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: 42701
Linking bathythermal habitat selection to management of a migratory freshwater fish Linking bathythermal habitat selection to management of a migratory freshwater fish
Background For migratory fishes, habitat selection in dimensions of temperature and depth may be jointly used to define the bathythermal niche. Seasonal and long-term changes in the availability of bathythermal habitat can cause behavioral responses that have consequences for managing interjurisdictional fisheries that target migratory fishes. Management of such fisheries typically...
Authors
Richard Kraus, Matthew Faust, Scott F. Colborne, Christopher Vandergoot
Greenhouse gas emissions from ditches in oil palm plantations on tropical peatlands in Malaysia Greenhouse gas emissions from ditches in oil palm plantations on tropical peatlands in Malaysia
Tropical peatlands, which store 20% of global peat carbon, are increasingly threatened by conversion to alternative land-uses such as oil palm plantations, pulp wood plantations, crop growth or other economic activities. This transformation involves peatland drainage, which lowers water tables, exposes peat to oxygen, and alters greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: increasing carbon dioxide...
Authors
Kuno Kasak, Iryna Dronova, Kaido Soosaar, Lulie Melling, Wong Guan Xhuan, Faustina Sangok, Reti Ranniku, Jorge A. Villa, Sheel Bansal, Michael Peacock, Ülo Mander
Toward a shared vision for climate-informed resource stewardship Toward a shared vision for climate-informed resource stewardship
Climate-change adaptation planning processes and tools are increasing in number and evolving rapidly. During times of innovation and proliferation, a potential danger is incoherence, when well-intended contributions can overwhelm, create confusion, or mask complementarities. A shared vision is needed to avoid duplication, reduce misunderstandings, and facilitate work across jurisdictions...
Authors
Brian W. Miller, Gregor W. Schuurman, Wylie Carr, David J. Lawrence, Lindsey Thurman, Aparna Bamzai-Dodson, Leslie A. Brandt, Shelley D. Crausbay, Molly Elizabeth Smith Cross, Mitchell J. Eaton, Maria K. Janowiak, D. Todd Jones-Farrand, Julian Reyes
Expression and mechanisms of behavioral plasticity in large mammals Expression and mechanisms of behavioral plasticity in large mammals
Behavioral plasticity, the alteration of behavior in response to stimuli, is becoming increasingly important in the context of human-induced rapid environmental change. Theoretical and empirical studies suggest that the expression and magnitude of behavioral plasticity are likely facilitated or constrained primarily by two factors: environmental variation and endogenous traits such as...
Authors
Rebecca R. Thomas-Kuzilik, Justine A. Becker, Jeffrey L. Beck, Justin G. Clapp, Alyson B. Courtemanch, Gary L. Fralick, Chris Geremia, L. Embere Hall, Matthew Kauffman, Blake Lowrey, Matthew C. Metz, Hollie M. Miyasaki, Kevin L. Monteith, Anna C. Ortega, Hall Sawyer, Douglas W. Smith, Erin E. Stahler, Daniel R. Stahler, Tana L. Verzuh, Jerod A. Merkle
GlASS - Global Aggregation of Stream Silica GlASS - Global Aggregation of Stream Silica
Riverine silicon (Si) plays a vital role in governing primary production, water quality, and carbon cycling. Climate and land cover change have altered how dissolved Si (DSi) is processed on land, transported to rivers, and cycled through aquatic ecosystems. The Global Aggregation of Stream Silica (GlASS) database was constructed to assess changes in river Si concentrations and fluxes...
Authors
Kathi Jo Jankowski, Keira Johnson, Nicholas Lyon, Sidney A. Bush, Paul Julian, Lienne R. Sethna, Diane M. McKnight, William H. McDowell, Adam S. Wymore, Pirkko Kortelainen, Hjalmar Laudon, Ruth C. Heindel, Amanda Poste, Arial J. Shogren, Fred Worrall, Luke Mosley, Pamela L. Sullivan, Joanna C. Carey
Weather drivers of reproductive variability in perennial plants and their implications for climate change risks Weather drivers of reproductive variability in perennial plants and their implications for climate change risks
Seed production in perennial plants often shows strong year-to-year variation, a phenomenon known as masting. Masting is typically adaptive and driven by weather cues that synchronize reproduction by promoting or suppressing flowering and seed set. These cues, involving temperature, precipitation, and drought, differ across species and regions, yet a global synthesis is needed...
