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
Variation in metal concentrations across a large contamination gradient is reflected in stream but not linked riparian food webs Variation in metal concentrations across a large contamination gradient is reflected in stream but not linked riparian food webs
Aquatic insects link food web dynamics across freshwater-terrestrial boundaries and subsidize terrestrial consumer populations. Contaminants that accumulate in larval aquatic insects and are retained across metamorphosis can increase dietary exposure for riparian insectivores. To better understand potential exposure of terrestrial insectivores to aquatically-derived trace metals, metal
Authors
Johanna M. Kraus, Richard Wanty, Travis S. Schmidt, David Walters, Ruth E. Wolf
Using expert knowledge to support Endangered Species Act decision‐making for data‐deficient species Using expert knowledge to support Endangered Species Act decision‐making for data‐deficient species
Many questions relevant to conservation decision making are characterized by extreme uncertainty due to lack of empirical data and complexity of the underlying ecological processes, leading to a rapid increase in the use of structured protocols to elicit expert knowledge. Published ecological applications often employ a modified Delphi method, where experts provide judgments anonymously...
Authors
Daniel Bruce Fitzgerald, David R. Smith, David C. Culver, Daniel Feller, Daniel W. Fong, Jeff Hajenga, Matthew L. Niemiller, Daniel C. Nolfi, Wil D. Orndorff, Barbara Douglas, Kelly O. Maloney, John A. Young
Stoichiometric ecotoxicology for a multisubstance world Stoichiometric ecotoxicology for a multisubstance world
Nutritional and contaminant stressors influence organismal physiology, trophic interactions, community structure, and ecosystem-level processes; however, the interactions between toxicity and elemental imbalance in food resources have been examined in only a few ecotoxicity studies. Integrating well-developed ecological theories that cross all levels of biological organization can...
Authors
Angela Peace, Paul C. Frost, Nicole D. Wagner, Michael Danger, Chiara Accolla, Philipp Antczak, Bryan W. Brooks, David M. Costello, Rebecca A. Everett, Kevin B. Flores, Christopher M. Heggerud, Roxanne Karimi, Yun Kang, Yang Kuang, James H. Larson, Teresa Mathews, Gregory D. Mayer, Justin N. Murdock, Cheryl A. Murphy, Roger M. Nisbet, Laure Pecquerie, Nathan Pollesch, Erica M. Rutter, Kimberly L. Schultz, J. Thad Scott, Louise Stevenson, Hao Wang
Freezing temperatures restrict woody plant recruitment and restoration efforts in abandoned montane pastures Freezing temperatures restrict woody plant recruitment and restoration efforts in abandoned montane pastures
Tropical montane forests are being lost at an alarming rate but harbor some of the globe’s most unique biodiversity. The Hawaiian archipelago is a prime example of the importance of high elevation forests to species conservation and persistence as they serve as the last refugia for Hawaiian birds. Yet these forests have been converted to invasive dominated pastures, and efforts to...
Authors
Evan M Rehm, Stephanie G. Yelenik, Carla M. D’Antonio
The Coyote Mountains’ desert snail (Sonorelix harperi carrizoensis), a lazarus species With the first documentation of live individuals The Coyote Mountains’ desert snail (Sonorelix harperi carrizoensis), a lazarus species With the first documentation of live individuals
The Coyote Mountain desert snail (Sonorelix harperi carrizoensis) was described in 1937 from 30 dry shells collected the previous year. We reviewed the literature and museum records and found two additional shell collections for this subspecies from the type locality one from 1958, and one from an adjacent mountain range in 1938. There is no evidence previously of any live snails being...
Authors
Robert N. Fisher, Samuel Rosen Fisher
Status of endemic reed-warblers of the Mariana Islands, with emphasis on conservation strategies for the endangered Nightingale Reed-warbler Status of endemic reed-warblers of the Mariana Islands, with emphasis on conservation strategies for the endangered Nightingale Reed-warbler
Insular species, particularly birds, experience high levels of speciation and endemism. Similarly, island birds experience extreme levels of extinction. Based on a 2012 taxonomic assessment, historically there were four reed-warbler species in the Mariana Islands, the Guam Reed-warbler Acrocephalus luscinia (Guam), the Nightingale Reed-warbler Acrocephalus hiwae (Saipan and Alamagan)...
