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: 42712
Appendix C: Interim report on subtask focused on resampling historic Kennedy/ITD plots for RP-284 Appendix C: Interim report on subtask focused on resampling historic Kennedy/ITD plots for RP-284
In October 2019, an Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) Cooperative Transportation Research Program award was made to Boise State University in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey to investigate the use of weed-suppressive bacteria (Pseudomonas fluorescens strain ACK55) with preemergent herbicides (imazapic and indaziflam) to reduce exotic annual grasses (cheatgrass, medusahead...
Authors
Allison B. Simler-Williamson, Matthew Germino, Brynne E. Lazarus
Living with wildfire in the Squilchuck Drainage - Chelan County, Washington: 2020 data report Living with wildfire in the Squilchuck Drainage - Chelan County, Washington: 2020 data report
Research on the social dimensions of wildfire provides opportunities to understand how communities and the people who reside in those communities interact with the threat of wildfire. Overall, three findings from this project were particularly noteworthy. First, household survey results indicate that residents in the Squilchuck Drainage, Chelan County, Washington have high expectations...
Authors
Hannah Brenkert-Smith, Patricia A. Champ, Jon Riley, Christopher M. Barth, Colleen Donovan, James Meldrum, Carolyn Wagner
Robotic environmental DNA bio-surveillance of freshwater health Robotic environmental DNA bio-surveillance of freshwater health
Autonomous water sampling technologies may help to overcome the human resource challenges of monitoring biological threats to rivers over long time periods and large geographic areas. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute has pioneered a robotic Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) that overcomes some of the constraints associated with traditional sampling since it can automate...
Authors
Adam J. Sepulveda, Jim M. Birch, Elliott Barnhart, Christopher M. Merkes, Kevan Yamahara, Roman Marin, Stacy Kinsey, Peter R. Wright, Christian Schmidt
Flow‐ecology modelling to inform reservoir releases for riparian restoration and management Flow‐ecology modelling to inform reservoir releases for riparian restoration and management
Linked hydrologic, hydraulic, and ecological models can facilitate planning and implementing water releases from reservoirs to achieve ecological objectives along rivers. We applied a flow‐ecology model, the Ecosystem Functions Model (HEC‐EFM), to the Bill Williams River in southwestern USA to estimate areas suitable for recruitment of riparian tree seedlings in the context of managing...
Authors
John T Hickey, Patrick B. Shafroth, Woodrow L Fields
Uranium bioaccumulation dynamics in the mayfly Neocloeon triangulifer and application to site-specific prediction Uranium bioaccumulation dynamics in the mayfly Neocloeon triangulifer and application to site-specific prediction
Little is known about the underlying mechanisms governing the bioaccumulation of uranium (U) in aquatic insects. We experimentally parameterized conditional rate constants for aqueous U uptake, dietary U uptake, and U elimination for the aquatic baetid mayfly Neocloeon triangulifer. Results showed that this species accumulates U from both the surrounding water and diet, with waterborne...
Authors
Brianna L. Henry, Marie Noele Croteau, David Walters, Janet L. Miller, Daniel J. Cain, Christopher C. Fuller
Minimizing the spread of aquatic herpetofaunal pathogens by decontaminating construction equipment Minimizing the spread of aquatic herpetofaunal pathogens by decontaminating construction equipment
Some problems have relatively simple solutions compared to the cost of neglect. Preventing the spread of invasive species and harmful pathogens clinging to construction equipment is one such solution. Here we explain how resource managers and contractors can decontaminate construction and field equipment by cleaning, disinfecting, and drying, thus minimizing the spread of harmful...
Authors
James T. Julian, Paula F. P. Henry, James M. Drasher, Kathy Michell, Scott A. Smith
Building adaptive capacity in a coastal region experiencing global change Building adaptive capacity in a coastal region experiencing global change
Coastal ecosystems in the eastern U.S. have been severely altered by human development, and climate change and other stressors are now further degrading the capacity of those ecological and social systems to remain resilient in the face of such disturbances. We sought to identify potential ways in which local conservation interests in the Lowcountry of South Carolina (USA) could...
Authors
Fred A. Johnson, Mitchell J. Eaton, Jessica Mikels-Carrasco, David J. Case
Cottonwoods, water, and people-Integrating analysis of tree rings with observations of elders from the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming Cottonwoods, water, and people-Integrating analysis of tree rings with observations of elders from the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming
We assessed the history of flow and riparian ecosystem change along the Wind River using cottonwood tree-ring data, streamgage records, historical temperature and precipitation data, drought indices, and local observations and Traditional Ecological Knowledge from elders of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming. This assessment identified...
Authors
Shannon M. McNeeley, Jonathan M. Friedman, Tyler A. Beeton, Richard D. Thaxton
Impact of unburned remnant sagebrush versus outplants on post-fire landscape rehabilitation Impact of unburned remnant sagebrush versus outplants on post-fire landscape rehabilitation
Nearly half of the vast sagebrush steppe in the western United states has lost many or nearly all native plant species, largely due to the interaction of invasive species and increased wildfire. Re-establishing sagebrush, a keystone component of these ecosystems, has become a management focus in recent decades using aerial broadcast seeding or limited plantings. One promising avenue for...
Authors
Cara Applestein, Trevor Caughlin, Matthew Germino
Effects of experimental warming and nutrient enrichment on wetland communities at the Arctic’s edge Effects of experimental warming and nutrient enrichment on wetland communities at the Arctic’s edge
Global warming-related changes to freshwater ecosystems in Arctic and Subarctic regions have been magnified by nutrient input from increasing waterfowl populations. To gain insight into how these changes might affect ecosystem function, we conducted a mesocosm experiment in the Subarctic by enriching N and P (1 ×, 10 ×, and 20 × treatments) and increasing mean water temperatures ≤ 3°C...
Authors
Jon M. Davenport, LeeAnn Fishback, Blake R. Hossack
Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health, Version 5: Bureau of Land Management Technical Reference 1734-6 Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health, Version 5: Bureau of Land Management Technical Reference 1734-6
The Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health (IIRH) protocol is designed for assessing ecosystem function on rangelands and woodlands. The protocol was developed by an interagency cadre of technical experts and has been in use by for two decades. The protocol is well accepted and is a valuable tool for communicating rangeland conditions with stakeholders. Technical Reference 1734-6...
Authors
Mike Pellant, Patrick L Shaver, David A. Pyke, Jeffrey E. Herrick, Nika Lepak, Gregg Riegel, Emily Kachergis, Beth A. Newingham, David Toledo, Frank E Busby