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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: 42671

Pleistocene porcupine (Erethizontidae) records in arid southwestern North America and comparisons with the modern distribution of Erethizon dorsatum in southern California and Arizona Pleistocene porcupine (Erethizontidae) records in arid southwestern North America and comparisons with the modern distribution of Erethizon dorsatum in southern California and Arizona

he North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) is widely distributed throughout many ecosystems on the continent from northern Mexico to the Arctic Ocean, except for the southeastern portion of the United States. Habi­tats include the arid Desert Southwest region where modern records are generally sparse. The paleogeographic range in the Desert Southwest is not unlike the modern...
Authors
Jeffrey Lovich, George Jefferson

Changing dynamic phosphorus forms from field to stream during surface runoff events Changing dynamic phosphorus forms from field to stream during surface runoff events

The risk of water quality impairment from agricultural runoff depends on nutrient source, transport, and bioavailability. Phosphorus (P) spirals between dissolved and particulate forms as it is transported with suspended sediment (SS) from agricultural fields, through the stream network, to receiving water bodies. This dynamic sorption-desorption influences bioavailability. We quantified...
Authors
Rebecca Kreiling, Tanja Williamson, Faith Fitzpatrick, Kenna J. Gierke, James Blount, Patrik Perner, Isaac James Mevis, Heidi Mae Broerman, Katherine Merriman, Matthew Komiskey

Responding to ecological transformation in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah—Employee perspectives from pilot interviews from the Cross-Park Resist-Assist-Direct Project Responding to ecological transformation in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah—Employee perspectives from pilot interviews from the Cross-Park Resist-Assist-Direct Project

Executive Summary Climate change is causing a range of changes that can affect the natural, cultural, and built resources of the Nation’s protected areas and affect opportunities to visit and recreate in these spaces. Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns also affect species and habitats, leading to ecological transformation. This report describes findings from pilot research...
Authors
Amanda Cravens, Zachary Hough Solomon, Julia Goolsby, Heather Yocum, Stefan Tangen, Wylie Carr

Best practices for understanding recreational fishers Best practices for understanding recreational fishers

In this closing chapter of our edited book, we summarize what we believe are best practices for understanding recreational fishers. Fishers are an integral part of the recreational fishery social-ecological system, and we emphasize the importance of placing them in that context. We begin with an overview of the process of developing a project and conclude with some broad suggestions for
Authors
Brett van Poorten, Len Hunt, E. Arlo Richardson, Abigail Lynch, Kevin Pope

Preface Preface

Despite more than 50 years of research into the human dimensions of recreational f isheries, there is no textbook to present the theoretical grounding, operationalisation, and interpretation of the most elemental social components involved in fisheries management – namely, outcomes and trade-offs, behaviours (and antecedents or predictors of it), and the relationships among actors...
Authors
Kevin Pope, Robert Arlinghaus, Len M. Hunt, Abigail Lynch, Brett van Poorten

Greater white-fronted goose habitat use in Louisiana provides water depth management insights Greater white-fronted goose habitat use in Louisiana provides water depth management insights

Numerous waterfowl species have altered their geographic distribution in recent decades. The greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) has shifted its wintering distribution from coastal marshes in Texas and Louisiana, USA, to interior landscapes, creating challenges for conservation managers. Although the range shift has been primarily attributed to landscape-scale changes in rice...
Authors
William S. Beatty, Paul Link, Brett Leach, Steven Houdek, Elisabeth Webb

Rising rates of wildfire building destruction in the conterminous United States Rising rates of wildfire building destruction in the conterminous United States

Many regions of the world have seen an increase in highly destructive wildfires, driven by well-documented increases in burned area and growth of housing in the wildland–urban interface (WUI), which exposes more homes to fire. However, it is unclear whether wildfires are also becoming more destructive due to changes in wildfire behavior or in the development patterns of exposed...
Authors
Amanda Carlson, Todd Hawbaker, Miranda Mockrin, Volker Radeloff, Lucas Bair, Mike Caggiano, James Meldrum, Patricia Alexandre, H. Kramer, Paul Steblein

Assessment of dragonfly and damselfly (Odonata) occupancy and habitat suitability at −12 Mile Slough, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona Assessment of dragonfly and damselfly (Odonata) occupancy and habitat suitability at −12 Mile Slough, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona

Management practices that enhance habitat complexity in dam tailwaters often aim to increase biodiversity and improve ecosystem health. However, in other instances, management practices may simplify habitat features to help minimize the establishment of invasive species. These tradeoffs are complex, particularly in the face of drought and warming water temperatures. In Glen Canyon...
Authors
Anya Metcalfe, Morgan Ford, Lawrence Stevens, Theodore Kennedy

Rapid structured decision making for Hypomesus transpacificus (delta smelt) summer–fall freshwater outflow management Rapid structured decision making for Hypomesus transpacificus (delta smelt) summer–fall freshwater outflow management

Managers of the Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Projects (SWP) in California are confronted with difficult tradeoffs between water uses and associated values affected by water management decisions. These decisions involve altering the timing and magnitude of water releases from dams and reservoirs, which can affect habitats for economically important and Federally and State...
Authors
Brian Healy, Corey Phillis, Brian Mahardja, Cameron Koizumi, Catarina Pien, Nancy Parker, J. Conrad, Julie Ekstrom, Julie Leimbach, Rafael Silberblatt, Tom Fischer, Chase Ehlo

Rice cultivation supports growth and survival of a threatened semi-aquatic reptile Rice cultivation supports growth and survival of a threatened semi-aquatic reptile

Integration of agroecosystems and other working landscapes with protected lands and waters is critical to the conservation of Earth's biodiversity. Rice agroecosystems support many species by providing aquatic habitat where natural wetlands have been altered or drained. In regions with long dry seasons, rice fields and associated irrigation canals provide essential habitat for wetland...
Authors
Jonathan Rose, Allison Nguyen, Anna Jordan, Daniel Antonio Macias, Elliot Schoenig, Giancarlo Ray Napolitano, Richard Kim, Julia Ersan, Alexandria Fulton, Brian Halstead

Biologging to identify nesting and non-nesting emergences for four species of imperiled sea turtles Biologging to identify nesting and non-nesting emergences for four species of imperiled sea turtles

Quantifying sea turtle nesting behavior is essential for recovery planning and evaluating management actions. Traditional monitoring approaches, based on nest counts from beach surveys, can misclassify non-nesting emergences, obscure true fecundity, and underestimate clutch frequency, metrics that directly influence population models and regulatory decisions. Here, we demonstrate that...
Authors
Kristen Hart, Connor White, Donna Shaver, Margaret Lamont, Michael Cherkiss, Andrew Crowder, Nicholas Whitney

A summary of grizzly bear distribution in the lower-48 US states in 2024 A summary of grizzly bear distribution in the lower-48 US states in 2024

Understanding the distribution of grizzly bear populations in the lower-48 states, is important for their conservation and management, and for public safety. Previously, our research teams working in grizzly bear ecosystems in the lower-48 states used varying methods to estimate distribution of grizzly bear populations. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) and Northern Continental...
Authors
Cecily Costello, Justin Dellinger, Jennifer Fortin-Noreus, Mark Haroldson, Bryn Karabensh, Wayne Kasworm, Lori Roberts, Justin Teisberg, Frank van Manen, Tyler Vent
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