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
Growth stress response to sea level rise in species with contrasting functional traits: A case study in tidal freshwater forested wetlands Growth stress response to sea level rise in species with contrasting functional traits: A case study in tidal freshwater forested wetlands
With rising sea levels, mortality of glycophytes can be caused by water and nutrient stress under increasing salinity. However, the relative effects of these two stressors may vary by species-specific functional traits. For example, deciduous species, with leaves typically emerging during low salinity periods of the year, may suffer less from water stress than evergreen species. We...
Authors
Lu Zhai, Ken W. Krauss, Xin Liu, Jamie A. Duberstein, William H. Conner, Donald L. DeAngelis, Leonel d.S.L Sternberg
Cougar dispersal and natal homing in a desert environment Cougar dispersal and natal homing in a desert environment
We present a review of cougar dispersal literature and the first evidence of natural (i.e., unmanipulated) homing behavior by a dispersing male cougar (Puma concolor) that sustained severe injuries crossing the northern Mojave Desert. Based on Global Positioning System and ground tracking data, the male traveled a total distance of 981.1 km at 5.03 km/d, including 170.31 km from the...
Authors
David Choate, Kathleen M. Longshore, Daniel B. Thompson
Herring Disease Program, February 1, 2018 - January 31, 2019 Herring Disease Program, February 1, 2018 - January 31, 2019
This report describes our laboratory and field results for the period February 1, 2018-January 31, 2019.
Authors
Paul Hershberger, Maureen Purcell
Land treatment exploration tool Land treatment exploration tool
Overview Land managers make decisions regarding restoration and rehabilitation actions that influence landscapes and ecosystems. Many of these decisions involve soil and vegetation manipulations, often known as land treatments. Historically, treatments were planned on a case by case basis with decisions derived from personal experience of past successes or failures. Current adaptive...
Authors
David S. Pilliod, Justin L. Welty, Michelle I. Jeffries, Linda S. Schueck, Thomas J. Zarriello
Sea‐level rise, habitat loss, and potential extirpation of a salt marsh specialist bird in urbanized landscapes Sea‐level rise, habitat loss, and potential extirpation of a salt marsh specialist bird in urbanized landscapes
Sea‐level rise (SLR) impacts on intertidal habitat depend on coastal topology, accretion, and constraints from surrounding development. Such habitat changes might affect species like Belding's savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis beldingi; BSSP), which live in high‐elevation salt marsh in the Southern California Bight. To predict how BSSP habitat might change under various SLR...
Authors
Jordan Rosencranz, Karen M. Thorne, Kevin Buffington, John Y. Takekawa, Ryan F. Hechinger, Tara E. Stewart, Richard F. Ambrose, Glen M. MacDonald, Mark A. Holmgren, Jeff A. Crooks, Robert T. Patton, Kevin D. Lafferty
Isolation by distance versus landscape resistance: Understanding dominant patterns of genetic structure in Northern Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis caurina) Isolation by distance versus landscape resistance: Understanding dominant patterns of genetic structure in Northern Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis caurina)
Landscape genetics investigations examine how the availability and configuration of habitat influence genetic structure of plants and animals. We used landscape genetics to evaluate the role that forest connectivity plays in determining genetic structure of the federally-threatened Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) using genotypes of 339 Northern Spotted Owls obtained for...
Authors
Mark P. Miller, Raymond J. Davis, Eric D. Forsman, Thomas D. Mullins, Susan M. Haig
A critical time for mercury science to inform global policy A critical time for mercury science to inform global policy
Mercury is a global pollutant released into the biosphere by varied human activities including coal combustion, mining, artisanal gold mining, cement production, and chemical production. Once released to air, land and water, the addition of carbon atoms to mercury by bacteria results in the production of methylmercury, the toxic form that bioaccumulates in aquatic and terrestrial food...
