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: 42710
Identifying new invasive plants in the face of climate change: A focus on sleeper species Identifying new invasive plants in the face of climate change: A focus on sleeper species
Sleeper populations are established populations of introduced species whose population growth is limited by one or more abiotic or biotic conditions. Sleeper populations pose an invasion risk if a change in those limiting conditions, such as climate change, enables population growth and invasion. With thousands of established introduced species, it is critical that we identify and...
Authors
A.C. O'Uhuru, Toni Lyn Morelli, Annette E. Evans, J.D. Salva, B.A. Bradley
National Aquatic Environmental DNA Strategy National Aquatic Environmental DNA Strategy
Aquatic life is the engine of ecosystems and economies. In environments ranging from freshwater through marine, this biodiversity underpins the health, culture, opportunities, and economic wellbeing of the Nation -- from local communities to the entire country. The ability to evaluate the status, trends, and future projections of nature is key to maintaining national prosperity, and this...
Authors
Kelly D Goodwin, Mike Weise, Christopher P. Meyer, Masha Edmondson, Katie Fillingham, Dee Allen, Alicia Amerson, Meredith L. Barton, Abby Benson, Gabrielle Canonico, Zachary Gold, Jennifer Gumm, Margaret Hunter, Nina Joffe, Richard Lance, Alyse Larkin, Ricardo Letelier, Christine Lipsky, Dana McCoskey, Cheryl Morrison, Karen Clark, John A. Darling, Amelia-Juliette Demery, Meredith Everett, Colette Fletcher-Hoppe, Krista M. Nichols, Kim M. Parsons, James Price, Kimberly Puglise, Katie Scholl, Mike K Schwartz, Adam Sepulveda, Janet Shannon, Woody Turner, Timothy White
Bees of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge—A preliminary report on a bee survey in a vulnerable semi-desert grassland of the Sonoran Desert Bees of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge—A preliminary report on a bee survey in a vulnerable semi-desert grassland of the Sonoran Desert
Pollinators are vital to the continued existence and seed production of about 87.5 percent of all flowering plants (Ollerton and others, 2011). In the semi-desert grasslands of Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, in the Sonoran Desert of the United States, flowering forbs provide seed vital to the food base of wildlife, including the 136 species of resident and migratory birds using...
Authors
Kathryn A. Thomas, Angela M. Hoover, M. Kathryn Busby
Low rate of population establishment of a freshwater invertebrate (Gammarus lacustris) in experimental conservation translocations Low rate of population establishment of a freshwater invertebrate (Gammarus lacustris) in experimental conservation translocations
Conservation translocations may be a useful tool for the restoration of declining freshwater invertebrates, but they are poorly represented in the literature. We conducted a before-after/control-impact (BACI) experiment to test the efficacy of conservation translocation for re-establishing abundant populations of the amphipod Gammarus lacustris, a declining species and wildlife food...
Authors
Megan J. Fitzpatrick, Michael J. Anteau, Carl W. Isaacson, Jake D. Carleen, Breanna R. Keith, Barry Thoele, Michael Bieganek, Alaina Taylor, Danelle M. Larson
Neotropical migratory bird monitoring study at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California—2021 annual data summary Neotropical migratory bird monitoring study at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California—2021 annual data summary
Executive Summary Two Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) stations were operated at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton (MCBCP), California, in 2021: one at De Luz Creek and one at the Santa Margarita River. The stations were established to provide data on Neotropical migratory birds at MCBCP to support the dual missions of environmental stewardship and military readiness...
Authors
Shannon M. Mendia, Barbara E. Kus
Status of greater sage-grouse in the Bi-State Distinct Population Segment—An evaluation of population trends, habitat selection, and efficacy of conservation actions Status of greater sage-grouse in the Bi-State Distinct Population Segment—An evaluation of population trends, habitat selection, and efficacy of conservation actions
Preface This study was completed to provide timely scientific information regarding greater sage-grouse population trends, habitat selection, and the efficacy of previous conservation actions implemented to benefit the Bi-State Distinct Population Segment (DPS). Specifically, we provide these analyses to inform the current (2024) status review and pending listing decision for the DPS...
Authors
Peter S. Coates, Megan C. Milligan, Brian G. Prochazka, Brianne E. Brussee, Shawn T. O’Neil, Carl G. Lundblad, Sarah C. Webster, Cali L. Weise, Steven R. Mathews, Michael P. Chenaille, Cameron L. Aldridge, Michael S. O’Donnell, Shawn P. Espinosa, Amy C. Sturgill, Kevin E. Doherty, John C. Tull, Katherine Miller, Lief A. Wiechman, Steve Abele, John Boone, Heather Stone, Michael L. Casazza
The where and why of large wood occurrence in the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers The where and why of large wood occurrence in the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers
Large wood (LW) plays important geomorphic and ecological roles in rivers and is widely used as a restoration tool. Changes to floodplain land use and historical removal have altered wood dynamics in fluvial systems globally. We know little about the distribution and dynamics of LW in great rivers (approximately >105 km2) like the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers despite its...
