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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

Effects of life history and reproduction on recruitment time lags in reintroductions of rare plants Effects of life history and reproduction on recruitment time lags in reintroductions of rare plants

Reintroductions are important components of conservation and recovery programs for rare plant species, but their long‐term success rates are poorly understood. Previous reviews of plant reintroductions focused on short‐term (e.g., ≤3 years) survival and flowering of founder individuals rather than on benchmarks of intergenerational persistence, such as seedling recruitment. However...
Authors
Matthew A. Albrecht, Oyomoare L. Osazuwa-Peters, Joyce Maschinski, Timothy J. Bell, Marlin L. Bowles, William E. Brumback, Janice Duquesnel, Michael Kunz, Jimmy Lange, Kimberlie A. McCue, Kathryn McEachern, Sheila Murray, Peggy Olwell, Noel B. Pavlovic, Cheryl L. Peterson, Jennifer Possley, John L. Randall, Samuel J. Wright

Diurnal habitat selection of migrating Whooping Crane in the Great Plains Diurnal habitat selection of migrating Whooping Crane in the Great Plains

Available stopover habitats with quality foraging opportunities are essential for migrating waterbirds, including Whooping Crane (Grus americana). Several studies have evaluated habitats used by Whooping Crane for roosting throughout its migration corridor; however, habitats associated with foraging and other diurnal activities have received less attention. We used data collected from 42...
Authors
David M. Baasch, Patrick D. Farrell, Aaron T. Pearse, David A. Brandt, Andrew J. Caven, Mary J. Harner, Greg D. Wright, Kristine L. Metzger

Disease‐structured N‐mixture models: A practical guide to model disease dynamics using count data Disease‐structured N‐mixture models: A practical guide to model disease dynamics using count data

Obtaining inferences on disease dynamics (e.g., host population size, pathogen prevalence, transmission rate, host survival probability) typically requires marking and tracking individuals over time. While multistate mark–recapture models can produce high‐quality inference, these techniques are difficult to employ at large spatial and long temporal scales or in small remnant host...
Authors
Graziella V. DiRenzo, Christian Che-Castaldo, Sarah P. Saunders, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Elise F. Zipkin

Landscape and organismal factors affecting sagebrush-seedling transplant survival after megafire restoration Landscape and organismal factors affecting sagebrush-seedling transplant survival after megafire restoration

Larger and more frequent disturbances are motivating efforts to accelerate recovery of foundational perennial species by focusing efforts into establishing island patches to sustain keystone species and facilitate recovery of the surrounding plant community. Evaluating the variability in abiotic and biotic factors that contribute to differences in survival and establishment can provide...
Authors
Bill Davidson, Matthew J. Germino, Bryce Richardson, David Barnard

Toxicokinetics of imidacloprid-coated wheat seeds in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) and an evaluation of hazard Toxicokinetics of imidacloprid-coated wheat seeds in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) and an evaluation of hazard

Birds are potentially exposed to neonicotinoid insecticides by ingestion of coated seeds during crop planting. Adult male Japanese quail were orally dosed with wheat seeds coated with an imidacloprid (IMI) formulation at either 0.9 mg/kg body weight (BW) or 2.7 mg/kg BW (~3 and 9% of IMI LD50 for Japanese quail, respectively) for 1 or 10 days. Quail were euthanized between 1 and 24 h...
Authors
Thomas G. Bean, Michael S. Gross, Natalie Karouna-Renier, Paula F. P. Henry, Sandra L. Schultz, Michelle L. Hladik, Kathryn Kuivila, Barnett A. Rattner

Effects of nest exposure and spring temperatures on golden eagle brood survival: An opportunity for mitigation Effects of nest exposure and spring temperatures on golden eagle brood survival: An opportunity for mitigation

We examined Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) brood survival in relation to spring temperatures and exposure of nests to afternoon sun in southwestern Idaho from 1970 through 2012. Most (77%) nests classified as shaded in a subset of 96 nests had northwest to east aspects, and most (71%) nests classified as exposed had south to west aspects. We analyzed survival of 1154 Golden Eagle...
Authors
Michael N. Kochert, Karen Steenhof, Jessi L. Brown

Spatial distribution of band recoveries of black brant Spatial distribution of band recoveries of black brant

On average, band recovery rates of adult black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) more than doubled between the 2000s and 2010s. However, the spatial distribution of band recoveries of black brant has not been reported. Our objective was to describe the spatial distribution of band recoveries of black brant since 1990. We found that Alaska, California, and Mexico accounted for ≥89% of...
Authors
Alan G. Leach, David H. Ward, James S. Sedinger, Thomas V. Riecke, Jerry W. Hupp, Robert J. Ritchie

Using motion-activated cameras to study diet and productivity of cliff-nesting Golden Eagles Using motion-activated cameras to study diet and productivity of cliff-nesting Golden Eagles

Studies of cliff-nesting raptors can be challenging because direct observations of nest contents are difficult. Our goals were to develop a protocol for installing motionactivated trail cameras at Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) nests to record diet information and productivity, and to estimate prey detection probability using different diet study methods. In 2014 and 2015, we installed...
Authors
Jordan Harrison, Michael N. Kochert, Benjamin P. Pauli, Julie A. Heath

Optimizing historic preservation under climate change: Decision support for cultural resource adaptation planning in national parks Optimizing historic preservation under climate change: Decision support for cultural resource adaptation planning in national parks

Climate change poses great challenges for cultural resource management, particularly in coastal areas. Cultural resources, such as historic buildings, in coastal areas are vulnerable to climate impacts including inundation, deterioration, and destruction from sea-level rise and storm-related flooding and erosion. However, research that assesses the trade-offs between actions for...
Authors
Xiao Xiao, Erin Seekamp, Max Post van der Burg, Mitchell J. Eaton, Sandra Fatoric, Allie McCreary

Modeling δ18O as an early indicator of regime shift arising from salinity stress in coastal vegetation Modeling δ18O as an early indicator of regime shift arising from salinity stress in coastal vegetation

In many important coastal habitats, a combination of increasing soil salinization due to sea level rise, reduced precipitation and storm surges may induce regime shift from salinity-intolerant glycophytic vegetation to salinity-tolerant halophytic species. Early detection of regime shift due to salinity stress in vegetation may facilitate conservation efforts. It has been shown that the...
Authors
Su Yean Teh, Hock Lye Koh, Donald L. DeAngelis, Clifford I. Voss, Leonel da Silveira Lobo Sternberg

Diel activity of newly metamorphosed juvenile sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) Diel activity of newly metamorphosed juvenile sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)

Timing of activity, especially for juvenile anadromous fishes undertaking long migrations can be critical for survival. River-resident larval sea lamprey metamorphose into juveniles and migrate from their larval stream habitats in fall through spring, but diel timing of this migratory behavior is not well understood. Diel activity was determined for newly metamorphosed sea lamprey using...
Authors
Scott M. Miehls, Christopher M. Holbrook, J. Ellen Marsden

Can’t see the random forest for the decision trees: Selecting predictive models for restoration ecology Can’t see the random forest for the decision trees: Selecting predictive models for restoration ecology

Improving predictions of restoration outcomes is increasingly important to resource managers for accountability and adaptive management, yet there is limited guidance for selecting a predictive model from the multitude available. The goal of this paper was to identify an optimal predictive framework for restoration ecology using eleven modeling frameworks (including, machine learning...
Authors
David Barnard, Matthew Germino, David Pilliod, Robert Arkle, Cara Applestein, Bill Davidson, Matthew Fisk
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