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
Selenium hazards in the Salton Sea environment—Summary of current knowledge to inform future wetland management Selenium hazards in the Salton Sea environment—Summary of current knowledge to inform future wetland management
Quaternary marine and continental shales in the western United States are sources of selenium that can be loaded into the aquatic environment through mining, agricultural, and energy production processes. The mobilization of selenium from shales through agricultural irrigation has been recognized since the 1930s; however, discovery of deformities in birds and other wildlife using...
Authors
Michael R. Rosen, Susan E.W. De La Cruz, Krishangi D. Groover, Isa Woo, Sarah A. Roberts, Melanie J. Davis, Cristiana Y. Antonino
PCB source assessment in the lower Clinton River, Clinton River Area of Concern, Mount Clemens, Michigan PCB source assessment in the lower Clinton River, Clinton River Area of Concern, Mount Clemens, Michigan
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), some of the earliest “forever chemicals,” were used for decades in the United States before 1979 when PCB manufacturing was banned. High PCB concentrations were found recently in the lower Clinton River in the Great Lakes drainage. To determine the possible existence, location, and significance of a current source of PCBs, the U.S. Geological Survey...
Authors
Barbara C. Scudder Eikenberry, Hayley Olds, Owen M. Stefaniak, David A. Alvarez
Adjacent and downstream effects of forest harvest on the distribution and abundance of larval headwater stream amphibians in the Oregon Coast Range Adjacent and downstream effects of forest harvest on the distribution and abundance of larval headwater stream amphibians in the Oregon Coast Range
Forest harvest is a primary landscape-scale management action affecting riparian forests. Although concerns about impacts of forest harvest on stream amphibians is generally limited to areas adjacent to harvest, there is a paucity of information regarding potential downstream effects of forest harvest on these species. We designed a before-after, control-impact (BACI) experiment to...
Authors
Adam Duarte, Nathan Chelgren, Jennifer Rowe, Christopher Pearl, Sherri L Johnson, Michael J. Adams
Hidden Markov movement models reveal diverse seasonal movement patterns in two North American ungulates Hidden Markov movement models reveal diverse seasonal movement patterns in two North American ungulates
Animal movement is the mechanism connecting landscapes to fitness, and understanding variation in seasonal animal movements has benefited from the analysis and categorization of animal displacement. However, seasonal movement patterns can defy classification when movements are highly variable. Hidden Markov movement models (HMMs) are a class of latent-state models well-suited to modeling...
Authors
J. Terrill Paterson, Aaron N. Johnston, Anna Ortega, Cody F. Wallace, Matthew J. Kauffman
Turbulence near a sandbar island in the lower Missouri River Turbulence near a sandbar island in the lower Missouri River
River turbulence is spatially variable due to interactions between morphology of rivers and physical mechanics of flowing water. Understanding the variation of turbulence in rivers is important for characterizing transport processes of soluble and particulate materials in these systems. We present an exploratory effort to understand ecologically relevant flow patterns using measurements...
Authors
Geng Li, Caroline M. Elliott, Bruce Call, Brandon James Sansom, R. B. Jacobson, Bin Wang
Closing the gap between science and management of cold-water refuges in rivers and streams Closing the gap between science and management of cold-water refuges in rivers and streams
Human activities and climate change threaten coldwater organisms in freshwater ecosystems by causing rivers and streams to warm, increasing the intensity and frequency of warm temperature events, and reducing thermal heterogeneity. Cold-water refuges are discrete patches of relatively cool water that are used by coldwater organisms for thermal relief and short-term survival. Globally...
