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: 42702
Climate change and ‘alien species in National Parks’: Revisited Climate change and ‘alien species in National Parks’: Revisited
The US National Park Service mission includes conserving native species and historical landscapes ‘unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations’. However, humans have increased the introduction of non-native species that can become invasive and which have harmful impacts on native species and landscapes. We revisit two previous papers, ‘Alien Species in National Parks: Drawing...
Authors
Catherine S. Jarnevich, Terri Hogan, Jennifer Sieracki, Christine Lipsky, John Wullschleger
Genetic architecture and evolution of color variation in American black bears Genetic architecture and evolution of color variation in American black bears
Color variation is a frequent evolutionary substrate for camouflage in small mammals, but the underlying genetics and evolutionary forces that drive color variation in natural populations of large mammals are mostly unexplained. The American black bear, Ursus americanus (U. americanus), exhibits a range of colors including the cinnamon morph, which has a similar color to the brown bear...
Authors
E. Puckett, I. S. Davis, D. C. Harper, K. Wakamatsu, G. Battu, J. L. Belant, D. E. Beyer, C. Carpenter, A. P. Crupi, M. Davidson, C. S. DePerno, N. Forman, N. L. Fowler, D. L. Garshelis, N. Gould, K. Gunther, Mark A. Haroldson, S. Ito, David. M Kocka, C. Lackey, R. Leahy, C. Lee-Roney, T. Lewis, A. Lutto, K. McGowan, C. Olfenbuttel, M. Orlando, A. Platt, M. D. Pollard, M. Ramaker, Heather Reich, Jaime L. Sajecki, S. K. Sell, J. Strules, S. Thompson, Frank T. van Manen, Craig Whitman, R. Williamson, F. Winslow, C. B. Kaelin, M. S. Marks, G. S. Barsh
Note to Banders, December 2022 Note to Banders, December 2022
Note to All Banders was a special extra communication with more urgent information relevant to banders. This Note to All Banders was sent to U.S. bird banders on December 20, 2022. This note includes holiday greetings and a review of the 2022 successes at the Bird Banding Laboratory. Throughout 2022, the BBL increased communication, engagement, and collaboration, within the Eastern...
Authors
Antonio Celis-Murillo
Effects of structure and volcanic stratigraphy on groundwater and surface water flow: Hat Creek basin, California, USA Effects of structure and volcanic stratigraphy on groundwater and surface water flow: Hat Creek basin, California, USA
Hydrogeologic systems in the southern Cascade Range in California (USA) develop in volcanic rocks where morphology, stratigraphy, extensional structures, and attendant basin geometry play a central role in groundwater flow paths, groundwater/surface-water interactions, and spring discharge locations. High-volume springs (greater than 3 m3/s) flow from basin-filling (
Authors
Marina Francesca Marcelli, Erick R. Burns, L.J. Patrick Muffler, Andrew J Meigs, Jennifer A. Curtis, Christian E. Torgersen
Disentangling direct and indirect effects of extreme events on coastal wetland communities Disentangling direct and indirect effects of extreme events on coastal wetland communities
One of the primary ways in which climate change will impact coastal freshwater wetlands is through changes in the frequency, intensity, timing and distribution of extreme weather events. Disentangling the direct and indirect mechanisms of population- and community-level responses to extreme events is vital to predicting how species composition of coastal wetlands will change under future
Authors
Courtney L. Davis, Susan E. Walls, William J. Barichivich, Mary Brown, David A.W. Miller
Habitat utilization, demography, and behavioral observations of the squat lobster, Eumunida picta (Crustacea: Anomura: Eumunididae), on western North Atlantic deep-water coral habitats Habitat utilization, demography, and behavioral observations of the squat lobster, Eumunida picta (Crustacea: Anomura: Eumunididae), on western North Atlantic deep-water coral habitats
Deep-sea coral habitats, comprising mostly Lophelia pertusa (Linnaeus 1758), are well developed on the upper and middle continental slope off the southeastern United States (SEUS). These habitats support a diverse and abundant invertebrate fauna, yet ecology and biology of most of these species are poorly known. Ten cruises conducted off the SEUS (Summer–Fall; Cape Lookout, NC–Cape...
