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: 42712
Cytonuclear discordance in the Florida Everglades invasive Burmese python (Python bivittatus) population reveals possible hybridization with the Indian python (P. molurus) Cytonuclear discordance in the Florida Everglades invasive Burmese python (Python bivittatus) population reveals possible hybridization with the Indian python (P. molurus)
The invasive Burmese python (Python bivittatus) has been reproducing in the Florida Everglades since the 1980s. These giant constrictor snakes have caused a precipitous decline in small mammal populations in southern Florida following escapes or releases from the commercial pet trade. To better understand the invasion pathway and genetic composition of the population, two mitochondrial...
Authors
Margaret E. Hunter, Nathan A. Johnson, Brian J. Smith, Michelle C. Davis, John S. Butterfield, Ray W. Snow, Kristen M. Hart
Past and future global transformation of terrestrial ecosystems under climate change Past and future global transformation of terrestrial ecosystems under climate change
Impacts of global climate change on terrestrial ecosystems are imperfectly constrained by ecosystem models and direct observations. Pervasive ecosystem transformations occurred in response to warming and associated climatic changes during the last glacial-to-interglacial transition, which was comparable in magnitude to warming projected for the next century under high-emission scenarios...
Authors
Connor Nolan, Jonathan T. Overpeck, Judy R. M. Allen, Patricia M. Anderson, Julio L. Betancourt, Heather A. Binney, Simon Brewer, Mark B. Bush, Brian M. Chase, Rachid Cheddadi, Morteza Djamali, John Dodson, Mary E. Edwards, William D. Gosling, Simon Haberle, Sara C. Hotchkiss, Brian Huntley, Sarah J. Ivory, A. Peter Kershaw, Soo-Hyun Kim, Claudio Latorre, Michelle Leydet, Anne-Marie Lezine, Kam-Biu Liu, Yao Liu, A. V. Lozhkin, Matt S. McGlone, Robert A. Marchant, Arata Momohara, Patricio I. Moreno, Stefanie Muller, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, Caiming Shen, Janelle Stevenson, Hikaru Takahara, Pavel E. Tarasov, John Tipton, Annie Vincens, Chengyu Weng, Qinghai Xu, Zhuo Zheng, Stephen T. Jackson
Human induced trauma and directed take inhibits sea turtle recovery in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Human induced trauma and directed take inhibits sea turtle recovery in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Sea turtle conservation is often hindered by the lack of reliable information on population status and threats due to sampling difficulties of these highly migratory reptiles that live in remote and data-poor locations. This paper summarizes more than a decade of stranding recoveries (live and dead turtles) on the islands of Saipan and Tinian, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands...
Authors
Tammy M. Summers, Irene Kinan Kelly, Thierry M. Work, Jessy R. Hapdei, Joe K. Ruak
Chiroptera Chiroptera
With over 1300 species identified, bats represent almost one quarter of the world’s mammals (Fenton and Simmons 2014), bats provide important environmental services such as insect pest suppression, seed dispersal, and pollination and inhabit a wide variety of ecological niches on all continents except Antarctica. Over 150 species are listed as endangered or vulnerable to extinction...
Authors
Lisa L. Farina, Julia S. Lankton
Conservation genomics of the Mogollon Narrow-headed gartersnake (Thamnophis rufipunctatus) and Northern Mexican gartersnake (Thamnophis eques megalops) Conservation genomics of the Mogollon Narrow-headed gartersnake (Thamnophis rufipunctatus) and Northern Mexican gartersnake (Thamnophis eques megalops)
The ability of populations to persist and adapt to abiotic and biotic changes is reliant on genetic diversity. When connectivity across a species landscape is disrupted, the levels and distribution of genetic diversity can rapidly deteriorate as a result of genetic drift, leading to increased inbreeding and reduced adaptive potential. Therefore, understanding the distribution and degree...
Authors
Dustin A. Wood, Iain D. Emmons, Erika M. Nowak, Bruce L. Christman, Andrew T. Holycross, Amy G. Vandergast
Species-specific nitrogenase activity in lichen-dominated biological soil crusts from the Colorado Plateau, USA Species-specific nitrogenase activity in lichen-dominated biological soil crusts from the Colorado Plateau, USA
Background and aim Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) play numerous crucial roles in drylands, which comprise over 40% of Earth’s terrestrial surface. Among these key contributions is the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. Yet, relatively little is known about the N2 fixation capabilities of different lichen species that are found in late successional biocrust communities across drylands...
