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: 42707
Extreme climatic variability during migration invokes physiological and dietary plasticity among spring migrating ducks Extreme climatic variability during migration invokes physiological and dietary plasticity among spring migrating ducks
Environmental stochasticity encountered during migration can have negative consequences for individuals and population demographics through direct reductions in survival or cross-seasonal impacts. We took advantage of substantial interannual variation in spring migration conditions over a 4 year field study to examine physiological and dietary variation among two species of migrant ducks...
Authors
Adam K. Janke, Michael J. Anteau, Joshua D. Stafford
Grizzly bear depredation on grazing allotments in the Yellowstone ecosystem Grizzly bear depredation on grazing allotments in the Yellowstone ecosystem
Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) conflicts with humans, including livestock depredation on public land grazing allotments, have increased during the last several decades within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) in the western United States as the grizzly bear population has grown in number and occupied range. Minimizing conflicts and improving conservation efficacy requires information...
Authors
Smith L. Wells, Lance B. McNew, Daniel B. Tyers, Frank T. van Manen, Daniel J. Thompson
Earth history and the passerine superradiation Earth history and the passerine superradiation
Avian diversification has been influenced by global climate change, plate tectonic movements, and mass extinction events. However, the impact of these factors on the diversification of the hyperdiverse perching birds (passerines) is unclear because family level relationships are unresolved and the timing of splitting events among lineages is uncertain. We analyzed DNA data from 4060...
Authors
Carl H Oliveros, Daniel J Field, Daniel T Ksepka, F Keith Barker, Alexandre Aleixo, Michael J Andersen, Per Alstrom, Brett W Benz, Edward L Braun, Michael J Braun, Gustavo A Bravo, Robb T Brumfield, Terry Chesser, Santiago Claramunt, Joel Cracraft, Andrés M. Cuervo, Elizabeth P. Derryberry, Travis C. Glenn, Michael G. Harvey, Peter A. Hosner, Leo Joseph, Rebecca Kimball, Andrew L. Mack, Colin M. Miskelly, A. Townsend Peterson, Mark B. Robbins, Frederick H. Sheldon, Luís Fábio Silveira, Brian T. Smith, Noor D. White, Robert G. Moyle, Brant C. Faircloth
Effects of short-term, outdoor head-starting on growth and survival in the mojave desert tortoise (gopherus agassizii) Effects of short-term, outdoor head-starting on growth and survival in the mojave desert tortoise (gopherus agassizii)
The combination of life-history traits that makes some turtle species vulnerable to population declines also limits their ability to recover even after threats have been addressed. Because juvenile turtle survival is typically lower than adult survival, head-starting, the process of rearing juveniles through one of their most vulnerable periods, may be a useful recovery tool. We...
Authors
Tracey D. Tuberbille, Kurt A. Buhlmann, Rahel Sollmann, Melia G. Nafus, J. Mark Peaden, Jacob A. Daly, Brian D. Todd
Identifying occupancy model inadequacies: Can residuals separately assess detection and presence? Identifying occupancy model inadequacies: Can residuals separately assess detection and presence?
Occupancy models are widely applied to estimate species distributions, but few methods exist for model checking. Thorough model assessments can uncover inadequacies and allow for deeper ecological insight by exploring structure in the observed data not accounted for by a model. We introduce occupancy model residual definitions that utilize the posterior distribution of the partially...
Authors
Wilson Wright, Kathryn M. Irvine, Megan D. Higgs
Status of pelagic prey fishes in Lake Michigan, 2018 Status of pelagic prey fishes in Lake Michigan, 2018
Acoustic surveys were conducted in late summer/early fall during the years 2004-2018 to estimate pelagic prey fish biomass in Lake Michigan. Midwater trawling during the surveys as well as acoustic target strength provided a measure of species and size composition of the fish community for use in scaling acoustic data and providing species-specific abundance estimates. The 2018 survey...
Authors
David Warner, Kristy Phillips, Ben Turschak, Dale Hanson, Jason Smith
Yellowstone convenes science information sharing panel on aquatic invasive species Yellowstone convenes science information sharing panel on aquatic invasive species
Yellowstone National Park (YNP) supports one of the most significant aquatic ecosystems in the U.S. Headwater streams and rivers emerge from the park and join to become three of America’s most important waterways and ultimately flow into the Pacific and Atlantic oceans: the Yellowstone River, the Missouri River and the Snake River. At the heart of YNP lies Yellowstone Lake – the largest...
Authors
Adam Sepulveda
Repatriated desert bighorn sheep population on the Nevada National Security Site Repatriated desert bighorn sheep population on the Nevada National Security Site
Ecological studies have been conducted on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) since the 1960s. Desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) were considered rare visitors on the NNSS, with only 9 recorded observations between 1963 and 2009, all of which were males. Females and young were not documented definitively until winter 2011, when several were killed by a radiomarked female...
Authors
Derek Hall, Kathleen Longshore, Chris Lowrey, John D. Wehausen, Grete WIlson-Henjum, Patrick Cummings
Development of a quantitative PCR method for screening ichthyoplankton samples for bigheaded carps Development of a quantitative PCR method for screening ichthyoplankton samples for bigheaded carps
Monitoring ichthyoplankton is useful for identifying reproductive fronts and spawning locations of bigheaded carps (Hypophthalmichthys spp.). Unfortunately, sorting and identifying ichthyoplankton to monitor for bigheaded carp reproduction is time consuming and expensive. Traditional methods require frequent egg-larvae sampling, sorting of all samples to obtain presumptively identified...
Authors
Andrea K. Fritts, Brent C. Knights, James H. Larson, Jon Amberg, Christopher M. Merkes, Tariq Tajjioui, Steven E. Butler, Matthew J. Diana, David H. Wahl, Michael J. Weber, John D. Waters
Increased nesting success of Hawaii Elepaio in response to the removal of invasive black rats Increased nesting success of Hawaii Elepaio in response to the removal of invasive black rats
In Hawaii and other oceanic islands with few native land mammals, black rats (Rattus rattus) are among the most damaging invasive vertebrate species to native forest bird populations and habitats, due to their arboreal behavior and generalist foraging habits and habitat use. We evaluated the nesting response of Hawaii Elepaio (Chasiempis sandwichensis; Monarchidae), a generalist...
Authors
Paul C. Banko, Kelly Jaenecke, Robert W. Peck, Kevin W. Brinck
Consequences of ignoring spatial variation in population trend when conducting a power analysis Consequences of ignoring spatial variation in population trend when conducting a power analysis
Long-term, large-scale monitoring programs are becoming increasingly common to document status and trends of wild populations. A successful program for monitoring population trend hinges on the ability to detect the trend of interest. Power analyses are useful for quantifying the sample size needed for trend detection, given expected variation in the population. Four components of...
Authors
Emily L. Weiser, James E. Diffendorfer, Laura Lopez-Hoffman, Darius J. Semmens, Wayne E. Thogmartin
Lead in piscivorous raptors during breeding season in the Chesapeake Bay region of Maryland and Virginia, USA Lead in piscivorous raptors during breeding season in the Chesapeake Bay region of Maryland and Virginia, USA
Sources of lead exposure of many bird species are poorly understood. We analyzed blood lead concentrations from osprey (n = 244; Pandion haliaetus) and bald eagles (n = 68; Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and documented potential sources of lead they may encounter. Adult bald eagles had higher blood lead concentrations than did adult osprey. However, blood lead concentrations of nestlings were...
Authors
Vincent A. Slabe, James T. Anderson, Jeff Cooper, Bracken Brown, Patricia Ortiz, John Buchweitz, Dave McRuer, Todd E. Katzner