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: 42686
Representing 3-dimensional fuels for physics-based fire behavior models: A general framework and case study in a type-converted post-fire shrubfield Representing 3-dimensional fuels for physics-based fire behavior models: A general framework and case study in a type-converted post-fire shrubfield
Background Physics-based three-dimensional (3D) fire behavior models improve planning for prescribed fire application and wildfire mitigation, but require high spatial resolution 3D fuel models as inputs. While multiple methods and data sources for realistically representing 3D, heterogeneous fuels are available, no unifying framework exists to guide the use of these tools to create 3D...
Authors
Niko Tutland, Andreas Paul Wion, Carolina Jasmine May, Grant C. Hutchings, Hope Nowak, James R. Gattiker, J. Kevin Hiers, Rodman R. Linn, Scott M. Pokswinski, Ellis Margolis
A systematic review and meta-analysis of post-fire seeding and herbicide treatment effectiveness for controlling exotic annual grasses in the sagebrush biome A systematic review and meta-analysis of post-fire seeding and herbicide treatment effectiveness for controlling exotic annual grasses in the sagebrush biome
Introduction Outcomes of ecological restoration treatments can be highly variable and challenging to generalize, even for the same treatment type applied in similar ecological communities at different times and places. Notable examples are the herbicide and seeding treatments that have been extensively applied across the perennial sagebrush steppe of the United States to reduce impacts...
Authors
Leland D Bennion, Christopher A Anthony, Scott N Zimmer, David Pilliod, Matthew Germino
Integrating the resist–accept–direct framework into natural resource decision-making processes for climate adaptation Integrating the resist–accept–direct framework into natural resource decision-making processes for climate adaptation
The resist–accept–direct (RAD) framework for climate adaptation is a useful tool, particularly when conservation practitioners know they need to address climate change but do not know where to start or when they struggle to implement conservation actions that are outside the status quo. Some conservation practitioners may view RAD as a decision process that will lead them through...
Authors
Amanda L. Sesser, Jennifer L. Wilkening, Wendy Beth Miles, Kelly G. Guilbeau, Abigail Lynch, Jeremy R. Conrad, Dawn Robin Magness
The influence of human presence and footprint on animal space use in US national parks The influence of human presence and footprint on animal space use in US national parks
Given the importance of protected areas for biodiversity, the growth of visitation to many areas has raised concerns about the effects of humans on wildlife. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to temporary closure of national parks in the United States, offering a pseudonatural experiment to tease apart the effects of permanent infrastructure and transient human presence on animals. We...
Authors
Kaitlyn M. Gaynor, Forest Hayes, Kezia R. Manlove, Nathan L. Galloway, John F. Benson, Michael J. Cherry, Clinton W. Epps, Robert J. Fletcher, John L. Orrock, Justine A. Smith, Christina M. Aiello, Jerrold L. Belant, Joel Berger, Mark Biel, Jill Bright, Joseph K. Bump, Michael Burchett, Carson Butler, Jennifer Carlson, Eric K. Cole, Neal Darby, Erin DeGutis, Sarah Dewey, Pete Figura, Tom Gable, Jeff Gagnon, Danielle M. Glass, Jennifer R. Green, Kerry A. Gunther, Mark Haroldson, Kent Hersey, Brandon Holton, Austin T. Homkes, Sarah R. Hoy, Debra Hughson, Kyle Joly, Ryan Leahy, Caitlin Lee-Roney, Rob Lester, Daniel MacNulty, Michael Magnuson, Daniel J. Martin, Rachel Mazur, Seth A. Moore, Elizabeth K. Orning, Katie Patrick, Rolf O. Peterson, Lynette Potvin, Paige Prentice, Seth P.D. Riley, Mark C. Romanski, Annette Roug, Jeff A. Sikich, Nova Simpson, William B. Sloan, Douglas W. Smith, Mathew Sorum, Scott Sprague, Daniel Stahler, John A. Stephenson, Thomas R. Stephenson, Janice Stroud-Settles, Frank T. van Manen, John A. Vucetich, Kate Wilmot, Steve K. Windels, Tiffany Wolf, Paul C. Cross
Larger larval sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) have longer survival times when exposed to the lampricide 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol Larger larval sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) have longer survival times when exposed to the lampricide 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol
Invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in the Laurentian Great Lakes have negatively impacted ecologically and economically important fishes for nearly a century. To mitigate these effects, the lampricide 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) is applied annually on a rotating basis to selected Great Lakes tributaries to kill larval lamprey before they become juveniles, out-migrate to...
