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: 42710
Aboveground and belowground vegetation biomass and nutrients Aboveground and belowground vegetation biomass and nutrients
Wetland biomass production, decomposition, and storage of organic matter govern estuarine energy transfer, in addition to determining the physical sustainability of marshes exposed to sea-level rise and subsidence. Peak standing biomass represents an indicator of wetland production or productivity but does not account for turnover (production and decomposition) of different pools of...
Authors
Todd M. Folse, Thomas E. McGinnis, Leigh A. Sharp, Jonathan L. West, Melissa K. Hymel, John P. Troutman, Dona Weifenbach, William M. Boshart, Laurie B. Rodrigue, Danielle C. Richardi, W. Bernard Wood, C. Mike Miller, Elizabeth M. Robinson, Angelina M. Freeman, Camille Stagg, Brady Couvillion, Holly Beck
Imagery Imagery
As part of CRMS, Digital Orthophoto Quarter Quadrangles (DOQQs) for the coastal region of Louisiana are created for years when coastwide land-water classifications are required. A DOQQ is a raster image in which displacement in the image caused by sensor orientation and terrain relief has been corrected. These images combine the image characteristics of a photo with the geometric...
Authors
Todd M. Folse, Thomas E. McGinnis, Leigh A. Sharp, Jonathan L. West, Melissa K. Hymel, John P. Troutman, Dona Weifenbach, William M. Boshart, Laurie B. Rodrigue, Danielle C. Richardi, W. Bernard Wood, C. Mike Miller, Elizabeth M. Robinson, Angelina M. Freeman, Camille Stagg, Brady Couvillion, Holly Beck
Movement of synthetic organic compounds in the food web after the introduction of invasive quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) in Lake Mead, Nevada and Arizona, USA Movement of synthetic organic compounds in the food web after the introduction of invasive quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) in Lake Mead, Nevada and Arizona, USA
Introductions of dreissenid mussels in North America have been a significant concern over the last few decades. This study assessed the distribution of synthetic organic compounds (SOCs) in the food web of Lake Mead, Nevada/Arizona, USA and how this distribution was influenced by the introduction of invasive quagga mussels. A clear spatial gradient of SOC concentrations in water was...
Authors
Steven L. Goodbred, Michael R. Rosen, Reynaldo Patino, David A. Alvarez, Kathy R. Echols, Kerensa King, John Umek
Integrating the evidence for a terrestrial carbon sink caused by increasing atmospheric CO2 Integrating the evidence for a terrestrial carbon sink caused by increasing atmospheric CO2
Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) is increasing, which increases leaf‐scale photosynthesis and intrinsic water‐use efficiency. These direct responses have the potential to increase plant growth, vegetation biomass, and soil organic matter; transferring carbon from the atmosphere into terrestrial ecosystems (a carbon sink). A substantial global terrestrial carbon sink would...
Authors
Anthony P. Walker, Martin G De Kauwe, Ana Bastos, Soumaya Belmecheri, Katerina Georgiou, Ralph F. Keeling, Sean M. McMahon, Belinda E. Medlyn, David J P Moore, Richard J. Norby, Sonke Zaehle, Kristina J. Anderson-Teixeira, Giovanna Battipaglia, Roel J W Brienen, Kristine G Cabugao, Maxime Cailleret, Elliott Campbell, Josep G Canadell, Philippe Ciais, Matthew E Craig, David S Ellsworth, Graham D Farquhar, Simone Fatichi, Joshua B. Fisher, David C Frank, Heather Graven, Lianhong Gu, Vanessa Haverd, Kelly A Heilman, Martin Heimann, Bruce A Hungate, Colleen M. Iverson, Fortunat Joos, Mingkai Jiang, Trevor F. Keenan, Jurgen Knauer, Christian Korner, Victor O Leshyk, Sebastian Leuzinger, Yao Liu, Natasha MacBean, Yadvinder Malhi, Tim R McVicar, Josep Penuelas, Julia Pongratz, A Shafer Powell, Terhi Riutta, Manon E B Sabot, Juergen Schleucher, Stephen Sitch, William K. Smith, Benjamin N. Sulman, Benton Taylor, Cesar Terrer, Margaret S. Torn, Kathleen K Treseder, Anna T Trugman, Susan E. Trumbore, Phillip J. van Mantgem, Steve L Voelker, Mary E Whelan, Peiter A Zuidema.
Hydrology and geomorphology of the Taiya River near the West Creek Tributary, southeast Alaska Hydrology and geomorphology of the Taiya River near the West Creek Tributary, southeast Alaska
The Taiya River flows through the Chilkoot Trail Unit of Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in southeast Alaska, which was founded to preserve cultural and historical resources and further understanding of natural processes active in the surrounding coastal-to-subarctic basin. Riverine processes exert an important influence on ecologically important boreal toad (Anaxryus boreas...
