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
Labeling poststorm coastal imagery for machine learning: Measurement of interrater agreement Labeling poststorm coastal imagery for machine learning: Measurement of interrater agreement
Classifying images using supervised machine learning (ML) relies on labeled training data—classes or text descriptions, for example, associated with each image. Data-driven models are only as good as the data used for training, and this points to the importance of high-quality labeled data for developing a ML model that has predictive skill. Labeling data is typically a time-consuming...
Authors
Evan B. Goldstein, Daniel D. Buscombe, Eli D. Lazarus, Somya Mohanty, Shah N. Rafique, K A Anarde, Andrew D Ashton, Tomas Beuzen, Katherine A. Castagno, Nicholas Cohn, Matthew P. Conlin, Ashley Ellenson, Megan Gillen, Paige A. Hovenga, Jin-Si R. Over, Rose V. Palermo, Katherine Ratlif, Ian R Reeves, Lily H. Sanborn, Jessamin A. Straub, Luke A. Taylor, Elizabeth J. Wallace, Jonathan A. Warrick, Phillipe Alan Wernette, Hannah E Williams
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Recovery Activities, Hurricane Florence, Hurricane Isaias, Hurricane Michael, Hurricanes
Non-native poeciliids in hot water: The role of thermal springs in facilitating invasion of tropical species Non-native poeciliids in hot water: The role of thermal springs in facilitating invasion of tropical species
Livebearers in the family Poeciliidae are some of the most widely introduced fishes. Native poeciliid translocations within the U.S. are mostly due to deliberate stocking for mosquito control. Introductions of exotic poeciliids, those not native to the U.S., are more likely to be due to release from aquaria or escape from farms. Many of these non-natives originate from warm climate...
Authors
Quenton M. Tuckett, Katelyn M. Lawson, Taylor N. Lipscomb, Jeffrey E. Hill, Wesley M. Daniel, Zachary A. Siders
Koch’s postulates: Confirming Nannizziopsis guarroi as the cause of yellow fungal disease in Pogona vitticeps Koch’s postulates: Confirming Nannizziopsis guarroi as the cause of yellow fungal disease in Pogona vitticeps
Nannizziopsis guarroi is an ascomycete fungus associated with a necrotizing dermatitis in captive green iguanas (Iguana iguana) and bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) across both Europe and North America. Clinical signs of the disease include swelling and lesion formation. Lesions develop from white raised bumps on the skin and progress into crusty, yellow, discolored scales, eventually...
Authors
Savannah L Gentry, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Julia S. Lankton, Anne Pringle
Diel patterns of pheromone release by male sea lamprey Diel patterns of pheromone release by male sea lamprey
Costs to producing sexual signals can create selective pressures on males to invest signaling effort in particular contexts. When the benefits of signaling vary consistently across time, males can optimize signal investment to specific temporal contexts using biological rhythms. Sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, have a semelparous life history, are primarily nocturnal, and rely on...
Authors
Skye D. Fissette, Ugo Bussy, Belinda Huerta, Cory O. Brant, Ke Li, Nicholas S. Johnson, Weiming Li
Individual variation in temporal dynamics of post-release habitat selection Individual variation in temporal dynamics of post-release habitat selection
Translocated animals undergo a phase of behavioral adjustment after being released in a novel environment, initially prioritizing exploration and gradually shifting toward resource exploitation. This transition has been termed post-release behavioral modification. Post-release behavioral modification may also manifest as changes in habitat selection through time, and these temporal...
Authors
Simona Picardi, Nathan Ranc, Brian J. Smith, Peter S. Coates, Steven R. Mathews, David K. Dahlgren
Small mammal shooting as a conduit for lead exposure in avian scavengers Small mammal shooting as a conduit for lead exposure in avian scavengers
Lead (Pb) exposure is a widespread wildlife conservation threat. Although commonly associated with Pb-based ammunition from big-game hunting, small mammals (e.g., ground squirrels) shot for recreational or pest-management purposes represent a potentially important Pb vector in agricultural regions. We measured the responses of avian scavengers to pest-shooting events and examined their...