Authors
Francine H. Mejia, Valerie Ouellet, Martin A. Briggs, Stephanie M. Carlson, Rose Casas-Mulet, Mollie Chapman, Matthias J. Collins, Stephen J. Dugdale, Joseph L. Ebersole, Danielle M. Frechette, Aimee H. Fullerton, Carol-Anne Gillis, Zachary Johnson, Christa Kelleher, Barret L. Kurylyk, Rebecca Lave, Benjamin Letcher, Knut M. Myrvold, Tracie-Lynn Nadeau, Helen Neville, Herve Piégay, Kathryn E. Smith, Diego Tonolla, Christian E. Torgersen
Tire-derived transformation product 6PPD-quinone induces mortality and transcriptionally disrupts vascular permeability pathways in developing coho salmon Tire-derived transformation product 6PPD-quinone induces mortality and transcriptionally disrupts vascular permeability pathways in developing coho salmon
Urban stormwater runoff frequently contains the car tire transformation product 6PPD-quinone, which is highly toxic to juvenile and adult coho salmon (Onchorychus kisutch). However, it is currently unclear if embryonic stages are impacted. We addressed this by exposing developing coho salmon embryos starting at the eyed stage to three concentrations of 6PPD-quinone twice weekly until...
Authors
Justin Blaine Greer, Ellie Maureen Dalsky, Rachael F. Lane, John D. Hansen
Camera trap distance sampling survey design, Andersen Airforce Base, Guam Camera trap distance sampling survey design, Andersen Airforce Base, Guam
Reliable population estimates of animal density is one of the most elementary needs for the control and management of wildlife, particularly for introduced ungulates on oceanic islands. On Guam, Philippine deer (Rusa marianna) and wild pigs (Sus scrofa; wild boar and descendants of domestic pigs) cause agricultural and ecological damage and are hunted for recreational, nutritional, and...
Authors
Richard J. Camp, Trevor M. Bak
Behavior and movement of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) near Bonneville Dam, Columbia River, Washington and Oregon, March–October 2022 Behavior and movement of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) near Bonneville Dam, Columbia River, Washington and Oregon, March–October 2022
A telemetry study was conducted during March–October 2022 to evaluate behavior and movement patterns of adult smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) in the forebay of Bonneville Dam, on the Columbia River in Washington and Oregon. This study was a follow-up to a previous study conducted at the site during August–December 2020. In 2022, a total of 41 smallmouth bass were collected, tagged...
Authors
Tobias J. Kock, Gabriel S. Hansen
Coevolution with host fishes shapes parasitic life histories in a group of freshwater mussels (Unionidae: Quadrulini) Coevolution with host fishes shapes parasitic life histories in a group of freshwater mussels (Unionidae: Quadrulini)
Ecological interactions among species often lead to parasitic lineages coevolving with host resources, which is often suggested as the primary driver of parasite diversification. Freshwater mussels are bivalves that possess a parasitic life cycle requiring larval encystment on freshwater vertebrates to complete metamorphosis. The North American freshwater mussel tribe Quadrulini has a...
Authors
Sakina Neemuchwala, Nathan Johnson, John M. Pfeiffer, Manuel Lopes-Lima, Andre Gomes-dos-Santos, Elsa Froufe, David M. Hillis, Chase H. Smith
What is “big data” and how should we use it? The role of large datasets, secondary data, and associated analysis techniques in outdoor recreation research What is “big data” and how should we use it? The role of large datasets, secondary data, and associated analysis techniques in outdoor recreation research
With researchers increasingly interested in big data research, this conceptual paper describes how large datasets, secondary data, and associated analysis techniques can be used to understand outdoor recreation. Some types of large, secondary datasets that have been increasingly used in outdoor recreation research include social media, mobile device data, and trip reports or online...
Authors
Dani T. Dagan, Emily J. Wilkins
Forecasts of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) land use in the southern Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, 2040–65 Forecasts of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) land use in the southern Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, 2040–65
This report provides analysis to extend the 2040 forecasts of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) land use for the southern Beaufort and Chukchi Sea populations presented in a recent publication (Rode and others, 2022) through the year 2065. To inform long-term polar bear management considerations, we provide point-estimate forecasts and 95-percent prediction intervals of the proportion of...
Authors
Karyn D. Rode, David C. Douglas, Todd C. Atwood, Ryan R. Wilson