Authors
Molly Van Appledorn, Kathi Jo Jankowski, Kaija Gahm, Serenity Budd, Douglas Baumann, Barbara Bennie, Richard A. Erickson, Roger J. Haro, Jason J. Rohweder
Potential hazards of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Great Lakes tributaries using water column and porewater passive samplers and sediment wquilibrium partitioning Potential hazards of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Great Lakes tributaries using water column and porewater passive samplers and sediment wquilibrium partitioning
The potential for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-related effects in benthic organisms is commonly estimated from organic carbon-normalized sediment concentrations based on equilibrium partitioning (EqP). Although this approach is useful for screening purposes, it may overestimate PAH bioavailability by orders of magnitude in some sediments, leading to inflated exposure estimates...
Authors
Austin K. Baldwin, Steven R. Corsi, David A. Alvarez, David L. Villeneuve, Gerald T. Ankley, Brett R. Blackwell, Marc A. Mills, Peter L. Lenaker, Michelle A. Nott
Temporal habitat use of mule deer in the Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico Temporal habitat use of mule deer in the Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico
Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are important economically, culturally, and recreationally to the Pueblo of Santa Ana in central New Mexico, USA. Studies of habitat selection improve our understanding of mule deer ecology in central New Mexico and provide the Tribe with valuable information for management of mule deer. We used global positioning system telemetry-collar data collected on...
Authors
Daniel E. Bird, Laura D’Acunto, Daniel Ginter, Glenn Harper, Patrick A. Zollner
Evolutionary ecology of masting: Mechanisms, models, and climate change Evolutionary ecology of masting: Mechanisms, models, and climate change
Many perennial plants show mast seeding, characterized by synchronous and highly variable reproduction across years. We propose a general model of masting, integrating proximate factors (environmental variation, weather cues, and resource budgets) with ultimate drivers (predator satiation and pollination efficiency). This general model shows how the relationships between masting and...
Authors
Michal Bogdziewicz, Dave Kelly, Davide Ascoli, Thomas Caignard, Francesco Chianucci, Elizabeth E. Crone, Emilie Fleurot, Jessie Foest, Georg Gratzer, Tomika Hagiwara, Qingmin Han, Valentin Journe, Lea Keurinck, Katarzyna Kondrat, Ryan McClory, Jalene M. LaMontagne, Ignacio A. Mundo, Anita Nussbaumer, Iris Oberklammer, Misuzu Ohno, Ian Pearse, Mario B. Pesendorfer, Giulia Resente, Akiko Satake, Mitsue Shibata, Rebecca Snell, Jakub Szymkowiak, Laura Touzot, Rafal Zwolak, Magdalena Zywiec, Andrew Hacket-Pain
Egg mercury concentration and egg size varies with position in the laying sequence in two songbird species Egg mercury concentration and egg size varies with position in the laying sequence in two songbird species
In birds, mercury embryotoxicity can occur through the transfer of mercury from the female to her eggs. Maternal transfer of mercury can vary by egg position in the laying sequence, with first-laid eggs often exhibiting greater mercury concentrations than subsequently laid eggs. We studied egg mercury concentration, mercury burden (total amount of mercury in the egg), and egg...
Authors
C. Alex Hartman, Josh T. Ackerman, Breanne Cooney, Mark P. Herzog
Complex patterns of genetic population structure in the mouthbrooding marine catfish, Bagre marinus, in the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Atlantic Complex patterns of genetic population structure in the mouthbrooding marine catfish, Bagre marinus, in the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Atlantic
Patterns of genetic variation reflect interactions among microevolutionary forces that vary in strength with changing demography. Here, patterns of variation within and among samples of the mouthbrooding gafftopsail catfish (Bagre marinus, Family Ariidae) captured in the U.S. Atlantic and throughout the Gulf of Mexico were analyzed using genomics to generate neutral and non-neutral SNP...
Authors
David S. Portnoy, Shannon J. O’Leary, Andrew T. Fields, Christopher M. Hollenbeck, Dean Grubbs, Cheston T. Peterson, Jayne M. Gardiner, Douglas H. Adams, Brett J. Falterman, Marcus Drymon, Jeremy M. Higgs, Erin L. Pulster, Tonya R. Wiley, Steven A. Murawski