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: 42675
Enhancing Great Lakes coastal ecosystems research by initiating engagement between scientists and decision-makers Enhancing Great Lakes coastal ecosystems research by initiating engagement between scientists and decision-makers
A disconnect between scientific research and environmental management communities can be a detriment to both. In the case of Great Lakes coastal ecosystems, which are inherently complex and subject to uncertain effects of future climatic, environmental, and anthropogenic drivers, greater collaboration could be beneficial to their sustainability. We capture the challenges and...
Authors
Charlotte Weinstein, Laura Bourgeau-Chavez, S. Martin, W. Currie, K. Grantham, Q. Hamlin, David Hyndman, Kurt P. Kowalski, J. Martina, D. Pearsall
Long-term shedding from fully convalesced individuals indicates that Pacific herring are a reservoir for viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus Long-term shedding from fully convalesced individuals indicates that Pacific herring are a reservoir for viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus
Processes that allow viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) virus to persist in the marine environment remain enigmatic, owing largely to the presence of covert and cryptic infections in marine fishes during typical sub-epizootic periods. As such, marine host reservoirs for VHS virus have not been fully demonstrated, nor have the mechanism(s) by which infected hosts contribute to virus...
Authors
Paul Hershberger, Ashley MacKenzie, Jacob Gregg, M. Wilmot, Rachel L. Powers, Maureen Purcell
N supply mediates the radiative balance of N2O emissions and CO2 sequestration driven by N-fixing vs. non-fixing trees N supply mediates the radiative balance of N2O emissions and CO2 sequestration driven by N-fixing vs. non-fixing trees
Forests are a significant CO2 sink. However, CO2 sequestration in forests is radiatively offset by emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas, from forest soils. Reforestation, an important strategy for mitigating climate change, has focused on maximizing CO2 sequestration in plant biomass without integrating N2O emissions from soils. Although nitrogen (N)-fixing trees are...
Authors
Sian Kou-Giesbrecht, Jennifer Funk, Steven Perakis, Amelia Wolf, Duncan Menge
Satellite remote sensing to assess cyanobacterial bloom frequency across the United States at multiple spatial scales Satellite remote sensing to assess cyanobacterial bloom frequency across the United States at multiple spatial scales
Cyanobacterial blooms can have negative effects on human health and local ecosystems. Field monitoring of cyanobacterial blooms can be costly, but satellite remote sensing has shown utility for more efficient spatial and temporal monitoring across the United States. Here, satellite imagery was used to assess the annual frequency of surface cyanobacterial blooms, defined for each...
Authors
Megan Coffer, Blake Schaeffer, Wilson Salls, Erin Urquhart, Keith Loftin, Richard Stumpf, P. Werdell, John A. Darling
Arsenic in petroleum-contaminated groundwater near Bemidji, Minnesota is predicted to persist for centuries Arsenic in petroleum-contaminated groundwater near Bemidji, Minnesota is predicted to persist for centuries
We used a reactive transport model to investigate the cycling of geogenic arsenic (As) in a petroleum-contaminated aquifer. We simulated As mobilization and sequestration using surface complexation reactions with Fe(OH)3 during petroleum biodegradation coupled with Fe-reduction. Model results predict that dissolved As in the plume will exceed the U.S. and EU 10 µg/L drinking water...
Authors
Brady Ziegler, G.-H. Crystal Ng, Isabelle Cozzarelli, Aubrey Dunshee, Madeline Schreiber
Estimating the influence of oyster reef chains on freshwater detention at the estuary scale using Landsat-8 imagery Estimating the influence of oyster reef chains on freshwater detention at the estuary scale using Landsat-8 imagery
Oyster reef chains grow in response to local hydrodynamics and can redirect flows, particularly when reef chains grow perpendicular to freshwater flow paths. Singularly, oyster reef chains can act as porous dams that may facilitate nearshore accumulation of fresh or low-salinity water, in turn creating intermediate salinities that support oyster growth and estuarine conditions. However...
Authors
Alice Alonso, Natalie Nelson, Simeon Yurek, David Kaplan, Maitane Olabarrieta, Peter C Frederick
Global commitments to conserving and monitoring genetic diversity are now necessary and feasible Global commitments to conserving and monitoring genetic diversity are now necessary and feasible
Global conservation policy and action have largely neglected protecting and monitoring genetic diversity—one of the three main pillars of biodiversity. Genetic diversity (diversity within species) underlies species’ adaptation and survival, ecosystem resilience, and societal innovation. The low priority given to genetic diversity has largely been due to knowledge gaps in key areas...
