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
Behavioral responses of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) and white sucker (Catostomus commersonii) to turbulent flow during fishway passage attempts Behavioral responses of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) and white sucker (Catostomus commersonii) to turbulent flow during fishway passage attempts
An understanding of how undesirable and desirable fish species respond behaviorally to turbulent flow in fishways would guide development of selective fish passage techniques. We applied high-resolution computational fluid dynamics modeling and competing risks analysis towards the development of predictive selective passage models. Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus; an invasive fish in the...
Authors
Sean A. Lewandoski, Peter J. Hrodey, Scott M. Miehls, Paul Piszczek, Daniel Zielinski
Seabird synthesis Seabird synthesis
Overall, the status of seabirds was fair to good in the WGOA in 2020, with limited data available from Middleton Island, Cook Inlet, and the Kodiak Archipelago (Figure 63). Colony attendance remains low in some populations compared to historic levels, and some colonies were newly abandoned. However, when birds did arrive to breed, reproductive success generally appeared fair to good for...
Authors
Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Hillary K. Burgess, Robin Corcoran, Scott Hatch, Tim Jones, Jackie Lindsey, Caitlin Elizabeth Marsteller, John F. Piatt, Sarah K. Schoen
Divergent movement patterns of adult and juvenile ‘Akohekohe, an endangered Hawaiian Honeycreeper Divergent movement patterns of adult and juvenile ‘Akohekohe, an endangered Hawaiian Honeycreeper
The movement patterns of birds across a landscape are often highly variable and influenced by complex interactions between individuals and environments. Because periods of movement can be marked by high mortality, especially among juvenile birds, understanding these patterns may be vital for the conservation of many bird species. However, these patterns can be challenging to quantify. We...
Authors
Alex X Wang, Eben H. Paxton, Hanna L. Mounce, P. Marcos Gorresen
Water temperature controls for regulated canyon-bound rivers Water temperature controls for regulated canyon-bound rivers
Many canyon‐bound rivers have been dammed and downstream flow and water temperatures modified. Climate change is expected to cause lower storage in reservoirs and warmer release temperatures, which may further alter downstream flow and thermal regimes. To anticipate potential future changes, we first need to understand the dominant heat transfer mechanisms in canyon‐bound river systems...
Authors
Bryce A. Mihalevich, Bethany Neilson, Caleb A. Buahin, Charles Yackulic, John C. Schmidt
Ancient Egyptian mummified shrews (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae) and mice (Rodentia: Muridae) from the Spanish Mission to Dra Abu el-Naga, and their implications for environmental change in the Nile valley during the past two millennia Ancient Egyptian mummified shrews (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae) and mice (Rodentia: Muridae) from the Spanish Mission to Dra Abu el-Naga, and their implications for environmental change in the Nile valley during the past two millennia
Excavation of Ptolemaic Period (ca. 309–30 BC) strata within Theban Tombs 11, 12, -399-, and UE194A by the Spanish Mission to Dra Abu el-Naga (also known as the Djehuty Project), on the west bank of the Nile River opposite Luxor, Egypt, yielded remains of at least 175 individual small mammals that include four species of shrews (Eulipotypha: Soricidae) and two species of rodents...
Authors
Neal Woodman, Salima Ikram
How to identify win–win interventions that benefit human health and conservation How to identify win–win interventions that benefit human health and conservation
To reach the Sustainable Development Goals, we may need to act on synergies between some targets while mediating trade-offs between other targets. But what, exactly, are synergies and trade-offs, and how are they related to other outcomes, such as ‘win–win’ solutions? Finding limited guidance in the existing literature, we developed an operational method for distinguishing win–wins from...
