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: 42701
Demography of the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) in a changing Arctic Demography of the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) in a changing Arctic
The Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) is a candidate to be listed as an endangered species under United States law, in part, because of climate change‐related concerns. While the population was known to be declining in the 1980s and 1990s, its recent status has not been determined. We developed Bayesian models of walrus population dynamics to assess the population by...
Authors
Rebecca L. Taylor, Mark S. Udevitz, Chadwick V. Jay, John J. Citta, Lori T. Quakenbush, Patrick R. Lemons, Jonathan A. Snyder
Rule reversal: Ecogeographical patterns of body size variation in the common treeshrew (Mammalia, Scandentia) Rule reversal: Ecogeographical patterns of body size variation in the common treeshrew (Mammalia, Scandentia)
There are a number of ecogeographical “rules” that describe patterns of geographical variation among organisms. The island rule predicts that populations of larger mammals on islands evolve smaller mean body size than their mainland counterparts, whereas smaller‐bodied mammals evolve larger size. Bergmann's rule predicts that populations of a species in colder climates (generally at...
Authors
Eric J. Sargis, Virginie Millien, Neal Woodman, Link E. Olson
Effects of ocean acidification on salinity tolerance and seawater growth of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar smolts Effects of ocean acidification on salinity tolerance and seawater growth of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar smolts
Human activity has resulted in increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), which will result in reduced pH and higher levels of CO2 in the ocean, a process known as ocean acidification. Understanding the effects of ocean acidification (OA) on fishes will be important to predicting and mitigating its consequences. Anadromous species such as salmonids may be especially at risk because of...
Authors
Stephen D. McCormick, Amy M. Regish
Global conservation status of turtles and tortoises (order Testudines) Global conservation status of turtles and tortoises (order Testudines)
We present a review and analysis of the conservation status and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) threat categories of all 360 currently recognized species of extant and recently extinct turtles and tortoises (Order Testudines). Our analysis is based on the 2018 IUCN Red List status of 251 listed species, augmented by provisional Red List assessments by the IUCN...
Authors
Anders G.J. Rhodin, Craig B. Stanford, Peter Paul van Dijk, Carla Eisemberg, Luca Luiselli, Russell A. Mittermeier, Rick Hudson, Brian D. Horne, Eric Goode, Gerald Kuchling, Andrew Walde, Ernst H. W. Baard, Kristin H. Berry, Albert Bertolero, Torsten E. G. Blanck, Roger Bour, Kurt A. Buhlmann, Linda J. Cayot, Sydney Collett, Andrea Currylow, Indraneil Das, Tomas Diagne, Joshua R. Ennen, German Forero-Medina, Matthew G. Frankel, Uwe Fritz, Gerardo Garcia, J. Whitfield Gibbons, Paul M. Gibbons, Gong Shiping, Joko Guntoro, Margaretha D. Hofmeyr, John B. Iverson, A. Ross Kiester, Michael Lau, Dwight P. Lawson, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Edward O. Moll, Vivian P. Paez, Rosalinda Palomo-Ramos, Kalyar Platt, Steven G. Platt, Peter C. H. Pritchard, Hugh R. Quinn, Shahriar Caesar Rahman, Soary Tahafe Randrianjafizanaka, Jason Schaffer, Will Selman, H. Bradley Shaffer, Dionysius S. K. Sharma, Shi Haitao, Shailendra Singh, Ricky Spencer, Kahleana Stannard, Sarah Sutcliffe, Scott Thomson, Richard C. Vogt
Southeast Southeast
The Southeast includes vast expanses of coastal and inland low-lying areas, the southern portion of the Appalachian Mountains, numerous high-growth metropolitan areas, and large rural expanses. These beaches and bayous, fields and forests, and cities and small towns are all at risk from a changing climate. While some climate change impacts, such as sea level rise and extreme downpours...
Authors
Lynne Carter, Adam J. Terando, Kirstin Dow, Kevin Hiers, Kenneth E. Kunkel, Aranzazu R. Lascurain, Doug Marcy, Michael J. Osland, Paul Schramm
Aluminum bioavailability and toxicity to aquatic organisms: Introduction to the special section Aluminum bioavailability and toxicity to aquatic organisms: Introduction to the special section
No abstract available.
