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: 42876
Change in dominance determines herbivore effects on plant biodiversity Change in dominance determines herbivore effects on plant biodiversity
Herbivores alter plant biodiversity (species richness) in many of the world’s ecosystems, but the magnitude and the direction of herbivore effects on biodiversity vary widely within and among ecosystems. One current theory predicts that herbivores enhance plant biodiversity at high productivity but have the opposite effect at low productivity. Yet, empirical support for the importance of...
Authors
Sally E. Koerner, Melinda D. Smith, Deron E. Burkepile, Niall P. Hanan, Meghan L. Avolio, Scott L. Collins, Alan K. Knapp, Nathan P. Lemoine, Elisabeth J. Forrestel, Stephanie Eby, Dave I. Thompson, Gerardo A. Aguado-Santacruz, John P. Anderson, T. Michael Anderson, Ayana Angassa, Sumanta Bagchi, Elisabeth S. Bakker, Gary Bastin, Lauren E. Baur, Karen H. Beard, Erik A. Beever, Patrick J. Bohlen, Elizabeth H. Boughton, Don Canestro, Ariela Cesa, Enrique Chaneton, Jimin Cheng, Carla M. D’Antonio, Claire Deleglise, Fadiala Dembele, Josh Dorrough, David J. Eldridge, Barbara Fernandez-Going, Silvia Fernandez-Lugo, Lauchlan H. Fraser, Bill Freedman, Gonzalo Garcia-Salgado, Jacob R. Goheen, Liang Guo, Sean Husheer, Moussa Karembe, Johannes M. H. Knops, Tineke Kraaij, Andrew Kulmatiski, Minna-Maarit Kytoviita, Felipe Lezama, Gregory Loucougaray, Alejandro Loydi, Daniel G. Milchunas, Suzanne J. Milton, John W. Morgan, Claire Moxham, Kyle C. Nehring, Han Olff, Todd M. Palmer, Salvador Rebollo, Corinna Riginos, Anita C. Risch, Marta Rueda, Mahesh Sankaran, Takehiro Sasaki, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Nick L. Schultz, Martin Schutz, Angelika Schwabe, Frances Siebert, Christian Smit, Karen A. Stahlheber, Christian Storm, Dustin J. Strong, Jishuai Su, Yadugiri V. Tiruvaimozhi, Claudia Tyler, James Val, Martijn L. Vandegehuchte, Kari E. Veblen, Lance Vermeire, David Ward, Jianshuang Wu, Truman P. Young, Qiang Yu, Tamara J. Zelikova
Seasonal sex steroids indicate reproductive costs associated with snake fungal disease Seasonal sex steroids indicate reproductive costs associated with snake fungal disease
Emergent diseases may result in population declines by inducing mortality directly or through sublethal effects on host reproduction. Snake fungal disease (SFD) is an emerging threat to biodiversity, but the sublethal impacts of disease on host fitness are poorly characterized in snakes. The cryptic nature of most snakes makes direct assessment of the fitness consequences of SFD...
Authors
Craig M. Lind, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Ignacio T. Moore, Ben J. Vernasco, Terence M. Farrell
California mallards: a review California mallards: a review
Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) are the most abundant breeding waterfowl species in California and are important to waterfowl hunters in the state. California is unique among major North American wintering waterfowl areas, in that most mallards harvested in California are also produced in California, meaning that California must provide both high quality wintering and breeding habitats for...
Authors
Cliff L. Feldheim, Joshua T. Ackerman, Shaun L. Oldenburger, John M. Eadie, Joseph P. Fleskes, Gregory S. Yarris
Effects of prescribed fire on San Francisco gartersnake survival and movement Effects of prescribed fire on San Francisco gartersnake survival and movement
The application of fire is prescribed for management of habitats for many plant and animal communities, but its effects on herpetofauna are diverse and remain poorly understood. To date no studies have examined the effects of prescribed fire on endangered San Francisco gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia) populations, despite a call for prescribed fire in the recovery plan for...
Authors
Brian J. Halstead, Michelle E. Thompson, Melissa Amarello, Jeffrey J. Smith, Glenn D. Wylie, Eric J. Routman, Michael L. Casazza
Methods used for the collection and analysis of chemical and biological data for the Tapwater Exposure Study, United States, 2016–17 Methods used for the collection and analysis of chemical and biological data for the Tapwater Exposure Study, United States, 2016–17
In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Environmental Health Mission Area, initiated the Tapwater Exposure Study as part of an infrastructure project to assess human exposure to potential threats from complex mixtures of contaminants. In the pilot phase (2016), samples were collected from 11 States throughout the United States, and in the second phase (2017), the study focused on the...