Authors
Ann P. Marshall, Fred A Amidon, Richard J. Camp, P. Marcos Gorresen, Paul Radley
Poecivirus is present in individuals with beak deformities in seven species of North American birds Poecivirus is present in individuals with beak deformities in seven species of North American birds
Avian keratin disorder (AKD), a disease of unknown etiology characterized by debilitating beak overgrowth, has increasingly affected wild bird populations since the 1990s. A novel picornavirus, poecivirus, is closely correlated with disease status in Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in Alaska. However, our knowledge of the relationship between poecivirus and beak...
Authors
Maxine Zylberberg, Caroline R. Van Hemert, Colleen M. Handel, Rachel Liu, Joseph L. DeRisi
Field trials to test new trap technologies for monitoring Culex populations and the efficacy of the biopesticide formulation VectoMax® FG for control of larval Culex quinquefasciatus in the Alaka'i Plateau, Kaua'i, Hawaii Field trials to test new trap technologies for monitoring Culex populations and the efficacy of the biopesticide formulation VectoMax® FG for control of larval Culex quinquefasciatus in the Alaka'i Plateau, Kaua'i, Hawaii
Mosquito-borne avian malaria Plasmodium relictum is a key limiting factor for endemic Hawaiian forest birds. In the past decade, populations of Kaua‘i’s endemic forest birds have been in a steep decline due to an increase in malaria transmission. To evaluate the use of available biopesticides for short-term mosquito control we tested the efficacy of the biopesticide VectoMax® FG against...
Authors
Dennis A. LaPointe, Theodore V. Black, Michael Riney, Grace Tredinnick, Lisa H. Crampton, Justin Hite
Adaptive monitoring in action: Reconsidering design-based estimators reveals underestimation of whitebark pine disease prevalence in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Adaptive monitoring in action: Reconsidering design-based estimators reveals underestimation of whitebark pine disease prevalence in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Identifying and understanding status and trends in ecological indicators motivates continual monitoring over decades. Many programs rely on probability surveys and their companion design-based estimators for status assessments (e.g. Horvitz–Thompson). Design-based estimators do not easily extend to trend estimation nor situations with observation errors. Field-based monitoring efforts...
Authors
Erin Shanahan, Wilson Wright, Kathryn Irvine
NABat: A top-down, bottom-up solution to collaborative continental-scale monitoring NABat: A top-down, bottom-up solution to collaborative continental-scale monitoring
Collaborative monitoring over broad scales and levels of ecological organization can inform conservation efforts necessary to address the contemporary biodiversity crisis. An important challenge to collaborative monitoring is motivating local engagement with enough buy-in from stakeholders while providing adequate top-down direction for scientific rigor, quality control, and coordination
Authors
Brian E. Reichert, Mylea L. Bayless, Tina L. Cheng, Jeremy T.H. Coleman, Charles M. Francis, Winifred F. Frick, Benjamin Gotthold, Kathryn Irvine, Cori Lausen, Han Li, Susan C. Loeb, Jonathan D. Reichard, Thomas Rodhouse, Jordi L. Segers, Jeremy Siemers, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Theodore Weller
Assessing the feasibility of managed aquifer recharge in California Assessing the feasibility of managed aquifer recharge in California
With aquifers around the world stressed by over-extraction, water managers are increasingly turning to managed aquifer recharge (MAR), directly replenishing groundwater resources through injection wells, recharge basins, or other approaches. While there has been progress in understanding the geological and infrastructure-related considerations to make MAR more effective, critical...
Authors
Nicola Ulibarri, Nataly Escobedo Garcia, Rebecca L Nelson, Amanda E. Cravens, Ryan J McCarty
Habitat features predict carrying capacity of a recovering marine carnivore Habitat features predict carrying capacity of a recovering marine carnivore
The recovery of large carnivore species from over‐exploitation can have socioecological effects; thus, reliable estimates of potential abundance and distribution represent a valuable tool for developing management objectives and recovery criteria. For sea otters (Enhydra lutris), as with many apex predators, equilibrium abundance is not constant across space but rather varies as a...
Authors
M. Tim Tinker, Julie L. Yee, Kristin L. Laidre, Brian B. Hatfield, Michael D. Harris, Joseph A. Tomoleoni, Tom W. Bell, Emily Saarman, Lilian P. Carswell, A. Keith Miles