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Species Biology

USGS WARC science plays a critical role in informing the management of federally protected species. Our science provides insight into the life history, population dynamics, and resource needs of species considered at risk or of management concern, including aquatic mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, bats, and fishes.

Filter Total Items: 109

Joint Ecosystem Modeling: EverSnail

EverSnail, developed in collaboration with the University of West Florida, is an age- and size-structured spatially-explicit landscape model of native apple snails ( Pomacea paludosa).
Joint Ecosystem Modeling: EverSnail

Joint Ecosystem Modeling: EverSnail

EverSnail, developed in collaboration with the University of West Florida, is an age- and size-structured spatially-explicit landscape model of native apple snails ( Pomacea paludosa).
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Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Alligator Production Probability Model

Because the American alligator ( Alligator mississippiensis) is a keystone species of the Everglades ecosystem, managers need a way to quantitatively assess the effects of alternative restoration scenarios on alligators.
Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Alligator Production Probability Model

Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Alligator Production Probability Model

Because the American alligator ( Alligator mississippiensis) is a keystone species of the Everglades ecosystem, managers need a way to quantitatively assess the effects of alternative restoration scenarios on alligators.
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Effect of Chronic Neonicotinoid Insecticide Exposure upon Monarch Development

The long-term viability of monarch butterfly ( Danaus plexippus) populations in North America is in doubt.
Effect of Chronic Neonicotinoid Insecticide Exposure upon Monarch Development

Effect of Chronic Neonicotinoid Insecticide Exposure upon Monarch Development

The long-term viability of monarch butterfly ( Danaus plexippus) populations in North America is in doubt.
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Risk of Adult Mosquito Control Pesticides to Imperiled Butterflies

Mosquito control on Department of the Interior (DOI) managed lands is a resource management challenge. The pesticides used to control mosquitoes may also affect nontarget organisms whose conservation is one of the primary responsibilities of resource managers.
Risk of Adult Mosquito Control Pesticides to Imperiled Butterflies

Risk of Adult Mosquito Control Pesticides to Imperiled Butterflies

Mosquito control on Department of the Interior (DOI) managed lands is a resource management challenge. The pesticides used to control mosquitoes may also affect nontarget organisms whose conservation is one of the primary responsibilities of resource managers.
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Use of Remote Sensing Data to Quantify Bird and Bat Distributions and Inform Migratory Bird Conservation Efforts

Three federal wildlife refuge complexes on the upper Texas coast include portions of the Columbia Bottomlands and other forests that are important for migratory birds and possibly bats: Texas Mid-Coast, Trinity River, and Chenier Plain.
Use of Remote Sensing Data to Quantify Bird and Bat Distributions and Inform Migratory Bird Conservation Efforts

Use of Remote Sensing Data to Quantify Bird and Bat Distributions and Inform Migratory Bird Conservation Efforts

Three federal wildlife refuge complexes on the upper Texas coast include portions of the Columbia Bottomlands and other forests that are important for migratory birds and possibly bats: Texas Mid-Coast, Trinity River, and Chenier Plain.
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Detecting Differences in Bacterial Metabolism in the Buffalo National River

Each year, the Buffalo National River (BUFF) attracts 1.6 million visitors, many of whom enjoy recreational water activities. Since 2013, a confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) for swine has been operating on Big Creek, a BUFF tributary.
Detecting Differences in Bacterial Metabolism in the Buffalo National River

Detecting Differences in Bacterial Metabolism in the Buffalo National River

Each year, the Buffalo National River (BUFF) attracts 1.6 million visitors, many of whom enjoy recreational water activities. Since 2013, a confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) for swine has been operating on Big Creek, a BUFF tributary.
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American Fisheries Society Imperiled Freshwater and Diadromous Fishes of North America

This website provides access to the list of imperiled freshwater and diadromous fishes of North America as determined by the 2008 American Fisheries Society (AFS) Endangered Species Committee (ESC) on Fishes.
American Fisheries Society Imperiled Freshwater and Diadromous Fishes of North America

American Fisheries Society Imperiled Freshwater and Diadromous Fishes of North America

This website provides access to the list of imperiled freshwater and diadromous fishes of North America as determined by the 2008 American Fisheries Society (AFS) Endangered Species Committee (ESC) on Fishes.
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An Online Portal for Managing and Reporting Annual Piping Plover Monitoring Data

Federally-listed as threatened since 1986, the Atlantic Coast Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) population comprises fewer than 2,000 breeding pairs, according to the most recent census data. These breeding pairs are the target of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) species recovery plan.
An Online Portal for Managing and Reporting Annual Piping Plover Monitoring Data

An Online Portal for Managing and Reporting Annual Piping Plover Monitoring Data

Federally-listed as threatened since 1986, the Atlantic Coast Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) population comprises fewer than 2,000 breeding pairs, according to the most recent census data. These breeding pairs are the target of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) species recovery plan.
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A Website Tool for Predicting Triploidy in Larval Fish Spawns

Differentiating diploids from triploids at the earliest life stage possible allows for a more efficient use of resources including production time and rearing space. Thus, a reliable flow cytometric (FCM) method has been developed to discriminate triploids from diploids at the larval stage. In order to help simplify the process of differentiating triploids from diploids, we propose a simple...
A Website Tool for Predicting Triploidy in Larval Fish Spawns

A Website Tool for Predicting Triploidy in Larval Fish Spawns

Differentiating diploids from triploids at the earliest life stage possible allows for a more efficient use of resources including production time and rearing space. Thus, a reliable flow cytometric (FCM) method has been developed to discriminate triploids from diploids at the larval stage. In order to help simplify the process of differentiating triploids from diploids, we propose a simple...
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West Indian Manatee Population Genetics

Nuclear microsatellite markers have been developed and implemented on ~2,000 West Indian manatees. These markers provide individual genetic fingerprints for mark-recapture studies, population structure information for the conservation of unique or isolated populations, and pedigree and relatedness information for addressing inbreeding and breeding structure patterns.
West Indian Manatee Population Genetics

West Indian Manatee Population Genetics

Nuclear microsatellite markers have been developed and implemented on ~2,000 West Indian manatees. These markers provide individual genetic fingerprints for mark-recapture studies, population structure information for the conservation of unique or isolated populations, and pedigree and relatedness information for addressing inbreeding and breeding structure patterns.
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Monitoring and Assessing Effects of the Picayune Strand Restoration Project (PSRP) on the Florida Manatee

Critical information predicting condition changes in manatee habitat resulting from the alteration of freshwater flows to estuaries is needed to develop the PSRP Detailed Design and PSRP Operations Plan components and complete consultation under the Endangered Species Act.
Monitoring and Assessing Effects of the Picayune Strand Restoration Project (PSRP) on the Florida Manatee

Monitoring and Assessing Effects of the Picayune Strand Restoration Project (PSRP) on the Florida Manatee

Critical information predicting condition changes in manatee habitat resulting from the alteration of freshwater flows to estuaries is needed to develop the PSRP Detailed Design and PSRP Operations Plan components and complete consultation under the Endangered Species Act.
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Monitoring of Amphibians at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Northwest Florida

Freshwater wetlands provide critical habitat for a diverse array of organisms, including many amphibians. Yet, under the threat of climate change, these habitats are among the most imperiled ecosystems on Earth.
Monitoring of Amphibians at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Northwest Florida

Monitoring of Amphibians at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Northwest Florida

Freshwater wetlands provide critical habitat for a diverse array of organisms, including many amphibians. Yet, under the threat of climate change, these habitats are among the most imperiled ecosystems on Earth.
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