Authors
William J. Adams, Allison S. Cardwell, David K. DeForest, Robert W. Gensemer, Robert C. Santore, Ning Wang, Eirik Nordheim
Introduction to the Wetland Book 1: Wetland structure and function, management, and nethods Introduction to the Wetland Book 1: Wetland structure and function, management, and nethods
The Wetland Book 1 is designed as a ‘first port-of-call’ reference work for information on the structure and functions of wetlands, current approaches to wetland management, and methods for researching and understanding wetlands. Contributions by experts summarize key concepts, orient the reader to the major issues, and support further research on such issues by individuals and...
Authors
Nick C. Davidson, Beth A. Middleton, Robert J. McInnes, Mark Everard, Kenneth Irvine, Anne A. Van Dam, C. Max Finlayson
Fatality estimator user’s guide Fatality estimator user’s guide
This publication is the User's Guide for software developed to estimate wildlife fatalities at wind-power facilities, although the software is applicable to a variety of circumstances in which the objective is to estimate the size of a superpopulation and the probability of detection of the individuals is less than one. Simple counts of carcasses do not accurately reflect fatality and do...
Authors
Manuela M. Huso, Nicholas Som, Lew Ladd
Life history with emphasis on geographic variation Life history with emphasis on geographic variation
Every organism is defined by a set of vital rates that evolve to enhance lifetime reproductive fitness and survival of individuals and their progeny. These traits vary due to the complex but sometimes predictable interactions between individuals, populations and their environments. Collectively, these attributes are referred to as life history traits and include age and size of maturity...
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, J. Whitfield Gibbons, Kathryn Greene
Habitat Needs Assessment‐II for the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program: Linking science to management perspectives Habitat Needs Assessment‐II for the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program: Linking science to management perspectives
The Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) Program vision statement is for a healthier and more resilient Upper Mississippi River ecosystem that sustains the river’s multiple uses. To address this vision, the UMRR Program recently developed a suite of 12 indicators that quantify aspects of ecosystem health and resilience (i.e., connectivity, redundancy and diversity, and controlling...
Authors
Kat McCain, Sara Schmuecker, Nathan R. De Jager
Environmental and ecological conditions at Arctic breeding sites have limited effects on true survival rates of adult shorebirds Environmental and ecological conditions at Arctic breeding sites have limited effects on true survival rates of adult shorebirds
Many Arctic shorebird populations are declining, and quantifying adult survival and the effects of anthropogenic factors is a crucial step toward a better understanding of population dynamics. We used a recently developed, spatially explicit Cormack–Jolly–Seber model in a Bayesian framework to obtain broad-scale estimates of true annual survival rates for 6 species of shorebirds at 9...
Authors
Emily L. Weiser, Richard B. Lanctot, Stephen C. Brown, H. River Gates, Rebecca L. Bentzen, Joel Bety, Megan L. Boldenow, Willow B. English, Samantha E. Franks, Laura Koloski, Eunbi Kwon, Jean-Francois Lamarre, David B. Lank, Joseph R. Liebezeit, Laura McKinnon, Erica Nol, Jennie Rausch, Sarah T. Saalfeld, Nathan R. Senner, David H. Ward, Paul F. Wood, Brett K. Sandercock
Direct and indirect controls on organic matter decomposition in four coastal wetland communities along a landscape salinity gradient Direct and indirect controls on organic matter decomposition in four coastal wetland communities along a landscape salinity gradient
Coastal wetlands store more carbon than most ecosystems globally. As sea level rises, changes in flooding and salinity will potentially impact ecological functions, such as organic matter decomposition, that influence carbon storage. However, little is known about the mechanisms that control organic matter loss in coastal wetlands at the landscape scale. As sea level rises, how will the...
Authors
Camille L. Stagg, Melissa M. Baustian, Carey L. Perry, Tim J. B. Carruthers, Courtney T. Hall