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: 42702
Highly specialized recreationists contribute the most to the citizen science project eBird Highly specialized recreationists contribute the most to the citizen science project eBird
Contributory citizen science projects (hereafter “contributory projects”) are a powerful tool for avian conservation science. Large-scale projects such as eBird have produced data that have advanced science and contributed to many conservation applications. These projects also provide a means to engage the public in scientific data collection. A common challenge across contributory...
Authors
Connor J. Rosenblatt, Ashley A. Dayer, Jennifer N. Duberstein, Tina B. Phillips, H. W. Harshaw, David C. Fulton, Nicholas W. Cole, Andrew H. Raedeke, Jonathan D. Rutter, Christopher L. Wood
Status and trends of North American bats: Summer occupancy analysis 2010-2019 Status and trends of North American bats: Summer occupancy analysis 2010-2019
• We developed an analytical pipeline supported by web-based infrastructure for integrating continental scale bat monitoring data (stationary acoustic, mobile acoustic, and capture records) to estimate summer (May 1–Aug 31) occupancy probabilities and changes in occupancy over time for 12 North American bat species. This serves as one of multiple lines of evidence that inform the status...
Authors
Bradley James Udell, Bethany Straw, Tina L. Cheng, Kyle Enns, Winifred F. Frick, Benjamin Gotthold, Kathryn Irvine, Cori Lausen, Susan Loeb, Jonathan D. Reichard, Thomas Rodhouse, Dane Smith, Christian Stratton, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Brian Reichert
Economic benefits supported by surface water in eastern Oregon’s Harney Basin Economic benefits supported by surface water in eastern Oregon’s Harney Basin
The Harney Basin is a closed river basin in southeastern Oregon. Surface water in the basin is used for a variety of social, economic, and ecological benefits. While some surface water uses compete with one another, others are complementary or jointly produce multiple beneficial outcomes. The objective of this study is to conduct a baseline economic assessment of surface water in the...
Authors
Christopher Huber, Matthew Flyr, Lucas Bair
Scenario Planning Around Resource Challenges (SPARC): A management-centered approach to scenario planning for climate adaptation Scenario Planning Around Resource Challenges (SPARC): A management-centered approach to scenario planning for climate adaptation
Scenario planning is a strategy or framework that aids making decisions under uncertainty. Inspired by widespread use in the areas of military and business, recent work has applied the strategy to anticipate the effects of climate change on natural resource management. Most scenario planning efforts identify scenarios based on uncertain response in two key drivers of change (e.g...
Authors
Alexander Bryan, Carolyn Armstrong Enquist
Visualizing climate change Visualizing climate change
Humans are profoundly affecting the planet, and human-caused, or anthropogenic, climate change is the most visible manifestation of this today. In the graph above, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, trends in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) are shown from the present (at far right) back through several ice age cycles, to eight hundred thousand years ago (800 kyBCE...
Authors
Adam J. Terando
Aerial dispersal of Lygodium microphyllum spores within Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Aerial dispersal of Lygodium microphyllum spores within Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
Native across the Old World tropics from Africa to Southeast Asia and Australia, Lygodium microphyllum (Cav.) R. Br. (Old World Climbing Fern) is one of the most invasive plant species threatening South Florida ecosystems (Rodgers et al. 2014). This invasive fern was first collected as a naturalized plant in South Florida in the late 1960s (Beckner 1968). Subsequent populations were...
Authors
Alison G. Snow, Laura A. Brandt, Ryan L. Lynch, Erynn M. Call, Scott M. Duke-Sylvester, Don DeAngelis
Friend of Phrag: Secondary invasion by European Frog-bit Friend of Phrag: Secondary invasion by European Frog-bit
No abstract available.
Authors
Taaja Tucker
Life history strategies of stream fishes linked to predictors of hydrologic stability Life history strategies of stream fishes linked to predictors of hydrologic stability
Life history theory provides a framework to understand environmental change based on species strategies for survival and reproduction under stable, cyclical, or stochastic environmental conditions. We evaluated environmental predictors of fish life history strategies in 20 streams intersecting a national park within the Potomac River basin in eastern North America. We sampled stream...
Authors
Nathaniel P. Hitt, Andrew P Landsman, Richard L. Raesly
Identifying monitoring information needs that support the management of fish in large rivers Identifying monitoring information needs that support the management of fish in large rivers
Management actions intended to benefit fish in large rivers can directly or indirectly affect multiple ecosystem components. Without consideration of the effects of management on non-target ecosystem components, unintended consequences may limit management efficacy. Monitoring can help clarify the effects of management actions, including on non-target ecosystem components, but only if...
Authors
Timothy D. Counihan, Kristen L. Bouska, Shannon K. Brewer, R. B. Jacobson, Andrew F. Casper, Colin G. Chapman, Ian R. Waite, Kenneth R. Sheehan, Mark Pyron, Elise R. Irwin, Karen Riva-Murray, Alexa McKerrow, Jennifer M. Bayer
Ungulate migration in a changing climate—An initial assessment of climate impacts, management priorities, and science needs Ungulate migration in a changing climate—An initial assessment of climate impacts, management priorities, and science needs
Executive Summary Migratory behavior among ungulates in the Western United States occurs in response to changing forage quality and quantity, weather patterns, and predation risk. As snow melts and vegetation green-up begins in late spring and early summer, many migratory ungulates leave their winter range and move to higher elevation summer ranges to access high-quality forage and areas...
Authors
Katherine C. Malpeli
Re-evaluating invasive species in degraded ecosystems: A case study of red-eared slider turtles as partial ecological analogs Re-evaluating invasive species in degraded ecosystems: A case study of red-eared slider turtles as partial ecological analogs
Exotic species are often vilified as "bad" without consideration of the potential they have for contributing to ecological functions in degraded ecosystems. The red-eared slider turtle (RES) has been disparaged as one of the worst invasive species. Based on this review, we suggest that RES contribute some ecosystem functions in urban wetlands comparable to those provided by the native...
Authors
Marc Dupuis-Desormeaux, Jeffrey E. Lovich, J. Whitfield Gibbons
Protocols for collecting and processing macroinvertebrates from the benthos and water column in depressional wetlands Protocols for collecting and processing macroinvertebrates from the benthos and water column in depressional wetlands
Freshwater aquatic macroinvertebrates are key links in food webs and nutrient cycles, and thus often serve as biological indicators of ecosystem health. Macroinvertebrate investigations in research and monitoring require consistent and reliable field and laboratory procedures. Comprehensive standard operating procedures for sampling macroinvertebrates from depressional wetlands, which...
Authors
Breanna R. Keith, Jake D. Carleen, Danelle M. Larson, Michael J. Anteau, Megan J. Fitzpatrick