Authors
Sean Hoban, Michael Bruford, W. Chris Funk, Peter Galbusera, M. Griffith, Catherine Grueber, Myriam Heuertz, Margaret Hunter, Christina Hvilsom, Belma Kalamujic Stroil, Francine Kershaw, Colin Khoury, Linda Laikre, Magarida Lopes-Fernandes, Anna MacDonald, Joachim Mergeay, Mariah Meek, Cinnamon Mittan, Tarek Mukassabi, David O'Brien, Rob Ogden, Clarisse Palma-Silva, Uma Ramakrishnan, Gernot Segelbacher, Robyn Shaw, Per Sjogren-Gulve, Nevena Velickovic, Cristiano Vernesi
Demographic rate variability of Bighead and Silver Carps along an invasion gradient Demographic rate variability of Bighead and Silver Carps along an invasion gradient
Invasive Bighead Carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and Silver Carp H. molitrix have infested and caused largescale ecological and economic damage to the Illinois, Mississippi, and Ohio rivers. We compiled demographic data from 42,995 fish from 23 pools in the Illinois, Mississippi, and Ohio rivers, which universities and management agencies previously collected as part of management...
Authors
Richard Erickson, Jahn Kallis, Alison Coulter, David Coulter, Ruairi MacNamara, James Lamer, Wesley Bouska, Kevin Irons, Levi Solomon, Andrew Stump, Michael Weber, Marybeth Brey, Christopher J. Sullivan, Greg Sass, James Garvey, David Glover
Synthesizing and analyzing long-term monitoring data: A greater sage-grouse case study Synthesizing and analyzing long-term monitoring data: A greater sage-grouse case study
Long-term monitoring of natural resources is imperative for increasing the understanding of ecosystem processes, services, and how to manage those ecosystems to maintain or improve function. Challenges with using these data may occur because methods of monitoring changed over time, multiple organizations collect and manage data differently, and monetary resources fluctuate, affecting...
Authors
Michael O’Donnell, David Edmunds, Cameron Aldridge, Julie Heinrichs, Adrian P. Monroe, Peter Coates, Brian Prochazka, Thomas Christiansen, Steve Hanser, Lief Wiechman, Avery Cook, Shawn Espinosa, Lee Foster, Kathleen Griffin, Jesse Kolar, Katherine Miller, Ann Moser, Thomas Remington, Travis Runia, Leslie Schreiber, Michael Schroeder, San J Stiver, Nyssa Whitford, Catherine Wightman
Western pond turtles in the Mojave Desert? A review of their past, present, and possible future Western pond turtles in the Mojave Desert? A review of their past, present, and possible future
= The western pond turtle (WPT) was formerly considered a single species (Actinemys or Emys marmorata) that ranged from southern British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, México. More recently it was divided into a northern and a southern species. WPTs are found primarily in streams that drain into the Pacific Ocean, although scattered populations exist in endorheic drainages of the...
Authors
Jeffrey Lovich, George Jefferson, Robert Reynolds, Peter Scott, H. Shaffer, Shellie R. Puffer, Sarah Greely, Kristy Cummings, Robert N. Fisher, Kathie Meyer-Wilkins, Doug Gomez, Morgan Ford, Christopher Otahal
Linking behavioral states to landscape features for improved conservation management Linking behavioral states to landscape features for improved conservation management
A central theme for conservation is understanding how animals differentially use, and are affected by change in, the landscapes they inhabit. However, it has been challenging to develop conservation schemes for habitat-specific behaviors.Here we use behavioral change point analysis to identify behavioral states of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts of the
Authors
Maitreyi Sur, Brian Woodbridge, Todd Esque, Jim Belthoff, Peter Bloom, Robert N. Fisher, Kathleen Longshore, Kenneth Nussear, Jeff Tracey, Melissa A. Braham, Todd E. Katzner
Catch rates for sturgeon chubs and sicklefin chubs in the Upper Missouri River 2004–2016 and correlations with biotic and abiotic variables Catch rates for sturgeon chubs and sicklefin chubs in the Upper Missouri River 2004–2016 and correlations with biotic and abiotic variables
A multiweek standardized sampling regime during 2004–2016 in a 60-km reach of the Upper Missouri River assessed reproduction and catch rates for Sturgeon Chub Macrhybopsis gelida and Sicklefin Chub Macrhybopsis meeki. We sampled age-0 Macrhybopsis (primarily Sturgeon Chubs, but potentially including Sicklefin Chubs) all years to indicate successful reproduction, but noted an inverse...
Authors
Patrick Braaten, David Fuller, Tyler M. Haddix, John Hunziker, Michael E. Colvin, Luke Holmquist, Ryan Wilson