoendemic species with limited distributions, well known for their spectacular size. Recently, they have been exposed to high-severity crown fires, with starkly contrasting responses.Methods We used all available published literature and field observations to understand the...
Authors
Jon Keeley, Juli G. Pausas
Long-term monitoring of island night lizards on San Nicolas Island Long-term monitoring of island night lizards on San Nicolas Island
We describe the results of long-term population monitoring of the island night lizard Xantusia riversiana on San Nicolas Island, California, following the species' removal from the U.S. Endangered Species list in 2014. Monitoring activities were carried out from October 2014 through November 2023, but we also incorporate data from earlier work dating back to 1993. Because of habitat loss...
Authors
Charles A. Drost, Patrick M. Kleeman, Charles B. Yackulic, Brian J. Halstead, Gary M. Fellers
CaDAVEr: A metagenome-assembled genome catalog of microbial decomposers across vertebrate environments CaDAVEr: A metagenome-assembled genome catalog of microbial decomposers across vertebrate environments
Microbial degradation of organic matter is a fundamental Earth process, yet a mechanistic understanding of microbial metabolisms and successional ecology involved in decomposition remains poorly understood. Here, we announce the recovery of 277 cadaver-associated soil metagenome-assembled genomes to enhance our understanding of vertebrate decomposition microbial processes.
Authors
Valerie A. Seitz, Bridget B. McGivern, Michael Shaffer, Mikayla A. Borton, Aeriel D. Belk, Parsa Ghadermazi, Cameron Martino, Liat Shenhav, Anru R. Zhang, Pixu Shi, Alexandra Emmons, Heather Deel, Zhenjiang Zech Xu, Victoria Nieciecki, Qiyun Zhu, Kalen Cantrell, Asa Ben-Hur, Sasha C. Reed, Greg C. Humphry, Gail Ackermann, Daniel McDonald, Siu Hung Chan, Melissa Connor, Derek A. Boyd, Jake Smith, Jenna M.S. Watson, Giovanna Vidoli, Dawnie Steadman, Aaron M. Lynne, Sibyl Bucheli, David O. Carter, Zachary M. Burcham, Rob Knight, Kelly C. Wrighton, Jessica L. Metcalf
Pit tag application in native freshwater mussels: Case studies across small, medium, and large rivers Pit tag application in native freshwater mussels: Case studies across small, medium, and large rivers
Since their first use in the mid-1980s, external passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags have facilitated innovative investigations into multiple biological traits of animals. For native freshwater mussels, PIT tags are frequently used in capture-mark-recapture applications because they allow repeated, noninvasive sampling, are easy to apply, have high retention rates, and have...
Authors
Jeremy S. Tiemann, Matthew J. Ashton, Sarah A. Douglass, Alison P. Stodola, Rachel M. Vinsel, Teresa J. Newton
River-to-lake transitional areas contribute disproportionately to in-lake nutrient loading River-to-lake transitional areas contribute disproportionately to in-lake nutrient loading
River-to-lake transitional areas are biogeochemically active sections of the aquatic continuum that are often understudied compared to their adjoining environments. Internal nutrient loading from river-to-lake transitional areas may be a considerable source of nutrients to lakes and if overlooked disconnect upstream management initiatives from in-lake improvements. To contextualize...
Authors
Nolan J.T. Pearce, James H. Larson, Rebecca M. Kreiling, Mary Anne Evans, Sean Bailey, Kenna J. Gierke, Lynn Bartsch, Marguerite A. Xenopoulos, Paul C. Frost
Amitriptyline and nortriptyline induce ocular toxicity in early life stage zebrafish (Danio rerio) Amitriptyline and nortriptyline induce ocular toxicity in early life stage zebrafish (Danio rerio)
The global use of antidepressants has steadily increased, raising concern to aquatic ecosystems due to the incomplete removal during wastewater treatment. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) act on the neuronal system by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine. However, despite visual function being heavily dependent on the neuronal system, a knowledge gap remains regarding...
Authors
Marwin Jafari, Jason Tyler Magnuson, Fabian Essfeld, Sebastian Eilebrecht, Katharina Brotzmann, Daniela M. Pampanin
Supporting dryland restoration success with applied ecological forecasting of seeding outcomes Supporting dryland restoration success with applied ecological forecasting of seeding outcomes
Introduction Ecological restoration is increasingly used to sustain biodiversity and ecosystem services. In drylands of the western United States (US), post-disturbance restoration often involves seeding treatments to promote the recovery of native plant communities. Spatial and temporal variability in environmental conditions influences plant establishment and contributes to low...
Authors
Gregor-Fausto Siegmund, Daniel Rodolphe Schlaepfer, Caitlin M. Andrews, Leland D. Bennion, Jacob Ferguson, Michelle I. Jeffries, Peggy Olwell, David S. Pilliod, Allison B. Simler-Williamson, Alice E. Stears, Regina Zweng, John B. Bradford
Upper Mississippi River Restoration future hydrology meeting series Upper Mississippi River Restoration future hydrology meeting series
The Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) program, a broad partnership of State and Federal agencies administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, integrates ecosystem monitoring, research, and modeling to rehabilitate habitat and evaluate ecosystem trends over time in the Upper Mississippi River System. Hydrologic data are integral to the UMRR program because they are used in...
Authors
Molly Van Appledorn, Lucie Sawyer
Cumulative effects analysis to inform public land management in the United States: Key characteristics and legal challenges Cumulative effects analysis to inform public land management in the United States: Key characteristics and legal challenges
Considering potential cumulative effects of proposed actions is fundamental to environmental impact analysis. However, cumulative effects analyses historically are not robust, especially for site-specific decisions. We sought to identify opportunities to strengthen cumulative effects analysis in a large United States public land management agency, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). We...
Authors
Tait K. Rutherford, Tim O. Hammond, Alison C. Foster, Megan A. Gilbert, Travis S. Haby, Richard J. Lehrter, Jennifer K. Meineke, Ella M. Samuel, Sarah K. Carter
Persistence of a declining anuran species across its distribution Persistence of a declining anuran species across its distribution
Information on a species’ population dynamics, such as changes in abundance and distribution, can be used to identify declining populations and initiate conservation efforts and protections. For the Ornate Chorus Frog (Pseudacris ornata), anecdotal observations of local extirpation and population declines have been noted, but trends in its range-wide population status are generally...
Authors
Erin L. Koen, Edward Hance Ellington, William J. Barichivich, Howard Kochman, Kevin M. Enge, Susan E. Walls