Images

Scientists at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center have been working on vaccines to protect bats from diseases like such as rabies and white-nose syndrome. The most promising method is called orotopical vaccination. By applying the vaccine to the bat’s muzzle, the gel-based vaccine is spread to others in the colony through grooming.

A USGS scientist examines microorganisms from salamander skin to investigate for potential pathogens.

A USGS scientist reaches for a microbiological plate with cultures from salamander skin to investigate for potential pathogens.

A USGS scientist examines a skin sample from a salamander as part of a study to investigate for potential pathogens.

A USGS scientist prepares to analyze a skin swab from a salamander to investigate for potential pathogens.

The exterior of FIDO, a new instrument developed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and the USGS Rapid eDNA Assessment and Deployment Initiative and Network (READI-Net) project.

Red mangrove and brown pelicans at Ten Thousand Islands, Florida. Ecosystems are more than a static collection of plants and animals. An ecosystem is a dynamic set of processes that supports species and with which species interact.  Ecosystems don’t just have structure, they have functions.

This is a photo of scientist, Marshal Hoy, holding a bull trout in Ross Lake. The USGS Western Fisheries Research Center does food web studies in Ross Lake to better understand the ecology and habitat for salmon in the area.

These are two USGS Western Fisheries Research Center scientists, Carl Ostberg and Jeff Duda (from left to right), sitting on a fallen tree in Skagit, WA. These scientists study critical fish, like salmon, in the Ross Dam reservoir and tributaries.

This is a photo of scientists, Ben Jensen and Shelley Johnson, collecting tissue samples from a rainbow trout on Ross Lake. The USGS Western Fisheries Research Center does work on Ross Lake to understand the food web and ecology for salmon.

This is a photo of a fish in Ross Lake, WA called the Redside Shiner. Ecologists at the Western Fisheries Research Center are studying this fish and the food web in Ross Lake.

This is a photo of Ross Dam as viewed from the boat. This photo was taken by fisheries scientists from the USGS Western Fisheries Research Center.

A USGS scientist examines salamanders as part of a study to investigate for potential pathogens.

This is a map of the lower Yakima River showing locations where acoustic telemetry receivers were deployed (open circles) to detect tagged fish that were released at two sites (stars). This was part of the study titled, "Survival implications of diversion entrainment for out-migrating juvenile Chinook Salmon and steelhead.

Ethanol from seed corn is a type of biofuel produced by converting the starches and sugars in corn kernels into ethanol, a renewable energy source.

Conceptual diagram of the Aquatic Trophic Productivity Model, illustrating (1) biomass stocks of organisms and organic matter (rectangular boxes), (2) consumer–resource interactions that link biomass stocks, (3) inputs of energy, nutrients, and organic matter from outside the system (salmon spawners, light, nutrients, terrestrial organic matter and terrestrial inver

Map of the study system. The potential anadromous distribution above the dams indicated is based only on potential physical access to those stream segments (i.e., no migration barriers). Further details and habitat quality results from intrinsic potential modeling can be found in Duda and Hardiman.

Survival probability estimates and 95% confidence intervals for yearling Chinook Salmon, juvenile steelhead, and subyearling Chinook Salmon at three diversion dams on the Yakima River, Washington.

Estimated relationship between entrainment probability and proportion of river flow entering canals at Wapato Dam, Sunnyside Dam, and Prosser Dam on the Yakima River, Washington. The relationships are shown at the mean total river flow for (A) yearling Chinook Salmon, (B) juvenile steelhead, and (C) subyearling Chinook Salmon.

This is a photo of a dam in the lower Yakima River. Efforts to ameliorate the negative effects of diversion dams on aquatic species of concern are important in rivers where water withdrawal supports agricultural economies, and they are likely to become increasingly important with impending climate change. 

This is a screen grab of the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database. This database is used to track the spread of invasive aquatic species across the United States landscape.