Authors
Janet H. Curran
Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) not detected in an intensive survey of wild North American amphibians Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) not detected in an intensive survey of wild North American amphibians
The salamander chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans [Bsal]) is causing massive mortality of salamanders in Europe. The potential for spread via international trade into North America and the high diversity of salamanders has catalyzed concern about Bsal in the U.S. Surveillance programs for invading pathogens must initially meet challenges that include low rates of...
Authors
J. Hardin Waddle, Daniel A. Grear, Brittany Mosher, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Michael J. Adams, Adam R. Backlin, William Barichivich, Adrianne B. Brand, Gary M. Bucciarelli, Daniel L. Calhoun, Tara Chestnut, Jon M. Davenport, Andrew E. Dietrich, Robert N. Fisher, Brad Glorioso, Brian J. Halstead, Marc P Hayes, R. Ken Honeycutt, Blake R. Hossack, Patrick M. Kleeman, Julio A. Lemos-Espinal, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Robert W. Atkinson, Erin L. Muths, Christopher Pearl, Katherine Richgels, Charles W Robinson, Mark F. Roth, Jennifer Rowe, Walter Sadinski, Brent H. Sigafus, Iga Stasiak, Samuel Sweet, Susan C. Walls, Gregory J Watkins-Colwell, C. LeAnn White, Lori A Williams, Megan E. Winzeler
Novel molecular resources to facilitate future genetics research on freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) Novel molecular resources to facilitate future genetics research on freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae)
Molecular data have been an integral tool in the resolution of the evolutionary relationships and systematics of freshwater mussels, despite the limited number of nuclear markers available for Sanger sequencing. To facilitate future studies, we evaluated the phylogenetic informativeness of loci from the recently published anchored hybrid enrichment (AHE) probe set Unioverse and developed...
Authors
Nathan A. Johnson, Chase H. Smith
Processes influencing marsh elevation change in low- and high-elevation zones of a temperate salt marsh Processes influencing marsh elevation change in low- and high-elevation zones of a temperate salt marsh
The movement of salt marshes into uplands and marsh submergence as sea level rises is well documented; however, predicting how coastal marshes will respond to rising sea levels is constrained by a lack of process-based understanding of how various marsh zones adjust to changes in sea level. To assess the way in which salt marsh zones differ in their elevation response to sea-level change...
Authors
Linda K. Blum, Robert R. Christian, Donald Cahoon, Patricia L. Wiberg
Using density surface models to estimate spatio-temporal changes in population densities and trend Using density surface models to estimate spatio-temporal changes in population densities and trend
Precise measures of population abundance and trend are needed for species conservation; these are most difficult to obtain for rare and rapidly changing populations. We compare uncertainty in densities estimated from spatio–temporal models with that from standard design‐based methods. Spatio–temporal models allow us to target priority areas where, and at times when, a population may most...
Authors
Richard J. Camp, David L Miller, Len Thomas, Steve T. Buckland, Steve J. Kendall
The effects of tissue fixation on sequencing and transcript abundance of nucleic acids from microdissected liver samples of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) The effects of tissue fixation on sequencing and transcript abundance of nucleic acids from microdissected liver samples of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
There is an increasing emphasis on effects-based monitoring to document responses associated with exposure to complex mixtures of chemicals, climate change, pathogens, parasites and other environmental stressors in fish populations. For decades aquatic monitoring programs have included the collection of tissues preserved for microscopic pathology. Consequently, formalin-fixed, paraffin...
Authors
Heather L. Walsh, Adam Sperry, Vicki S. Blazer
Management of remnant tallgrass prairie by grazing or fire: Effects on plant communities and soil properties Management of remnant tallgrass prairie by grazing or fire: Effects on plant communities and soil properties
Tallgrass prairie is a disturbance‐dependent ecosystem that has suffered steep declines in the midwestern United States. The necessity of disturbance, typically fire or grazing, presents challenges to managers who must apply them on increasingly small and fragmented parcels. The goal of this study was to compare effects of management using cattle grazing or fire on vegetation and soil
Authors
Diane L. Larson, Daniel L. Hernández, Jennifer L. Larson, Julia B. Leone, Nora P. Pennarola
Disentangling the effects of multiple fires on spatially interspersed sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) communities Disentangling the effects of multiple fires on spatially interspersed sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) communities
Questions Relative to a landscape with a mosaic of two sagebrush community types and increasing fire frequency, we asked: (a) do vegetation characteristics vary significantly with number of times burned for each sagebrush community; (b) how do vegetation responses to different fire frequencies compare between the two sagebrush communities?Location Columbia Plateau Ecoregion, Washington...
Authors
Douglas J. Shinneman, Susan McIlroy, Marie-Anne de Graaff