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
Pacific herring Clupea pallasii are not susceptible to vibriosis from Vibrio anguillarum or V. ordalii under laboratory conditions Pacific herring Clupea pallasii are not susceptible to vibriosis from Vibrio anguillarum or V. ordalii under laboratory conditions
The ubiquity of Vibrio spp. throughout the coastal marine waters of the Pacific Northwest of North America raises questions about the susceptibility of native marine fishes, including Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii). Early reports of Vibriolike disease (Rucker et al., 1954; Walford, 1958) and Vibrio sp. isolations (Pacha & Kiehn, 1969) in Pacific herring remain questionable because...
Authors
Paul Hershberger, M.E.T Stinson, Brenda L Hall, Ashley MacKenzie, Jacob L. Gregg, William August Richards, James Winton
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Brewer’s Sparrow (Spizella breweri breweri) The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Brewer’s Sparrow (Spizella breweri breweri)
Keys to Brewer’s Sparrow (Spizella breweri breweri) management include maintaining extensive, unfragmented patches of suitable breeding habitat; reducing conifer cover and height; preventing the invasion of conifers and nonnative plants, especially cheatgrass (downy brome [Bromus tectorum]); minimizing disturbance to soil; and restricting the use of pesticides and herbicides during the...
Authors
Brett L. Walker, Lawrence D. Igl, Jill A. Shaffer
Headwaters fed by subterranean ice: Potential climate refugia for alpine stream communities? Headwaters fed by subterranean ice: Potential climate refugia for alpine stream communities?
Near-term extirpations of macroinvertebrates are predicted for mountain streams worldwide as a warming climate drives the recession of high-elevation ice and snow. However, hydrological sources likely vary in their resistance to climate change, and thus streams fed by more resistant sources could persist as climate refugia for imperiled biota. In 2015–2016, we measured habitat...
Authors
Lusha M. Tronstad, Scott Hotaling, J. Joseph Giersch, Oliver J. Wilmot, Debra S. Finn
Can oceanic prey effects on growth and time to fledging mediate terrestrial predator limitation of an at‐risk seabird? Can oceanic prey effects on growth and time to fledging mediate terrestrial predator limitation of an at‐risk seabird?
Most seabird species nest colonially on cliffs or islands with limited terrestrial predation, so that oceanic effects on the quality or quantity of prey fed to chicks more often determine nest success. However, when predator access increases, impacts can be dramatic, especially when exposure to predators is extended due to slow growth from inadequate food. Kittlitz’s Murrelet...
Authors
Timothy Knudson, James R. Lovvorn, M. James Lawonn, Robin Corcoran, Dan Roby, John F. Piatt, William Pyle
High site fidelity does not equate to population genetic structure for common goldeneye and Barrow's goldeneye in North America High site fidelity does not equate to population genetic structure for common goldeneye and Barrow's goldeneye in North America
Delineation of population structure provides valuable information for conservation and management of species, as levels of demographic and genetic connectivity not only affect population dynamics but also have important implications for adaptability and resiliency of populations and species. Here, we measure population genetic structure and connectivity across the ranges of two sister...
Authors
Joshua I. Brown, Philip Lavretsky, Robert E. Wilson, Christy Haughey, W. Sean Boyd, Daniel Esler, Sandra L. Talbot, Sarah A. Sonsthagen
High parasite diversity in the amphipod Gammarus lacustris in a subarctic lake High parasite diversity in the amphipod Gammarus lacustris in a subarctic lake
Amphipods are often key species in aquatic food webs due to their functional roles in the ecosystem and as intermediate hosts for trophically transmitted parasites. Amphipods can also host many parasite species, yet few studies address the entire parasite community of a gammarid population, precluding a more dynamic understanding of the food web. We set out to identify and quantify the...
Authors
Jenny C. Shaw, Eirik H. Henriksen, Rune Knudsen, Jesper A. Kuhn, Armand M. Kuris, Kevin D. Lafferty, Anna Siwertsson, Miroslava Soldanova, Per‐Arne Amundsen
Free-roaming horses disrupt greater sage-grouse lekking activity in the Great Basin Free-roaming horses disrupt greater sage-grouse lekking activity in the Great Basin
Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) and free-roaming horses (Equus caballus) co-occur within large portions of sagebrush ecosystems within the Great Basin of western North America. In recent decades, sage-grouse populations have declined substantially while concomitant free-roaming horse populations have increased drastically. Although multiple studies...
Authors
Diana A. Munoz, Peter S. Coates, Mark A. Ricca
Behavioural response of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) to acoustic stimuli in a small stream Behavioural response of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) to acoustic stimuli in a small stream
Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) are invasive in the Laurentian Great Lakes and parasitically feed on valued fishes. Migration barriers and selective pesticides are used to control sea lamprey, but there is a desire to develop additional control tools such as traps with nonphysical deterrents. Sound has been used as a deterrent for other invasive species, but its potential for...
Authors
Victoria Heath, Scott M. Miehls, Nicholas S. Johnson, Dennis Higgs
Whitebark pine cone production - 2020 Whitebark pine cone production - 2020
No abstract available.
Authors
Mark A. Haroldson, Frank T. van Manen
Effects of early life stage exposure of largemouth bass to atrazine or a model estrogen (17α-ethinylestradiol) Effects of early life stage exposure of largemouth bass to atrazine or a model estrogen (17α-ethinylestradiol)
Endocrine disrupting contaminants are of continuing concern for potentially contributing to reproductive dysfunction in largemouth and smallmouth bass in the Chesapeake Bay watershed (CBW) and elsewhere. Exposures to atrazine (ATR) have been hypothesized to have estrogenic effects on vertebrate endocrine systems. The incidence of intersex in male smallmouth bass from some regions of CBW...
Authors
Jessica Kristin Leet, Catherine A. Richter, Robert S. Cornman, Jason P. Berninger, Ramji K. Bhandari, Diane K. Nicks, James L. Zajicek, Vicki S. Blazer, Donald E. Tillitt
Harnessing landscape genomics to identify future climate resilient genotypes in a desert annual Harnessing landscape genomics to identify future climate resilient genotypes in a desert annual
Local adaptation features critically in shaping species responses to changing environments, complicating efforts to revegetate degraded areas. Rapid climate change poses an additional challenge that could reduce fitness of even locally sourced seeds in restoration. Predictive restoration strategies that apply seeds with favourable adaptations to future climate may promote long‐term...
Authors
Daniel F. Shryock, Loraine K Washburn, Lesley A. DeFalco, Todd Esque
The biggest bang for the buck: Cost‐effective vegetation treatment outcomes across drylands of the western United States The biggest bang for the buck: Cost‐effective vegetation treatment outcomes across drylands of the western United States
Restoration and rehabilitation are globally implemented to improve ecosystem condition but often without tracking treatment expenditures relative to ecological outcomes. We evaluated the cost‐effectiveness of widely conducted woody plant and herbaceous invasive plant removals and seeding treatments in drylands of the western United States from 2004 to 2018 to determine how land managers...
Authors
Seth M. Munson, Ethan O. Yackulic, Lucas S. Bair, Stella M. Copeland, Kevin L. Gunnell