Authors
Celia Y. Chen, Charles T. Driscoll, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Chris S. Eckley, David A. Gay, Heileen Hsu-Kim, S. E. Keane, Jane L. Kirk, Robert Mason, Daniel Obrist, Henrik Selin, Noelle Selin, Marcella R. Thompson
Landscape genetics identifies streams and drainage infrastructure as dispersal corridors for an endangered wetland bird Landscape genetics identifies streams and drainage infrastructure as dispersal corridors for an endangered wetland bird
Anthropogenic alterations to landscape structure and composition can have significant impacts on biodiversity, potentially leading to species extinctions. Population‐level impacts of landscape change are mediated by animal behaviors, in particular dispersal behavior. Little is known about the dispersal habits of rails (Rallidae) due to their cryptic behavior and tendency to occupy...
Authors
Charles B. van Rees, J. Michael Reed, Robert E. Wilson, Jared G. Underwood, Sarah A. Sonsthagen
Limits to ponderosa pine regeneration following large high-severity forest fires in the United States Southwest Limits to ponderosa pine regeneration following large high-severity forest fires in the United States Southwest
High-severity fires in dry conifer forests of the United States Southwest have created large (>1000 ha) treeless areas that are unprecedented in the regional historical record. These fires have reset extensive portions of Southwestern ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Lawson & C. Lawson var. scopulorum Engelm.) forest landscapes. At least two recovery options following high-severity fire...
Authors
Collin Haffey, Thomas D. Sisk, Craig D. Allen, Andrea E. Thode, Ellis Q. Margolis
Patterns of longer-term climate change effects on CO2 efflux from biocrusted soils differ from those observed in the short term Patterns of longer-term climate change effects on CO2 efflux from biocrusted soils differ from those observed in the short term
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are predicted to be sensitive to the increased temperature and altered precipitation associated with climate change. We assessed the effects of these factors on soil carbon dioxide (CO2) balance in biocrusted soils using a sequence of manipulations over a 9-year period. We warmed biocrusted soils by 2 and, later, by 4°C to better capture updated...
Authors
Anthony Darrouzet-Nardi, Sasha C. Reed, Edmund E. Grote, Jayne Belnap
Drivers and mechanisms of tree mortality in moist tropical forests Drivers and mechanisms of tree mortality in moist tropical forests
Tree mortality rates appear to be increasing in moist tropical forests (MTFs) with significant carbon cycle consequences. Here, we review the state of knowledge regarding MTF tree mortality, create a conceptual framework with testable hypotheses regarding the drivers, mechanisms and interactions that may underlie increasing MTF mortality rates, and identify the next steps for improved
Authors
Nate G. McDowell, Craig D. Allen, Kristina Anderson‐Teixeira, Paulo M. Brando, Roel Brienen, Jeff Chambers, Brad Christoffersen, Stuart J. Davies, Chris Doughty, Alvaro Duque, Fernando Espirito-Santo, Rosie A. Fisher, Clarissa G. Fontes, David Galbraith, Devin Goodsman, Charlotte Grossiord, Henrik Hartmann, Jennifer Holm, Daniel J. Johnson, Abd. Rahman Kassim, Michael Keller, Charles Koven, Lara Kueppers, Tomo’omi Kumagai, Yadvinder Malhi, Sean M. McMahon, Maurizio Mencuccini, Patrick Meir, Paul R. Moorcroft, Helene C. Muller-Landau, Oliver L. Phillips, Thomas M. Powell, Carlos A. Sierra, John Sperry, Jeff Warren, Chonggang Xu, Xiangtao Xu
Influencia de factores ambientales y biométricos en la capacidad de nado del barbo ibérico (Luciobarbus bocagei Steindachner, 1864), un ciprínido potamódromo endémico de la Península Ibérica Influencia de factores ambientales y biométricos en la capacidad de nado del barbo ibérico (Luciobarbus bocagei Steindachner, 1864), un ciprínido potamódromo endémico de la Península Ibérica
El presente trabajo analiza la capacidad voluntaria de nado del barbo ibérico (Luciobarbus bocagei Steindachner, 1864) en un canal abierto durante su época de migración, relacionándola con factores ambientales y biométricos. La temperatura del agua, la velocidad de flujo y la longitud del pez fueron los factores de mayor importancia que condicionaron la velocidad de nado de los barbos y...
Authors
Jorge Ruiz-Legazpi, F.J. Sanz-Ronda, F.J. Bravo-Cordoba, J.F. Fuentes-Perez, Theodore R. Castro-Santos