Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

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: 42730

Nutrients and warming interact to force mountain lakes into unprecedented ecological state Nutrients and warming interact to force mountain lakes into unprecedented ecological state

While deposition of reactive nitrogen (N) in the 20th century has been strongly linked to changes in diatom assemblages in high-elevation lakes, pronounced and contemporaneous changes in other algal groups suggest additional drivers. We explored the origin and magnitude of changes in two mountain lakes from the end of the Little Ice Age at ca. 1850, to ca. 2010, using lake sediments. We...
Authors
Isabella A. Oleksy, Jill S. Baron, Peter Leavitt, Sarah Spaulding

Assessing nest attentiveness of Common Terns via video cameras and temperature loggers Assessing nest attentiveness of Common Terns via video cameras and temperature loggers

While nest attentiveness plays a critical role in the reproductive success of avian species, little nest attentiveness data with high temporal resolution is available for many species. However, improvements in both video monitoring and temperature logging devices present an opportunity to improve our understanding of this aspect of avian behavior. To investigate nest attentiveness...
Authors
Jeffery D. Sullivan, Paul R. Marban, Jennifer M. Mullinax, David F. Brinker, Petter C. McGowan, Carl C. Callahan, Diann Prosser

Development of a two-stage life cycle model for Oncorhynchus kisutch (coho salmon) in the upper Cowlitz River Basin, Washington Development of a two-stage life cycle model for Oncorhynchus kisutch (coho salmon) in the upper Cowlitz River Basin, Washington

Recovery of salmon populations in the upper Cowlitz River Basin depends on trap-and-haul efforts owing to impassable dams. Therefore, successful recovery depends on the collection of out-migrating juvenile salmon at Cowlitz Falls Dam (CFD) for transport below downstream dams, as well as the collection of adults for transport upstream from the dams. Tacoma Power began downstream fish...
Authors
John M. Plumb, Russell W. Perry

A national-scale assessment of mercury bioaccumulation in United States National Parks using dragonfly larvae as biosentinels through a citizen-science framework A national-scale assessment of mercury bioaccumulation in United States National Parks using dragonfly larvae as biosentinels through a citizen-science framework

We conducted a national-scale assessment of mercury (Hg) bioaccumulation in aquatic ecosystems using dragonfly larvae as biosentinels, by developing a citizen science network to facilitate biological sampling. Implementing a carefully designed sampling methodology for citizen scientists, we developed an effective framework for landscape-level inquiry that might otherwise be resource...
Authors
Collin A. Eagles-Smith, James Willacker, Sarah J. Nelson, Collen M Flanagan Pritz, David P. Krabbenhoft, Celia Y. Chen, Joshua T. Ackerman, Evan H. Campbell Grant, David S. Pilliod

Height-related changes in forest composition, not tree vulnerability, explain increasing mortality with height during an extreme drought Height-related changes in forest composition, not tree vulnerability, explain increasing mortality with height during an extreme drought

Recently, Stovall et al.1 (hereafter SSY) showed that during an extreme drought, remotely sensed mortality of tall trees was more than double that of short trees. They interpreted this to be a consequence of inherently greater hydraulic vulnerability of tall trees, and suggested that tall-tree vulnerability should thus generalize more broadly. Here we reassess their conclusions using
Authors
Nathan L. Stephenson, Adrian Das

Beloniformes: Belonidae (Needlefishes) and Hemiramphidae (Halfbeaks) Beloniformes: Belonidae (Needlefishes) and Hemiramphidae (Halfbeaks)

The order Beloniformes (or Synentognathi) contains two suborders, six families, 37 genera, and about 235 species of atherinomorph fishes (Rosen & Parenti 1981; Collette et al. 1984; Collette 2004). Features common to these fishes include dorsal and anal fins on the rear half of the body, abdominal pelvic fins with six soft rays, no fin spines, lateral line running along the ventral edge...
Authors
Bruce B. Collette, Stephen Walsh

