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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: 41745

Aspects of the demography of a relict population of southwestern pond turtles (Actinemys pallida) in a West Mojave Desert stream in California

We studied Actinemys pallida (Southwestern Pond Turtle) in Amargosa Creek, near Palmdale, CA, from 1997 to 2023. The population in the upper creek was the focus of a mark–recapture study from 1997 to 2003 during monitoring required by a road-construction project. An estimated 193 (95% CI = 142–256) turtles were present in 1997 or recruited to the upper creek population between 1997 and 2003. Total
Authors
David Muth, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Rodrigo Macip-Rios, Doug Gomez, Kristy L. Cummings, Michele (Shellie) R. Puffer, Charles Yackulic

Testing food web theory in a large lake: The role of body size in habitat coupling in Lake Michigan

The landscape theory of food web architecture (LTFWA) describes relationships among body size, trophic position, mobility, and energy channels that serve to couple heterogenous habitats, which in turn promotes long-term system stability. However, empirical tests of the LTFWA are rare and support differs among terrestrial, freshwater, and marine systems. Further, it is unclear whether the theory ap
Authors
Bryan M. Maitland, Harvey A. Bootsma, Charles R. Bronte, David Bunnell, Zachary S. Feiner, Kari Fenske, William Fetzer, Carolyn Foley, Brandon Gerig, Austin Happell, Tomas O. Hook, Friedrich W. Keppeler, Matthew Kornis, Ryan F. Lepak, Andrew McNaught, Brian Roth, Ben Turschak, Joel C. Hoffman, Olaf P. Jensen

Chronic effects of metal releases from historical mining on threatened crayfish in Madison County Missouri, USA

The Little St. Francis River and its tributaries drain metals-contaminated areas of the Madison County Mines National Priority List Superfund site (MCM) which was designated in 2003 to facilitate remediation of metals contamination within the MCM. One concern for natural resource trustees in the MCM is the potential effects of elevated metals concentrations on the federally threatened St. Francis
Authors
Ann Allert, Danielle M. Cleveland, Robert J. DiStefano, Mark L. Wildhaber, Leslie K. Lueckenhoff

Flooding and dam operations facilitate rapid upstream migrations of native and invasive fish species on a regulated large river

Dams commonly restrict fish movements in large rivers but can also help curtail the spread of invasive species, such as invasive bigheaded carps (Hypophthalmichthys spp). To determine how dams in the upper Mississippi River (UMR) affect large-scale invasive and native fish migrations, we tracked American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) and bigheaded carp across > 600 river km (rkm) and 16 navigatio
Authors
Mark W. Fritts, Daniel Gibson-Reinemer, Douglas Appel, Katharine Lieder, Cody Henderson, Amanda S. Milde, Marybeth K. Brey, James T. Lamer, Dominque Turney, Zachary Witzel, Emily Szott, Grace Loppnow, Joel Stiras, Kayla Zankle, Devon Oliver, John Hoxmeier, Andrea K. Fritts

Current and future potential net greenhouse gas sinks of existing, converted, and restored marsh and mangrove forest habitats

Marsh and mangrove forest habitats are productive at capturing and storing carbon, thus actions to protect and create coastal blue carbon sinks could help mitigate global warming. Dredged material is often used to create coastal habitats and evaluating the carbon impact of placement alternatives (PA) could help inform restoration and climate policies. Output from a Delft3D-FM morphodynamics and hy
Authors
Melissa Millman Baustian, Hoonshin Jung, Bingqing Liu, Leland C. Moss, Madeline R. Foster-Martinez, Christopher R. Esposito, Ioannis Y. Georgiou, Martijn C. Bregman, Diana R. Di Leonardo, Brett McMann, Scott A. Hemmerling, Michael D. Miner

Modelling effects of flow withdrawal scenarios on riverine and riparian features of the Yampa River in Dinosaur National Monument

