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: 42871
The importance of the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico to foraging loggerhead sea turtles The importance of the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico to foraging loggerhead sea turtles
Identification of high-use foraging sites where imperiled sea turtles are resident remains a globally-recognized conservation priority. In the biodiverse Gulf of Mexico (GoM), recent telemetry studies highlighted post-nesting foraging sites for federally threatened loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta). Our aim here was to discern loggerhead use of additional northern GoM regions that may...
Authors
Kristen M. Hart, Margaret M. Lamont, Autumn Iverson, Brian Smith
Regime change in a large-floodplain river ecosystem: Patterns in body-size and functional biomass indicate a shift in fish communities Regime change in a large-floodplain river ecosystem: Patterns in body-size and functional biomass indicate a shift in fish communities
Changes in species dominance may drive regime shifts because dominant biotic feedbacks reflect functional traits of a community. Changes in species dominance has been documented by a 25-year fish community dataset encompassing six reaches of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. Specifically, common carp (Cyprinus carpio) abundance has declined across all reaches, whereas silver...
Authors
Kristen L. Bouska
Nitrogen enrichment reduces nitrogen and phosphorus resorption through changes to species resorption and plant community composition Nitrogen enrichment reduces nitrogen and phosphorus resorption through changes to species resorption and plant community composition
Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition has affected plant community composition and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. This includes changes to the way plants use and recycle nutrients, including effects on nutrient resorption, which is a key process through which plants recover nutrients from tissue during senescence. Nutrient resorption has considerable adaptive and...
Authors
Xiao-Tao Lu, Shuang-Li Hou, Sasha C. Reed, Jiang-Xia Yin, Yan-Yu Hu, Hai-Wei Wei, Zhi-Wei Zhang, Guo-Jiao Yang, Zhuo-Yi Liu, Xing-Guo Han
Mortality predispositions of conifers across western USA Mortality predispositions of conifers across western USA
Conifer mortality rates are increasing in western North America, but the physiological mechanisms underlying this trend are not well understood.We examined tree‐ring‐based radial growth along with stable carbon (C) and oxygen (O) isotope composition (δ13C and δ18O, respectively) of dying and surviving conifers at eight old‐growth forest sites across a strong moisture gradient in the...
Authors
Wenzhi Wang, Nathan B. English, Charlotte Grossiord, Arthur Gessler, Adrian Das, Nathan L. Stephenson, Christopher H. Baisan, Craig D. Allen, Nate G. McDowell
Postfire growth of seeded and planted big sagebrush - Strategic designs for restoring Greater Sage-grouse nesting habitat Postfire growth of seeded and planted big sagebrush - Strategic designs for restoring Greater Sage-grouse nesting habitat
Wildfires change plant community structure and impact wildlife habitat and population dynamics. Recent wildfire‐induced losses of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) in North American shrublands are outpacing natural recovery and leading to substantial losses in habitat for sagebrush‐obligate species such as Greater Sage‐grouse. Managers are considering restoration strategies that...
Authors
David A. Pyke, Robert K. Shriver, Robert S. Arkle, David S. Pilliod, Cameron L. Aldridge, Peter S. Coates, Matthew Germino, Julie A. Heinrichs, Mark A. Ricca, Scott E. Shaff
Small mammals and ungulates respond to and interact with revegetation processes following dam removal Small mammals and ungulates respond to and interact with revegetation processes following dam removal
Terrestrial wildlife communities are often overlooked as components of ecosystem restoration following dam removal. However, a diverse mammalian fauna colonizes habitat on dewatered reservoirs and may influence restoration processes. We studied mammalian colonization and ungulate herbivory from 2014 to 2018 following the removal of two large dams on the Elwha River in Washington, USA...
