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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: 42710

Understanding the captivity effect on invertebrate communities transplanted into an experimental stream laboratory Understanding the captivity effect on invertebrate communities transplanted into an experimental stream laboratory

Little is known about how design and testing methodologies affect the macroinvertebrate communities that are held captive in mesocosms. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a 32‐d test to determine how seeded invertebrate communities changed once removed from the natural stream and introduced to the laboratory. We evaluated larvae survival and adult emergence in controls from 4...
Authors
Travis S. Schmidt, Holly Rogers, Janet L. Miller, Christopher A. Mebane, Laurie S. Balistrieri

A dirty dozen ways to die: Metrics and modifiers of mortality driven by drought and warming for a tree species A dirty dozen ways to die: Metrics and modifiers of mortality driven by drought and warming for a tree species

Tree mortality events driven by drought and warmer temperature, often amplified by pests and pathogens, are emerging as one of the predominant climate change impacts on plants. Understanding and predicting widespread tree mortality events in the future is vital as they affect ecosystem goods and services provided by forests and woodlands, including carbon storage needed to help offset...
Authors
David D. Breshears, Charles J. W. Carroll, Miranda D. Redmond, Andreas P. Wion, Craig D. Allen, Neil S. Cobb, Nashelly Meneses, Jason P. Field, Luke A. Wilson, Darin J. Law, Lindsie M. McCabe, Olivia Newell-Bauer

Effects of climate-related stream factors on patterns of individual summer growth of Cutthroat Trout Effects of climate-related stream factors on patterns of individual summer growth of Cutthroat Trout

Coldwater fishes are sensitive to abiotic and biotic stream factors, which can be influenced by climate. Distributions of inland salmonids in North America have declined significantly, with many of the current strongholds located in small headwater systems that may serve as important refugia as climate change progresses. We investigated the effects of discharge, stream temperature, trout...
Authors
Patrick Uthe, Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Bradley Shepard, Alexander V. Zale, Jeffrey L. Kershner

Evidence for geographic variation in life-cycle processes affecting phenology of the Lyme disease vector Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) in the United States Evidence for geographic variation in life-cycle processes affecting phenology of the Lyme disease vector Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) in the United States

The seasonal activity pattern of immature Ixodes scapularis Say (Acari: Ixodidae) varies geographically in the United States, which may affect the efficiency of transmission cycles of pathogens transmitted by this species. To study the factors that determine seasonality, a multiyear study at seven sites across the geographic range of I. scapularis systematically collected questing ticks...
Authors
Nicholas H. Ogden, Genevieve Pang, Howard S. Ginsberg, Graham J. Hickling, Russell L. Burke, Lorenza Beati, Jean I. Tsao

On the development of a magnetic susceptibility‐based tracer for aeolian sediment transport research On the development of a magnetic susceptibility‐based tracer for aeolian sediment transport research

Aeolian processes — the erosion, transport, and deposition of sediment by wind — play important geomorphological and ecological roles in drylands. These processes are known to impact the spatial patterns of soil, nutrients, plant‐available water, and vegetation in many dryland ecosystems. Tracers, such as rare earth elements and stable isotopes have been successfully used to quantify the...
Authors
Sujith Ravi, Howell B. Gonzales, Ilya V. Buynevich, Junran Li, Joel B. Sankey, David Dukes, Guan Wang

Movements of female Sage Grouse Centrocercus urophasianus during incubation recess Movements of female Sage Grouse Centrocercus urophasianus during incubation recess

We combined GPS data‐loggers, VHF transmitters, and DVR video‐monitoring to measure fine‐scale movement patterns during daily incubation recesses by female Sage Grouse Centrocercus urophasianus, a species with uniparental incubation that has experienced widespread population decline and distributional contraction. Most (69.6%) Sage Grouse recess activity was highly localized within a...
Authors
Jonathan E. Dudko, Peter S. Coates, David J. Delehanty

Upstream migration and spawning success of Chinook salmon in a highly developed, seasonally warm river system Upstream migration and spawning success of Chinook salmon in a highly developed, seasonally warm river system

This review summarizes what is known about the influence of water temperature and velocity on the migration and spawning success of an inland population of Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. Models are then developed and used to illustrate how migration and spawning success might change if temperatures and velocities increase under a future climate. The illustration shows the...
Authors
William P. Connor, Kenneth F. Tiffan, James A. Chandler, Dennis W. Rondorf, Billy D. Arnsberg, Kelvin C. Anderson

Molecular systematics of sturgeon nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses Molecular systematics of sturgeon nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses

Namao virus (NV) is a sturgeon nucleocytoplasmic large DNA virus (sNCLDV) that can cause a lethal disease of the integumentary system in lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens. As a group, the sNCLDV have not been assigned to any currently recognized taxonomic family of viruses. In this study, a data set of NV DNA sequences was generated and assembled as two non-overlapping contigs of 306...
Authors
Sharon Clouthier, Eric Anderson, Gael Kurath, Rachel Breyta

A test of sex specific genetic markers in the Hawaiian hoary bat and relevance to population studies A test of sex specific genetic markers in the Hawaiian hoary bat and relevance to population studies

We tested the utility of a protocol using genetic markers that previously proved successful to identify the sex of Vespertilionid bats on tissues collected from live bats and carcasses of varying age from the Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus semotus). This molecular method is based on genes unique to X and Y chromosomes in mammals and previously was used successfully on North...
Authors
Corinna A. Pinzari, Frank Bonaccorso

The complete maternal mitochondrial genome sequences of two imperiled North American freshwater mussels: Alasmidonta heterodon and Alasmidonta varicosa (Bivalvia: Unionoida: Unionidae) The complete maternal mitochondrial genome sequences of two imperiled North American freshwater mussels: Alasmidonta heterodon and Alasmidonta varicosa (Bivalvia: Unionoida: Unionidae)

The freshwater mussels Alasmidonta heterodon and A. varicosa historically inhabited rivers along the North American Atlantic coast from the Carolinas, U.S.A., to New Brunswick, CA. However, many populations have been extirpated, and A. heterodon is now federally listed in the U.S.A. as endangered, and both A. heterodon and A. varicosa are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. To...
Authors
Aaron W. Aunins, Cheryl L. Morrison, Heather Galbraith, Michael S. Eackles, W. Bane Schill, Tim L. King

Estimating the probability of movement and partitioning seasonal survival in an amphibian metapopulation Estimating the probability of movement and partitioning seasonal survival in an amphibian metapopulation

Movement of individuals has been described as one of the best studied, but least understood concepts in ecology. The magnitude of movements, routes, and probability of movement have significant application to conservation. Information about movement can inform efforts to model species persistence and is particularly applicable in situations where specific threats (e.g., disease) may...
Authors
Erin L. Muths, Larissa L. Bailey, Brad A. Lambert, Scott C. Schneider

Susceptibility of Nanophyetus salmincola cercariae to formalin, hydrogen peroxide, and seawater Susceptibility of Nanophyetus salmincola cercariae to formalin, hydrogen peroxide, and seawater

The ability of formalin, PEROX‐AID (hydrogen peroxide), and seawater to kill waterborne Nanophyetus salmincola cercariae was evaluated in vitro. Newly emerged cercariae survived for extended periods in freshwater, with 53–73% survival occurring in negative control groups after 24 h. Exposure to dilutions of formalin reduced this survival time, with 0% of cercariae surviving after 30 min...
Authors
Paul Hershberger, Bonnie Besijn, Ashley Mackenzie, Mallory Wilmot
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