The National Park Service (NPS) is charged with maintaining natural riverine resources and processes in its parks along the Yampa River and downstream along the Green River. This mission requires information on how proposed water withdrawals would affect resources. We present a methodology that quantifies the impact on natural riverine and riparian features of Dinosaur National Monument based on a
Authors
Rebecca Diehl, J. M. Friedman

Learning from a high-severity fire event—Conditions following the 2018 Carr Fire at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area

The 2018 Carr Fire burned more than 90 percent of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, with much of the park burning at high severity. California yellow pine and mixed conifer forests are not well adapted to large, high-severity fires, and forest recovery after these events may be problematic. Large, high-severity fire patches pose difficulties for recruitment with interiors that are long distanc
Authors
Phillip J. van Mantgem, Micah C. Wright, Karen M. Thorne, Jill Beckmann, Kevin Buffington, Lyndsay L. Rankin, Audrey Colley, Eamon A. Engber

Projected sea-level rise and high tide flooding at Biscayne National Park, Florida

IntroductionNational parks and preserves in the South Atlantic-Gulf Region contain valuable coastal habitats such as tidal wetlands and mangrove forests, as well as irreplaceable historic buildings and archeological sites located in low-lying areas. These natural and cultural resources are vulnerable to accelerated sea-level rise and escalating high tide flooding events. Through a Natural Resource
Authors
Hana R. Thurman, Nicholas M. Enwright, Michael J. Osland, Davina L. Passeri, Richard H. Day, Bethanie M. Simons, Jeffrey J. Danielson, W. Matthew Cushing

Numerical modeling of circulation and wave dynamics along the shoreline of Shinnecock Indian Nation in Long Island, New York

The Shinnecock Indian Nation on Long Island, New York, faces challenges of shoreline retreat, saltwater intrusion, and flooding of the Tribal lands under changing climate and rising sea level. However, understanding of the dynamics of tidal circulation and waves and their impacts on the Shinnecock Indian Nation’s shoreline remains limited. This numerical study employs the integrated modeling capab
Authors
Ling Zhu, Hongqing Wang, Qin Chen, William Capurso, Michael Noll

Freshwater mussel viromes increase rapidly in diversity and abundance when hosts are released from captivity into the wild

Freshwater mussels create habitat, filter water, and enhance food webs, but they are also among the world’s most imperiled taxa. Conservation efforts largely rely on captive propagation in which mussels are grown in protected aquaculture environments (hatcheries) for later release. Recent evidence has highlighted the importance of pathogens in population losses of freshwater mussels. In response t
Authors
Jordan C. Richard, Tim W. Lane, Rose E. Agbalog, Sarah Colletti, Tiffany Leach, Christopher D. Dunn, Nathan Roy Bollig, Addison R. Plate, Joseph T. Munoz, Eric M. Leis, Susan Knowles, Isaac Standish, Diane L. Waller, Tony L. Golberg

Gulf Stream intrusion and deep current upwelling drive dynamic patterns of temperature and food supply within cold-water coral reefs

One of the most significant features of the Northwest Atlantic, the Gulf Stream influences high magnitude environmental fluctuations in deep habitats across the South Atlantic Bight. Amid this variability, the Blake Plateau harbors extensive reefs formed by cold-water corals that were previously assumed to rely on narrow ranges of temperature, currents, and particulate supply. A benthic lander col
Authors
Jane V. Carrick, Furu Mienis, Erik E. Cordes, Amanda Demopoulos, Andrew J. Davies

Methane emissions associated with bald cypress knees across the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley

In freshwater forested wetlands, bald cypress knees (Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.) have the potential to emit large amounts of methane (CH4), but only a few studies have examined their greenhouse gas contribution. In this study, we measured CH4 fluxes associated with cypress knees across various climate and flooding gradients of the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley in southcentral United States.
Authors
Melinda Martinez, Robert Bordelon, Beth Middleton, Jorge A. Villa, Hojeong Kang, Inyoung Jang
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