Authors
Allison Nalesnik, Emily Martin, Ian Kovacs, Connor Johnson, Emma Carroll, Aaron K. Jubar, William Hemstrom, Michael Wilkie, Erin S. Dunlop, Maria S. Sepulveda, Nicholas S. Johnson, Mark R. Christie
Potential impacts of 2.3.4.4b highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus infection on Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens) movement ecology Potential impacts of 2.3.4.4b highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus infection on Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens) movement ecology
While wild waterfowl are known reservoirs of avian influenza viruses and facilitate the movement of these viruses, there are notable differences in the response to infection across species. This study explored differential responses to infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza in Snow Geese (Anser caerulescens) located in the California Central Valley. Though H5 antibody...
Authors
Jeffery D. Sullivan, Michael L. Casazza, Rebecca L. Poulson, Elliott Matchett, Cory T. Overton, Mike Carpenter, Austen Lorenz, Fiona McDuie, Michael Derico, Elizabeth Howerth, David E. Stallknecht, Diann Prosser
Suturing fragmented landscapes: Mosaic hybrid zones in plants may facilitate ecosystem resiliency Suturing fragmented landscapes: Mosaic hybrid zones in plants may facilitate ecosystem resiliency
Many widespread plant taxa of western North America have diversified into phenotypically and genetically divergent lineages due to complex biogeographic histories across heterogeneous landscapes. Mosaic hybrid zones can form when geographically co-occurring, yet environmentally distinct, lineages cross-pollinate and form hybrids that occupy unique environmental niches absent of a...
Authors
Robert Massatti, Trevor Morgan Faske, Ivana M. Barnes, Elizabeth A. Leger, Thomas L. Parchman, Bryce A. Richardson, L. Lacey Knowles
Cold-induced vomiting of a white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) by an invasive Burmese python (Python bivitattus) in Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida, USA Cold-induced vomiting of a white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) by an invasive Burmese python (Python bivitattus) in Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida, USA
The Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is native to Southeast Asia and has an established invasive population throughout South Florida. As part of the effort to understand invasive python biology and potential impacts to the native ecosystem, we have been using radio-telemetry to investigate feeding rates of adult female pythons. The body size and gape of adult Burmese pythons enable...
Authors
Travis R. Mangione, Grant S. McCargar, Matthew Fox Metcalf, Lisa Marie McBride, Eli X. Suastegui, Josue I. Perez, Cohen W. Eastridge, Matthew F. McCollister, Christina Romagosa, Amanda Marie Kissel, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Mark Robert Sandfoss
Real-time oil spill concentration assessment through fluorescence imaging and deep learning Real-time oil spill concentration assessment through fluorescence imaging and deep learning
Oil spills may pose severe ecological and socioeconomic threats, necessitating rapid and accurate environmental assessment. Traditional assessment methods used to determine the extent of a spill including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, satellite imaging, and visual surveys, are often time-consuming, expensive, and limited by weather conditions or sampling constraints. Furthermore...
Authors
Biplab Poudel, Jiacheng Xie, Congyu Guo, Olivia Watt, Erin L. Pulster, Rishi J. Patel, Jeffery A. Steevens, Dong Xu
Detroit River becoming a crucible for boundary organization experimentation Detroit River becoming a crucible for boundary organization experimentation
The Detroit River has a long history of human use and abuse, resulting in public outcry over water pollution and resource degradation. This public outcry helped catalyze the enactment of many laws and the Canada-U.S. Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement which led to enhanced research, monitoring, and water pollution control. As pollution from industries and municipal wastewater treatment...
Authors
John H. Hartig, Robin L. DeBruyne, Katie Stammler, James C. Boase, Edward F. Roseman
Spatially explicit demographics of Mojave Desert Tortoises on a demography plot in California, USA Spatially explicit demographics of Mojave Desert Tortoises on a demography plot in California, USA
Obtaining reliable estimates of demographic parameters is critical to effective wildlife conservation and management. Densities of Mojave Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) were historically derived from capture–mark–recapture surveys on small, often strategically placed demography plots, or demographic study areas, that also provided information on demographic composition and vital...
Authors
Sarah Doyle, Sean M. Murphy, K. Kristina Drake, Julie Hendrix, Todd C. Esque
Advancing the implementation of coastal restoration in Louisiana through a co-production of science framework Advancing the implementation of coastal restoration in Louisiana through a co-production of science framework
Coastal Louisiana faces complex challenges from the compounding effects of coastal land loss and climate change. The State of Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and the RESTORE Act Center of Excellence for Louisiana (LA-COE) have adopted a co-production of science framework to help ensure that scientific research funded through the LA-COE supports the...
Authors
Jacob M. Oster, Jessica R. Henkel, Alyssa Dausman, Eva D. Windhoffer, Bingqing Liu, Melissa Millman Baustian, Denise Reed, Summer Langlois, David C. Lindquist