Authors
Terry J. Torres-Cruz, Armin J. Howell, Robin H. Reibold, Theresa A. McHugh, Mackenzie A. Eickhoff, Sasha C. Reed
The risk of rodent introductions from shipwrecks to seabirds on Aleutian and Bering Sea islands The risk of rodent introductions from shipwrecks to seabirds on Aleutian and Bering Sea islands
Accidental introductions of rodents present one of the greatest threats to indigenous island biota, especially seabirds. On uninhabited remote islands, such introductions are likely to come from shipwrecks. Here we use a comprehensive database of shipwrecks in Western Alaska to model the frequency of shipwrecks per Aleutian and Bering Sea island, taken as a proxy for the threat of rodent
Authors
Martin Renner, Eric Nelson, Jordan Watson, Alan Haynie, Aaron Poe, Martin D. Robards, Steve C. Hess
The effects of rearing temperature on American glass eels The effects of rearing temperature on American glass eels
American eels are declining throughout their range requiring a better understanding of physiological requirements of all life stages and optimal conditions for laboratory rearing and aquaculture. American glass eels (Anguilla rostrata) were housed for 3 weeks at 14˚C, 18˚C, 22˚C, or 26˚C to determine optimal juvenile rearing temperature in the laboratory. All treatments exhibited weight...
Authors
Carrie J. Blakeslee, Heather S. Galbraith, Robert M. Deems
Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative unit watershed erosion potential prioritization for check-dam installation Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative unit watershed erosion potential prioritization for check-dam installation
Changes in land-use practices and the extirpation (local extinction) of beaver populations in the early 20th century during European settlement are believed to have resulted in many changes in how streams in the Western United States function. Some of the negative changes that have resulted include stream channelization, soil erosion, changing vegetation, water turbidity, and a loss of...
Authors
Kirsten E. Ironside
Differing modes of biotic connectivity within freshwater ecosystem mosaics Differing modes of biotic connectivity within freshwater ecosystem mosaics
We describe a collection of aquatic and wetland habitats in an inland landscape, and their occurrence within a terrestrial matrix, as a “freshwater ecosystem mosaic” (FEM). Aquatic and wetland habitats in any FEM can vary widely, from permanently ponded lakes, to ephemerally ponded wetlands, to groundwater‐fed springs, to flowing rivers and streams. The terrestrial matrix can also vary...
Authors
David M. Mushet, Laurie C. Alexander, Micah Bennet, Kate Schofield, Jay R. Christensen, Genevieve Ali, Amina I. Pollard, Ken M. Fritz, Megan Lang
Biological connectivity of seasonally ponded wetlands across spatial and temporal scales Biological connectivity of seasonally ponded wetlands across spatial and temporal scales
Many species that inhabit seasonally ponded wetlands also rely on surrounding upland habitats and nearby aquatic ecosystems for resources to support life stages and to maintain viable populations. Understanding biological connectivity among these habitats is critical to ensure that landscapes are protected at appropriate scales to conserve species and ecosystem function. Biological...
Authors
Lora L. Smith, Amanda Subalusky, Carla L. Atkinson, Julia E. Earl, David M. Mushet, David E. Scott, Stacey L. Lance, Steve A. Johnson
Ancient convergent losses of Paraoxonase 1 yield potential risks for modern marine mammals Ancient convergent losses of Paraoxonase 1 yield potential risks for modern marine mammals
Mammals diversified by colonizing drastically different environments, with each transition yielding numerous molecular changes, including losses of protein function. Though not initially deleterious, these losses could subsequently carry deleterious pleiotropic consequences. We have used phylogenetic methods to identify convergent functional losses across independent marine mammal...
Authors
Wynn K. Meyer, Jerrica Jamison, Rebecca Richter, Stacy E. Woods, Raghavendran Partha, Amanda Kowalczyk, Charles Kronk, Maria Chikina, Robert K. Bonde, Daniel E. Crocker, Joseph C. Gaspard, Janet M. Lanyon, Judit Marsillach, Clement E. Furlong, Nathan L. Clark