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: 42697
Range-wide declines of northern spotted owl populations in the Pacific Northwest: A meta-analysis Range-wide declines of northern spotted owl populations in the Pacific Northwest: A meta-analysis
The northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) inhabits older coniferous forests in the Pacific Northwest and has been at the center of forest management issues in this region. The immediate threats to this federally listed species include habitat loss and competition with barred owls (Strix varia), which invaded from eastern North America. We conducted a prospective meta-analysis...
Authors
Alan B. Franklin, Katie M. Dugger, Damon B. Lesmeister, Raymond J. Davis, J. David Wiens, Gary C. White, James D. Nichols, James E. Hines, Charles B. Yackulic, Carl J. Schwarz, Steven H. Ackers, Andrew L. Stevens, Larissa L. Bailey, Robin Bown, Jesse Burgher, Kenneth P. Burnham, Peter C. Carlson, Tara Chestnut, Mary M Conner, Krista E. Dilione, Eric D. Forsman, Elizabeth M. Glenn, Scott A. Gremel, Keith A. Hamm, Dale R. Herter, J. Mark Higley, Rob B. Horn, Julianna M. Jenkins, William L. Kendall, David W Lamphear, Christopher McCafferty, Trent L. McDonald, Janice A Reid, Jeremy T. Rockweit, David C. Simon, Stan G. Sovern, James Swingle, Heather Wise
Assessment of disease risk associated with potential removal of anthropogenic barriers to Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) population connectivity Assessment of disease risk associated with potential removal of anthropogenic barriers to Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) population connectivity
The Mojave Desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), federally listed as threatened, has suffered habitat loss and fragmentation due to human activities. Upper respiratory tract disease (URTD), a documented health threat to desert tortoises, has been detected at the Large-Scale Translocation Study Site (LSTS) in southwestern Nevada, US, a fenced recipient site for translocated animals. Our...
Authors
Tristan L. Burgess, Josephine Braun, Carmel L Witte, Nadine Lamberski, Field. Kimberleigh J, Linda J. Allison, Roy C. Averill-Murray, K. Kristina Drake, Kenneth E. Nussear, Todd Esque, Bruce A Rideout
Establishment and survival of subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) in meadows of Olympic National Park, Washington Establishment and survival of subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) in meadows of Olympic National Park, Washington
Establishment of trees in subalpine meadows is a potential indicator of ecological effects of climate change. Tree establishment is a multi-year process including cone and seed production, germination, establishment, and growth, with each demographic step possibly sensitive to different climate limitations. While most studies have focused on one or a few steps, this study follows a...
Authors
Andrea Woodward, Jonathan A. Soll
Robust projections of future fire probability for the conterminous United States Robust projections of future fire probability for the conterminous United States
Globally increasing wildfires have been attributed to anthropogenic climate change. However, providing decision makers with a clear understanding of how future planetary warming could affect fire regimes is complicated by confounding land use factors that influence wildfire and by uncertainty associated with model simulations of climate change. We use an ensemble of statistically...
Authors
Peng Gao, Adam J. Terando, John A Kupfer, J. Morgan Varner, Michael C. Stambaugh, Ting L Lei, J. Kevin Hiers
A small proportion of breeders drive American bullfrog invasion of the Yellowstone River floodplain, Montana A small proportion of breeders drive American bullfrog invasion of the Yellowstone River floodplain, Montana
The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) is a non-native invader of aquatic habitats across the northwestern United States. It recently invaded the Yellowstone River, Montana, and has spread to over 140 km of floodplain habitat. We analyzed seven microsatellites in 528 tadpoles sampled across nearly the entire Yellowstone River invasion (about 140 river km) to characterize...
Authors
Daniel M. Bingham, Adam Sepulveda, Sally Painter
Repeated large-scale mechanical treatment of invasive Typha under increasing water levels promotes floating mat formation and wetland methane emissions Repeated large-scale mechanical treatment of invasive Typha under increasing water levels promotes floating mat formation and wetland methane emissions
Invasive species management typically aims to promote diversity and wildlife habitat, but little is known about how management techniques affect wetland carbon (C) dynamics. Since wetland C uptake is largely influenced by water levels and highly productive plants, the interplay of hydrologic extremes and invasive species is fundamental to understanding and managing these ecosystems...
