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: 42888
Does perspective matter? A case study comparing Eulerian and Lagrangian estimates of common murre (Uria aalge) distributions Does perspective matter? A case study comparing Eulerian and Lagrangian estimates of common murre (Uria aalge) distributions
Studies estimating species' distributions require information about animal locations in space and time. Location data can be collected using surveys within a predetermined frame of reference (i.e., Eulerian sampling) or from animal‐borne tracking devices (i.e., Lagrangian sampling). Integration of observations obtained from Eulerian and Lagrangian perspectives can provide insights into...
Authors
Elizabeth M. Phillips, John K. Horne, Jeannette E. Zamon, Jonathan J. Felis, Josh Adams
Wildlife mortality at wind facilities: How we know what we know how we might mislead ourselves, and how we set our future course Wildlife mortality at wind facilities: How we know what we know how we might mislead ourselves, and how we set our future course
To accurately estimate per turbine – or per megawatt – annual wildlife mortality at wind facilities, the raw counts of carcasses found must be adjusted for four major sources of imperfect detection: (1) fatalities that occur outside the monitoring period; (2) carcasses that land outside the monitored area; (3) carcasses that are removed by scavengers or deteriorate beyond recognition...
Authors
Manuela M. Huso
Interactive mapping of nonindigenous species in the Laurentian Great Lakes Interactive mapping of nonindigenous species in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Nonindigenous species pose significant risks to the health and integrity of ecosystems around the world. Tracking and communicating the spread of these species has been of interest to ecologists and environmental managers for many years, particularly in the bi-national Laurentian Great Lakes of North America. In this paper, we introduce the Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species...
Authors
Joseph P. Smith, El K. Lower, Felix A. Martinez, Catherine M. Riseng, Lacey A. Mason, Edward S. Rutherford, Matthew E. Neilson, Pam Fuller, Kevin E. Wehrly, Rochelle A. Sturtevant
How lipid content and temperature affect American shad (Alosa sapidissima) attempt rate and sprint swimming: Implications for overcoming migration barriers How lipid content and temperature affect American shad (Alosa sapidissima) attempt rate and sprint swimming: Implications for overcoming migration barriers
How seasonal effects such as temperature increases and reduced lipid content affect the ability of anadromous fishes to traverse high-velocity barriers and sprint swimming is poorly understood. We evaluated American shad (Alosa sapidissima) swimming performance in a flume against high flow velocities (2.5–3.7 m·s−1) during the upstream migration period (April–May; temperatures 11.1–21.4...
Authors
Shannon Michael Bayse, Stephen D. McCormick, Theodore R. Castro-Santos
A strong colonizer rules the trematode guild in an intertidal snail host A strong colonizer rules the trematode guild in an intertidal snail host
We examined the extent to which supply‐side, niche, and competition theories and concepts help explain a trematode community in which one species comprises 87% of the trematode individuals, and the remaining 15 species each have
Authors
Pilar Alda, Nicolas Bonel, Nestor J. Cazzaniga, Sergio R. Martorelli, Kevin D. Lafferty
Status and trends of prey fish populations in Lake Michigan, 2018 Status and trends of prey fish populations in Lake Michigan, 2018
The U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center has conducted lake-wide surveys of the fish community in Lake Michigan each fall since 1973 using standard 12 m bottom trawls towed along contour at depths of 9 to 110 m at each of seven index transects. The survey provides relative abundance and biomass estimates between the 5 m and 114 m depth contours of the lake for prey fish...
Authors
David B. Bunnell, Charles P. Madenjian, Timothy J. Desorcie, Patricia Dieter, Jean V. Adams
Plasticity in elk migration timing is a response to changing environmental conditions Plasticity in elk migration timing is a response to changing environmental conditions
Migration is an effective behavioral strategy for prolonging access to seasonal resources and may be a resilient strategy for ungulates experiencing changing climatic conditions. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), elk are the primary ungulate, with approximately 20,000 individuals migrating to exploit seasonal gradients in forage while also avoiding energetically costly snow...
Authors
Gregory J.M. Rickbeil, Jerod A. Merkle, Greg Anderson, M. Paul Atwood, Jon P. Beckmann, Eric K Cole, Alyson B. Courtemanch, Sarah Dewey, David D. Gustine, Matthew J. Kauffman, Douglas E. McWhirter, Tony W. Mong, Kelly Proffitt, Patrick J. White, Arthur D. Middleton
Invasive buffelgrass detection using high-resolution satellite and UAV imagery on Google Earth Engine Invasive buffelgrass detection using high-resolution satellite and UAV imagery on Google Earth Engine
Methods to detect and monitor the spread of invasive grasses are critical to avoid ecosystem transformations and large economic costs. The rapid spread of non‐native buffelgrass(Pennisetum ciliare) has intensified fire risk and is replacing fire intolerant native vegetation in the Sonoran Desert of the southwestern US. Coarse‐resolution satellite imagery has had limited success in...
Authors
Kaitlyn Elkind, Temuulen T. Sankey, Seth M. Munson, Clare E. Aslan
Plague management of prairie dog colonies: Degree and duration of deltamethrin flea control Plague management of prairie dog colonies: Degree and duration of deltamethrin flea control
Plague is a flea-borne disease of mammalian hosts. On the grasslands of western North America, plague stifles populations of Cynomys spp. prairie dogs (PDs). To manage plague, PD burrows are treated with 0.05% deltamethrin dust that can suppress flea numbers and plague transmission. Here, we evaluate the degree and duration of deltamethrin flea control with three PD species at six sites...
Authors
David Austin Eads, Dean E. Biggins
Regeneration of Metrosideros polymorpha forests in Hawaii after landscape‐level canopy dieback Regeneration of Metrosideros polymorpha forests in Hawaii after landscape‐level canopy dieback
Questions (a) Have Metrosideros polymorpha trees become re‐established in Hawaiian forests previously impacted by canopy dieback in the 1970s? (b) Has canopy dieback expanded since the 1970s? (c) Can spatial patterns from this dieback be correlated with habitat factors to model future dieback in this area? Study Site An 83,603 ha study area on the eastern slopes of Mauna Loa and Mauna...
Authors
Linda Mertelmeyer, James D. Jacobi, Dieter Mueller-Dombois, Kevin W. Brinck, Hans Juergen Boehmer
Confronting uncertainty: Contributions of the wildlife profession to the broader scientific community Confronting uncertainty: Contributions of the wildlife profession to the broader scientific community
Most wildlife professionals are engaged in 1 or both of 2 basic endeavors: science and management. These endeavors are a focus of many other disciplines, leading to widespread sharing of general methodologies. Wildlife professionals have appropriately borrowed and assimilated many methods developed primarily in other disciplines but have also led the development of one class of...
Authors
James D. Nichols
Environmental DNA as a tool to help inform zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, management in inland lakes Environmental DNA as a tool to help inform zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, management in inland lakes
Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) are an aquatic invasive species that plague much of North America and are difficult to impossible to eradicate once they become established. Therefore, prevention and monitoring are key elements in the control of these organisms. Traditional microscopy is commonly used in monitoring but requires the presence of larval veligers. This limits the times...
Authors
Jon Amberg, Christopher M. Merkes, Wendylee Stott, Christopher B. Rees, Richard A. Erickson