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: 42999
Integrating mark-recapture, catch, and expert habitat assessments to quantify recent increases in humpback chub abundance over a 200 km long river segment of the Colorado River in western Grand Canyon Integrating mark-recapture, catch, and expert habitat assessments to quantify recent increases in humpback chub abundance over a 200 km long river segment of the Colorado River in western Grand Canyon
Humpback chub, Gila cypha, were historically distributed throughout large portions of the Colorado River basin and were federally listed in 1967. In the Grand Canyon segment of the Colorado River, located below Glen Canyon Dam, chub abundances continued to decline through the early 2000s. Recently, catch has increased substantially, especially in the western Grand Canyon. Here, we...
Authors
Maria C. Dzul, David R. Van Haverbeke, Kirk Young, Charles B. Yackulic, Pilar Rinker, Michael D. Yard
Not so fatal attraction: Captive female Burmese Python lures do not improve wild python detection Not so fatal attraction: Captive female Burmese Python lures do not improve wild python detection
The ongoing invasion of Python bivittatus (Burmese Python; henceforth, Python) across the Greater Everglades Ecosystem (GEE) has led to near total collapse of the affected mammal community over the past few decades. Management efforts to eliminate Pythons and control their spread have been hampered by the Python's low detectability, which may be improved by using a lure. In controlled...
Authors
Alex D. Potash, Maggie Jones, Michael Kirkland, Jenna Cole, Kristen Hart, Robert A. McCleery
Accounting for emigration reveals high survival and bimodal size at departure from a loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) foraging area Accounting for emigration reveals high survival and bimodal size at departure from a loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) foraging area
The life history of hard-shelled sea turtles includes several ontogenetic shifts in habitat use and these complex permanent emigration patterns can impact estimates of stage-specific population rates, including survival. We developed several multistate mark recapture models to estimate survival of adult and juvenile loggerhead turtles from a coastal bay in the northern Gulf of America...
Authors
Caroline M. Blommel, Margaret Lamont, William L. Kendall
Tropicalization of the temperate zone: Spatiotemporal variability of winter warming and declining freeze days across the United States Tropicalization of the temperate zone: Spatiotemporal variability of winter warming and declining freeze days across the United States
We investigate changes in cool-season and winter daily minimum (Tmin) and maximum (Tmax) temperatures, and the occurrence of freeze days, from 1952 to 2024 across the conterminous United States (CONUS). Emphasis is placed on the tropical-temperate transition zone (TTTz) in the southeastern CONUS. During winter, ~70% of the land area exhibited Tmin warming rates exceeding those of Tmax...
Authors
Vincent M. Brown, Derek T. Thompson, Buren B. DeFee, Michael Osland, Barry D. Keim
Variability and consistency in wildfire susceptibility: Insights from a national compilation Variability and consistency in wildfire susceptibility: Insights from a national compilation
Background Wildfire risk in the United States is rising and remains a land management priority. The quantitative wildfire risk assessment (QWRA) framework integrates fuels, topography, weather and values at risk to estimate the potential change in value from wildfire. Within this, response functions (RFs) represent how values respond to fire intensity. These are often based on expert...
Authors
Aaron Daniel Russell, Lucas Bair, James R. Meldrum, Todd Hawbaker
Patterns of floodplain forest mortality and recruitment along the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers: Associations with forest fragmentation and flood inundation Patterns of floodplain forest mortality and recruitment along the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers: Associations with forest fragmentation and flood inundation
Context Different rates of floodplain forest recruitment and mortality can reveal important changes in ecosystem processes that drive forest dynamics, resulting in net changes in forest cover, thereby influencing a wide range of river habitat and morphological characteristics.Objectives We evaluated characteristics of forest change areas in the Upper Mississippi River System.Methods An...