Authors
Martha S. Nizinski, Jennifer McClain Counts, Steve W. Ross
Spatial models can improve the experimental design of field-based transplant gardens by preventing bias due to neighborhood crowding Spatial models can improve the experimental design of field-based transplant gardens by preventing bias due to neighborhood crowding
Field-based transplant gardens, including common and reciprocal garden experiments, are a powerful tool for studying genetic variation and gene-by-environment interactions. These experiments assume that individuals within the garden represent independent replicates growing in a homogenous environment. Plant neighborhood interactions are pervasive across plant populations and could...
Authors
Andrii Zaiats, Juan M. Requena-Mullor, Matthew J. Germino, Jennifer S. Forbey, Bryce A. Richardson, T. Trevor Caughlin
Tracking fish lifetime exposure to mercury using eye lenses Tracking fish lifetime exposure to mercury using eye lenses
Mercury (Hg) uptake in fish is affected by diet, growth, and environmental factors such as primary productivity or oxygen regimes. Traditionally, fish Hg exposure is assessed using muscle tissue or whole fish, reflecting both loss and uptake processes that result in Hg bioaccumulation over entire lifetimes. Tracking changes in Hg exposure of an individual fish chronologically throughout...
Authors
Hadis Miraly, N. Roxanna Razavi, Annabelle Vogl, Richard Kraus, Ann Marie Gorman, Karin Limburg
Acetylenotrophic and diazotrophic Bradyrhizobium sp. strain I71 from TCE-contaminated soils Acetylenotrophic and diazotrophic Bradyrhizobium sp. strain I71 from TCE-contaminated soils
Abstract Acetylene (C2H2) is a molecule rarely found in nature, with very few known natural sources, but acetylenotrophic microorganisms can use acetylene as their primary carbon and energy source. As of 2018 there were 15 known strains of aerobic and anaerobic acetylenotrophs; however, we hypothesize there may yet be unrecognized diversity of acetylenotrophs in nature. This study...
Authors
Denise M. Akob, John M. Sutton, Timothy J. Bushman, Shaun Baesman, Edina Klein, Yesha Shrestha, Robert Andrews, Janna L. Fierst, Max Kolton, Sara Gushgari-Doyle, Ronald Oremland, John Freeman
Effects of shading on the rare plant species, Physostegia correllii (Lamiaceae) and Trillium texanum (Melanthiaceae) Effects of shading on the rare plant species, Physostegia correllii (Lamiaceae) and Trillium texanum (Melanthiaceae)
Rare plant species that are constrained by shading may be threatened by a lack of natural disturbance that removes overhanging vegetation. The original distribution of the study species Physostegia correllii (Lundell) Shinners included freshwater floodplains of large rivers in the southcentral U.S. (Colorado, Rio Grande, and Mississippi rivers). A second species, Trillium texanum Buckley...
Authors
Beth Middleton, Casey R. Williams, Chris Doffitt, Darren Johnson
Tooth wear and the apparent consumption of human foods among American black bears (Ursus americanus) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA Tooth wear and the apparent consumption of human foods among American black bears (Ursus americanus) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA
Stable isotope analyses of hair have been used to estimate the consumption of human foods by American black bears (Ursus americanus). Consumption of human foods influences body mass and reproductive success of bears. However, the underlying factors that cause some bears to become conflict bears and resort to consuming human foods as a portion of their diet are not fully understood. We...
Authors
Kent A. Hatch, Kimberly A. Kester, Amanda Loveless, Beverly L. Roeder, Frank T. van Manen
Seasonal resource selection and movement ecology of free-ranging horses in the western United States Seasonal resource selection and movement ecology of free-ranging horses in the western United States
Understanding factors driving resource selection and habitat use of different species is an important component of management and conservation. Feral horses (Equus caballus) are free ranging across various vegetation types in the western United States, yet few studies have quantified their resource selection and seasonal use. We conducted a study to determine effects of vegetation...
Authors
Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Saeideh Esmaelli, Sarah R. B. King