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: 42876
Genomic association with pathogen carriage in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) Genomic association with pathogen carriage in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis)
Genetic composition can influence host susceptibility to, and transmission of, pathogens, with potential population‐level consequences. In bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), pneumonia epidemics caused by Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae have been associated with severe population declines and limited recovery across North America. Adult survivors either clear the infection or act as carriers that
Authors
Alynn Martin, E. Frances Cassirer, Lisette P. Waits, Raina K. Plowright, Paul C. Cross, Kimberly R. Andrews
Surface-air mercury fluxes and a watershed mass balance in forested and harvested catchments Surface-air mercury fluxes and a watershed mass balance in forested and harvested catchments
Forest soils are among the world’s largest repositories for long-term accumulation of atmospherically deposited mercury (Hg), and understanding the potential for remobilization through gaseous emissions, aqueous dissolution and runoff, or erosive particulate transport to down-gradient aquatic ecosystems is critically important for projecting ecosystem recovery. Forestry operations...
Authors
Chris S. Eckley, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Michael T. Tate, David P. Krabbenhoft
Review of the invasive Asian clam Corbicula spp. (Bivalvia: Cyrenidae) distribution in North America, 1924–2019 Review of the invasive Asian clam Corbicula spp. (Bivalvia: Cyrenidae) distribution in North America, 1924–2019
The bivalve Corbicula is one of the most successful aquatic mollusk invaders in the world. Since being introduced to North America from its native range in Asia, it has dispersed widely over a large portion of the continent from southern Canada to Panama. The first evidence of its introduction in the Western Hemisphere was discovered in 1924 in British Columbia, Canada. A review of...
Authors
Amy J. Benson, James D. Williams
Compilation of information on occurrence and conservation status for the freshwater mussel fauna of Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma Compilation of information on occurrence and conservation status for the freshwater mussel fauna of Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma
The purpose of this data series is to compile information on the occurrence and conservation status of the freshwater mussel fauna of Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma and to map the distribution of a freshwater mussel assemblage for the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management Rapid Ecoregional Assessment (REA) program. The six focal species in the freshwater mussel...
Authors
Natasha B. Carr, Tammy S. Fancher
Egg morphometrics and egg shape coefficients for White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) Egg morphometrics and egg shape coefficients for White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi)
Egg size is a useful metric for maternal investment, offspring quality, and contaminant studies. Yet these values and the egg shape coefficients required to estimate egg size are not available for many species, including White-faced-Ibis (Plegadis chihi). We provide egg morphometrics derived from 319 White-faced Ibis eggs sampled at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Great Salt Lake, Utah...
Authors
Mark P. Herzog, Joshua T. Ackerman, C. Alex Hartman
Tarentola annularis (white-spotted wall gecko) Tarentola annularis (white-spotted wall gecko)
USA: CALIFORNIA: Orange Co.: San Juan Capistrano (33.51°N,117.66°W; WGS 84). 25 August 2020. Samuel Fisher, Chelsea Martin, Robert Fisher. Verified by Gregory B. Pauly. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (LACM 191974). New county record. One juvenile (33 mm SVL) was collected, and another juvenile was seen 40 m away. Another juvenile was also observed during a second visit to...
Authors
Samuel R Fisher, Chelsea E Martin, Robert N. Fisher
Cloud water interception in Hawai‘i: Developing capacity to characterize the spatial patterns and effects on water and ecological processes responses in Hawai‘i Cloud water interception in Hawai‘i: Developing capacity to characterize the spatial patterns and effects on water and ecological processes responses in Hawai‘i
Cloud-water interception (CWI) is the process by which fog or cloud water droplets are captured and accumulate on the leaves and branches of plants, some of which drips to the ground. Prior studies in Hawai'i indicate that CWI is highly variable and can contribute substantially to total precipitation. In this study, we monitored CWI and other processes at five mountain field sites on the...
Authors
Han Tseng, Lucas Berio Fortini, Alan Mair, Aurora Kagawa-Viviani, Stephanie G. Yelenik, Yoshiyuki Miyazawa, Michael A Nullet, Joseph Kennedy, John DeLay, Christina Leopold, Thomas Giambelluca
Summer Diet of Juvenile Lake Sturgeon Reintroduced into the Genesee and St. Regis Rivers, New York USA Summer Diet of Juvenile Lake Sturgeon Reintroduced into the Genesee and St. Regis Rivers, New York USA
The restoration of threatened species involves understanding multiple aspects of the life history and ecology of the target species. One important consideration in the restoration of threatened species is feeding ecology. We examined the summer diet of reintroduced juvenile lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in the Genesee (n = 119, ages 1 and 2) and the St. Regis rivers (n = 40, ages...
Authors
Dawn E. Dittman, Marc Chalupnicki
Lampropeltis californiae (California kingsnake) behavior, male-male combat Lampropeltis californiae (California kingsnake) behavior, male-male combat
There are few published descriptions of male-male combat in Lampropeltis spp. under natural conditions. Shaw (1951. Herpetologica 7:149-168) briefly described aggressive interactions between two captive male L. annulata (Mexican Milksnakes) that appeared to be associated with feeding, and Moehn (1967. Copeia 1967:480–481) described the "combat dance" between two male L. calligaster...
Authors
S. Starr, Charles A. Drost, A.T. Holycross
Recent recovery and expansion of Guam’s locally endangered Såli (Micronesian Starling) Aplonis opaca population in the presence of the invasive brown treesnake Recent recovery and expansion of Guam’s locally endangered Såli (Micronesian Starling) Aplonis opaca population in the presence of the invasive brown treesnake
Assessing the impacts of invasive predators on the demography and distribution of native species is critical for understanding mechanisms of species persistence and informing the design of recovery programmes. On the oceanic island of Guam, the introduction of the predatory brown treesnake Boiga irregularis after World War II caused the near-total loss of the native forest avifauna...
Authors
Henry Pollock, Martin Kastner, Gary Wiles, Hugo Thierry, Laura Duenas, Eben H. Paxton, Nicole Suckow, Jeff Quitugua, Haldre Rogers
Avoidance of cold-, cool-, and warm-water fishes to Zequanox® exposure Avoidance of cold-, cool-, and warm-water fishes to Zequanox® exposure
Zequanox® is a biopesticide registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the Canadian Pest Management Regulatory Agency for controlling dreissenid mussels with demonstrated selective toxicity. However, some research has indicated that Zequanox may impact the body condition and survival of some non-target species. We assessed avoidance behaviors of two species of...
Authors
Matthew Barbour, James A. Luoma, Todd J. Severson, Jeremy K. Wise, Barbara Bennie
The influence of species life history and distribution characteristics on species responses to habitat fragmentation in an urban landscape The influence of species life history and distribution characteristics on species responses to habitat fragmentation in an urban landscape
Fragmentation within urbanized environments often leads to a loss of native species diversity; however, variation exists in responses among-species and among-populations within species.We aimed to identify patterns in species biogeography in an urbanized landscape to understand anthropogenic effects on vertebrate communities and identify species that are more sensitive or resilient to...
Authors
Staci M. Amburgey, David A. W. Miller, Carlton J. Rochester, Katy S. Delaney, Seth P. D. Riley, Cheryl S. Brehme, Stacie A. Hathaway, Robert N. Fisher