Authors
Skylar R. Hopkins, Susanne H. Sokolow, Julia C Buck, Giulio A. De Leo, Isabel J. Jones, Laura H Kwong, Christopher LeBoa, Andrea J Lund, Andrew J MacDonald, Nicole Nova, Sarah H Olson, Alison J. Peel, Chelsea L. Wood, Kevin D. Lafferty
Cortisol is an osmoregulatory and glucose-regulating hormone in Atlantic sturgeon, a basal ray-finned fish Cortisol is an osmoregulatory and glucose-regulating hormone in Atlantic sturgeon, a basal ray-finned fish
Our current understanding of the hormonal control of ion regulation in aquatic vertebrates comes primarily from studies on teleost fishes, with relatively little information on more basal fishes. We investigated the role of cortisol in regulating seawater tolerance and its underlying mechanisms in an anadromous chondrostean, the Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus). Exposure of...
Authors
Stephen D. McCormick, Meghan L. Taylor, Amy M. Regish
Stable isotope dynamics of herbivorous reef fishes and their ectoparasites Stable isotope dynamics of herbivorous reef fishes and their ectoparasites
Acanthurids (surgeonfishes) are an abundant and diverse group of herbivorous fishes on coral reefs. While their contribution to trophic linkages and dynamics in coral reef systems has received considerable attention, the role of linkages involving their parasites has not. As both consumers of fish tissue and prey to microcarnivores, external parasites may play a significant role in...
Authors
William Jenkins, Amanda Demopoulos, Matthew C. Nicholson, Paul C. Sikkel
The demographic contributions of connectivity versus local dynamics to population growth of an endangered bird The demographic contributions of connectivity versus local dynamics to population growth of an endangered bird
Conservation and management increasingly focus on connectivity, because connectivity driven by variation in immigration rates across landscapes is thought to be crucial for maintaining local population and metapopulation persistence. Yet, efforts to quantify the relative role of immigration on population growth across the entire range of species and over time have been lacking.We...
Authors
Brian Reichert, Fletcher, Wiley M. Kitchens
Improving the ability to include freshwater wetland plants in process-based models Improving the ability to include freshwater wetland plants in process-based models
Considerable effort and resources have been placed into conservation programs designed to reduce or alleviate negative environmental effects of crop production and into evaluation of the benefits of these programs. Wetlands are an important source of ecosystem services, but modeling wetland plants is an emerging science. To date, wetland plant growth has not been explicitly accounted for...
Authors
Amber S. Williams, David M. Mushet, Megan Lang, Gregory W. McCarty, Jill A. Shaffer, Sharon N. Kahara, Mari-Vaughn V. Johnson, James R. Kiniry
Ungulate migrations of the western United States, Volume 1 Ungulate migrations of the western United States, Volume 1
Across the western United States, many ungulate herds must migrate seasonally to access resources and avoid harsh winter conditions. Because these migration paths cover vast landscapes (in other words migration distances up to 150 miles [241 kilometers]), they are increasingly threatened by roads, fencing, subdivisions, and other development. Over the last decade, many new tracking...
Authors
Matthew Kauffman, Holly Copeland, Jodi Berg, Scott Bergen, Eric K. Cole, Matthew Cuzzocreo, Sarah Dewey, Julien Fattebert, Jeff Gagnon, Emily Gelzer, Chris Geremia, Tabitha A. Graves, Kent Hersey, Mark Hurley, Rusty Kaiser, James Meacham, Jerod Merkle, Arthur Middleton, Tristan Nunez, Brendan Oates, Daniel Olson, Lucas Olson, Hall Sawyer, Cody Schroeder, Scott Sprague, Alethea Steingisser, Mark Thonhoff
Using remote sensing products to predict recovery of vegetation across space and time following energy development Using remote sensing products to predict recovery of vegetation across space and time following energy development
Using localized studies to understand how ecosystems recover can create uncertainty in recovery predictions across landscapes. Large archives of remote sensing data offer opportunities for quantifying the spatial and temporal factors influencing recovery at broad scales and predicting recovery. For example, energy production is a widespread and expanding land use among many semi-arid...
Authors
Adrian P. Monroe, Cameron L. Aldridge, Michael S. O’Donnell, Daniel Manier, Collin Homer, Patrick J. Anderson