Images

A rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) collecting pollen from milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa). This bumble bee is on the endangered species list along with about 20 other North American bee species.

Bumble bee (Bombus spp.) on a coneflower (Echineacea spp.). Coneflowers are often visited by pollinators. 

Pollinators in the form of bees, birds, butterflies, bats, and even moths provide vital, but often invisible services, from contributing to biodiverse terrestrial wildlife and plant communities to supporting healthy watersheds. Pollinator declines worldwide have been noted as land-use and climate changes occur on the landscape.

Bumble bee perched on a daisy flower. Pollinator species in the U.S. are in crisis based on broad-scale changes in land-use and climate. Biodiversity of pollinators in the U.S. includes more than 4,000 species of insects, birds, and mammals. 

Invasive swamp eel (Monopterus albus) collected in central Florida. Swamp eels are used as bait and in live food markets and have the potential to impact the ecology and economics of a waterbody. 

Boats and trailers can move invasive plants and animals between lakes. Aquatic invasive species are bad news and they need a plan for early detection and fast response.

Under the leadership of the Penobscot Nation and with technical support from the USGS, researchers have co-created an effective method for monitoring winter tick distribution and abundance in brushy moose habitat.

Moose populations (Alces alces) in New England are experiencing reduced birth rates, and lower than normal calf and adult survival caused by severe winter tick (Dermacentor albipictus) infestations. In the early spring of bad years, it is common to see “Ghost Moose” which are skeletal, and nearly hairless.

Moose populations (Alces alces) in New England are experiencing reduced birth rates, and lower than normal calf and adult survival caused by severe winter tick (Dermacentor albipictus) infestations. In the early spring of bad years, it is common to see “Ghost Moose” which are skeletal, and nearly hairless.

USGS ecologists at the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Cornell University, are using trained canine scent detection dogs to sniff out invasive spotted lanternfly egg masses in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Vineyards are especially vulnerable, but tree farms, fruit farms, and nurseries are also at risk of damage.

USGS researchers at the USGS New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit are investigating invasive spotted lanternfly in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.

USGS researchers at the USGS New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit are investigating invasive spotted lanternfly in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. Vineyards are especially vulnerable to invasive spotted lanternfly, but tree farms, fruit farms, and nurseries are also at risk of damage.

USGS researchers at the USGS New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit are investigating invasive spotted lanternfly in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.

Among the world's most invasive freshwater fish, sharptooth walking catfish is considered one of the most widespread!

USGS ecologists at the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Cornell University, are using trained canine scent detection dogs to sniff out invasive spotted lanternfly egg masses in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Invasive species create risks to ecological communities. Recently, in Puerto Rico, sharptooth walking catfish (Clarias batrachus) were discovered as a new invasive species. This project is using environmental DNA (eDNA) to sample streams and help inform where physical removal efforts of this invasive species could best be allocated.

Donovan Maude, University of Idaho graduate student, catches two white sturgeon on Snake River, Idaho. White sturgeon is one of the largest freshwater fish in the U.S. 

Shoal bass (Micropterus cataractae) is a popular sportfish that, like many bass with a limited distribution, has been affected by human disturbances on the riverscape.

Michelle Briggs from the Montana Cooperative Fishery Research Unit shows an angler how to measure a fish.

Students are working with biologists in Oregon to develop an experiment that examines effects of forest management practices on the endangered marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) in the Elliott State Research Forest. 

Researchers at the South Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit use several unique research avenues to address questions regarding movement, habitat use, physiology, and reproductive ecology of brown pelicans.