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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: 42905

Integrating perspectives to understand lake ice dynamics in a changing world Integrating perspectives to understand lake ice dynamics in a changing world

Ice cover plays a critical role in physical, biogeochemical, and ecological processes in lakes. Despite its importance, winter limnology remains relatively understudied. Here, we provide a primer on the predominant drivers of freshwater lake ice cover and the current methodologies used to study lake ice, including in situ and remote sensing observations, physical based models, and...
Authors
Sapna Sharma, Michael F. Meyer, Joshua Culpepper, Xiao Yang, Stephanie Hampton, Stella A. Berger, Matthew R. Brousil, Steven C. Fradkin, Scott N. Higgins, Kathi Jo Jankowski, Georgiy Kirillin, Adrianne P Smits, Emily C. Whitaker, Foad Yousef, Shuai Zhang

DNA metabarcoding of feces to infer summer diet of Pacific walruses DNA metabarcoding of feces to infer summer diet of Pacific walruses

Environmental conditions in the Chukchi Sea are changing rapidly and may alter the abundance and distribution of marine species and their benthic prey. We used a metabarcoding approach to identify potentially important prey taxa from Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) fecal samples (n = 87). Bivalvia was the most dominant class of prey (66% of all normalized counts) and...
Authors
Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Chadwick V. Jay, Robert S. Cornman, Anthony S. Fischbach, Jacqueline M. Grebmeier, Sandra L. Talbot

Key components and contrasts in the nitrogen budget across a US-Canadian transboundary watershed Key components and contrasts in the nitrogen budget across a US-Canadian transboundary watershed

Watershed nitrogen (N) budgets provide insights into drivers and solutions for groundwater and surface water N contamination. We constructed a comprehensive N budget for the transboundary Nooksack River Watershed (British Columbia, Canada, and Washington, USA) using locally derived data, national statistics, and standard parameters. Feed imports for dairy (mainly in the United States)...
Authors
Jiajia Lin, Jana Compton, Chris Clark, Shabtai Bittman, Donna Schwede, Peter Homann, Peter Kiffney, David Hooper, Gary Bahr, Jill S. Baron

Benthic habitat is an integral part of freshwater Mysis ecology Benthic habitat is an integral part of freshwater Mysis ecology

Diel vertical migration (DVM) is common in aquatic organisms. The trade‐off between reduced predation risk in deeper, darker waters during the day and increased foraging opportunities closer to the surface at night is a leading hypothesis for DVM behaviour.Diel vertical migration behaviour has dominated research and assessment frameworks for Mysis , an omnivorous mid‐trophic level
Authors
Jason D. Stockwell, Brian O’Malley, Sture Hansson, Rosie C Chapina, Lars G. Rudstam, Brian Weidel

An invasive disease, sylvatic plague, increases fragmentation of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies An invasive disease, sylvatic plague, increases fragmentation of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies

Context A disease can be a source of disturbance, causing population declines or extirpations, altering species interactions, and affecting habitat structure. This is particularly relevant for diseases that affect keystone species or ecosystem engineers, leading to potentially cascading effects on ecosystems.Objective We investigated the invasion of a non-native disease, plague, to a...
Authors
Krystal M. Keuler, Gebbiana M. Bron, Randall Griebel, Katherine Richgels

Flowering plants preferred by bees of the Prairie Pothole Region Flowering plants preferred by bees of the Prairie Pothole Region

Land managers have stressed the need for improved pollinator habitat on private and public lands of the Prairie Pothole Region. Understanding flowering plant preferences of pollinators will improve the cost-effectiveness of conservation seeding mixes. The purpose of this fact sheet is to assist conservation planners and producers with developing seed mixes by highlighting flowering...
Authors
Stacy C. Simanonok, Clint Otto

Validation of the model-predicted spawning area of grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella in the Sandusky River Validation of the model-predicted spawning area of grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella in the Sandusky River

Spawning of grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella, in the Great Lakes basin was verified when eight fertilized eggs were collected in the Sandusky River, a tributary to Lake Erie, in 2015. Using a fluvial drift model (FluEgg) and simulation modeling, researchers predicted the fertilization location for those eggs was 3.8 ± 1 km (95% credible interval, CI) downstream of Ballville Dam. In...
Authors
Patrick Kocovsky, Nicole R. King, Eric Weimer, Christine Mayer, Song S. Qian

Influence of soil microbiota on Taxodium distichum seedling performance during extreme flooding events Influence of soil microbiota on Taxodium distichum seedling performance during extreme flooding events

Plant associations with soil microbiota can modulate tree seedling growth and survival via mutualistic or antagonistic interactions. It is uncertain, however, whether soil microbiota influence seedling growth of coastal trees when exposed to extreme flooding regimes. We evaluated the role of soil microbes in promoting baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) seedling performance under different...
Authors
Lorena Torres-Martinez, Mareli Sanchez-Julia, Elizabeth Kimbrough, Trey Hendrix, Miranda Hendrix, Richard H. Day, Ken W. Krauss, Sunshine A Van Bael

The field trip that changed the course of my career The field trip that changed the course of my career

After gobbling down a breakfast of sliced papaya, scrambled eggs, refried beans, and soft flour tacos, we gathered our gear and loaded it into the red zodiac that the station manager had assigned to us. My colleagues and I were headed to a pair of islands off the coast of Belize called Twin Cays, occupied by a unique group of tropical plants and animals adapted to a wet and saline...
Authors
Karen L. McKee

My life in dogs My life in dogs

No abstract available.
Authors
Beth Middleton
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