Authors
Garth Herring, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, John Goodell, Jeremy A. Buck, James Willacker
Identifying climate-resistant vernal pools: Hydrologic refugia for amphibian reproduction under droughts and climate change Identifying climate-resistant vernal pools: Hydrologic refugia for amphibian reproduction under droughts and climate change
Vernal pools of the northeastern United States provide important breeding habitat for amphibians but may be sensitive to droughts and climate change. These seasonal wetlands typically fill by early spring and dry by mid-to-late summer. Because climate change may produce earlier and stronger growing-season evapotranspiration combined with increasing droughts and shifts in precipitation...
Authors
Jennifer M. Cartwright, Toni Lyn Morelli, Evan H. Campbell Grant
Insect-mediated contaminant flux at the land–water interface: Are ecological subsidies driving exposure or is exposure driving subsidies? Insect-mediated contaminant flux at the land–water interface: Are ecological subsidies driving exposure or is exposure driving subsidies?
Chemical contamination of freshwaters is a global problem. In the United States alone, millions of kilometers of rivers and hectares of lakes and wetlands are impaired from contamination by chemicals including mercury, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and trace metals (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2017). Efforts to mitigate the risks of contamination have largely...
Authors
Johanna M. Kraus, Jeff S. Wesner, David Walters
Occurrence, fate, and transport of aerially applied herbicides to control invasive buffelgrass within Saguaro National Park Rincon Mountain District, Arizona, 2015–18 Occurrence, fate, and transport of aerially applied herbicides to control invasive buffelgrass within Saguaro National Park Rincon Mountain District, Arizona, 2015–18
The spread of the invasive and fire-adapted buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.) threatens desert ecosystems by competing for resources, increasing fuel loads, and creating wildfire connectivity. The Rincon Mountain District of Saguaro National Park addressed this natural resource threat with the use of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs). In 2010, the Rincon Mountain District initiated an...
Authors
Nicholas V. Paretti, Kimberly R. Beisner, Bruce Gungle, Michael T. Meyer, Bethany K. Kunz, Edyth Hermosillo, Jay R. Cederberg, Justine P. Mayo
What do you mean by false positive? What do you mean by false positive?
Misunderstandings regarding the term “false positive” present a significant hurdle to broad adoption of eDNA monitoring methods. Here, we identify three challenges to clear communication of false-positive error between scientists, managers, and the public. The first arises from a failure to distinguish between false-positive eDNA detection at the sample level and false-positive inference...
Authors
John A. Darling, Christopher L. Jerde, Adam Sepulveda
Field methods for translocating female greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) with their broods Field methods for translocating female greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) with their broods
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) have experienced considerable range contraction and reduced abundance in response to habitat loss and degradation. Translocation is a conservation action that is often used to reintroduce extirpated populations or augment existing small populations. Translocations have had limited success in restoring viable populations of sage-grouse; a...
Authors
Mary Beth Meyerpeter, Kade D. Lazenby, Peter S. Coates, Mark A. Ricca, Steven R. Mathews, Scott C. Gardner, David K. Dahlgren, David J. Delehanty
Seasonal and age-related variation in daily travel distances of California Condors Seasonal and age-related variation in daily travel distances of California Condors
Despite a dramatic recovery from the brink of extinction, California Condors (Gymnogyps californianus) still face significant anthropogenic threats. Although condor movement patterns across large temporal scales are understood, less is known about their movements on a fine temporal scale. We used a trajectory-based analysis of GPS telemetry data gathered from condors during 2013 to 2018...
Authors
Jonathan C. Hall, Insu Hong, Sharon A. Poessel, Melissa A. Braham, Joseph Brandt, Joseph Burnett, Todd E. Katzner