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
Using the value of information to improve conservation decision making Using the value of information to improve conservation decision making
Conservation decisions are challenging, not only because they often involve difficult conflicts among outcomes that people value, but because our understanding of the natural world and our effects on it is fraught with uncertainty. Value of Information (VoI) methods provide an approach for understanding and managing uncertainty from the standpoint of the decision maker. These methods are...
Authors
Friederike C. Bolam, Matthew J. Grainger, Kerrie L. Mengerson, Gavin B. Stewart, William J. Sutherland, Michael C. Runge, Philip J. K. McGowan
The contribution of road-based citizen science to the conservation of pond-breeding amphibians The contribution of road-based citizen science to the conservation of pond-breeding amphibians
Roadside amphibian citizen science (CS) programmes bring together volunteers focused on collecting scientific data while working to mitigate population declines by reducing road mortality of pond‐breeding amphibians. Despite the international popularity of these movement‐based, roadside conservation efforts (i.e. “big nights,” “bucket brigades” and “toad patrols”), direct benefits to...
Authors
Sean Sterrett, Rachel A. Katz, William R. Fields, Evan H. Campbell Grant
Mortality due to Tyzzer's disease of muskrats in northern Ohio, USA Mortality due to Tyzzer's disease of muskrats in northern Ohio, USA
In 2017, we investigated a mortality event of muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) in Northwest Ohio, USA, and determined the causes of death to be from Tyzzer's disease due to Clostridium piliforme and Klebsiella pneumoniae septicemia. The gross presentation resembled tularemia, which highlighted the importance of a complete diagnostic investigation.
Authors
Daniel A. Grear, Julia S. Lankton, Sara Zaleski, Mark Witt, Jeffrey M. Lorch
Pheno forecasts predict seasonal activity of pest and invasive species to support decision making Pheno forecasts predict seasonal activity of pest and invasive species to support decision making
The USA National Phenology Network’s Pheno Forecast maps indicate the status of insect pest or invasive plant life cycle stages in real time across the contiguous United States. This information can guide when to monitor or to undertake management activities. These maps, available at 2.5 km spatial resolution, are updated daily and are available six days into the future. Pheno Forecast...
Authors
Theresa M. Crimmins, Katharine L. Gerst, Erin E. Posthumus, Alyssa Rosemartin, Jake Weltzin
Life-history model for sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) at Lake Ozette, northwestern Washington—Users' guide Life-history model for sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) at Lake Ozette, northwestern Washington—Users' guide
Salmon populations spawning in the Lake Ozette watershed of northwestern Washington were once sufficiently abundant to support traditional Tribal fisheries, and were later harvested by settlers. However, in 1974 and 1975, the sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) harvest decreased to 0 from a high of more than 17,500 in 1949, thus stimulating research into the causes of decrease, which...
Authors
Andrea Woodward, Mike Haggerty, Patrick Crain
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