Authors
Kristin M. Romanok, Dana W. Kolpin, Shannon M. Meppelink, Maria Argos, Juliane B. Brown, Michael J. Devito, Julie E. Dietze, Carrie E. Givens, James L. Gray, Christopher P. Higgins, Michelle L. Hladik, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Keith A. Loftin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Carrie A. McDonough, Michael T. Meyer, Mark J. Strynar, Christopher P. Weis, Vickie S. Wilson, Paul M. Bradley
Long-term impacts of exotic grazer removal on native shrub recovery, Santa Cruz Island, California Long-term impacts of exotic grazer removal on native shrub recovery, Santa Cruz Island, California
A combination of overgrazing and exotic species introduction has led to the degradation of habitats worldwide. It is often unclear whether removal of exotic ungulates will lead to the natural reestablishment of native plant communities without further management inputs. I describe here my return to sites on Santa Cruz Island, California, 12 years after initial sampling in order to gain a...
Authors
Stephanie G. Yelenik
Are fungal networks key to dryland primary production? Are fungal networks key to dryland primary production?
In low-resource ecosystems, competition among primary producers can be reduced through the partitioning of limiting resources in space or time. Partitioning, coupled with species interactions, can be a source of ecosystem stability by retaining resources within a biotic “loop” and slowing losses due to physical processes, such as erosion, gaseous loss, or leaching. Such coupling occurs...
Authors
Jennifer A. Rudgers, Eva Dettweiler-Robinson, Jayne Belnap, Laura E. Green, Robert L. Sinsabaugh, Kristina E. Young, Catherine E. Cort, Anthony Darrouzet-Nardi
Appropriate sample sizes for monitoring burned pastures in sagebrush steppe: How many plots are enough, and can one size fit all? Appropriate sample sizes for monitoring burned pastures in sagebrush steppe: How many plots are enough, and can one size fit all?
Statistically defensible information on vegetation conditions is needed to guide rangeland management decisions following disturbances such as wildfire, often for heterogeneous pastures. Here we evaluate the number of plots needed to make informed adaptive management decisions using >2000 plots sampled on the 2015 Soda Fire that burned across 75 pastures and 113,000 ha in Idaho and...
Authors
Cara Applestein, Matthew J. Germino, David S. Pilliod, Matthew Fisk, Robert S. Arkle
Are changes in lower trophic levels limiting prey-fish biomass and production in Lake Michigan? Are changes in lower trophic levels limiting prey-fish biomass and production in Lake Michigan?
To improve understanding of how recent changes in lower trophic levels in Lake Michigan could be affecting prey-fish biomass and production, the Lake Michigan Committee (LMC) convened a Lower Trophic Level Task Group and provided several charges that are responded to in this report. First, we compiled a comprehensive summary of lower trophiclevel data in Lake Michigan, separating out...
Authors
David B. Bunnell, Hunter J. Carrick, Charles P. Madenjian, Edward S. Rutherford, Henry A. Vanderploeg, Richard P. Barbiero, Elizabeth Hinchey-Malloy, Steven A. Pothoven, Catherine M. Riseng, Randall M. Claramunt, Harvey A. Bootsma, Ashley Elgin, Mark Rowe, Sara Thomas, Benjamin A. Turschak, Sergiusz J. Czesny, Kevin Pangle, David M. Warner
Climate, disturbance, and vulnerability to vegetation change in the Northwest Forest Plan Area Climate, disturbance, and vulnerability to vegetation change in the Northwest Forest Plan Area
Climate change is expected to alter the composition, structure, and function of forested ecosystems in the United States (Vose et al. 2012). Increases in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (e.g., carbon dioxide [CO2]) and temperature, as well as altered precipitation and disturbance regimes (e.g., fire, insects, pathogens, and windstorms), are expected to have profound...
Authors
Matthew J. Reilly, Thomas A. Spies, Jeremy S. Littell, Ramona J. Butz, John B. Kim
Climate Change in Port Heiden, Alaska - Strategies for Community Health Climate Change in Port Heiden, Alaska - Strategies for Community Health
There are two components to this document. The first component is the scope of described environmental change and its impacts in Port Heiden Alaska. The second component is a list of priorities to be addressed that will help Port Heiden achieve its vision for the future. Each priority area incorporates local knowledge with available climate science and takes the expected future changes...
Authors
Erica Lujan, Mike Brubaker, John Warren, Jaclyn Christensen, Scott Anderson, Melissa O’Domin, Jeremy S. Littell, Richard M. Buzard, Jacquelyn R. Overbeck, Davin Holen, Sue Flensburg, Elizabeth Powers
Estimating the risk of elk-to-livestock brucellosis transmission in Montana Estimating the risk of elk-to-livestock brucellosis transmission in Montana
Wildlife reservoirs of infectious disease are a major source of human-wildlife conflict because of the risk of potential spillover associated with commingling of wildlife and livestock. In Montana, the presence of brucellosis (Brucella abortus) in free-ranging elk (Cervus canadensis) populations is of significant management concern because of the risk of disease transmission from elk to...
Authors
Nathaniel D. Rayl, Kelly Proffitt, Emily S. Almberg, Jennifer D. Jones, Jerod Merkle, Justin A. Gude, Paul C. Cross