Authors
Rebecca M. McCaffery, Kurt J. Jenkins, Sara Cendejas-Zarelli, Patricia J. Happe, K.A. Sager-Fradkin
Genesis and spread of multiple reassortants during the 2016/2017 H5 avian influenza epidemic in Eurasia Genesis and spread of multiple reassortants during the 2016/2017 H5 avian influenza epidemic in Eurasia
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses of the H5 A/goose/Guangdong/1/96 lineage can cause severe disease in poultry and wild birds, and occasionally in humans. In recent years, H5 HPAI viruses of this lineage infecting poultry in Asia have spilled over into wild birds and spread via bird migration to countries in Europe, Africa, and North America. In 2016/2017, this spillover...
Authors
Samantha Lycett, Anne Pohlmann, Christoph Staubach, Valentina Caliendo, Mark Woolhouse, Martin Beer, Thijs Kuiken, Steven van Borm, Andrew Breed, Francois-Xavier Briand, Ian Brown, Adam Dan, Thomas J. DeLiberto, Sophie von Dobschuetz, Ron A. M. Fouchier, Marius Gilbert, Sarah Hill, Charlotte Kristiane Hjulsager, S. Ip, Marion Koopmans, Lars Erik Larsen, Dong-Hun Lee, Mahmoud Mohamed Naguib, I. Monne, Oliver Pybus, Andrew M. Ramey, Vladmir Savic, Kirill Sharshov, Alexander Shestopalov, Chang-Seon Song, Mieke Steensels, David Swayne, Edyta Swieton, Xiu-Feng Wan, Siamak Zohari
Comparative performance and trend of remotely sensed phenology and productivity metrics across the Western United States Comparative performance and trend of remotely sensed phenology and productivity metrics across the Western United States
Vegetation phenology and productivity play a crucial role in surface energy balance, plant and animal distribution, and animal movement and habitat use and can be measured with remote sensing metrics including start of season (SOS), peak instantaneous rate of green-up date (PIRGd), peak of season (POS), end of season (EOS), and integrated vegetation indices. However, for most metrics, we...
Authors
Tabitha A. Graves, Ethan Edward Berman, Nathaniel Mikle, Jerod Merkle, Aaron N. Johnston, Geneva W. Chong
U.S. Geological Survey—Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center 2018 research activity report U.S. Geological Survey—Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center 2018 research activity report
The mission of Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center is to provide scientific information needed to conserve and manage the Nation’s natural capital for current and future generations, with an emphasis on migratory birds, Department of the Interior trust resources, and ecosystems of the Nation’s interior. This report provides an overview of the studies conducted at Northern Prairie...
Evaluation of acute and chronic toxicity of nickel and zinc to 2 sensitive freshwater benthic invertebrates using refined testing methods Evaluation of acute and chronic toxicity of nickel and zinc to 2 sensitive freshwater benthic invertebrates using refined testing methods
The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is reviewing the protectiveness of the national ambient water quality criteria (WQC) for nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) and compiling toxicity databases to update the WQC. An amphipod (Hyalella azteca) and a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea) have shown high sensitivity to Ni and Zn in previous studies. However, there remained uncertainties...
Authors
Ning Wang, James L. Kunz, Danielle M. Cleveland, Jeffery A. Steevens, Edward J. Hammer, Eric Van Genderen, Adam C. Ryan, Christian E. Schlekat
A hybrid approach for predictive soil property mapping using conventional soil survey data A hybrid approach for predictive soil property mapping using conventional soil survey data
Soil property maps are important for land management and earth systems modeling. A new hybrid point-disaggregation predictive soil property mapping strategy improved mapping in the Colorado River Basin, and can be applied to other areas with similar data (e.g. conterminous United States). This new approach increased sample size ~6-fold over past efforts. Random forests related...
Authors
Travis W. Nauman, Michael C. Duniway
Evaluation of genetic structuring within GIS‐derived Brook Trout management units Evaluation of genetic structuring within GIS‐derived Brook Trout management units
Delineation of management units across broad spatial scales can help to visualize population structuring and identify conservation opportunities. Geographical information system (GIS) approaches can be useful for developing broad‐scale management units, especially when paired with field data that can validate the GIS‐based delineations. Genetic data can be useful for evaluating whether...
Authors
Lucas Nathan, Y. Kanno, Benjamin Letcher, Amy B. Welsh, Andrew R. Whiteley, Jason C. Vokoun