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: 42768
Evaluating temporal and spatial transferability of a tidal inundation model for foraging waterbirds Evaluating temporal and spatial transferability of a tidal inundation model for foraging waterbirds
For ecosystem models to be applicable outside their context of development, temporal and spatial transferability must be demonstrated. This presents a challenge for modeling intertidal ecosystems where spatiotemporal variation arises at multiple scales. Models specializing in tidal dynamics are generally inhibited from having wider ecological applications by coarse spatiotemporal...
Authors
Marisa T. Martinez, Leonardo Calle, Stephanie Romanach, Dale E. Gawlik
RestoreNet: Collaboration to improve success of seed-based restoration on the Colorado Plateau RestoreNet: Collaboration to improve success of seed-based restoration on the Colorado Plateau
Dryland restoration faces challenges from heat, drought, and unpredictable rainfall, that are increasingly common and severe due to climate change. Land managers need information about successful seed-based restoration techniques and seed mixes that are not widely available to increase restoration success. Researchers from the US Geological Survey (USGS) and partner universities are...
Authors
Seth M. Munson, Molly L. McCormick, M. Scott, Ariel Leger
Gene pool boundaries for the Yosemite toad (Anaxyrus canorus) reveal asymmetrical migration within meadow neighborhoods Gene pool boundaries for the Yosemite toad (Anaxyrus canorus) reveal asymmetrical migration within meadow neighborhoods
The Yosemite toad (Anaxyrus [Bufo] canorus) is a federally threatened species of meadow-specializing amphibian endemic to the high-elevation Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. The species is one of the first amphibians to undergo a large demographic collapse that was well-documented, and is reputed to remain in low abundance throughout its range. Recent phylogeographic work has...
Authors
Paul A. Maier, Amy G. Vandergast, Steven M. Ostoja, Andres Aguilar, Andrew J. Bohonak
Improving pollinator habitat using mycorrhizal inoculum: Evaluating the impact of differences in remnant and reconstruction mycorrhizas on performance of conservative prairie plant species Improving pollinator habitat using mycorrhizal inoculum: Evaluating the impact of differences in remnant and reconstruction mycorrhizas on performance of conservative prairie plant species
No abstract available.
Authors
Nicholas R. Jordan
Can grazing by elk and bison stimulate herbaceous plant productivity in semiarid ecosystems? Can grazing by elk and bison stimulate herbaceous plant productivity in semiarid ecosystems?
Plant communities in rangeland ecosystems vary widely in the degree to which they can compensate for losses to herbivores. Ecosystem-level factors have been proposed to affect this compensatory capacity, including timing and intensity of grazing, and availability of soil moisture and nutrients. Arid ecosystems are particularly challenging to predict because of their high degree of...
Authors
Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Linda Zeigenfuss, David J. Augustine
Results of the collaborative Lake Ontario bloater restoration stocking and assessment, 2012–2020 Results of the collaborative Lake Ontario bloater restoration stocking and assessment, 2012–2020
Bloater, Coregonus hoyi, are deepwater planktivores native to the Laurentian Great Lakes and Lake Nipigon. Interpretations of commercial fishery time series suggest they were common in Lake Ontario through the early 1900s but by the 1950s were no longer captured by commercial fishers. Annual bottom trawl surveys that began in 1978 and sampled extensively across putative bloater habitat...
Authors
Brian Weidel, Amanda Susanne Ackiss, Marc Chalupnicki, Michael Connerton, Steve Davis, John M. Dettmers, Timothy Drew, Aaron T. Fisk, Roger Gordon, S. Dale Hanson, Jeremy Holden, Mark E. Holey, James H. Johnson, Timothy B. Johnson, Colin Lake, Brian F. Lantry, Kevin Loftus, Gregg Mackey, James E. McKenna, Michael J. Millard, Scott P. Minihkeim, Brian O’Malley, Adam Rupnik, Andrew C. Todd, Steven Lapan
Elevating human dimensions of amphibian and reptile conservation, a USA perspective Elevating human dimensions of amphibian and reptile conservation, a USA perspective
Increasing threats to amphibian and reptile species raise the urgency of their conservation. However, relative to other vertebrate groups at risk, amphibians and reptiles have low and more variable social capital; they are not generally high-priority natural goods and services valued by people. Consequently, relative to other groups such as birds, mammals, and economically important fish...
Authors
Deanna H. Olson, David S. Pilliod
To catch a (marsh) predator: Modified trapping methods for breeding and wintering Northern Harriers (Circus hudsonius) To catch a (marsh) predator: Modified trapping methods for breeding and wintering Northern Harriers (Circus hudsonius)
Although there are a variety of methods available for trapping raptors, some species, such as Northern Harriers (Circus hudsonius), are not easily captured with standard methods. We tested several existing trapping methods and modified two of them based on Northern Harrier ecology and behavior across seasons in a study population in California. No previously successful methods described...
Authors
Shannon Skalos, Michael L. Casazza, Matthew J. Falcon, William Thein, Joshua M. Hull
Science and innovation for battling invasive carp Science and innovation for battling invasive carp
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is the Federal Government’s independent research agency that conducts research to inform management of invasive species. Bighead, black, grass, and silver carp, which are native to China, were originally stocked in aquaculture facilities to control algae, snails, and vegetation. These species have invaded the Mississippi River and are now established...
Authors
Patrick M. Kocovsky
2021 Lake Michigan lake trout working group report 2021 Lake Michigan lake trout working group report
No abstract available.
Authors
Charles P. Madenjian, Charles R. Bronte, Rick Clark, Ben Dickinson, Kevin Donner, Roger Gordon, Dale Hanson, John Janssen, Jory Jonas, Matthew Kornis, Steve Lenart, Dan Makauskas, Erik Olsen, Becky Redman, Jason Smith, Laura Schmidt, Ted Treska
Resisting ecosystem transformation through an intensive whole-lake fish removal experiment Resisting ecosystem transformation through an intensive whole-lake fish removal experiment
Lake ecosystems are shifting due to many drivers including climate change and landscape-scale habitat disturbance, diminishing their potential to support some fisheries. Walleye Sander vitreus (Mitchill) populations, which support recreational and tribal fisheries across North America, have declined in some lakes. Climate change, harvest, invasive species and concurrent increases in warm...
Authors
Holly Susan Embke, Stephen R. Carpenter, Daniel A. Isermann, Giancarlo Coppola, T. Douglas Beard, Abigail J. Lynch, Greg. G Sass, Zachary S. Feiner, M. Jake Vander Zanden
A flexible movement model for partially migrating species A flexible movement model for partially migrating species
We propose a flexible model for a partially migrating species, which we demonstrate using yearly paths for golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos). Our model relies on a smoothly time-varying potential surface defined by a number of attractors. We compare our proposed approach using varying coefficients to a latent-state model, which we define differently for migrating, dispersing, and local...
Authors
Elizabeth Eisenhauer, Ephraim M. Hanks, Matthew Beckman, Robert Murphy, Tricia A. Miller, Todd E. Katzner