Authors
Nathan R. De Jager, Jason J. Rohweder, Molly Van Appledorn, Shelby A. Weiss, Matthew Trumper, Lyle J. Guyon
Landscape connectivity and wildlife access to water across an international border: Barriers and opportunities for facilitating transboundary movement Landscape connectivity and wildlife access to water across an international border: Barriers and opportunities for facilitating transboundary movement
Rapid global acceleration in the construction of physical barriers along international borders has greatly influenced biodiversity and animal movement. Physical barriers can fragment landscapes, hinder access to essential resources, impact long-distance migrations, and inhibit dispersal and gene flow. The effects of physical barriers on animal movement and landscape connectivity can be...
Authors
Bogdan Chivoiu, Erin L. Koen, Michael Osland, Christopher A. Gabler, Jerald T. Garrett, Ernesto Reyes, Stephanie A. Bilodeau, Mitch A. Sternberg, Miguel L. Villarreal, Eric K. Waller, Samuel N. Chambers, Jude A. Benavides, Robert S. Lawson, James Martinez
Life history traits and population dynamics of Freshwater Drum across large river gradients Life history traits and population dynamics of Freshwater Drum across large river gradients
Objective Monitoring and assessment of nongame native fishes is limited, but conservation interest in these species is growing. Freshwater Drum Aplodinotus grunniens are a wide-ranging species that serve important functional roles and could serve as an indicator for similar but less common species. Our overall objectives were to quantify and compare population dynamic rates and life...
Authors
Kristen L. Bouska, Levi E. Solomon, Andrew Bartels, Steven A. DeLain, Eric J. Gittinger, Travis Kueter, Kristopher A. Maxson, John L. West, James T. Lamer, Hae H. Kim, Quinton Phelps
Natomas basin giant gartersnake annual monitoring report 2024 Natomas basin giant gartersnake annual monitoring report 2024
The giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) is a semi aquatic snake endemic to the Central Valley of California. After losing 95 percent of its historic wetland habitat (Frayer and others, 1989), giant gartersnakes became state and federally listed as a threatened species (California Fish and Game Commission, 1971; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1993, 1999). Continued monitoring of current
Authors
Allison M. Nguyen, Jonathan P. Rose, Anna C. Jordan, Giancarlo R. Napolitano, Daniel Macias, Elliot J. Schoenig, Gabriel A. Reyes, Brian J. Halstead
Inland recreational fisheries harvest far exceeds reported inland harvest in the United States Inland recreational fisheries harvest far exceeds reported inland harvest in the United States
Recreational fisheries are important global contributors to food security, socio-cultural practices, and local and regional economies. However, inland recreational fisheries are often overlooked by policymakers due to a limited understanding of the magnitude of participation, harvest, and economic impact. Here, we used the U.S. Inland Creel and Angler Survey Catalog and catch and effort...
Authors
Matthew D. Robertson, Holly Susan Embke, Abigail Lynch, Stephen R. Midway, Craig Paukert
Evaluating reservoir passage and survival of juvenile Chinook Salmon to support reintroduction upstream of Shasta Dam, California Evaluating reservoir passage and survival of juvenile Chinook Salmon to support reintroduction upstream of Shasta Dam, California
Objective Juvenile Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha that are released upstream of Shasta Reservoir migrate more than 35 km to reach Shasta Dam, although survival through this system is poorly understood. We conducted a reservoir-scale acoustic telemetry study to quantify downstream movement and survival under seasonally variable environmental conditions to inform decisions about...
Authors
Caitlin Louise Stockwell, Joseph Mitchell Morse, Mikaeli Elizabeth Dirling, Claire E. Couch, Cyril J. Michel, Jeremy J. Notch, Tobias J. Kock
Informing policy response to declining water supply in the Colorado River basin: Linking water supply management with outcomes for fish communities Informing policy response to declining water supply in the Colorado River basin: Linking water supply management with outcomes for fish communities
Water-supply managers in the Colorado River Basin are tasked with balancing consumptive water use with natural water supply. Decisions associated with water-supply policy can include where and how much water consumption occurs, where water could be stored, and how to operate reservoirs. Water-supply decisions often affect other resources including energy production, recreation and...
Authors
John C. Schmidt, Charles B. Yackulic