Authors
Valentin Journé, Dave Kelly, Andrew Hacket-Pain, Ian S. Pearse, Jakob Szymkiowak, Jessie Foest, Katarzyna Kondrat, Iris Oberklammer, Mario B. Pesendorfer, Akiko Satake, Michal Bogdziewicz
Challenges and opportunities in mitigating sarcoptic mange in wild South American camelids Challenges and opportunities in mitigating sarcoptic mange in wild South American camelids
Vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna) and guanacos (Lama guanicoe) are the two species of wild South American camelids whose distributions range from Peru to northern Argentina and southern Peru to southern Argentina, respectively. Listed as critically endangered in the 1960s due to poaching, vicuña numbers had been gradually recovering; however, new concerns about population stability have arisen...
Authors
Alynn Martin, Emiliana Isasi-Catalá, Marilia Salgado-Caxito, Ana Gallegos, Leonardo Hostos-Olivera, Paulo Colchao-Claux, Steven J. Smith, Fabian Beltran-Saavedra, Catherine Dougnac, Camila Germana, Mariana Montoya, Scott Carver, Paul C. Cross, Chris Walzer
Advancing climate adaptation for inland fish and fisheries Advancing climate adaptation for inland fish and fisheries
Climate change was barely a blip on the radar for inland fisheries management 20 years ago. Today, it's a central focus. A 2016 paper helped shift conversations, sparked adaptation efforts across fisheries management. The future is still uncertain, but adaptation is key to sustaining these important resources.
Authors
Abigail J. Lynch, T. Douglas Beard, Craig P. Paukert
Do bighorn sheep use desert tortoise burrow spoil piles as mineral licks in southern California? Do bighorn sheep use desert tortoise burrow spoil piles as mineral licks in southern California?
In a previous study, bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) were periodically photographed by trail cameras when they visited desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) burrows in the San Bernardino Mountains near Palm Springs, California, USA. The authors suggested that bighorn sheep may utilize the excavated spoil material from burrows as a mineral lick. To test that supposition, we collected soil...
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Danielle M. Cleveland, Charles Yackulic, Kristy L. Cummings, Michele R. Puffer, Molly J. Bechtel, Christopher R. Tracy, William J. Hoese, Gerardo Avila, Megan Peukert, Samantha Hubbard
Tracing invasion routes of Cuban treefrogs into Louisiana using mitochondrial DNA Tracing invasion routes of Cuban treefrogs into Louisiana using mitochondrial DNA
Understanding the origin and spread of invasive species is critical for predicting when and where new introductions will establish, and impact native species. However, due to the complexity of contributing factors such as multiple introductions, dispersal method, genetic admixture in founding populations, and variable propagule pressure, genetic patterns observed in invasive species may...
Authors
Erin B. Brosnan, Karen A. Paniagua Torres, Katerine R. Martin, Matthew S. Atkinson, Brad Glorioso, Hardin Waddle, Robert W. Mendyk, Anna E. Savage
Quantifying benthic flux of Mysis biomass through diel vertical migration at the ecosystem scale Quantifying benthic flux of Mysis biomass through diel vertical migration at the ecosystem scale
Mysis diluviana is a macroinvertebrate that couples benthic and pelagic habitats on a daily timescale through diel vertical migration (DVM). However, quantifying how much Mysis biomass is exchanged between benthic and pelagic habitats at an ecosystem scale is difficult because of sampling limitations and variability in Mysis DVM behavior related to light and depth. Although Mysis are...
Authors
Brian O’Malley, Georgia Wende Hoffman, Rosaura J. Chapina, Jason D. Stockwell, Collin J. Farrell
The Southwestern Pond Turtle (Actinemys pallida) in Baja California, Mexico: New localities and persistent threats The Southwestern Pond Turtle (Actinemys pallida) in Baja California, Mexico: New localities and persistent threats
The Southwestern Pond Turtle (Actinemys pallida), the only native freshwater turtle in Baja California, is experiencing alarming population declines, echoing global patterns observed in freshwater turtles. We conducted comprehensive field surveys across the major drainages of northwestern Baja California to delineate the species' current distribution, identify critical threats to its...
Authors
Jorge H. Valdez-Villavicencio, Anny Peralta-García, Bradford D. Hollingsworth, Patricia Galina-Tessaro, Robert D. Fisher, Jeff A. Alvarez, R. A. Lara-Resendiz