Do two wrongs make a right? Persistent uncertainties regarding environmental selenium-mercury interactions Do two wrongs make a right? Persistent uncertainties regarding environmental selenium-mercury interactions

Mercury (Hg) is a pervasive environmental pollutant and contaminant of concern for both people and wildlife that has been a focus of environmental remediation efforts for decades. A growing body of literature has motivated calls for revising Hg consumption advisories to co-consider selenium (Se) levels in seafood and implies that remediating aquatic ecosystems with ecosystem-scale Se...
Authors
Jacqueline R. Gerson, David Walters, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Emily S. Bernhardt, Jessica E Brandt

Dietary versus nondietary fatty acid profiles of lake trout ecotypes from Lake Superior and Great Bear Lake: Are fish really what they eat? Dietary versus nondietary fatty acid profiles of lake trout ecotypes from Lake Superior and Great Bear Lake: Are fish really what they eat?

Fatty acids are well-established biomarkers used to characterize trophic ecology, food-web linkages, and the ecological niche of many different taxa. Most often, fatty acids that are examined include only those previously identified as “dietary” or “extended dietary” biomarkers. Fatty acids considered as nondietary biomarkers, however, represent numerous fatty acids that can be extracted...
Authors
Louise Chavarie, John P. Hoffmann, A. M. Muir, C. C. Krueger, C.R. Bronte, K.L. Howland, S.P. Gallagher, S. P. Sitar, M.J. Hansen, Mark Vinson, L.F. Baker, L.L. Loseto, William M. Tonn, H. Swanson

Improved fish counting method accurately quantifies high‐density fish movement in dual‐frequency identification sonar data files from a coastal wetland environment Improved fish counting method accurately quantifies high‐density fish movement in dual‐frequency identification sonar data files from a coastal wetland environment

There are many ways to quantify fish movement through shallow‐water habitats, but most noninvasive methods (e.g., visual counts) are not effective in turbid coastal wetland waters of the Great Lakes. Dual‐frequency identification sonar (DIDSON) technology (Sound Metrics) offers a noninvasive, hydroacoustic‐based approach to characterize fish movement in wetlands and other habitats by...
Authors
Michael R. Eggleston, Scott W. Milne, Maxwell Ramsay, Kurt P. Kowalski

The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)

Keys to Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) management are providing extensive grasslands of intermediate height and density with a well-developed litter layer, controlling succession, and protecting nesting habitat from disturbance during the breeding season. Savannah Sparrows have been reported to use habitats with 11–190 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 4–50 cm...
Authors
David A. Swanson, Jill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl

Piscivory in recovering Lake Michigan Cisco (Coregonus artedi): The role of invasive species Piscivory in recovering Lake Michigan Cisco (Coregonus artedi): The role of invasive species

Contemporary conditions in Lake Michigan where cisco (Coregonus artedi) populations are expanding are vastly different from those encountered by the historic fish community. Invasive species introductions have substantially altered the Lake Michigan ecosystem in the last half century. Successful management efforts for cisco in Lake Michigan hinge on our ability to understand their...
Authors
Ben S Breaker, Kevin L. Pangle, Kevin Donner, Jason Smith, Benjamin A. Turschak, Randall M. Claramunt, David Bunnell, Jory L. Jonas

Accidental chlorophacinone exposure of lactating ewes: Clinical follow-up and human health dietary implications Accidental chlorophacinone exposure of lactating ewes: Clinical follow-up and human health dietary implications

Anticoagulant rodenticides are widely used for rodent control in agricultural and urban settings. Their intense use can sometimes result in accidental exposure and even poisoning of livestock. Can milk, eggs or meat derived from such accidentally exposed animals be consumed by humans? Data on the pharmacokinetics of chlorophacinone in milk of accidentally exposed ewes were used to...
Authors
Meg-Anne Moriceau, Sebastien Lefebvre, Isabelle Fourel, Etienne Benoit, Barnett A. Rattner, Virginie Lattard
Was this page helpful?