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: 42790
Minimizing the spread of aquatic herpetofaunal pathogens by decontaminating construction equipment Minimizing the spread of aquatic herpetofaunal pathogens by decontaminating construction equipment
Some problems have relatively simple solutions compared to the cost of neglect. Preventing the spread of invasive species and harmful pathogens clinging to construction equipment is one such solution. Here we explain how resource managers and contractors can decontaminate construction and field equipment by cleaning, disinfecting, and drying, thus minimizing the spread of harmful...
Authors
James T. Julian, Paula F. P. Henry, James M. Drasher, Kathy Michell, Scott A. Smith
Building adaptive capacity in a coastal region experiencing global change Building adaptive capacity in a coastal region experiencing global change
Coastal ecosystems in the eastern U.S. have been severely altered by human development, and climate change and other stressors are now further degrading the capacity of those ecological and social systems to remain resilient in the face of such disturbances. We sought to identify potential ways in which local conservation interests in the Lowcountry of South Carolina (USA) could...
Authors
Fred A. Johnson, Mitchell J. Eaton, Jessica Mikels-Carrasco, David J. Case
Cottonwoods, water, and people-Integrating analysis of tree rings with observations of elders from the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming Cottonwoods, water, and people-Integrating analysis of tree rings with observations of elders from the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming
We assessed the history of flow and riparian ecosystem change along the Wind River using cottonwood tree-ring data, streamgage records, historical temperature and precipitation data, drought indices, and local observations and Traditional Ecological Knowledge from elders of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming. This assessment identified...
Authors
Shannon M. McNeeley, Jonathan M. Friedman, Tyler A. Beeton, Richard D. Thaxton
Impact of unburned remnant sagebrush versus outplants on post-fire landscape rehabilitation Impact of unburned remnant sagebrush versus outplants on post-fire landscape rehabilitation
Nearly half of the vast sagebrush steppe in the western United states has lost many or nearly all native plant species, largely due to the interaction of invasive species and increased wildfire. Re-establishing sagebrush, a keystone component of these ecosystems, has become a management focus in recent decades using aerial broadcast seeding or limited plantings. One promising avenue for...
Authors
Cara Applestein, Trevor Caughlin, Matthew Germino
Effects of experimental warming and nutrient enrichment on wetland communities at the Arctic’s edge Effects of experimental warming and nutrient enrichment on wetland communities at the Arctic’s edge
Global warming-related changes to freshwater ecosystems in Arctic and Subarctic regions have been magnified by nutrient input from increasing waterfowl populations. To gain insight into how these changes might affect ecosystem function, we conducted a mesocosm experiment in the Subarctic by enriching N and P (1 ×, 10 ×, and 20 × treatments) and increasing mean water temperatures ≤ 3°C...
Authors
Jon M. Davenport, LeeAnn Fishback, Blake R. Hossack
Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health, Version 5: Bureau of Land Management Technical Reference 1734-6 Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health, Version 5: Bureau of Land Management Technical Reference 1734-6
The Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health (IIRH) protocol is designed for assessing ecosystem function on rangelands and woodlands. The protocol was developed by an interagency cadre of technical experts and has been in use by for two decades. The protocol is well accepted and is a valuable tool for communicating rangeland conditions with stakeholders. Technical Reference 1734-6...
Authors
Mike Pellant, Patrick L Shaver, David A. Pyke, Jeffrey E. Herrick, Nika Lepak, Gregg Riegel, Emily Kachergis, Beth A. Newingham, David Toledo, Frank E Busby
Dendrochronology of a rare long-lived mediterranean shrub Dendrochronology of a rare long-lived mediterranean shrub
Ceanothus verrucosus (CEVE) is a globally rare, long-lived, chaparral shrub endemic to coastal southern California (CA) and northern Mexico. There is concern for CEVE persistence because of habitat loss, fire, and climate change, yet little is known about basic features of the plant, including whether it contains annual rings, plant age, and climate–growth response. Growth-ring analysis...
Authors
Ellis Q. Margolis, Keith Lombardo, Andrew E. Smith
Genetic diversity targets and indicators in the CBD post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework must be improved Genetic diversity targets and indicators in the CBD post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework must be improved
The 196 parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will soon agree to a post-2020 global framework for conserving the three elements of biodiversity (genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity) while ensuring sustainable development and benefit sharing. As the most significant global conservation policy mechanism, the new CBD framework has far-reaching consequences- it will...
Authors
Sean M. Hoban, Michael W. Bruford, Josephine D’Urban Jackson, Margarida Lopes-Fernandes, Myriam Heuertz, Paul A. Hohenlohe, Per Sjogren-Gulve, Gernot Segelbacher, Cristiano Vernesi, Sally Aitken, Laura D. Bertola, Paulette Bloomer, Martin Breed, Hernando Rodriguez-Correa, W. Chris Funk, Catherine E. Grueber, Margaret Hunter, Rodolfo Jaffe, Libby Liggins, Joachim Mergeay, Farideh Moharrek, David O'Brien, Rob Ogden, Clarisse Palma-Silva, Ivan Paz-Vinas, Jennifer Pierson, Uma Ramakrishnan, Murielle Simo-Droissart, Naoki Tani, Lisette Waits, Linda Laikre
Distance effects of gas field infrastructure on pygmy rabbits in southwestern Wyoming Distance effects of gas field infrastructure on pygmy rabbits in southwestern Wyoming
As domestic energy development activity continues in the western United States, wildlife conservation planning in affected regions is increasingly important. The geologic basins where oil and gas energy exploration is occurring are primarily sagebrush steppe rangelands. Sagebrush steppe habitats may support more than 20 vertebrate species of conservation concern, and for many of these...
Authors
Stephen S. Germaine, Timothy Assal, Aaron Freeman, Sarah K. Carter
Paleoclimate ocean conditions shaped the evolution of corals and their skeletal composition through deep time Paleoclimate ocean conditions shaped the evolution of corals and their skeletal composition through deep time
Identifying how past environmental conditions shaped the evolution of corals and their skeletal traits provides a framework for predicting their persistence and that of their non-calcifying relatives under impending global warming and ocean acidification. Here we show that ocean geochemistry, particularly aragonite–calcite seas, drives patterns of morphological evolution in anthozoans...
Authors
Andrea M. Quattrini, Eliana Rodriguez-Burgueno, B. C. Faircloth, P. Cowman, M. R. Brugler, G. Farfan, M. E. Hellberg, M. V. Kitahara, Cheryl Morrison, D. A. Paz-Garcia, J. D. Reimer, C. S. McFadden
Why are so many structures burning in California? Why are so many structures burning in California?
California has earned a reputation for wildfires that inflict serious damage on human infrastructure, dating back to images of Richard Nixon hosing down the roof of his house in the 1961 Bel-Air fire, and of the famous “fireproof” home of grocery store entrepreneur Fred Roberts burning to the ground in 1982. In recent years, this notoriety has been transformed into public alarm...
Authors
Alexandra D. Syphard, Jon Keeley
Lessons for leaders: The difference between good and great Lessons for leaders: The difference between good and great
No abstract available.
Authors
Beard, Abigail Lynch