Authors
Olivia Fayne Johnson, Abha Panda, Shane C. Lishawa, Beth A. Lawrence
Willow drives changes in arthropod communities of northwestern Alaska: Ecological implications of shrub expansion Willow drives changes in arthropod communities of northwestern Alaska: Ecological implications of shrub expansion
Arthropods serve as complex linkages between plants and higher-level predators in Arctic ecosystems and provide key ecosystem services such as pollination and nutrient cycling. Arctic plant communities are changing as tall woody shrubs expand onto tundra, but potential effects on arthropod abundance and food web structure remain unclear. Changes in vegetation structure can alter the...
Authors
Molly Mcdermott, Patricia Doak, Colleen M. Handel, Greg A. Breed, Christa Mulder
Exploring how vessel activity influences the soundscape at a navigation lock on the Mississippi River Exploring how vessel activity influences the soundscape at a navigation lock on the Mississippi River
Vessel sound is now globally recognized as a significant and pervasive pollutant to aquatic life. However, compared to marine environments, there is a paucity of data on sound emitted by vessel activity in freshwater habitats. The Upper Mississippi River (UMR) is home to a diverse array of aquatic life as well as being a key route for barge transportation with 29 locks and dams. In this...
Authors
Rosalyn L Putland, Marybeth K. Brey, Allen F. Mensinger
Atlantic sturgeon status and movement ecology in an extremely small spawning habitat: The Nanticoke River-Marshyhope Creek, Chesapeake Bay Atlantic sturgeon status and movement ecology in an extremely small spawning habitat: The Nanticoke River-Marshyhope Creek, Chesapeake Bay
Biotelemetry of Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus has exposed spawning behaviors in ever-smaller estuaries, surprising for the NW Atlantic’s largest anadromous species. Small estuary — the Nanticoke River and Marshyhope Creek (Chesapeake Bay) — spawning-run adults and their habitat affinities are described based upon direct sampling and biotelemetry for the period 2014...
Authors
D. H. Secor, M. H. P. O’Brien, N. Coleman, A. Horne, I. Park, David C. Kazyak, D. G. Bruce, C Stence
Use of an artificial stream to monitor avoidance behavior of larval sea lamprey in response to TFM and niclosamide Use of an artificial stream to monitor avoidance behavior of larval sea lamprey in response to TFM and niclosamide
The lampricide 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) has been used in liquid form to control larval sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in Great Lakes tributaries since the late 1950s. In the 1980s a dissolvable TFM bar was developed as a supplemental tool for application to small tributaries as a deterrent to larvae seeking water not activated with TFM. The size, mass, and number of bars...
Authors
Nicholas Schloesser, Michael A. Boogaard, Todd Johnson, Courtney Kirkeeng, Justin Schueller, Richard A. Erickson
The 2008-2010 subsidence of Dallol volcano on the 2 spreading Erta Ale ridge: InSAR observations and source models The 2008-2010 subsidence of Dallol volcano on the 2 spreading Erta Ale ridge: InSAR observations and source models
In this work, we study the subsidence of Dallol, an explosive crater and hydrothermal area along the spreading Erta Ale ridge of Afar (Ethiopia). No volcanic products exist at the surface. However, a diking episode in 2004, accompanied by dike-induced faulting, indicates that Dallol is an active volcanic area. The 2004 diking episode was followed by quiescence until subsidence started in...
Authors
Maurizio Battaglia, Carolina Paglia, Stefano Meuti
American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) as restoration bioindicators in the Florida Everglades American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) as restoration bioindicators in the Florida Everglades
The federally threatened American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) is a flagship species and ecological indicator of hydrologic restoration in the Florida Everglades. We conducted a long-term capture-recapture study on the South Florida population of American crocodiles from 1978 to 2015 to evaluate the effects of restoration efforts to more historic hydrologic conditions. The study...
Authors
Venetia S. Briggs-Gonzalez, Mathieu Basille, Michael Cherkiss, Frank J. Mazzotti